Musical Extravagance. SEA DOGS, a pirate tale!

One of the best days ever today, performing my musical pirate story for children SEA DOGS, with a great brass ensemble of young players at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. I really like the building, and to perform there is a pleasure.

 Composer Gareth Wood and I wrote Sea Dogs about four years ago, and it's been performed many times, always with an excited audience of children dressed as pirates! Gareth is a wonderful composer, and his music illustrates my story brilliantly. Here I am gazing upon him fondly. I always introduce him to the children as 'the genius Gareth Wood' and he protests, so I tell him it's true, and he's got to live with it!

 Between Monday and Wednesday this week, I visited the eight schools who came to the Millennium Centre to the performances. I taught them a sea shanty and another unaccompanied pirate song, which we sang before Sea Dogs. Here I am with a group of restrained and calm young pirates,

We were actually opening the Ty Cerdd Music Centre for Wales Conference. There is an interesting programme planned for the Conference, but I don't think anyone will have as much fun as we did today. We were in the foyer of the building, which has great acoustics, and is a lovely informal space for children, many of whom are hearing their first live musical performance.

When both performances were done, I walked to Penarth Marina, across the barrage. It's an interesting area, some of it very developed, but still some parts wild and scruffy. I tried to picture Cardiff Bay in its heyday, but couldn't really  get a sense of it, as the sun shone and lots of people walked, cycling, jogged, picnicked and sailed around. New buildings, leisure boats, and clean water. 

This wonderful sculpture commemorates those lost at sea.

I sat and looked at this for a long time.
Home now, and unbelievably tired. But so so happy.

You can hear Sea Dogs on Soundcloud if you'd like,
https://soundcloud.com/francescakaypoet/sea-dogs-a-pirate-tale-for

Ahoy Cwmbran! Sea Dogs. Congress Theatre.

ARGH! The final Sea Dogs performance of the summer today in the Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 

Played by Gwent Youth Symphonic Brass, conducted by Cap'n Sean.

I narrated my words to Gareth Woods fantastic music.

Here is one of my favourite pirates, Midshipman Lloyd.

He's played Sea Dogs with three different bands now!

Here are the crew getting ready to play in the relatively cool darkness of the empty theatre,

and waiting in the Green Room, before a rampaging performance in front of an audience of about 300 very excited and enthusiastic children. Seriously, it's better than a real job!

If you want to hear Sea Dogs, it's on Soundcloud.
https://soundcloud.com/francescakaypoet/sea-dogs-a-pirate-tale-for
Many thanks to all the players, and of course to Charlotte Griffin at Ty Cerdd for organising this summer's SEA DOGS performances. Until next time, shipmates!

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!