Summer seems to have had all too short a date with us this year, and I’m a know-nothing when it comes to jazz - but hey, it’s a title, and a way to say hallo again after a few weeks away, before we get down to serious political business in September.

The picture - me tuning my lever harp, with other harps from the Surrey County Harp Ensemble in the background - will be explained in the second part of this posting, but first:

Knaphill Rocks

Thanks to the organisation and determination of Eileen Martin, from the Knaphill Residents Association, there were three Wednesday music events for under-18s in Knaphill in August: Rockband @ Wyac ; Battle of the Bands; and Rock on the Hill. Some financial support had been drawn in from SCC,  while Woking Youth Arts Centre, the Scouts and Guides, the Winston Churchill School, and other interested individuals gave time, space, and the loan of equipment. These were augmented by generous gifts and sponsorship from local firms, so that the winners and runners up in ‘Battle of the Bands’ came away with worthwhile prizes, and there were tasty pizzas readily available for the young people taking part.

I got into Battle of the Bands and Rock on the Hill by being ’crew’, with a badge to prove it. In fact both events ran so smoothly I had plenty of time to appreciate the way rock music vibrates through the feet just about as nicely as through the ears. (Actually, it didn’t seem seriously loud, unless I’ve got very much deafer in the last quarter century.)  

Both were well-run events with audiences enjoying themselves and behaving well - and that included incidental oldies like me. The only fly in the ointment was that the audiences were quite low in number. There was a risk with Rock on the Hill that the adults would outnumber the youngsters. But every festival starts small and has to build up support. Well done Eileen and team! Let’s do it again next year and triple the numbers! 

‘Magic of a Thousand Strings’

The Harp Ensemble, led by Surrey harpist Maria-Luisa Ovett, went ‘on tour’ to Albi (Near Toulouse, in France) for a week this summer. 

 Although I was one of the founder members, this is only the second time I’ve gone abroad with the Ensemble - and very smoothly organised and enjoyable it was. (In case anyone is wondering, I paid my own way - it wasn’t out of taxes.)

Our major concert out of a series of three was in Albi cathedral, a magnificent medieval gothic building that looks a bit like a fortress on the outside, but is stunningly ornate inside. With advance publicity in the local press and on TV, we played to over five hundred people, and many more were turned away.

Thanks to Surrey Youth, Music and Performing Arts, which has allowed the Harp Ensemble to take part in its amazing concerts alongside the Youth Orchestra and Choir at some wonderful venues in London, I’m in a position to say first-hand that the accoustic was reminiscent of  playing in the Albert Hall. Both spaces are so big that the sound got sucked away as if we were out of doors, but then reverberated around the huge, hard ceilings and walls and in Albi came back as a mix which really suits the sound of the instrument.

Unlike the Albert Hall concert, we didn’t get balloons coming down from the ceiling at the end (one of the most surprisingly exciting moments in my life!)  but we did play numerous encores, and felt very priviledged to be there.