Gunga Din

It rained the whole time in Ireland, but we had fun despite it. We went to the boat my dad keeps with his friend on Lough Derg. We went to Bunratty castle and folk park, we played a D&D game with the kids, and we invented our own board game and played that. I taught Steph to crochet granny squares and we started work on an afghan for dad. Dad read us poems by Robert Service, Rudyard Kipling and Banjo Patterson whilst we crocheted. I practiced a new bluegrass fingerpick I was learning on the guitar until I drove everyone crazy (but they all agreed I had improved by the end of the week).

The kids played in the Irish farmland surrounding dad's house come rain or shine. They shoveled up gravel from a heap and scattered it all across the yard; on the last day Steph and I spent an hour sweeping it back into a heap. The kids furnished a "den" in the hedgerow by the lane and spent a lot of time carrying stuff up there.

We watched a clutch of swallow chicks in dad's barn get bigger and bigger - before long they'll be ready to fly. We identified most of the wild flowers we found on dad's land (ragwort, greater plantain, ribbed plantain, welted thistle, creeping thistle, creeping buttercup, herb robert, yarrow, short-fruited willowherb, selfheal and others) and we identified all the birds (goldfinches, house sparrows, dunnocks, wrens, robins, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, greenfinches, jackdaws, hooded crows, wagtails, swallows, and others).

Tomorrow we're off on our travels again - to London this time with Ed (he didn't come to Ireland) for our main family holiday of the year. I'll resume normal regular blogging when I return.

A Holiday, A Holiday

We're off to the Cropredy music festival today for four days. We've gone every year since we were teenagers. We love the camping, the music, the food, the shopping, the atmosphere, we love meeting up with our friends, we even love the weather. I've written some blog posts and saved them to be published automatically whilst we're away. But I won't be able to reply to emails or comments until I get back. And even then I'm only back for a couple of days before I head straight off to my dad's house in Ireland.

Mass in B Minor

Last night I sang Bach's Mass in B Minor with St George's Singers at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall. We had a stellar line-up of soloists, including Nancy Argenta and Michael George, although I agree with the reviewer from the Manchester Evening News who thought that the countertenor Tim Mead (a last-minute replacement for Robin Blaze) stole the show.

Of the choir, the MEN reviewer said:

The way they handled the complex choral writing, whether in four, five, or eight parts, producing a mellow, balanced sound every time, is a tribute to the qualities of the choir's members and the skill at work in their training.

He seemed to especially enjoy the Kyrie and Sanctus which we sang from memory:

... there was no forcing in the singing there or anywhere else: instead a transparent sound which demonstrated how well the choristers knew their notes.

You can read the full review here.

It was a thrilling end to a wonderful season. In May we sang The Daily Service live on Radio 4. In March we sang Rachmaninov's Vespers at Gorton Monastery with readings by Terry Waite and Joan Bakewell. In February we sang Elijah three times with Paul McCreesh, an internationally renowned conductor, which was a huge thrill. We sang Brahms' German Requiem in a day in January, and carol concerts of course in December. In November we performed a very challenging programme of 20th Century English choral music which was hard work and very nerve-wracking, but gave us a fantastic springboard for everything that followed.

We've got 2 months off now before we resume in September. Tomorrow will be the end-of-season party - everyone brings a plate of food and a bottle of drink to share, and we get up and sing silly songs and crack jokes and have fun together for one last time before the summer break.

I can't imagine life without music, without singing and playing, practicing and performing music, going to concerts and listening to CDs, and all the friends I have found because of a shared love of music. I love teaching guitar to 6-11 year olds, because lessons like that set me on the path to lifelong music-making. It's great to pass the baton to a new generation.

Daily Service

My choir, St George's Singers, are singing the Daily Service live on Radio 4 this morning. If you tune in to Radio 4 (198 LW) at 9:45 am you'll hear me (and a few dozen other people) singing two hymns and a Vaughan Williams piece. Don't worry if you miss it because you can listen again on the Radio 4 website afterwards. I'll post the link once it's up.

Update: To listen again, go to the Daily Service webpage. Find Listen again to the Daily Service and look for Wednesday 7 May, Crowned with honour and glory, Tony Rogers. Click on the Listen button. You'll need to have RealPlayer installed.

International Women's Day

It will be International Women's Day on March 8th. I wasn't planning to do anything special for the day, but I am very pleased that Amnesty International UK has chosen me as one of its favourite female bloggers to celebrate the day.

To be mentioned on the same page as The Huffington Post, Dooce and Rachel from North London cheered me up on a day when I was feeling a bit low. I have two important concerts this weekend, and I am starting to come down with the same cold that flattened Ed for several days. Poor me. Come to the pity party.

Anyway, my dad is arriving tonight for a week-long visit. I'm going to be singing two wonderful works in inspirational settings this weekend. The garden is full of spring flowers. And Amnesty International likes my blog. So what reason is there to feel sorry for myself? No reason at all that a big glass of whisky and hot lemon can't fix.

The picture is a drawing of me by my 8-year-old daughter Eleanor, which she drew for a mother's day card this year. See, even more reasons to feel good.

Efergy Energy Saving Meter

What a week that was - we rehearsed Mendelssohn's Elijah intensively then gave performances at Chester Cathedral on Thursday and Manchester Cathedral on Friday. It's a big work and it took considerable stamina and concentration to pull it off, but it was an incredible experience. The conductor (Paul McCreesh) was very inspiring, and the soloists were fab. I'm totally spent. I needed a good lie-in this morning, and would like to take it easy this weekend - but it's Tom's birthday tomorrow.

Today we celebrated Valentine's Day, two days late because I was singing on Thursday. My lovely Eddy got me an Efergy electricity use monitor. You clamp the sensor around the cable that feeds your electricity meter (no wiring or anything technical involved), and it sends data to a portable display unit. In no time at all I was wandering round the house turning stuff on and off and seeing how low I could get the unit to go, and what effect the kettle, electric cooker etc. had on our consumption. You can get it to display in terms of kWH, cost, or carbon emissions (you have to get the figures from your electricity bill and input them into the gadget). I love it, and I thought it was a really thoughtful Valentines' gift for me, although I can see how many women would fail to go weak at the knees on receiving something like this.

I'm not telling you what I got for Eddy. It's none of your business. But he liked it.

Authentic Entertainment

All this week I'm quilting and singing. At the rehearsal for Elijah last night it occurred to me that I enjoy the rehearsal process as much as I enjoy the actual performances. From the point of view of the audience, the performance seems to be the important thing. But if there was some way I could wave a magic wand and give a good performance without all the trouble of rehearsals, I'd hate that because often the performance passes in a flash, but the rehearsals can be a blast. Well, sometimes. Sometimes they're dull and repetitive, or really hard and tiring. But on the whole it's a thrill to get together with a hundred or so other people and create something out of nothing, polish it until it is as good as it can be, and then show it to an appreciative audience. So, much like my quilting and other crafting, I do it because I get a buzz from the process, not just as a means to an end. There are much quicker and cheaper ways to obtain bedcoverings than quilting them yourself. But they're not nearly as much fun.

Another reason I love choral singing and crafting is that the end result is unique, a consequence of the particular ingredients (e.g. the individual singers and conductor, or the particular pieces of fabric you had). To me that makes it much more precious and worthwhile than a mass-produced item. I had much more fun at the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus concert I attended the other week than I have ever had at any Hollywood movie I've ever seen. Somehow the Hollywood movies have a slick, corporate feel. Even though movies cost millions of dollars to make, and I'm sure all the actors, writers, cameramen and everybody else gave it their all, yet they feel cheap and disposable to me. TV shows are usually even worse. But when I go to the theatre to see a play, or to a concert, I get a sense that I'm seeing something unique, something with an authenticity that Hollywood movies and TV shows entirely lack. My brain is engaged, not dulled, and the performers are communicating with me personally. If I nod off, or clap half-heartedly, or start doing the crossword, the performers will detect my indifference and it will put them off. But my involvement and appreciation will energise the performers to give their best performance.

When was the last time you went to the theatre or to a concert? Or to a comedy club or a folk club? How about enjoying some authentic entertainment for a change?

Busy Week

I've had a crazy busy weekend and I've got a crazy busy week ahead of me. My choir, St George's Singers, are rehearsing Mendelssohn's Elijah with Chetham's School of Music and Bach Chester Singers, conducted by Paul McCreesh, on Tuesday and Wednesday evening in preparation for performances in Chester Cathedral on Thursday (14th Feb) and Manchester Cathedral on Friday (15th Feb). We're also performing in Windsor Castle on Saturday 8th March, the day before we perform Rachmaninoff's Vespers in Gorton Monastery with readings by Terry Waite and Joan Bakewell.

If any of this is going over your head I'll sum it up - I'm getting to rehearse some really fabulous music with an internationally regarded conductor and perform it in four different wonderful historical settings. It's going to be hard work but lots of fun, and should be the kind of thing I remember for a long time.

If you'd like to come to any of these concerts, Elijah tickets are £14, £12 children £2, available from 0161 838 7244 or email boxoffice@chethams.com. Vespers tickets are sadly sold out, but if you want to book early for our next concert, we're performing Bach's Mass in B Minor on Saturday 22nd June, tickets are £11 (students and children £8), £16, £21, £26 Group concessions for booking 10 or more, available from The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.

Review: Seasons of Love

I went to a concert by the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus last night. A friend of mine was thinking of joining them, and wanted to go to the concert to check them out. She asked me to go with her, and I'm really glad she did because we had a great night.

They are a community choir, which means you don't have to audition to join, and they perform a much lighter repertoire than my usual choir, St George's Singers. Last night's concert included numbers such as Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Can You Feel The Love Tonight (from Disney's The Lion King) and Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.

They have a lovely sound, beautifully blended, and I was very impressed how well they maintained pitch considering they performed a capella (without accompaniment) and they are not trained singers. They sang with lots of energy and sensitivity, helped by the fact that they learn all their music by ear since most of them do not read music. This meant they all kept unbroken eye contact with their conductor, professional choral trainer Jeff Borradaile, who used exaggerated changes in dynamic and tempo to add vitality and interest to the music, and the choir followed him perfectly.

Interest was also added by the choir occasionally splitting into smaller groups - a group of 9 men (The Cocquettes) and a group of 7 women (The Sapphonics). There were also two spoken monologues during the evening, which added variety to the evening.

They seem to be a friendly, tight-knit group who have a lot of fun. This, coupled with the great quality of the singing, convinced my friend that she did indeed want to join them. As we chatted to people in the bar after the concert I was invited to join too, but I don't actually qualify. And in any case I do something else on Monday evenings, when they rehearse. But I'm looking forward to attending more of their concerts to support my friend when she joins.

I think my favourite piece last night was Ysaye Barnwell's For Each Child That's Born. Some of the lyrics are:

We are our grandmother's prayers
We are our grandfather's dreamings
We are the breath of the ancestors
We are the spirit of all.

Cartoon by Climate Cartoons. Click on the panel to see the complete strip.

A German Requiem

The choir I sing with, St George's Singers, had a singing day yesterday. We have one every year. Anyone who wanted could come along and spend a whole day learning Brahms' German Requiem from scratch, then give a performance in the evening with professional soloists and accompaniment in front of a paying audience.

Last year we did Orff's Carmina Burana, and both my sisters came to sing. This year only Stephanie could make it for the singing day, but Lindsey and her husband Andrew came to the performance. It was great fun as always, although it's not my favourite work, with long dull stretches between the moving or exciting bits. Sam came to the concert too, and sat with Lindsey and Andrew. He said he liked all of it, so he obviously didn't find it dull. Maybe it's just me.

See how the husbandman waiteth
for the precious fruit of the earth,
and hath long patience for it,
until he receive the early and latter rain.
So be ye patient.

Cartoon by Climate Cartoons. Click on the panel to see the whole strip.

Mince Pies

My carol concert on Saturday night was lovely. My sister Lindsey came with her husband Andrew, and so did Eleanor (aged 7) and Sam (aged 6). Ellie stayed awake throughout the concert for the first time ever, but Sam dozed off during the second half.

The audience were treated to mince pies and mulled wine in the interval (all part of the ticket price), so every member of the choir had to bring 6 mince pies. Mine were home-made, and following Kethry's and Tracy's suggestions, I added shredded orange rind to the rich sweet pastry. It was lovely, I think I'll always do that in future. I bet it would work well with pumpkin pie as well.

Carol Concert

I'm singing in a carol concert tonight with my choir, St George's Singers. It's always a popular concert, with carols by candlelight, brass band, mince pies and mulled wine. If you'd like to come, it's at St George's Church, Stockport (on the A6). It starts at 7.30pm, and the tickets are £12 (£10 for concessions, £1 for students and children).

I'm really looking forward to it. It always gets me in the Christmas mood.

M is Musick

My choir, St George's Singers, gave a remarkable concert last night. It was an extremely challenging programme of 20th Century English music, and there were quite a few jitters among the choir. I think we would all have liked a couple more rehearsals at least. But under the leadership of our MD, Neil Taylor, (and with a lot of very hard work on the day) we overcame our insecurity and gave a thrilling concert. For one night choral singing became an extreme sport.

Without doubt the highlight for me was singing Benjamin Britten's cantata "Rejoice in the Lamb". Britten wrote some joyfully bonkers music to accompany the completely bonkers libretto by Christopher Smart. Challenging to sing, yes, but once you "get it", it's enormous fun.

For the flowers are great blessings.
For the flowers have their angels,
Even the words of God's creation.
...
For the flowers are peculiarly
The poetry of Christ.

Cartoon from Climate Cartoons.

I Believe...

I believe in fires at midnight,
when the dogs have all been fed.
A golden toddy on the mantle,
a broken gun beneath the bed.


Now listening to Songs From The Wood by Jethro Tull. Progressive folk rock par excellence.

I'm Gonna See All My Friends

Just got back from Cropredy 2008. To all those who missed it - I hate to do this to you but it was an absolute corker. Unbroken glorious sunshine, fantastic bands, interesting stalls and yummy, varied food, the usual great organisation, plus a few new extras.

Jools Holland played a fabulous set on Thursday night, and Richard Thompson was his usual stellar self on Friday, after Fairport played the whole of Liege and Lief with the original line-up (so far as possible). Dave Swarbrick was amazing. He's a new man following his transplant op. The last time he played Cropredy, he was wheeled on stage in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank behind him. This time he walked on, played standing and bopped about with the best of them. Needless to say his playing was peerless.

Cropredy festival now has a fringe. The two pubs in the village booked several acts (including some of the bands who performed on the main stage last year) and put on their own concerts. Also there was a huge screen behind the main stage on which they showed live images of the band, the crowd, and some cheesy videos (the one for Hiring Fair was especially cringe-able). It was great for a shortie like me, who has never really seen much at the concert, to be able to see what was going on onstage.

The highlight, however, came on Saturday night with the video for Matty Groves - in Lego. If you don't know what I mean, it was done in a similar style to The Brick Testament. Simon Nicol sang it absolutely deadpan, although the audience were all hooting with laughter at the video. They followed it up with the usual medley, played with even more energy and zip than usual, and the drawn-out ending was thoroughly silly and fun. I can't imagine how they're going to top it next year.

The only disappointment, for me, was the large number of absent friends. Our family met up with my sister Lindsey and her husband Andrew, and Lindsey's friend Steve and his kids, and we had a great time. But we missed Steve H., Jim and Catrin, the Roses, Shona, Ford, Christina and Alan, and especially my sister Steph who couldn't make it this year. Please, guys, do your best to make it next year. "Meet on the Ledge" just isn't the same without you.

A Holiday, A Holiday

We're off to the Cropredy festival again for the weekend, and when we get back back we're going to visit my Dad in Ireland for a week.

Behave yourselves whilst I'm away, won't you?

My Weekend

I've had a busy weekend. My sister, Steph came to visit with her two small children. We met up with our other sister, Lindsey, for an evening of gossip and laughs. We went to Bramhall Hall, Macclesfield and The Trafford Centre. We baked four batches of scones (two of cheese and two of fruit), a carrot cake and a brandy-and-coffee-gateau. And we spent hours on the allotment clearing weeds and planting petits poi and manges-tout, and getting quite badly sunburned.

Note to self - remember sunscreen.

When she left I took the gateau to a piano recital organised by my choir, St George's Singers. It was heavenly to sit with friends on a glorious June afternoon, listening to a fabulous programme of piano music played by four superb soloists, with church bells and birdsong in the background. The wine and home-made cakes in the interval were very pleasant as well.

I hope you all had a good weekend, too.

Cows With Guns

You know how I feel about anatomically-incorrect cartoon cows, but that aside, Cows With Guns is one of the funniest things I've ever watched on the internet.

If you're reading bean-sprouts at home, go and watch the song and video about, well, cows with guns. If you're at work just write the URL on a post-it note and take it home, because if the music doesn't draw your boss's attention, the sound of you laughing out loud certainly will.

Creation

Last night my choir, St George's Singers, performed Haydn's Creation at the Royal Northern College of Music. It was a good concert - the orchestra (The Manchester Camerata) are one of the UK's most distinguished, the choir has been acclaimed as the best in the region, and the soloists were exquisite.

I enjoyed singing the biblical story of the creation. After the creation of trees and plants, Gabriel (the soprano soloist) sings a beautiful description of the first spring:

With verdure clad the fields appear
Delightful to the ravished sense;
By flowers sweet and gay
Enhanced is the charming sight.
Here vent their fumes the fragrant herbs;
Here shoots the healing plant.
By loads of fruits th'expanded boughs are pressed;
To shady vaults are bent the tufty groves;
The mountain's brow is crowned with closed wood.

Chitting Potatoes

I bought some Desiree, Pink Fir Apple, Kestrel and Red Duke of York seed potatoes. They're currently chitting (that means being exposed to the light so they start to sprout) in some apple trays I scavenged from the greengrocer. I'll plant them in the spring.

I'm also chitting some random potatoes of mixed and unknown varieties which I excavated from the bottom of the spud bag because they were starting to sprout already. They might as well go in the ground, but there's no knowing what they'll do. That's all part of the fun.

By the way, my choir, St George's Singers, are singing the Daily Service live on Radio 4 on Monday. If you tune in to Radio 4 (198 LW) at 9:45 am you'll hear me (and a few dozen other people) singing two hymns and a spiritual. Don't worry if you miss it because you can listen again on the Radio 4 website afterwards. I'll post the link once it's up.

Update: You can listen at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/mondailyservice

Updated Update: The previous link no longer points to the St George's Singers' daily service, but whoever sang the service last Monday. However we have been invited back sometime so you'll have a chance hear us again. Watch this space.