Foxwood Steel and Friends play The Hallelujah Chorus at West Yorkshire Playhouse

Of all my achievements since I joined the Leeds Music Service (now ArtForms) I think that one of the three biggies that means the most, and the one that was by far the hardest to organise, and not just musically, was teaching the Hallelujah Chorus for Geraldine Connor’s Carnival Messiah.* This consisted of two five week runs at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1999 and in 2002.


I didn’t just teach it note for note to 20 odd students both times; I also organised a rota of 28 players of between 12 to 23 people for each night and matinee of both runs. And in teaching it I could not have managed without the assistance of Bex Ainge (née Smith) and Hayley Miller, on the tenor (triple cello) part, Alicia Whitehead on the alto (double seconds) part, Jan Spencer and Natalie Marks, on the bass (bass pans and and tenor bass) part, and my own children, Georgia and Morgan on the soprano (soprano/tenor pan) part. All these players helped to teach their own sections.

As Jean or Michelle declaimed the words “Hallelujah” every night, I was counting in, clicking to four on my sticks (soprano/tenor sticks first run, double second sticks second time). This was the most exhilarating and terrifying experience ever. I was not just organising but performing in the piece. And totally making it special was that the band mostly consisted of my own steelband, Foxwood Steel (Bandits), plus members of my music centre and youth steelbands: East Steel and Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows.

On this recording which comes from the DVD that made of the 2002 run, the Foxwood players are myself, Bex, Natalie, Alicia, Stewart, Charlotte, Dave, Georgia, Morgan, and Sue, and from my music Centre band band, East Steel: Bassem and Tamanna, plus my own student, Thomas. The other 2002 Foxwood players but not playing on the night of this recording were Hayley and Katie, and Sparrows not playing this evening were Tanya Y and Sarah. Also, not on this clip but taught by myself or by one of my band were Melvin, Arlisha and Lianna.

raising arms at the end

The other five players on this recording were Tanya, Christine, Esther, Trish, Jan [from Dudley's College of Music steelband, Pan Explosion], and also on the rota for 2002, but not on the recording were Tracy and Chris.



Personally I also had the extra special pleasure of playing alongside two of my own children - 11 year-old Morgan and 13 year-old Georgia.

We all loved the experience, and thanked Geraldine for giving us the Chorus to play. She loved us in return, and after the 1999 run gave us this card. We got standing ovations night after night.

me, Ron and Nigel

The newspapers loved us too, some declaring we were the best thing in the show, and one thought we were the only good thing in the show. But not at all! It was all good: the dancers, the costumes, the stilt walkers, the lot, and who can forget Ron singing "I know that my Redeemer Liveth".

In 2000, for the Millennium Celebrations we were asked to play the Chorus in Victoria Gardens [in Leeds Centre]. I wasn't sure it was appropriate, but everyone was keen, and we had learnt it. And where would all that knowledge go? Despite my misgivings, we did it.

in Victoria Gardens 2000

Sadly we, Foxwood, East Steel and Sparrows weren't asked back for the Harewood run, but this in no way diminished our memories and those who have the DVD or who see this recording will have those memories refreshed.

me and Nigel 2017

And I am so grateful to Chris for putting this up. It’s not just a happy memory. . .

Click here to watch the video

*The other two biggies were when Music For Youth asked Sparrows to play the Royal Albert as National Youth World Music winners, and Sparrows and Doves to play the Festival Hall for the Festival of Britain. Both were easy organisationally by comparison!

Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows at West Yorkshire Playhouse

setting up the day before

We were very pleased to be invited to take part in Dave Evans' big bash at the Playhouse on June 22. Last time Dave and I worked together was 2004 ish when he brought Garforth Big Band and I brought Sparrows to Leeds Town Hall for a similar bash organised by the music college.

This time we were, besides Sparrows, the Music College Saturday Morning School, Green Lane Primary School, and Garforth Jazz Rock Band,
DJ School and Roundhay School. Other leaders, besides me and Bex, were Dave Mitchell [last worked with at Flare at Woodhouse Community Centre, and before that Carnival Messiah, also at the Playhouse], Rachel Tustain, Dan de Lissandri. [If you are reading this and know others please let me know].

We also had guest semi-pros: Natalie and GeorgiaW. 

Sparrows were, regularly rehearsing, Ella, Annie, Owen, Kirsten, Isha, Alice, Karam, and, almost sight-reading on the day MillieC, MillieS and Claudia. Bella rehearsed but had A levels the same day and the day after.

MillieS is doing Technical Theatre at Uni and was actually pleased to be asked to help set up, load etc on the day, and the day before. Can't tell you how pleased I was she was pleased!

And while Millie and I took the pans down to the Playhouse on Wednesday evening, it was over to Vicky to pick up John's van again on Thursday after school, bring it downtown,  help load up at Playhouse, unload at Myhouse, and then return it to Johnhouse.

now that's what I call a trolley

workshop

The deal was we all learnt Mercy Mercy Mercy by Josef Zawinul, then all did our compositions based on this tune. We did a mash up of this and Mercy by Duffy, calling it Mercy Mercy Mercy Mercy.

Also on the day Millie and I did workshops for three or four other groups [I forget how many noe. It was a bit of a blur!]

waiting for technology

rehearsal

Also, all of us played a couple of our own tunes. We played Wings of a Dove by Prince Buster, and Symphony 40 by Mozart [not all of it!].

Don't ask!

The whole event was tremendous. And tiring. We were there all day from 9am till 9pm [and me, Vicky, Millie and Millie, 10pm], and the players were mysteriously and consistently well-behaved. [After the era of Mig and Jamillah this is a refreshing change!].

We had lots of lovely proud parents. All good.

Wind in the Willows

Well, me and Walt an Tara and Stella and Daisy and Lola and Joe and Ben and JJ went to the Playhouse to see Alan Bennett's Wind in the Willows. Excellently amusing, great staging - the train, the boat, great acting, great rabbits and hedgehogs, great pace, probably best if you were ten or over.



Thought it was a shame that the audience in droves left the Playhouse when the play finished. But the drinks are expensive, and I know that it meant to be a place for the People, it doesn't feel like it. What's to be done?

Earlier in the day Maya, JJ and I went to feed the ducks in the top lake in Roundhay Park. Came back and made buns.