‘Dangerous Matter’: A New Opera on Vaccine Science, Memory, and Innovation

A conversation with Zakiya Leeming and Rachel Hindmarsh about the Thanks for the Memories project and a new opera. The Thanks for the Memories public engagement programme is about to premier a new opera, ‘Dangerous Matter’, at the Royal Northern College of Music on June 24th, 2025, inspired both by the story of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and by research into immune memory. On this episode we talk to composer Zakiya Leeming and facilitator Rachel Hindmarsh about how they developed the opera, and find out about their wider creative programme of science and music engagement with secondary school students. The project would like to thank the Wellcome Trust, who have supported the project through an Enriching Engagement Grant. The project would also like to thank researchers at the University of Oxford and University of Manchester who have supported scientific engagement throughout the project. Further reading: · Project website: https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/about/public-engagement/thanks-for-the-memories-t4tm · Zakiya Leeming article on the process of writing the opera: https://oxfordroadcorridor.com/medicine-memory-and-the-music-of-defiance/ · Dawn, on the Morning after the Storm - collaboration between Zakiya and the International Severe and Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) during Covid pandemic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0l3S04TfFY; Guardian article about the performance https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/16/musical-composition-inspired-by-uk-covid-research-to-have-world-premiere · PRISM website https://www.rncm.ac.uk/research/research-activity/research-centres-rncm/prism/