5th member of a string quartet - out with the Mavrons.

A gala concert at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on Saturday. Here is the outside of the theatre in the foyer, which I always think looks a little like the bridge of a spaceship.

The concert was organised by Live Music Now, a fantastic organisation who put talented young musicians together with audiences who don't usually have access to live music, and the concert was a showcase of some of these performers.

I was there with the Mavron Quartet, who were playing a piece by Peter Reynolds called footsteps quiet in the shadows. The title came from a poem of mine, and I read the poem before the quartet played, and after Peter introduced the piece.

Here we are in the very posh dressing room before the performance.

I saw this photo a moment or two after it was taken, and wasn't concerned about being so old (the quartet are very young and energetic), but wasn't too sure about my great big head. So when I found myself alone in the dressing room, I took one photo to make me look as though I am tall and my head is the right size, and another to remind myself that, if nothing else, I have character.

The Mavron quartet played brilliantly, and the whole evening was hugely enjoyable.
www.mavronquartet.co.uk
www.livemusicnow.org.uk/wales

The First Dragon. Words and Music.

The First Dragon 

A story for narrator and orchestra, with my words and the most wonderful music by Mervyn Burtch. This is the first piece I wrote for a composer, and very close to my heart. 

It's about a dragon, some foolish adults, and a wise little girl.

Here's the link to SoundCloud, where you can hear it. 

http://soundcloud.com/francescakaypoet/the_first_dragon

Here is the recording session, with Adrian Partington, who commissioned the piece, conducting. The orchestra are called the Dragon Sinfonia for the purposes of recording, but most of them were members of the National Orchestra of Wales, and they played it brilliantly, as you would expect.

It's had lots of performances, about 30 I think - Mervyn and I can't remember! And it's amazing to me as a writer what composer Mervyn did with my words, weaving the voice into the music as if it was another instrument. I love performing it, and the ending (it is a happy ending) always brings tears to my eyes because the music is so beautiful.

It's been used as part of an education project with Ty Cerdd, the Music Centre for Wales, with children writing their own stories and music, and then coming to hear the original.  I am always hoping funds will be found to do it again. Perhaps we need to find the Dragon, and ask him for some of his gold.

Sea Dogs ahoy in Swansea Museum

It's Monday, it must be time to perform SEA DOGS!

Today, with the Treherbert Brass Band, performing Sea Dogs before a large audience of children. We were in the Maritime Museum in Swansea, a fitting setting for the pirate story, with my words, and the wonderful music of Gareth Wood.

Absolutely everyone was dressed as a pirate. 

Here we are rehearsing in front of a case full of rather lovely model ships.

The Band looked magnificent.

Here's one of my favourite shipmates.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Monday afternoon.

Thanks to the Museum, to the marvellous Band, of course to Charlotte Griffin from Ty Cerdd, who commissioned Sea Dogs, and continues to support it. Thank'ee, matey.

self portrait in a tuba

While the brass ensemble and I were waiting to step onto the stage in the spacious foyer of the Wales Millennium Centre yesterday, I caught sight of myself reflected in the shiny tuba.

I am not a great one for self portraits but this seemed too good an opportunity to miss. 

On the left is a musician wearing a yachting cap, and you can see part of a stripy t shirt and a pirate-hatted musician on the right.

We performed SEA DOGS twice, and had a great time. Our audiences were mostly dressed as pirates, as were the ensemble and me. 

I am thinking of a series of self portraits, reflected in musical instruments.

Yo ho!

Sea Dogs. A jolly nautical musical piece. Ahoy!

Here is a link to Sound Cloud, where you can hear SEA DOGS, a piece for narrator and brass ensemble, words by me, and music by the brilliant Gareth Wood.

It's a jolly pirate tale, of nephews, dogs, a ghost, and wind.

https://soundcloud.com/francescakaypoet/sea-dogs-a-pirate-tale-for

27 minutes of wonderful music and salt encrusted silliness.

The brass ensemble are from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Here's a picture of me and the very high powered and serious conductor and Head of Brass, Kevin Woods.

And here's the Jolly Roger flying over St Asaph Cathedral, on the day of the premier, 2 years ago.

There are two performances in the foyer of Wales Millennium Centre on Monday 24th June, with a student brass ensemble from the University of Wales, conducted by fellow student David Langley, and narrated by me. 10.30 and 1.30. Stand by for  audiences of lots of small children dressed up - oh and the ensemble and me as well.

Argh!

Lohengrin. opera. sandwiches. cake

I usually expect to doze comfortably through the second act of an opera, and awake with some good ideas for poetry in my mind. However, the WNO production of Lohengrin at Wales Millenium Centre this evening was so thrilling and beautiful that I stayed conscious for the whole evening.

Our usual Wagner tribute picnic in the two intervals celebrated the swan, of course. Here are the sandwiches, photographed on a stylish leatherette seat;

and here is the cake, with a curiously relevant cake tin in the background;

Flying Dutchman. Lovelorn. Film.

 Here is a link to a very short film about the Flying Dutchman, and his search for love.  Made with a fingerpuppet Dutchman, and various artefacts. Musical director is Peter Reynolds, who is actually a rather serious composer!

   http://youtu.be/jdyD7yOiLdk

                             The photo shows the Dutchman, stranded on a collage.

Haiku. Lulu. Opera gingerbread.

I am going to see the WNO production of Lulu. I always bake something relevant to the opera for us to eat in the interval. Lulu gingerbread seemed an obvious choice. Here's the haiku, in case the writing isn't clear enough;

Lulu, delicious -
everybody wants a piece
and then she is gone

Lohengrin. Transport. New Year.

Lohengrin considers his transport options.

Let's hope we all find ourselves on the
right track in 2013.

Happy New Year!






You can see more opera finger puppets here;    www.francescakay.co.uk

Santa's Stressful Day

  I am Mrs Santa Claus, tellling the story  
 Santa's Stressful Day, helped by the elves of the Brass Ensemble of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

I wrote the story, and Gareth Wood wrote the music, and the work had its premiere on 28th November. 

Five performances, before the toughest audiences of all - small children!

Here I am with the Head of Elves, Kevin Price, who
conducted the  piece.

And here's the full ensemble.