Tweeting to Trumpeters

Back in May I played a wonderful gig at Westminster Cathedral for the Installation of new Archbishop Vincent Nichols.  To read more about that gig see my blog on it.  The reason I’m writing about it again now is that during the ceremony, I was following @catholicherald on Twitter as well as posting my own Tweets about the ceremony.  At one point @catholicherald, who were live-tweeting the entire ceremony, made a comment about the fanfares – which I was playing – so I tweeted back, and I think they were a little surprised!  They also sent me a DM (direct message for those of you not up to speed on Twitter lingo) saying

“That’s extremely impressive – tweeting and performing at Westminster Cathedral at the same time…”

Needless to say, the fanfares are added for effect at the start and end of the ceremony – there was plenty of time to sit around Tweeting mid-ceremony, and there’s not much doubt that I’m the first trumpet player to ever have tweeted during an Archbishop’s Installation Ceremony at Westminster Cathedral – there’s a first time for everything and I’m glad to have taken part!

The people tweeting @catholicherald were very complementary about the music in the ceremony, so many thanks for your kind words.  It was a fabulous venue to play in, and I played to my biggest audience to date; the Cathedral alone holds about 2000 people, and as you can imagine it was packed, but couple that with live broadcasts on the BBC, on the Diocese’s internet channel, on EWTN (the Roman Catholic TV network) and on Premier Radio, and with over 1 billion Catholics worldwide that’s one hell of a potential audience to play to!  Was I nervous?  No, not really.  I always find that playing to larger audiences takes away the intimacy that can often be the cause of nerves…When you can see the whites of peoples’ eyes, that’s when you’re in danger of feeling the pressure.

So, to finish off, here are some of my favourite Tweets from @catholicherald during the ceremony, and a copy of the article from the Catholic Herald newspaper in which I was mentioned (thank you very much to Ed West).

“Procession nears the high altar, passing the great and the good. And some MPs”

“His grace is greeted by the flock. Looking very handsome still. Once called the ‘Brad Pitt of the English Church’”

“More fanfare. That’s what our country needs – more fanfare! It’s great”

“Wouldn’t it be great to be greeted like that every time you came home from work? Handel playing in the back, page-boys.”

“His Grace says: ‘Faith opens us’ (and our mind) and he quotes Paul: ‘There is no Jew or Greek’ – the Beeb will like that one”

From the Catholic Herald's newspaper, May 29 2009

Melancholy London

By my troth London is a melancholy place. Last night, after a meeting with Mark “Monty” Garfield about all things T.Mandrake, I met up with the girls (my sister, our mum and her friend) and went to the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. The play of choice was Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and very enjoyable it was indeed! Forsooth, the cast were fantastic (although I didn’t think Hero’s father was convincing enough at being full of rage – even when he said he wanted to tear her apart with his bare hands, the emotions were portrayed in his movements, but they never reached his voice or his eyes – the way a fake smile never does either).

After the play, my sister and I went for drinks at Molton House courtesy of my friend Will – check out his blog here. While enjoying our free drinks and mingling with London’s ‘cool crowd’ we noticed what a melancholy bunch they were. Perhaps we were inspired by our injection of Shakespeare comedy earlier that evening (and all the wine/gin/vodka we’d been drinking), but this lot seemed to have trouble smiling, saying excuse me to get past you or even making eye contact in some cases! Now, of course I’m generalising here – not everybody in Molton House was secluded in their clique, but we were surprised by the surliness of some of the clientele.

So on the way home I had a little experiment. I smiled at people. Yes, on the bus and on the train. Actually made eye contact and smiled at people. The results were interesting; one girl smiled back, two guys smiled back but only once they were safely outside the bus and I was leaving on it, one guy asked for my phone number, and everybody else looked either surprised, suspicious or sometimes downright terrified!

Anon, I bid thee all a fair weekend, and beseech the people of London – please smile at each other more!

Filming & Recording with T.Mandrake at Metropolis Studios

Wednesday 27^th May, 7am; time to leave the house, but I’m not ready.  In all fairness, I set myself a 7am departure time knowing full well that I would be at least 20 minutes late.  And I was only going 20 miles, from Windsor to Chiswick, but factoring in M4 traffic, and needing to be there at 8am, allowing (realistically) 40 minutes was probably about right.  But I was still trying to pack clothes etc at 7.15am so it seems I was spot on with my chosen and estimated times of departure.

I arrived at Metropolis Studios (“Europe’s top recording & mixing studio complex”) just before 8am, perfectly on schedule and feeling quite pleased with myself (despite nearly taking out a cyclist who admittedly must have had a death wish).  The boys were there loading in their gear and everybody was in a good mood despite the early hour (we’re usually a band of nightime people).  While waiting for the film crew to set up the lights, cameras and practice shouting “action” (not really), we ate breakfast, drunk litres of coffee, had hair and make-up done, ironed our outfits, customised our outfits, accessorised our outfits, warmed up our instruments and voices…and then we waited.  It took the film company 5 hours to set up, so despite arriving at the studio at 8am we didn’t actually start filming & recording until around 2pm!  Still, what a place to spend a day in…a studio where some legendary albums were recorded and mixed – The Stone Roses, The Libertines, The Verve, Lauren Hill, Amy Winehouse, the list goes on.  The studios are housed in The Power House, a converted power station in Chiswick, and the place is BIG!

So anyway, once we got started in the studio we did actually manage to get quite a lot done in a relatively short space of time; filmed/recorded live versions of four tracks – the three new ones we’d recently recorded at Perryvale Studios plus one of our older tracks too.  It was really hot in the studio, thank goodness our fabulous make-up girl was on hand all day to do touch-ups!  And we were told not to look into the cameras – found it very strange when they’re right in front of you to find something else to look at.  Hopefully it won’t look odd in the footage!  But the film crew and Director Patrick seemed really happy with what they got on the day and hopefully we’ll be seeing some of the finished stuff next week so watch this space.

T.Mandrake’s live tracks filmed/recorded at Metropolis Studios on 27^th May:

Always In The Summer | Bust n Boom |Walking In Tall Grass (featuring Pete Brown on percussion) |Broken Flowers

You can listen to the studio versions of these tracks at: http://www.myspace.com/tmandrake. Website for the Metropolis studios (we were in Studio B – Rhiana was in Studio A): http://www.metropolis-group.co.uk/services.php?m=0&p=0

We finished off the day in the same way we end most T.Mandrake days – with dinner and drinks and another late night…

Kate has BIG hair, Nicki dressed & ready, Tanya in hair & make-up

The Month o’ May – Part 2

So, as I said, May was a very busy month.  The second half of the month was especially busy – I worked 18 days in a row at one point – that’s a first for me!  I’ve no aversion to hard work and, although shattered by the end of it, the variety of gigs that I got up to really kept things interesting.  Here’s a few highlights…

The first few days were pretty standard with the usual teaching etc. but I was invited back to the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) to play in a composers’ workshop which was nice as I got to see and play with some of my old RAM peers.  That week I also went to the launch of The Island Experiment’s debut album featuring their open mic night’s most successful performers, on which my friend Niko (http://www.myspace.com/radioniko) was featured.  I’ve recorded and played live with Niko so was pleased to support him and see his mini-set at The Island in Kensal Green.

That weekend (Saturday 16^th May) was my first of two trips to the Isle of Man that month with function band Co Stars.  We were playing at a wedding each time and though the gigs are pretty standard, their location does mean it takes up your whole weekend.  The second IOM gig required an early Sunday morning flight back to Luton so that we could then drive straight up to Manchester for another gig that evening – evidently the wedding season is in full flow.

The week commencing Monday 18^th May was a really fun one.  I’d been booked by RAM to play at the ceremony to mark the Installation of the new Archbishop at Westminster Cathedral.  I once worked at Westminster Cathedral, in the Friends office, so it was great to go back and see former colleagues.  The gig was amazing – playing fanfares and processional/recessional marches in a brass ensemble with organ.  It was broadcast live on the BBC, on the Diocese’s internet channel, on EWTN (the Roman Catholic TV network) and on Premier Radio.  So, the fees for the broadcasting rights in addition to the fee for the rehearsals and gigs made it the single best paid gig I’ve had to date (more of those gigs please!).  During my breaks in the ceremony I was Tweeting updates and replied to a Tweet from @CatholicHerald after they made a comment on the fanfares.  I’ve since been featured in an article in their newspaper entitled “’Tweeting’ to trumpeters at the installation.” And then for something completely different, after playing fanfares in Westminster Cathedral, I went and played a gig with originals rock band T.Mandrake at 229 (http://www.myspace.com/tmandrake).

As the only female in the brass ensemble I guess I was guaranteed some air time

The following week saw another rehearsal with T.Mandrake on the bank holiday Monday (no rest for the wicked), a rehearsal with a new horn section, a filming/recording session at Metropolis and another filming session at the Circus Tavern the day after – what a contrast in venue from one day to the next!  I’ll write a separate blog about the day at Metropolis as it was such an experience, but the Circus Tavern gig was interesting.  Our horn section was invited along to perform one song with a function band who were filming their promo video.  They already have a horn section (featuring Jack Birchwood on trumpet who’s been touring with Lilly Allen so it was great to meet and play with him), but wanted to really beef up the first number on the video and also use it as an audition for us with the hope that they’re happy to book us for gigs if their main horn section is unavailable (which seems likely if they’re off touring with pop stars!).

I ended May and my crazy 18-day stint with a cracking weekend; Friday night out with the girls, a trip to Worcester on the Saturday to see my friends Ruth and Steve, and a trip to the new snowdome at Hemel Hempstead on Sunday afternoon.  Ruth is a singer with an amazing voice who I’ve worked with since our days at Exeter University (http://www.ruthhamilton.com) and her husband Steve opens the batting for Worcestershire CCC.  I knew Steve from the Exeter days too – he played sax in the Jazz Orchestra where Ruth and I also met.  Despite Worcester being beaten by Northants in the end of the Twenty20 match, Steve played really well and scored 62 not out.  We followed the match up with a night out with Ruth, Steve and some of the other Worcestershire cricketers and their WAGs, including cricketing legend Graeme Hick, who had opened the new member’s pavilion named after him at New Road that day.  Just to make the evening even more surreal were joined at dinner by Jason Bonham, drummer for the Led Zeppelin Reunion and son of John Bonham!  A great end to a crazy month.

The Month o’ May – Part 1

May was a busy month.  I’m not complaining at all, but it was a very busy month.  It began on May 1st (the being busy part, not the month which of course started on May 1st!), with a daytime rehearsal with the Canterbury Philharmonic Orchestra in Bethnal Green for a couple of performances of Verdi’s requiem, and an evening gig with a function band down at The Grand in Brighton.

I enjoy the Canterbury Philharmonic Orchestra/Canterbury Choral Society concerts for a number of reasons.  Firstly, they are a good orchestra and a good choir. The orchestra seems to be largely sourced from the London music college graduates, so it’s always a chance to meet up with my former Royal Academy of Music (RAM) peers, some of whom I don’t get to see very often (others I see very frequently!).  Secondly, they pick good repertoire; Verdi’s Requiem is a great piece both to listen to and to perform (I’ve also performed Belioz “Damnation de Faust” with them in the past).  Thirdly, they perform in good venues.  The rehearsal on 1st May was for two performances of the Verdi; the first of which was in Snape Maltings on Sunday 3rd May and the second of which will be in Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 20th June.  Although Snape Maltings is MILES away from Windsor (a 264-mile round trip), the concert hall there is excellent (http://www.aldeburgh.co.uk/).   And although the accoustics in Canterbury Cathedral (the location for the June concert and the previous Berlioz one) are not the best for hearing vocal performances, it is still a wonderful venue in which to play.  The problem with me taking on the gig at Snape Maltings in May was that it fell on the same date as my boyfriend’s birthday, which as you can imagine, didn’t go down particularly well as I was out all day and most of the night.  But because that gig was tied to the one in June and I couldn’t afford to say no to them both, I had to take it and sacrifice spending the day with my other half.  To be fair to him he didn’t kick up a fuss about it, although he was obviously disappointed.  But it’s one of those decisions you will face as a musician, and if I worked a normal 9-5 job he wouldn’t have expected me to take the day off if his birthday happened to fall mid-week (unlike this year’s birthday which fell on a Sunday unfortunately).  However, we did manage to celebrate his birthday that weekend – I packed alot in!  After getting home somewhere around 4am on Saturday morning after the Friday night gig in Brighton, we had a fun trip to the Zoo on Saturday and had a lovely dinner at a Thai restaurant in Windsor that evening.  After he opened presents and cards on the Sunday morning (his birthday) I faced the long drive to Snape while he had a long lunch with his parents.  The concert went really well and I eventually met up with him at a bar in South London where he was out with some friends who were also wishing farewell to a friend of ours who has gone to Ibiza to DJ for the summer season.  All in all, it was a busy weekend – thank goodness it was a bank holiday Monday!

My final thought about the Canterbury Phil/Choral Soc gig was this… There are four on-stage trumpet parts and four off-stage trumpet parts (I was onstage, playing 4th trumpet and tonking out the bottom end of the section – fab!).  All four on-stage trumpets were female, and one of the off-stage trumpets was also female.  Now, obviously it’s no shock to me to see talented women playing the trumpet, but it’s rare that in an 8-piece trumpet section the majority of those players would be female.  Very enjoyable indeed!

Canterbury Choral Society – link for the June concert:

http://www.mdesignsolutions.co.uk/cgi-bin/ccs/info_concerts.html?domain=info/concerts&name=nxtconcert

The time has come…

The time has come to share the ins-and-outs of life as a freelance musician with anybody who may take an interest in such things.  Hopefully my posts will prove to be interesting and insightful (as long as I’ve got plenty of work on and therefore plenty to talk about – but we won’t go into that right now!)

Actually, I will go into that right now (how contrary).  Life as a freelancer is particularly tricky when you’re early in your career, pretty fresh out of music college as I am (I graduated in June 2008), and trying to build up your network of contacts and people who  can put work your way.  Sometimes opening the diary fills me with dread as I know there’s just not enough work in it to pay the rent this month; other times you’re so rushed off your feet that you live on 4 hours sleep a night and can’t even remember where your diary is (thank goodness for the iPhone/Google Calendar sync technology!).

Hopefully I’ll have enough fun work to blog about and which will be of interest to anybody other than me (and my landlord and my bank manager).  If this week’s anything to judge by (and I hope it is!) then that shouldn’t be a problem – more on that later…right now, I have to take my dog for a walk.  She’s been listening to trumpet practice and beginner trumpet lessons all afternoon and is now giving me ‘that look’ – the ‘please can we go for a walk now, PLEASE?!’ look.  I’d better take her out!