songs from the heart
almost
It is now exactly one year since I had a stroke and life is almost back to normal. Workshops that had to be postponed have been rescheduled for this spring, including at Halsway Manor. Also a gig with my partner in crime, Moira Craig is coming up at the Holybourne Theatre near Alton in Hampshire. See below for details and the guests who will be appearing with us. Moira and I will also be leading the harmony workshops at Whitby Folk Week in August.
I haven't been idle over the past year! Having had to give up much of my work, I am in the process of producing an e-book of my arrangements of traditional songs for community choirs, aided by Denis Gibson. Watch this space!
23 February 2025
​​Hope to see some of you at gigs and/or Whitby. Can't wait!
Saturday 5 April 2025
at 7:30pm
I'm looking forward to appearing with Mora Craig at the Holybourne Theatre in Alton again. This is how we're billed on the theatre's website...
With friends at the Holybourne
Don't miss our evening of varied folk music with Moira and Carolyn, two of Britain's top folk artists, known for their stunning harmonies and wide repertoire. With roots in Scotland and Northumberland, they bring traditional folk songs and a touch of contemporary flair to the stage.
They will be joined by Malcolm Austen, who is a fine singer of mostly Music Hall and humorous songs, and Paul Tabbush, who not only plays Northumbrian pipes exceedingly well but also makes them.
The Alton Community Choir will also support with Songs to herald the Spring.
Grab your tickets today! £12 per person.
High Five
October 2024
High Five is my winning entry in this year's Funky Tunes competition organised by the Northumbrian Pipers Society. It's played here by Paul Tabbush and Jon Shurlock.
August 2024
Thanks to all of you who ventured out for a wonderful evening at St Paul’s Winchester for our Sea and Seasons concert on 5 July. We were able to make a donation of £900 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution due to a generous retiring collection and share of tickets sales. Lloyds Bank chipped in another £500 because one of our singers works for them and they support their staff who fundraise for charity.
We felt at home in this fine Victorian parish church. It retains the original detailed stonework from the 1870s in the Decorated Gothic style by the Winchester architect John Colson. The East Window, its stained glass added in 1948, is beautifully lit by the late evening July light. The raised stone dais, built in 2000, juts into the nave and created an ideal platform for our concert. And partially uncovered and restored on the south chancel wall, a glimpse of the plasterwork design (sgraffito) from 1904 by Heywood Sumner, artist, craftsman, antiquarian and folksong collector.
My next concert with TakeNOTE is at St Lawrence in The Square for our Winchester Christmas concert on Monday 9 December.
Top TakeNOTE beneath the beautiful east window
Middle Left the trio Middle Right Tops and Tunes
Bottom Left John Wesley from the RNLI
Bottom Right Heywood Sumner’s sgraffito
Some great ideas come when you’re in the pub. Take Sir William Hillary for example. He founded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in a London tavern on 4th March 1824. Over the two centuries since that night, the RNLI’s volunteer crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives. That’s an average of two lives every day for 200 years.
Alton Community Choir raises funds for 3 or 4 charities throughout the year. The RNLI was on the list this year when the charity marks its 200th anniversary. To celebrate, the choir presented a programme of sea songs to a large audience in the Alton Methodist Church.
The choir starts rehearsals again on 12 September. Anyone in striking distance of our rehearsal room in Alton Methodist Church is very welcome to come along. Find out more at https://altoncommunitychoir.org.uk/
Back at the helm
June 2024
My last post here was about a rather traumatic health incident in February. I had a stroke and the initial prognosis was poor, with family summoned to my hospital bedside in the early hours to say farewell
I count my survival and recovery a modern-day miracle. I've had to cut-down on my workload, which meant stepping down from my beloved community choirs in Petersfield and Winchester.
I continue as Music Director of Alton Community Choir, near to home. And I'm chaufeured to rehearsals of TakeNOTE Chamber Choir in Winchester by lovely friends who make the journey easy.
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I would love to see you at our concerts in Alton and Winchester this July. They both have the salty flavour of the sea and celebrate the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's 200th anniversary.
