Music and words from the trans imaginary: An evening with CN Lester

CN Lester is a multi-genre musician: a classical singer, improviser/deviser, composer, and alternative piano-based singer-songwriter. They are also the author of the critically acclaimed 'Trans Like Me', and the founder and artistic director of the groundbreaking arts event 'Transpose' at the Barbican. They work internationally as a trans, queer, and feminist educator, writer, speaker, and activist.

For 'An Evening with CN Lester', they will perform selections of their soulful, melodic, piano-based music, brought to life by the sumptuous sound of the Reid Concert Hall’s Steinway piano. CN will also deliver a reading of their recent reflections on the current state of life for trans people in the UK.

CN’s mesmeric talent and drive make them a perfect featured artist for our programme of trans-centred events, sponsored by QUEER.ED, UCU Edinburgh, the Staff Pride Network, Lighthouse Bookshop, Edinburgh College of Art, the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, the School of Social and Political Science, and the School of History, Classics, and Archaeology.

This programme rejects the dehumanising narratives about trans people disseminated by the media and the anti-trans movement. Instead, CN’s art offers a tantalising glimpse into the trans imaginary—a space where trans people create their own stories, shape their own narratives, and define their own lives, inspired by energy, solidarity, hope, and love.