No props, microphones or gimmicks, just five stunning female voices form a cappella vocal group Papagena. Weaving together classical music, medieval chants, folk and contemporary ballads and new commissions from around the world, Papagena’s refreshing programming defies pigeonholing. The group has performed throughout the UK and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4.

Papagena’s programme ranges from 12th century abbess Hildegard of Bingen to Katy Perry, from Romanian and Russian Orthodox hymns and lilting Celtic ballads to folk lullabies. Throw into the mix Purcell, Scarlatti, Ravel and Bach on the one hand, and Imogen Heap, a hoovering fantasia, Caitlin Moran’s comedic take on Kipling’s IF and the group’s new cover of ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ on the other and you have Nuns and Roses, a tapestry of sound which is both sacred and profane, tender, witty and urbane.