Do what you love and do it often...

Trying to find a satisfying balance between work and play seems to get trickier and trickier...I'm still looking for it!!! But I have put together a collage of my photography to remind me that I do occasionally get the time to live and breathe, and indulge some of my favourite past times...creative stuff, spending time with friends loved ones, a bit of travel now and again....

Worthing beach

Baking

Pretending to play golf

with Lindsey on Brighton beach

Brighton beach 2011

Bilbo Baggins

Where I work

Brick Lane vintage

Concert at Old Church, Chelsea

Worthing at night

Bath - where I were born

Tea parties

with my nephew

lying in a Wiltshire meadow

horse riding

second hand books

In my mum's garden

An Afternoon of Song - 25th October 2011

Here is some audio recorded by my lovely friend, composer and sound engineer whizz, Anthony Hutchings during my lunchtime recital on the 25th October 2011 in Findon, West Sussex. All uploaded onto Soundcloud. Accompanied by Rachel Lambert. 

http://soundcloud.com/sussexsoprano

Please have a listen and pass it on! xxx

New Look Website

My poor website designer, Will has (yet again) overhauled my website for me. I was looking for a cleaner, brighter and sharper look, with easy access to information/audio etc. Do have a look/listen and let me know your thoughts...

http://www.katieeels.co.uk/

and Will Long web design can be found here www.ttlwebdesign.com

I have yet to update concerts etc and I know there is a way I can access this myself, but being terribly girly and allergic to all things technological, I am finding it a little tricky...

Keep your eye out for upcoming concerts in December! xxx

If music be the food of love, play on!

If music be the food of love, play on: give me excess of it...Shakespeare

http://youtu.be/SHf13uK0ZVI               -

Purcell: If music be the food of love / Andreas Scholl   (My favourite counter tenor!)

Now the school summer holidays have finally arrived, I am able to put a bit more time into my own singing work which last week started with recording some repertoire with one of my fantastic work colleagues, accompanist, Gary Prior.

The idea is to put some of my best work onto my website and onto CD that I will be able use to promote myself and hopefully get some new singing projects out of it.

Working full time in a very large and busy music department, I have found this year that I have had little time to indulge in my own solo repertoire. However, this is where I have to be quite savvy over the summer and find ways to incorporate this into my job next term.

I will have to work hard to present myself as a freelancing soloist and work hard to make new musical contacts, find new fellow musos to play with and get out there! After all…

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox: (November 5, 1850 – October 30, 1919)

Back to the recording:

 After two hours of some exquisite playing from Gary, I was happy with only 10% of what I sang. So soon after the end of a very busy term, I was exhausted and it showed in my voice. Such a pity, but I’ve certainly learnt a lot! I have to be better prepared physically for such an undertaking- I don’t think I was aware of just how much preparation and fine tuning is needed to come away with something you feel is worth having on disk.  Hoping to tackle this again this summer and have some more audio on my website http://www.katieeels.co.uk/.

Watch this space!

J

Sea Fever

"Sea-Fever" I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking, And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking. I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying. I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over. By John Masefield (1878-1967). (English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967.)

A beautiful way to try and be heard...

Noggin the Nog

Sigur Ros Plays in the mountains of their homeland for a small group of people who are protesting the building of a dam, which will irreversibly change the landscape.

All is played acoustically since the protest is about this form of electricity.

I think this is just brilliant.

Listening to Sigur Ros just makes me want to pack my bags and move to Iceland - somewhere really remote, where I could just indulge in singing, writing for a while and drink in the AMAZING views, not thinking about work or mundane stuff. It looks so other wordly - like somewhere from 'Noggin the Nog', which I used to watch as a child. :)

BOOKS!

One of the saddest books I have ever read, I think! Along with 'Birdsong' - Sebastian Faulks - this actually made me shed a tear. Love lost. Heartbreaking, but written in such a beautiful way, and I just LOVE his characters. I don't think I have ever NOT loved an Ian McEwan book! Read it.

SECOND HAND BOOKS!!! At the end of my street, there is a little independent bookshop called Badger's Books in Worthing, http://www.abebooks.co.uk/badgers-books-worthing,-west-sussex/3197387/sf  that I visit almost religiously on an afternoon off. I have found some beautiful treasures in there - (see photos) -

Give me a second hand book over a new one any day - or a book with an inscription inside - I have been given some real beauties in the past, with messages in the front that I'll treasure forever. They are little pieces of history that sit on my bookshelf like old friends. A little piece of that loved person left with me. Call me sentimental, but I love leafing through my old books and finding notes in the margin or old bookmarks...

 I always write messages in books I give as presents.

On A Nautical Theme...

For the first time in my life I am lucky enough to live by the sea, which is a constant inspiration to me. It really is a favourite place whatever the weather, whatever my mood. I can sit on the shingle with a book, or run along the seafront chasing the sunset, or paddle when it's warm and the tide stretches out to the sand.

I think this blog may begin to take on a nautical theme for a while, as it's an ever present feature at the moment. Many a happy hour has passed looking out to sea   http://youtu.be/OOX5geS_kmk - here is my most  favourite singer, the wonderful Dame Janet Baker, singing the beautiful song cycle Sea Pictures by Elgar.  Phoography is my own.

Have some Bach for breakfast

http://youtu.be/VNgJgNk8dto

Start your weekend with a bit of Bach. It never fails to make me feel uplifted. :)

www.katieeels.co.uk

Katie Eels Mezzo-Soprano

New Audio available, Mary's_Lullaby' Copyright Silver Appleyard Productions' 2011
Mary's Lullaby by A.D.C Hutchings
Recorded live 22nd March at Chelsea Old Church, London.

Chapel Choir of Windlesham House School conducted by A.D.C Hutchings
Piano- Katarina Hutchings
Flute- Natalie Daly