The Association of English Singers & Speakers - Events

Saturday 22nd November 2008, 14.00:

The final of the Catherine Lambert Junior Recital Prize will be held at St Paul's Boys School in Hammersmith beginning at 2.00pm.

Sunday 22nd March 2009:

The AGM and Dinner will be held at the Royal Overseas League - details to follow.

Associate Events:

None at present.

Recent Events:

The Music of Betty Roe - 27th September 2008

A packed hall thoroughly enjoyed the tribute to the work of Betty Roe organised by the AESS and the West London branch of the ISM. Betty presided from the piano, and the evening was introduced by her collaborator, Marian Lines. Their joint work was highlighted in a selection of songs from the many shows that they produced together and by the 'Circe Beguiled' Scena, sung by Patricia Williams and William Leigh Knight, accompanied by Steve Foley on guitar. Michael Pilkington also accompanied many singers and was himself regaled by a rendition, in many parts, of 'Happy Birthday', in celebration of his imminent 80th anniversary. The evening had a strong sense of family, with Betty's grandson, Daniel Beer, playing the horn and her daughter Soo, singing. Other instrumentalists who accompanied the singers were James Wyld (flute), Sally Brooke-Pike (violin) and Chris Gascoine ('cello). The songs, which showed a great love of diverse poetry and were most varied in style, showing Betty's versatility, were performed by, ( as well as those already mentioned), Frances Denny Scott and many members of the AESS, Marie Hayward Segal, Sarah Leonard, Stephen Miles, Graham Trew and Stephen Varcoe and the many singers and actors in the audience joined in a rousing music hall finale.

The Final of the Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition - May 14th 2008:

The 25th Final was held at the Royal Academy of Music on Wednesday 14th. May at 7.30pm. The AESS was immensely honoured that the Final was graced by the presence of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester. The panel of judges was Rosamund Shelley (Chairman), Marie Hayward, Betty Roe, Stephen Varcoe and Mark Wilde. The winner of the first prize of £1000 was Elizabeth Toye from the Royal Academy of Music. The Guildhall School of Music and Drama provided the second and third placed singers, Benedict Nelson and Duncan Rock, who won £500 and £250 respectively, and also the accompanist prizewinner Elizabeth Rossiter who won £250. Thanks are due to Patricia Routledge for continuing to fund the prize, to the RAM for all their help with the evening and to Stephen Miles the co-ordinator of the competition for the AESS.

Annual General Meeting & Dinner - March 26th 2008:

The AESS Annual General Meeting and Dinner was held in the Princess Alexandra Room of the Royal Overseas League. This is an excellent venue for us, as a combination of conference space, concert hall and dining area with a separate bar is needed. The Royal Overseas League conference manager and the waiting staff could not have been more helpful and thanks are due to them for ensuring a smoothly run day. Committee member, Jean Hornbuckle was our co-ordinator for the dinner and thanks are due to her for her splendid work and effective liaison with the backroom staff at the Royal Overseas League.

The AGM was attended by 17 voting members together with several non-voting observers. We were delighted that Honorary President, Patricia Routledge CBE was also with us for the day. A copy of the Minutes of the meeting are available from Judy Hildesley or Graham Trew. The Officers and Committee all stood for re-election and were voted back en-bloc. Subscriptions were left unchanged, although Patricia Routledge did suggest that there should be a rate for Life Membership, which will be discussed at the next committee meeting. A Constitution prepared by Graham Trew, based on the 2001 Constitution, but with all the amendments and paragraphs required by the Charity Commission, approved by the AGM in 2004 and an amendment agreed by the AGM in 2007, to create a Vice-chairman's post, was proposed and adopted unanimously. This Constitution is available to view on the website.

At 6.00pm, a large audience gathered to listen to the Trinity Junior Barbershop Ensemble. Immense thanks are due to Marian Friend, Head of the Junior Conservatoire, for organising and indeed funding, this fine group. Nine boys from Trinity College Junior Conservatoire presented a well staged, entertaining selection of close harmony songs with a jazz piano interlude. They and their parents then mingled with members for forty minutes before dinner was served.

An excellent dinner was served to members and their guests, forty in total. James Bowman had kindly agreed to be our speaker. He was introduced by Graham Trew. His words were serious and thoughtful, concentrating on the need to bring out the meaning and beauty of the English language and to listen to the poetry before considering the performance in the light of the intentions of the composer. James's thoughts were extremely well received and just right for the occasion.

Catherine Lambert Junior Recital Prize:

The final of the Catherine Lambert Junior Recital Prize was held in the Peacock Room of Trinity College of Music on Sunday 25th November. Preliminary rounds had been held one week earlier at Chetham's School in Manchester, judged by Caroline Crawshaw and Patrick McGuigan and at the home of Judy and Mike Hildesley in Barnes, judged by Pat Williams and Lesley Cooper. The seven finalists presented 'themed' recitals of poetry and art song and the winner was Harriet Eyley who is a pupil of Coral Gould and studies at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire. Rhyanne Acott, a pupil of Veronica Campbell at the Junior Royal College of Music was the runner-up and Jessica Hughes, also of the Royal College, a pupil of Liza Hobbs, was third. The judges were Teresa Cahill and Catherine Lambert. Thanks are due to all the judges who gave their time and expertise without charge.

During the deliberations of the judges the sizeable audience were entertained by the Junior Trinity Barbershop Group directed by Mark Griffiths. They gave a most polished performance of songs and piano pieces. Marion Friend, Director of Junior Trinity deserves much thanks for organising this and helping with the procuring of Trinity College as a venue for the event. So too does Carolyn Richards, our AESS co-ordinator for all the voluntary work she puts in from the moment entries close at the end of October until the final and beyond.

It is gratifying to know that the Junior Prize is gathering support from all the major colleges and specialist schools and it is to be hoped that the final can become regional in time. Both AESS competitions are now on a firm financial footing thanks to the generosity of Patricia Routledge for the seniors and Catherine Lambert and Coral Gould for the juniors.

The day of the final was also Catherine's 89th !!! birthday. A cake had been made and decorated especially, as a gift from the Association and all the competitors and the audience enjoyed a piece at the end of the afternoon after singing a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday'.

Steven Varcoe Masterclass:

On Sunday 1st July, Stephen Varcoe gave a masterclass on behalf of the AESS in the Recital Hall of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Stephen had asked that participants be selected from students of AESS members, although one student came from the Guildhall itself as the School had kindly donated the hall for the afternoon. Six singers worked with Stephen for over half an hour each on two English 'Art' songs from their offered, three song programme. Craig White, from the Royal Academy of Music was the official accompanist.

Stephen gave a stimulating and entertaining class, never flagging for three intensive hours of thought-provoking help with performance, technique and especially the relationship between words and music. Stephen drew the audience into his thoughts and all felt included in the process. It was good to see the responses of the participants and the improvement each made in the specific areas highlighted by Stephen for attention.

Patricia Routledge Song Competition 2007:

The final of the AESS Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition took place at Trinity College of Music on Wednesday 16th May at 6.00pm. The AESS is very grateful to Linda Hirst and Stephen Chamberlain for all their help with the provision of rooms and organisation of the final and of the preliminary round. The entry was the biggest ever, nearly thirty singers from the four main London Colleges, the Royal Scootish Academy, the Royal Northern College and Birmingham Conservatoire plus some students of members.

Stephen Varcoe, Sarah Leonard and Michael Pilkington gave their services and selected six finalists over the previous two Sundays. They were joined by 1995 winner James Rutherford and actress Stephanie Turner for the final, who again came for expenses only. The AESS is most grateful to them all.

The winner of the £1000 first prize was Rhona McKail from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her theme was ' A woman's life and love'.

The runner -up was Emily-Jane Thomas who won £500, also from the Guildhall. Her theme was 'Animals' Sara Lawson from the Royal Northern College of Music was third with a programme entitled 'To everything there is a season'. She won £250 as did her accompanist Jonathan Fisher for his playing. The judges were most impressed by the way the three winners in particular, combined song, prose, poetry and spoken introduction to enhance the seamless performance of their chosen themes.

Junior Trinity:

On Saturday March 24th Graham Trew gave a masterclass at Trinity College of Music as part of the prize offered to the Instituion of the winner of the AESS Junior Recital Prize. Eight singers took part, including the AESS winner Alexander Knox. Joseph Middleton accompanied the singers and composers chosen ranged from Purcell and Dowland to Gurney, Quilter, Ireland and Barber. The two hour class was attended by students, parents and teachers and they heard a very high standard of singing from this young age group. Thanks are due to Marion Friend, Director of Junior Trinity for extending the invitation and indeed attending most of the class despite a very busy schedule and to Janet Munro and Mary Wiegold in particular for providing their students for the class and being there to support them.

Annual General Meeting & Dinner:

The AGM and Dinner were held at the Royal Overseas League on Sunday 18th March. Mollie Petrie, Eileen Price and Mark Wildman all resigned from the committee and were replaced by Jean Hornbuckle and Stephen Miles. Rona Laurie was made an Honorary Member.

A short recital was given between the AGM and Dinner by finalists from the 2006 Junior Recital Prize, Eleanor Wolfe and the winner of the Prize Alexander Knox. Both were accompanied by Joseph Middleton. There was an audience of over 50 for this event and 40 AESS members and guests stayed on for the Dinner at which the entertaining speaker was Richard Suart.

Meribeth Dayme Workshop:

Sunday February 25th 2007 - On Sunday afternoon, Meribeth Dayme, the author and authority on vocal anatomy, singing and presentation skills, conducted a workshop on presence in performance with eleven students of AESS members. The workshop was held in London at the home of the AESS Secretary and participants came from as far a field as Leicester and Derbyshire. With one exception all had entered the Junior Vocal competition in the autumn of 2006 and attendees included both the first and second prize winners. In the course of the afternoon, Meribeth was able to address many different issues including dealing with the self-critic, being present in the moment, the importance of what is visible and the importance of knowing and understanding the text even before addressing the music. Meribeth also had some interesting .strategies for energising performances depending on the singers: some were encouraged to practice incorporating grand gestures to bring the music to life, while others were directed to keep their hands flat on the piano lid to reduce a hyperactive body which was preventing them from singing freely. A recurrent theme throughout the afternoon was the significance of ensuring that the singer's instrument is properly aligned. Time and again the audience of parents and teachers were witness to the transformations in sound achieved by making alterations to an habitual posture which, while apparently comfortable for the singer, was actually inhibiting their sound production. The session was videoed and each participant will be receiving a DVD of the afternoon's proceedings, enabling them to see and hear the results for themselves of this informative and enjoyable afternoon's work.

Junior Recital Competition:

The final of the Junior Recital Competition was held on Saturday 11th November. Nine finalists presented themed recitals of English Art Song and poetry. The judges were Mary Mogil, Jonathan Courage and chairman Graham Trew, standing in for Eiddwen Harrhy, who was not able to be present. The winner of the £300 first prize who communicated his programme of 'Nature' in a most effective and personal manner was Alexander Knox, a student of Janet Munro at Junior Trinity. The runner-up, winning £200, was Harriet Eyley, a student of Coral Gould at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire, whose chosen theme was 'Flowers'. Thanks are due to Carolyn Richards for her administration and to Judy and Mike Hildesley for the use of their music room. The standard of entries was high, with singing being stronger than speaking and thanks are due to many Specialist Music Schools and Junior Conservatoires from whom entries were recieved as well as from students of AESS members. Future sponsorship for the competition needs to be sought at some point and any offer from individuals or businesses would be welcome.

Graham Johnson - Masterclass:

On Thursday 26th October, Graham Johnson gave a masterclass on behalf of the AESS at the Royal College of Music entitled 'Night Songs and Serenades.' Singers and accompanists came from Trinity College of Music, The Royal College of Music, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Birmingham Conservatoire. Graham worked with them for three hours without a break on songs by Britten, Finzi. Armstrong Gibbs, Quilter and Argento. He is of course a walking encyclopedia and gave performers and audience alike many insights into the poetry and music, drawing on his own personal knowledge of Britten and his intimate understanding of the poetry of Auden and Hardy in particular. The AESS is most grateful to have the support of such an involved president.

‘Farjeonalia’:

On Sunday 16th July a programme entitled ‘Farjeonalia’ was given at Lauderdale House in Highgate, set in leafy Waterlow Park, where, at the height of the heatwave, a warm, but attentive and discerning audience enjoyed a programme devised and presented by Anne Harvey on the lives and works of the Farjeon family. With the help of actors and musicians, Stefan Bednarczyk, Richard Furstenheim and Tom Durham, childhoods were created, lives were explored, poetry and stories were read and songs sung. Amusing, informative and moving, the relationships between Eleanor, Harry, Bertie and Joe and their interaction with others were expertly drawn. The setting in Highgate, near where the family grew up, with walls lined with an exhibition of children’s art containing examples of the ‘Kings and Queens’ alluded to in the poetry and songs of the programme, added to the atmosphere. It is to be hoped that the artists will continue to delight audiences with this entertainment in the future.

City Lit Workshop:

In what is hoped to be an ongoing programme of AESS members using their experience to help enthusiastic amateurs, Graham Trew gave a one-day workshop at the City Lit on Saturday July 15th. At the invitation of Carole Gibb. Twelve singers presented songs by Britten, Bridge and Walton and there were also nine observers. Diana Wright was the experienced and sensitive accompanist. The lives of the composers were touched upon as well as their links with each other. The music and poetry of the songs were explored with the ideas and markings of the composers being examined and the singers being encouraged to see these as a means of not only expressing the wishes of the composer but using them as a means of communicating the language to the audience whilst retaining an individual interpretation.

Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition:

STOP PRESS - The trustees of the Patricia Routledge Charitable Trust have written to say that Miss Routledge is happy to extend her sponsorship of the National English Song Competition for another five years, up to and including 2012. The AESS is overwhelmed by this generosity and delighted that the competition, which goes from strength to strength each year, is safeguarded for the forseeable future.