ANNIE & Mavis: An Ipswich Story is a new operetta by local composer Cate Carter that tells the story of two Ipswich women, Annie Gordon and Mavis Parkinson, who sacrificed their lives during missionary work in China at the end of the 19th century, and in Papua New Guinea in the Second World War.
The operetta is written for school orchestra and choir, local soloists and actors, to be performed in concert format supported by projected archival images.
Cate first proposed the idea of a piece of music based on the stories of the Ipswich martyrs during her 2025 appointment as Composer-in-Residence at St Paul’s church.
The original idea was always to write the work for youth orchestra and choir for three reasons: first, to tell the story in the voices of the Sunday School children Annie and Mavis would have taught; second, to represent local performers; and finally, to provide a piece of contemporary music for the development of young musicians.
After an early presentation of the work-in-progress, the operetta was expanded to include seven sections of spoken text.
The stories start at St Paul’s church where Annie and Mavis are teaching Sunday School to their respective classes. After an emotional farewell and journey by boat to China and PNG, the girls sing about the cultural and environmental challenges they face in their new posts.
To make the story relevant to Ipswich today, Cate has connected the work of Annie and Mavis to the humanitarian work of contemporary overseas charity and mission organisations.
The performance showcases multiple creative streams including instrumentalists, singers, composers, actors, costume makers, digital artists; and has been put together with the help of archivists, librarians, local historians, music staff, and Sunday School teachers!
The music was developed with the assistance of local PNG and Chinese community members, who helped interpret archival music and language.
It was also important to Cate that the sounds of Ipswich all be incorporated into the music.
About the Composer – Cate Carter is an emerging composer, part-time Army officer and military scholar. Her first major orchestral work, The Witnesses, was premiered by the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra in London in 2024. She is a proud member of Arts Connect and has lived in Ipswich with her family since 2014.
Cate can be contacted by email: Catecarter@gmail.com.
