Twin news
by Juliette | 05.20.11 | Latest News, Record Producing, Twin news
We missed the Classical Brits last week as I had a family funeral that day but do watch next week when it’s on telly as we arranged the John Barry medley at the end of the show.
This week’s been busy so far. James is in Denmark working so I recorded Michael Ball on my own on Monday. What a lovely, talented man. He is also a 1-take wonder. In and out the studio within the hour, leaving me with a first-rate vocal.
It also turned out to be the week that Arthur had 3 different hospital More »
Tags: Classical Brits 2011, Great Ormond Street Hospital, John Barry tribute, Michael Ball
by Juliette | 05.03.11 | Domestic Diva, Latest News, Record Producing, Twin news
I’m in terrible voice at the moment. I’ve simply not had time to do enough regular singing with all the record producing and it’s not been helped by rather a lot of sleepless nights (twin toddlers for you). I have a concert in Colchester next week so I’ve really got to knuckle down this week and get it all working as sadly, there are no short cuts.
We got back from recording sessions in Prague at the weekend. In time for the boys 2nd birthday and the making of the ridiculously over ambitious train cake. When will I learn? They were recently discharged from physio More »
by Juliette | 04.19.11 | "First Night", Twin news
Arthur studying a Brian Ferneyhough score
James and I are having an ongoing argument. What could it be about? Money, career, children perhaps?
No, none of the above, something far more serious.
He insists on singing Seesaw Marjory Daw to the wrong tune. Now that may not sound like such a terrible crime to a non-musician but I can assure you that no son of mine is going to get the tune to a nursery rhyme wrong. If James persists, not only could this become a reality, but he is also putting our sons in a very difficult position. Obviously I’m looking to the future once they can actually sing, or even talk, but the time will come when they will have to make a choice. To choose between their divided parents. Will they side with James and sing his version or will they work out who bakes the cakes and choose mine? For those of you with an opinion (and I realise I may not be addressing anyone from this point on) it’s the 2nd line, Johnny shall have a new master that is causing the main disagreement.
Just hum it through. Notice the 1st line of Seesaw M D is basically 2 notes, a third apart. But of course, I hear you answer, More »
Tags: Brian Ferneyhough, Nursery rhymes, Thomas Adès
by Juliette | 03.10.11 | Latest News, Performances, Twin news
Taverner is one of those composers that is wonderful to listen to live or in a darkened room, it’s meditative quality transports you to another world.
BUT…
it’s jolly dull to learn and sing. Such long, repetitive, sustained, repetitive (sorry did I say that already) phrases.
James took the boys to the park this morning while I did some notebashing of the Taverner for the concerts in Brighton on 1st/2nd April.
He returned an hour later, white as a sheet and shaking. Apparently all was well until he got Arthur out of his swing, More »
Tags: reins on toddlers, swings, Taverner Fragments of a Prayer
by Juliette | 12.15.10 | Latest News, Performances, Twin news
Brighton Dome
For those of you who used to read my diary on the website, you may remember that James and I did an arrangement of O Holy Night for a concert he conducted in Denmark last year. It was a duet featuring Michael Bolton and Katherine Jenkins. Not the most likely of combinations but it turns out that both have an album out at the moment and both have included our arrangement on their CD so can’t complain. More »
Tags: Brighton Dome, Katherine Jenkins, Michael Bolton, o Holy Night
by Juliette | 12.01.10 | Latest News, Twin news
Bit of a breather this week as we are both back in the UK for December. James’ concert on Scandinavian TV went well and featured the rather unusual combination of Shakin’ Stevens, Mario Frangoulis and Susanne Vegas on the same bill. One of them was less than easy to work with but I’m giving no prizes for guesses!
I had a rather difficult visit to GOSH last week as Arthur is still very difficult to extract blood from. After failing to find a vein after 5 minutes, we ended up pinning him down and repeatedly pricking then squeezing his toes to get blood for a further 10 minutes but they didn’t really bleed much either. He was beside himself, as was I and his brother who was listening and watching everything. All that, only to be told they didn’t manage to collect enough blood to get a result. Next bloods in a couple of weeks so hoping he has a poor memory and it won’t be so traumatic. More »
Tags: GOSH, Mario Frangoulis, Shakin'Stevens, Susanne Vegas
by Juliette | 11.02.10 | Domestic Diva, Twin news
Coram's Fields entrance
Although Great Ormond Street is a pain to get to with the double buggy (it makes all the nearest tube stations impossible to use), it does have one enormous plus, as well as the fantastic care we receive of course. Just across the road is Coram’s Fields which has to have the BEST kids playground in central London. Rather longer ago than I care to remember, when I was still at the Guildhall, and James had his first job on the staff at ENO, we were both involved in a production of Mozart’s Magic Flute performed in Coram’s Fields. There was no money to book a pro orchestra so he persuaded many of the administration staff at ENO to play; many of whom had learnt an instrument to a very high standard before sensibly realising a salary was much more attractive than suffering for your art. It was on returning there with the boys this week that I noticed the paddling pool which was emptied and used as the orchestral pit for our production. It reminded me of the opening night when several of the woodwind couldn’t play for most of Act 2 because they had uncontrollable giggles. Trouble is those kind of giggles are contagious. It wasn’t until after the performance they showed James what had set them off. He had been conducting right next to a sign that read: More »
Tags: Coram's fields, ENO, great ormond street, the guildhall School of Music and Drama, The Magic Flute
by Juliette | 09.17.10 | Latest News, Twin news
Oh no, not the cooker alarm...
The twins have just had their first physiotherapy session. Now they’ve been officially diagnosed with Global Development Delay it appears we are to receive all sorts of help. We are also about to start regular occupational therapy, speech therapy and portage which is apparently someone visiting us at home. Of course I do realise how incredibly lucky we are to get all this support but what with our existing visits to Great Ormond Street, Kings and Guys, the therapy and appointments are a full time job in themselves. I’ve realised I have to think very carefully about work I take on in the next year or so as this is such a critical time for them developmentally. More »
Tags: Global Development delay, occupational therapy, speech therapy
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