September 29 will see the launch of my debut recital album with Joseph Middleton, my long time recital partner. ‘Love said to me...’ is a collection of songs either inspired or written by women and will be released by the independent classical label Stone Records.

From the dizzy heights of 1930s Hollywood to the beautifully understated songs of the early 20th-century composer Muriel Herbert, the album encompasses a whole range of emotions and personalities. In addition to more well known works by Strauss, Poulenc and Wolf, the disc has a strong contemporary element, ending with three new works specifically commissioned for the album by the composers Rhian Samuel and Cheryl Frances-Hoad. From planning the repertoire to raising the funds to make it all possible, I have personally led the whole project – quite an undertaking as anyone with an understanding of the music industry will appreciate!

Making an album is an all consuming process, demanding huge amounts of planning – and of course money. As a young singer with limited personal funds, from the outset I was keenly aware of the financial burden that an album would involve. However, I also knew that by personally raising the funds required, I would retain complete artistic control over the album. Consequently, over the course of a year I raised over £8000 through a number of a trusts, charitable foundations, corporate donations and an online crowdfunding campaign through kickstarter.com. In addition, I was fortunate enough to secure free studio and piano hire through the generous support of Aldeburgh Music.

In my opinion private funding for more ‘niche’ projects such as mine (especially those within the classical music industry) is simply a necessity. Without the backing of a powerhouse record label, it is up to the individual to make the project a reality through independent means. Like any commercial product, I think it vital to have a very clear idea of what you are ‘selling’ and why it deserves support. At times I certainly felt more like a saleswoman than a soprano!

After numerous applications to musical trusts, I successfully secured enough funding to make the project viable. I then needed to meet my shortfall through other means – firstly, I approached various local businesses from my hometown as well as setting up a fundraising concert. I then launched an online fundraising campaign through Kickstarter. This proved to be another project in its own right but I was very lucky to have considerable support in making it happen! With the help of some very talented friends, I made a video and assigned categories to each donation level. Further research went into similar projects and establishing why some had succeeded and why others had failed. I actually needed to raise more than my target amount, however, and since the Kickstarter premise is ‘all or nothing’, I had to be realistic with my financial aspirations! In the end I comfortably reached my target and was thrilled with the response to the album. One added bonus of an online campaign is that it can generate considerable interest about you and the project, even if some of this interest might not manifest itself in monetary terms. It allows new audiences to gain an immediate insight in to what you do and the passion that drives your music making.

Now that the album is about to be launched, I can safely say that all the hard work was worth it. At times I was quite overwhelmed by the various administrative demands of the project that I was juggling alongside my performance commitments but I would advise anyone in a similar situation simply to bear in mind the artistic integrity of what you are trying to achieve. With enough time and effort, everything else will then fall in to place!

Visit Presto Classical to pre-order Caroline MacPhie's 'Love said to me...'