Five of my most vivid memories as a pro singer

with some lovely photos!

Ok, I’m not here for faux modesty: I want you to show off (indeed, go and check out my most recent Instagram post and you’ll see exactly what I mean - and show off in the comments), but I often find it hard to remember that - subjectively and objectively - I work with the best vocal and choral ensembles in the world. The U.K. (despite our government’s best efforts to thwart us) is celebrated for being a place of cultural excellence, and music is a sensational part of that.¹

I’m fortunate enough to sing as part of this cultural excellence: in the past three months alone I’ve worked with the BBC Singers, Tenebrae, Polyphony, Ora, Cardinall’s Musick, London Voices, on soundtracks by Mark Ronson, Hans Zimmer, on most of the films you’ve seen last year…Singing is such a privilege, and has given me so many happy memories (and some stressful ones too). I thought you might like to hear about five of them…

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1. Tenebrae Consort: Chapelle de Sainte Restitude, Corsica as part of Les Rencontres de Calenzana Festival. 🇫🇷☀️

I mean, it was Corsica. I was singing with the best a cappella singers in the world, as part of a quintet. We sung close harmony jazz, pop, folk. The sun beamed down, the music was incredibly challenging and sung with such skill, the people were gorgeous and the food was amazing. It was part of a festival, and after the gig we went and met other singers, including a throat singing trio, a very exclusive pop group and some rather drunk Latvians. The only sad part: I hadn’t realised at that point I was pregnant. I eventually went onto lose that baby (but I got my rainbow #3 in the end…)

2. Tenebrae at Sainte-Chapelle, Paris (you can always watch a bit here)

   

This was memorable for so many reasons: my second child was only six months old, so we decided I could do the gig with support. My mum travelled with me and the baby on the Eurostar (I was still breastfeeding and didn’t want to be apart from him). I was so sleep-deprived. There was a heat wave. Sainte-Chapelle was quite startlingly beautiful, claustrophobic and precious. The gig didn’t quite have enough rehearsal time, we were all incredibly hot and it felt quite stressful, and simultaneously incredibly exciting.

But the most memorable thing? The day of the gig we had the result of the vote to leave or remain in the EU. In our musicians’ bubble it simply didn’t feel real that people could have voted to leave. Here we were, surrounded by Parisians, and vibrancy, and togetherness, and people wanted us to leave that behind. And what about ease of travel? And payments? And freedom? We wept that day and hugged all the people around us, feeling such shame that our country had appeared to reject our friends.

3. Eric Whitacre, Hans Zimmer, the iTunes Music Festival

   

   In 2014, shortly after the birth of my first child, I appeared with a choir (we were all booked as freelancers and only performed together sporadically) at something called the “Itunes Music Festival” at the Roundhouse. It was quite sweaty. We were in a choir under the baton of Eric Whitacre, an American composer who was the celebrity of the classical world. We sang with Hans Zimmer, who played his piano with such a joyful enthusiasm, all while in a burgundy corduroy jacket and similar, just darker trousers. We were told to look “edgy”, which for me translated into faux leather leggings, that felt too hot. If you look carefully I’m the fourth along. It was all very trippy: my boobs leaked, but my hair was fabulous.

4. The BBC Singers, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Clare Teal and Christmas Joy, December 2023.

   

   The BBC Singers are unquestionably one of the finest ensembles on the globe. They are unique in that they are an employed group of musicians: for every other group I sing for we are booked on a case by case basis, as freelancers, with no benefits or contract. It's why running my coaching and mentoring business feels relatively easy in terms of pressure - I’m used to no guarantees. I adore working with them. For this gig we (I’m a regular “ad-hoc” or dep there when the regulars are “ill”) alternated between singing solos from songs from the musicals, singing tight-knit a cappella harmony, doing backing vocals for the stunning Clare Teal or just grooving along in awe to the extraordinary rhythm section. I felt fabulous, and fierce and that this was my “why.”

5. Einsiedeln Abbey, early 2000s!

   

   Einsiedeln Abbey, inside and out

   This was one of my big gigs with my university college choir (I was a choral scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge). Einsiedeln is a breathtaking monastery in Switzerland, home to some of the kindest monks I have ever had the privilege to meet. We were there for the start of Advent. We stood outside in the cold, and sang (singing inside was also extraordinary, so vast was the space and on so many levels that we could have great fun with acoustics and echoes). It was night, and we watched candles being lit from one end of the (I want to say “village” but don’t know), culminating in candles being lit in Einsiedeln itself. This chain of light, starting from a magical other place and culminating at this place of reverence and hope, was genuine manna for the soul.

Of course, I’ve now got so many more memories I want to share with you.

Do you like hearing about this stuff? I love to share it…

What are the memories of performing you have? I’d be so interested to know, whether it’s your school nativity or a folk festival.

Love,

Laura x

P.S. One of the reasons clients choose to work with me is that they like the variety and eclectism of experience I bring to my business - and sharing this with you is my favourite kind of marketing - it tells a story without being pushy (though there’s space for that too). If you’d like to explore intuitive and organised marketing with me I have a free workshop for you, on Thursday 22nd February at 1.00pm GMT (with time limited replay).

1. (generating £4 billion for the UK economy in 2022, and contributing £6.7 billion to the UK economy in 2022 in gross value added (GVA))L https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/news/uk-music-deliver-4-billion-boost-to-uk-economy-this-is-music-2023-report#:~:text=The%20UK%20music%20industry%20also,the%20music%20industry%20was%20210%2C000.