Author Archives: vhk10

This way to the telephones

Posted on May 16, 2013 by vhk10

I bet the auditorium to the Victoria Rooms in Bristol is the only concert hall left in Britain with a notice inside indicating which way to go out to find telephones. The concert hall is due to be renovated shortly … Continue reading →

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come’n’sings in Bath and Bristol

Posted on May 13, 2013 by vhk10

I have set up a page with details of forthcoming come’n’sing events in and around Bath and Bristol which I happen to know about. I find that I am inundated with information about them on the one hand, and on … Continue reading →

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another Mozart Mass at Wells

Posted on May 7, 2013 by vhk10

The following weekend I was in singing a weekend of services at Wells Cathedral, with Priory Voices. Much of the weekend’s music was Priory Voices standards, so I’ll just note the other pieces. For the second time in two weeks … Continue reading →

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in the shadow of the Shard

Posted on May 5, 2013 by vhk10

The weekend after Easter was spent in London rehearsing for and singing the Sunday services at Southwark Cathedral. On the Saturday we (the Cathedral Chamber Choir) practised in the chapel of Guy’s Hospital, a little gem, just opposite the Shard … Continue reading →

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Easter in Mylapore

Posted on April 28, 2013 by vhk10

On Easter Day I went to the main English-language Mass at San Thome Basilica in Mylapore (a suburb of Chennai/Madras). I’d been there once before, for a Mass at Epiphany, and recalled that there had been a small choir, mostly … Continue reading →

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My part in a busy choral weekend

Posted on April 19, 2013 by vhk10

@BristolChoral Bristol was saturated with choral concerts over the weekend of 23-24 March. On Sunday night Colston Hall hosted a performance of Mahler 8. On Saturday there were concerts by the Bristol Phoenix Choir, Exultate Singers, and the one I … Continue reading →

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How to improve on Handel

Posted on March 20, 2013 by vhk10

I don’t often get so grabbed by a half-heard piece of music that I have to drop everything to listen properly, but it happened the other day. I was in the kitchen defrosting the fridge and across the hall Radio … Continue reading →

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the Cathedral with the lift

Posted on March 6, 2013 by vhk10

Since I sang in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral last year, they have installed a passenger lift, discreetly tucked away at the east end. I can’t think of any other English Cathedrals with a lift inside the main part of the building … Continue reading →

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The Chet’s-RNCM axis

Posted on March 6, 2013 by vhk10

Like many others, I’ve been quite distressed by the evidence emerging of sexual abuse in the past at Chetham’s music school in Manchester, with allegations extending also to the RNCM. This follows the conviction a decade ago of the director … Continue reading →

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Sequins, meat-hooks and umbrellas

Posted on March 2, 2013 by vhk10

#wnolulu WNO didn’t make it to Bristol with their new production of Lulu, so I had to go to Cardiff. Judging by what I heard around me, quite a few others had crossed the Severn for the opening night. (I … Continue reading →

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Rubbing shoulders with Vivienne Westwood

Posted on February 14, 2013 by vhk10

My husband ended a working day in London with a recital of Brahms’ works for violin and piano by Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt, at the Wigmore Hall. These performances brought out a profound quality in the music which one … Continue reading →

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Epiphany at Partis and a naval funeral

Posted on February 8, 2013 by vhk10

For Epiphany we paid a visit to Partis College, a charity which provides homes for women of professional status, all arranged around a large, elegant central court. Being private, and on the outskirts of the city, it’s one of Bath’s … Continue reading →

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