Musical Profile...

Musical History

There was always a piano in our house. I started tinkling on it at the age of 4 and before I knew it I had taught myself to play. Later I learned singing and organ playing at the Latymer School, Edmonton, singing bass in the Latymer Madrigal Group that toured the USA and Canada in 1974. We made many appearances including a concert of madrigals at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, singing live on BBC1's Nationwide programme, recordings, a rather odd advert for Stork margarine (no, that's not us in the video, which was lip-synced over our recording), and lots of programmes for BBC Radio including a series of Music Makers in which I ended up playing percussion as well as singing. In my last year at school I was in the Enfield Young Symphony Orchestra and played timpani in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. I also ran a seven-piece jazz band (the Ashworth Apes) which played at Latymer and a few other places in the Enfield area. Around this time, in 1976-7, I first played organ for church services at St Mary with St John, Dysons Road, Edmonton, and Stoke Newington Methodist Church, and harpsichord for performances of Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" at Latymer and "Come ye Sons of Art" at Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire.

I was appointed Organist and Choirmaster of Wesley Methodist Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex in 1978, and remained organist there until Christmas 2018 when I was about to move to Cambridgeshire. I am a founder member (1979) of the renowned folk band, the Famous Potatoes, in which I play accordion and piano - see their own website for full information. For a few years I ran the Legra Ensemble, a chamber choir and orchestra which specialised in early music. I am the arranger of music for the annual Leigh-on-Sea Folk Carol Service which has been held every year since 1978, and I arrange and adapt music for several local soloists and groups, mostly traditional and public domain material. Until my move I was an official accompanist for both Leigh-on-Sea and Southend Musical Festivals.

"A Book of Folk Carols", which I wrote and compiled together with Professor Kenneth MacKinnon, based on our experience of 25 years of the Leigh-on-Sea Folk Carol Service, was published in 2004, and seven carols from this book were featured in the BBC Radio 2 programme "Keeping Tradition Alive at Christmas", broadcast on Christmas Eve 2009, as well as another of my arrangements of a traditional carol. "The Stream Ever Flowing", a collection of lesser known Charles Wesley hymns with music, was published in 2007. See Books and CDs for more details. I work with the Methodist Church to carry out research into hymns, expanding their "Hymnopedia" on the Singing the Faith Plus website. I have had a pipe dream for many years to produce another book relating to Methodist history - a modern performing edition of John Wesley's 1780 collection "Sacred Harmony", and work on this from time to time in my few idle periods. My interest in church music, the workings of church services and my faith in God led me to training as a Worship Leader in the Methodist Church, and I have led several services as well as playing for them.

With my musical tastes being fairly eclectic, and my sight reading skills meaning that I could play and sing most music at sight, I was for many years a regular or occasional accompanist for the following: Ridley Studios (ballroom dancing, tap and 'modern', twice a week for five years); Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society (musicals, for several years); St Bernard's School, Westcliff-on-Sea (their choir once a week for three years, plus A- and A2/AS-level recordings for music students, and their staff choir for their annual Year 11 leavers' mass); the Little Theatre Club (musicals, twice a week for one year); the Southend Harmony Singers (occasional rehearsals and concerts); the Eastwood Chorale (a few concerts and the occasional rehearsal); Benfleet Operatic Society and the Triple H Community Choir.

Playing church organ meant that I didn't get to sing as much as I liked. While in Essex I sang from 2009 to 2018 with the Cappella Singers of Upminster, several of whose members I'd previously accompanied at music festivals, and I now sing with the St Peter's Singers, a chamber choir based in Peterborough. The choir have regular concerts, sing at local churches for evensong and on feast days, and in 2019 recorded two albums of Christmas music including several pieces specially commissioned for them, one of which (A Rose E'er Blooming - Christmas Carols from Fotheringhay) is on general release.

From 2016 to 2022 I was a Director and Treasurer to the Board of Trustees of the Christian creative arts charity ArtServe, having been a member since its inception (and of what was in many ways its forerunner, the Methodist Church Music Society). Anyone who loves to explore creativity in using the arts in worship would be welcome to sign up to their newsletter, consider membership or make a note in their diary for their next annual festival in October 2023.

I was a former career civil servant with HM Customs and Excise, and spent 27 years there mostly working on the IT systems at their VAT headquarters in Southend. Ex-colleagues tell me that at least one of the programs I wrote to keep the VAT suite running is still chugging merrily along, though as it was to do with payable orders I doubt it's used much these days. By coincidence (or not) I left on the very day that they merged with the Inland Revenue. I spent 13 years working for two hours each weekday morning as administrator at Wesley Methodist Church, Leigh-on-Sea, and the rest of the time covering the wide variety of musical work that I've mentioned here and on the Musician page.

In 2020 I became organist at St Oswald, Peterborough, after playing there for a month in December 2019. From 2021 to January 2023 I played for St Mary's Whittlesey as and when able, and I continue to be their organist for weddings and funerals. I'm still also working as a freelance musician.

Current and Recent Work

2023:
Plough Sunday service at St Mary's, Whittlesey - played organ and accordion.
Sang with St Peter's Singers for evensong at St John's Stamford and at Great Gidding, and concerts at Deeping St James, Stoke Doyle and Grimsthorpe Castle.
Easter music at St Oswald's as for 2022.
Played regularly for various services at St Oswald Peterborough. Played for a couple of Sunday services, several funerals and one wedding at St Mary's Whittlesey, a couple of services at St Luke's Peterborough, and one at Great St Mary's Sawbridgeworth.
Regular Famous Potatoes work including the Leigh Folk Festival and a wedding in Fingringhoe, Essex.

2022:
Sang with St Peter's Singers for concerts in Empingham, Great Gidding, Grimsthorpe Castle and Castor, a wedding in Peterborough Cathedral, the annual carol service in Fotheringhay, and carol singing in Peterborough City Hospital.
Release of Garth Hewitt's album "Easter Revolution", playing accordion on several tracks.
Easter music at St Oswald's including singing the Exsultet for the Easter Vigil.
Played for Sawtry Chorale concerts in Stilton and Alconbury.
Played for confirmation and first communion masses at Sacred Heart St Ives, St Luke's Peterborough, and St Oswald's Peterborough.
Famous Potatoes played for Platinum Jubilee street party in Leigh-on-Sea.
Kate's and my wedding reception (only 2 years 2 months late!)
Played piano and accordion for various activities at ArtServe's annual festival at High Leigh, Hoddesdon, and handed over papers and duties to the new treasurer.
Played regularly for various services at St Oswald Peterborough and St Mary's Whittlesey and a couple of services at St Luke's Peterborough.

2021:
For the first half of the year, COVID-19 continued to restrict work to a bare minimum, but:
Played organ for various services at St Oswald Peterborough, St Mary's Whittlesey and St Luke's Peterborough.
Rehearsed, mainly on Zoom, with St Peter's Singers for planned concerts later in the year.
Recording at home for Famous Potatoes tracks.
In the second half of the year:
Played for a Garth Hewitt concert in Ipswich.
Sang with St Peter's Singers at Eucharist in Peterborough Cathedral, and with a small choir for a wedding at St Kyneburgha, Castor.
Resumed barn dances (still socially distanced, as much as possible) and shows with the Famous Potatoes, though in much smaller numbers than before COVID-19.
Recording for Garth Hewitt's album "Easter Revolution".
Played piano and accordion for various activities at ArtServe's annual festival at The Hayes, Swanwick, including the usual arranging of the music for the closing worship.
St Peter's Singers concert in Stamford in November and carol concert in Fotheringhay in December.
Accompanied Sawtry Chorale for two Christmas concerts in Keyston and Glatton.

2020:
Commenced as organist at St Oswald, Peterborough.
Accompanist to Peterborough Choral Society for their first term of the year.
Sang with St Peter's Singers at choral Eucharist in Peterborough Cathedral for Epiphany and for Ash Wednesday, and in an 8-piece choir for a funeral in Peterborough Cathedral.
Played organ for services and funerals at St Mary's Whittlesey, and services at All Saints Peterborough, St Thomas Pondersbridge and St Luke's Orton Malborne.
Then came COVID-19...
Following a complete blank for five months, work slowly returned to a small percentage of the normal amount.
Playing for regular Sunday morning services stopped in March 2020 and did not resume until May 2021.
Work with the Famous Potatoes stopped at the same time and, apart from one isolated outdoor show in August 2020 and a short COVID-safe recording session in November 2020, did not resume until August 2021.
Work with Peterborough Choral Society also stopped at the same time.
Playing for funerals stopped at the same time and resumed in September 2020.
For the first time since 1978 I did not play at a single wedding in the year, though my own wedding to Kate, postponed from April 2020, did take place in July under COVID restrictions (minimal guests, no live music, no singing, no reception).
Other planned work was all cancelled. St Peter's Singers rehearsals continued, occasionally at a COVID-safe location when Government guidelines allowed, but mostly on Zoom.

2019:
After retiring from the organist's position at Wesley Methodist Church, Leigh-on-Sea, played for services at Buxted (East Sussex), Ingatestone, Fryerning and Canvey Island (Essex), in January and February.
Most of the early part of the year was busy with the house move from Essex to Cambridgeshire.
Joined St Peter's Singers. Sang in their recording for Philip Spratley's commissioned piece A Carol Fantasia at Deeping St James Priory Church, in April, and in the recordings for their Christmas CD A Rose E'er Blooming at Fotheringhay in June. Sang with St Peter's for Evensong at Beverley Minster in July and at Great Gidding in September.
Played organ for services at St Mary's Melton Mowbray, St Mary's Stamford, All Saints Paston, St Andrew's Whittlesey, Holy Trinity Coates and St John the Baptist Peterborough, for services, weddings and funerals at St Mary's Whittlesey, and for services and a funeral at St Oswald Peterborough.
Restarted accompanying for music exams.
Sang as soloist in 4-part choir for wedding at Marholm.
Played piano and accordion for the worship service of Central Council of Bell Ringers' annual conference in London, in September.
Sang with St Peter's Singers in their October concert at Thornhaugh, their Christmas concert at Deeping St James and the annual Richard III Society carol service at Fotheringhay.
Presented a Charles Wesley workshop and did several other musical things at ArtServe's annual festival at The Hayes, Swanwick, in October, including the usual arranging of the music for the closing worship.
Continued working with the Famous Potatoes.

2018:
Mainly preparations for my move from Essex to Cambridgeshire, but also...
Official accompanist for the last time for Leigh Music Festival, in June, and Southend Music Festival, in November.
ArtServe's annual festival at High Leigh, Hoddesdon, in October.
Cappella Singers' spring, summer and Christmas concerts.
The annual Folk Carol Service at St Clement's Church, Leigh-on-Sea, in December.
Carol singing for Action for Children, in December.
And the usual work with the Famous Potatoes, and playing for church services, weddings, funerals, exams etc.

Contact: paul.mcdowell@sky.com or telephone 07790 061381 or 01733 350088
--------
Page last updated 8 August 2023