I was always interested in singing, but initially followed the advice given, which was that it’s a great hobby, but hardly a career.  With which I did a degree in English and went into FE  to teach English and General Studies.  Fortunately for me, the hobby, when strenuously and studiously pursued, took me into Belgian  and German opera choruses, through a mass of concert work, and eventually back to England.

Here, the hard realities of getting a mortgage led to a part-time stint in secondary schools alongside the immensely enjoyable session work with the BBC and other choral groups, not to mention more concerts for choral societies and the then Council for Music in Hospitals. 

It was one of these concerts which led to my participation in running a music club for the residents of Meath Home in Godalming.  This delightful group of people taught me more than I ever taught them, and together with the other club leaders, Lisa Westerhout , Patrick Ward and Susan Devlin, we produced many home grown musical plays and pantomimes, as well as our own adaptations of existing works.

Since my return to England  in 1984  - not as ill-omened a year as it might seem – my singing profile has included church singing,  eventually as the alto in the St.Giles quartet, Cripplegate, London, and a revived interest in folk music, with its attendant instrumental  demands.  These “demands” are of course entirely optional, but I find them rewarding. 

On the operatic front,  character roles (Tisbe and Marcellina) with London Opera Players and tours with Classical Opera Productions to venues from Birmingham to Berlin, and the Royal Opera House, this last to Jerusalem,  have helped to stave off platform stiffness.

Teaching has broadened from a purely private practice to include Primary Schools, Secondary schools and Adult Education, as well as Singing Workshops.  The introduction of Adult Education to residential homes for the elderly led to a student age range of 4-96!  I have had reason to be grateful for my guitar and concertina: they are considerably more portable than a keyboard, and add to the interest  for my students.

The most recent professional development is that of adjudicating, a fascinating and stimulating job which has the added advantage of bringing me into contact with even more new repertoire.

Home life includes a succession of cats, currently three.  They are a constant reminder that, whatever we may think,  humans are not top species.

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