Francesca Simmons/Madame Ceski is a Welsh musician, composer & performer, based in Bristol.  Her music crosses over from theatre, to radio, into alt-folk and experimental.  She regularly works with live animation companies The Paper Cinema and 1927 as devisor & performer, alongside other collaborations.  She has performed widely across the UK and internationally, and her music has been played on Late Junction, BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio Wales & Radio Cymru. 

 Being a violinist, her music is often string and vocal based, and touches upon improvisation, field recordings, and mixed media.  She is fascinated by ‘folk’ in its widest sense – the transformative nature of people’s habits and traditions, ranging from the mundane to the spiritual. 

In January 2021 Francesca received one of Sound and Music’s COVID-19 Composer Awards:

“During lockdown, I bought a protective coverall suit from Screwfix, with the aim to create some Covid Ritual Music – to assemble a quasi-folk costume, tune & instructive dance to ward away CovidThe support from Sound and Music will help me realise this, in collaboration with 3D artist Finn Dovey & Bricks Bristol” 

Watch the video for ‘Covid Ritual Music’ below, and see Francesca featured on Grayson Perry’s Art Club here

Explore ‘Where Water Meets Land’ – a 3D Collaborative World – featuring Francesca’s ‘Covid Ritual Music’ here

Watch