Le Puy

Here we are at Le Puy... two concerts done and two more to go at the festival of Chaise Dieu. I've always wanted to sing at this festival, so I'm glad to be here. We (soloists... Kate Bott, Ben Alden and John Mcmunn (spelling?)) went out for a dinner of many lentils last night and I finished reading the wonderful David Mitchell's Jacob de Zoet. What an imagination, and what an eye for detail. Really great novel. I'm now onto Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel which won Mann Booker Prize and by all accounts actually deserved it.

So far today seems beautiful and I am hoping to get out and about a bit for a walk. Mustn't spend any money though, partly because the suitcase is already full!

St Malo

Blimey, I haven't been keeping this up much have I?

Here I am in St Malo with AAM and King's College for Monteverdi Vespers 1610 tour. Yay!

I'm about to walk on the beach and have a spot of lunch, before first rehearsal.

Lovely concert in Lake District on Sunday with Brook Street Band... Acis and Galatea. My best memory is paddling in the lake (Derwent water) just before the show on the most perfect late summer day. Heaven.

Very aware that as I'm pulling right back from singing work, I need to really cherish these moments. I hope I'll still do lots of singing but in a very different way. Since deciding to jump off the train, I'm actually feeling more creative than I have in years, and am dying to do more chamber music. I hope I'll have some more freedom to do what I want to do instead of just panicking about the next period away from the family.

Melk

Off to Melk for some Fux. Last week, Vendee in France for Pergolesi. Nice to have a trip out every now and then. Struggling to come to terms with unbelievable tennis injury, not to me but to partner in crime, but shocking shocking SHOCKING to think that one can do such terrible damage in the twinkling of an eye. The fragility of us! Poor P, truly immobilised by broken femur, just from a completely random fall. Horror.

Please, volcano, behave this weekend!

Pics of recording session in Haarlem

Seems a long time ago now, but I've just listened to the disc of the Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate. Not much for me to do, but a really nice disc and some great performances from colleagues.

Brook Street Band

Just thought I'd upload a seriously lovely pic from last summer. Looking forward to King's Place tonight.

London, King's Place

Looking forward to tomorrow, King's Place. It's always good to be back with the Brook Street girls. We did our Handel concert with Louis de Bernieres last week, which was great fun, and well received I think. Then Monteverdi Vespers with them on the Saturday in Norwich, with some exceptionally fine tenor singing I must say, and then back into rehearsal now for Armida Abbandonata and O Qualis de Coelo Sonus.

Missing the winks of course, and looking forward to school holidays... coming up!

Nothing doing

New Year new resolution. Training and eating pulses and leaves. Yawn.