Musician

I’ve never really been able to fit in a ‘box’ in regards my vocal style. I’m a blend of soprano, folk and cabaret and have in the past been a bit self-conscious of this. Now I give it a warm hug and embrace it with all its possibilities!

I began my professional singing career in New Zealand as an operatic soprano. I trained on the job and travelled an unconventional path which led me not to the opera stage but onto creating my own one woman shows. I was a busy performer on the concert stage and touring my Ising on the Cake Show, where I performed a musical version of my life as a singing cake maker – including baking a chocolate cake on stage! Prior to my singing career I was a bakery manager of a thriving multi-million pound turnover cake company and baking continues to be a deep part of my soul (See Breadtime Stories for Hungry Souls.) After one festival appearance I was approached to consider performing in the annual Art Deco Festival in Napier, New Zealand and this is where my cabaret character Forget-Me-Not was born! I went on to create and tour four Forget-Me-Not shows blending opera and cabaret. I moved back to the UK in 2012 and continued touring my one woman shows, performing cabaret and running a dementia singing group. In 2017 Cupid struck in the form of a lever harp and at last I had found my perfect instrument. Playing the harp has been a total liberation for me to accompany myself and it has led to a wondrous opening of creative possibilities such as my Postcard series and my storytelling. I write my own songs and harp music, weaving in my personal stories and connection to nature.

My career has been an incredible tapestry to date. My voice has taken me on a fulfilling journey from stage to live radio, TV, session singer, recording artist, musical theatre, collaborator to music therapist and singing facilitator. I’ve worked with incredibly talented musicians and composers on the way and experienced some extraordinary performance settings.