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

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.