How to be a great artist: Use the details

When I am not being an actress I love to sing, now it’s more a hobby than anything though I have trained a lot (just ask my neighbours). I am singing and being broadcast live on Radio 3 this weekend on two separate projects. The project I am most excited about singing is Neil Hannon’s (of The Divine Comedy) world premiere of a fantastic piece ‘To Our Fathers In Distress’ which he wrote about his average Sunday as a child with a father being an Irish Bishop. This lovely Guardian article talks about how now his father has Alzheimers then writing this gorgeous piece has brought back so many memories for him.
There are so many perfectly remembered moments from what was playing on the radio as they all get ready on a Sunday morning for church, the very minutiae of a seven year old boy’s Sunday day is just wonderful all the way through his dread of homework.

The commissioning authorities generously offered me a choir on top of the organ and strings, so the work is a kind of oratorio on the subject of an average Hannon family Sunday in the 70s and 80s. It begins with a breakfast of lard, ends with Ireland being beaten in the rugby and visits the church and the woods in between. Not forgetting the obligatory awkward Sunday lunch with a visiting cleric of course. Neil Hannon

As Chris Channing, the fantastic creative genius says

‘Details, details, details’

(I have a podcast interview with him I will pop up next week). As artists of every genre it always pays us to look at the tiny details, to mine them, to see what they bring back and Neil Hannon has done this beautifully in this piece written specially for the newly refurbished Southbank/Royal Festival Hall organ.
My photo is from our rehearsal room at the Southbank.

Both BBC Radio 3 live broadcasts (Sat March 22nd and Sun March 23rd 2014)) are connected to Royal Festival Hall concerts I am doing as part of the small auditioned harmony group, so no solo work this time. I am singing soprano one – basically all the high notes! – I have sang at the RFH in 18 different languages and many different styles from jazz, classical, musical theatre and even some opera, I have sang with many great singers this way though I will always remember Bryn Terfel, it still gives me goose bumps hearing him sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and getting to sing along as a soprano harmony! I was also one of six May 2013 bank holiday given a large white megaphone to sing around the Southbank solo before bringing the crowds, a choir and a brass band in to sing Jerusalem on the Southbank terraces (pic below!) At heart I am always an entertainer, all those years of cabaret and stand up comedy never leave you, I just like to put smiles on peoples’ faces.

Tomorrow evening we are going to the BBC Maida Vale Studios to rehearse for the first time (and indeed the night before the show) with the BBC String Orchestra so I am super excited. I spent many years touring as a cabaret/jazz singer and now I spend the majority of my time as a straight actress so I love these concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, screaming top C’s out is a lot of fun in that space 😉

Both recordings should be on BBC iPlayer for a week afterwards as well.

1) Neil Hannon’s Guide To The Organ Sat 22nd March 7.30-10pm Broadcast live on Radio 3 – this is la gorgeous funny lovely piece 😉 I am part of the specially selected choir, we are singing 2 hymns and also his world premiere piece ‘To Our Fathers In Distress’ that will be scheduled after the interval (its a half hour piece) BBC Radio 3 details of programme

2) I am also (on April 6th) singing some Taverner and Duruffe’s Requiem at the Royal Festival Hall, so as part of this a few of us have been asked to be involved on BBC Radio 3’s The Choir, this Sunday 23 March. We will be singing the first two movements of Duruffe’s Requiem The programme will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 from 4-4.30pm.
Link

More details re my singing with some MP3 clips etc here