Dear friends,
I want to share with you some exciting news, my recordings are almost complete and my official album launch is confirmed for September 2013.
For those who don't know my work, my name is Deborah Rose. I am a recording and performing artist, originally from South Wales and now based in beautiful Worcestershire in the UK.
For more than ten years I have been singing and making my own music. In 2009 I sang at the Isle of Wight Festival, and launched my first EP and more recently released "The Lady of Shalott" CD as part of the Pre-Raphaelite Exhibition at Birmingham Museum.
I have toured with american folk singer Judy Collins, and supported Ralph Mctell, Boo Hewerdine, Julie Felix, and Thea Gilmore in concert. I have been on a wonderful journey and have had the privilege of meeting and working with gifted musicians from all over the world. I feel blessed to do what I love..sing.. even though it can be challenging to fund as an independent artist, so thank you to everyone so far who has contributed to help me release this album on my own label.
My inspiration to sing is to connect and share with others. It gives me great joy to write music from the heart with the hope of bringing more light and love into the world.
My new album "Song be My Soul"
The inspiration for this album came from some of the world's greatest poets such as Tennyson, William Blake, Dickens, Christina Rossetti, and Shakespeare, as well as writing and composing other classic folk songs of my own. It has been a magical experience, meeting musicians I never dreamed I would meet such as the violinist Dan Cassidy, the brother of my singing inspiration Eva Cassidy. He plays violin on "Count the Days", a beautiful celtic ballad, and an adapted Tennyson's poem set to music.
Martin Riley, the musical director for classical group Blake has co-written and arranged many songs on the album, as well as Ian King, a local composer who has written the music for an Eva Cassidy poem called "Springtime" among others. The album already features musicians from India, Germany, America, and Wales; tabla by Mendi Singh, bansuri flute by Praful Mystic, violin from Dan Cassidy, cello by Catherine Harper, a welsh harp and even a Male Voice Choir from the Aber Valley, near my hometown in South Wales.
Songs for the album have all been composed but need to be recorded with string arrangements, beautifully orchestrated by classical composer Martin Riley. The next step is then for the product to be mixed and mastered, for the art work to be completed, and 1000's of copies made for me to pack in my suitcase :-)
"Beautiful House" Tour
The tour will officially begin in April 2013 visiting the former homes of many of the poets and artists that inspired this album. It will begin at philosopher and art critic John Ruskins home 'Brantwood' in the Lake District, followed by the poet Swinburne's house at East Dene, and Dimbola Lodge on the Isle of Wight, where the first woman to make photography an art form, called Julia Margaret Cameron, lived.
Performances will be held in churches, cathedrals, museums and English Heritage and National Trust properties all over the UK linked to the Pre-Raphaelite painters and poets. The aim is for the the audience to experience a sense of wonder and enchantment from the architecture, as well as the music and stories behind the songs. I will be performing for the first time in America in September, at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and plans are underway for concert dates in France, Italy, Moscow, Australia and New Zealand.
"Springtime" inspired by Eva Cassidy
My purpose for making this album and touring these venues is to give life to some of the greatest poems ever written, and perform them in a setting which creates a sense of nostalgia and captures the imagination of the audience.
On the album is also a contemporary poem written by Eva Cassidy which encapsulates the essence of Eva's spirit. It is Eva's 50th anniversary in 2013, so I would very much like to mark her anniversary by including this song on my album and share it all over the world.
Co-creation.. Giving and Receiving!
What needs to happen for me next is to complete the CD ready for sale. I need to raise the funds for studio time to record the remaining songs, and string parts, mix and master the CD, and fund an artist to complete the poetry book and album design. Most importantly I need to fund the wonderful musicians I work with to tour with me so we can share and inspire people with our work.
Any contribution, big or small, is valuable to this project.
There is of course more in it for you than just the joy and kindness of giving :-) !
In return for your help there are a range of gifts that I look forward to creating and sending to you. See details on this page and look for something that inspires you. Everything from a pre-release of the album, to handmade jewellery, a day in the recording studio with us, or an exclusive performance just for you in your home or in your community. Should we achieve more than the target any remaining money will be donated to the British Red Cross, on behalf of my late Uncle and Grandmother, who continue to inspire much of my work.
There are other ways to help than giving money of course. The most important one is helping to spread the word to as many friends and family as possible, in the hope we see them at a concert somewhere along the path.
If you have given the time to read all of this, thank you! I'm already grateful for the time you have spent. I hope you feel inspired to contribute in some way.
With love and thanks,
Deborah Rose ♥
www.deborahrose.co.uk
