Katherine Dixson
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Travels with a notebook   

Wouldn't it be wonderful to travel around the world in 80 concert venues?  I'm really lucky, as at the last count I've clocked up over 60 already ... admittedly many of these are in the UK, with a distinct emphasis on Birmingham or thereabouts, but I've also written about rather more cosmopolitan musical ports of call including Venice, Vienna and Vancouver.  Verona remains on the wish-list. 

Wolverhampton may seem an unlikely departure point, but as my choir's home territory it's yielded several pieces about our performances in churches various.  From 2003, a collaboration with a French choir from Orléans meant I was soon adding a continental twist.  I guess that's when the seed was sown for the irresistible music-travel-writing combo, and it's well and truly taken hold now I'm regularly enjoying singing holidays in Europe ... latest stop Avila in Spain, so click here for my adventures in the territory  of Tomas Luis de Victoria, exploring his glorious renaissance music.

Apart from my reviews for Bachtrack, some pieces found their way into my memoir, some are shared on tour company Run By Singers' website or my choir's website, and others have up to now simply been souvenirs for my own eyes and those of my nearest and dearest.  I hope you will also now enjoy taking a look ... there'll be more added from time to time, so please check back.

Articles with a musical slant

Choir ventures
What have you done today to make you feel proud? (April 2002) ... Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Chansons sans frontières (June 2003) ... Orléans, France
Assezez vous, s'il vous plait (May 2005) ... Church of St John-in-the-Square, Wolverhampton
Listen very carefully, we shall sing this only once (May 2007) ... Loire Valley, France

Back to my roots ...
I was glad, glad I went to Liverpool (March 2008) ... Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

Choral courses with Run By Singers ...

Things are looking up (October 2010) ... Basilica San Marco, Venice, Italy
Hot and cold in Krakow (June 2011) ... St Kinga's Chapel, Wieliczka Salt Mines, Poland
An Estonian odyssey (July 2012) ... Jaani Church, Tallinn, Estonia
In Assisi with St Francis and the birds and bees (August 2013) ... Assisi, Italy
Warming up in Avila (April 2014) ... Spain

The happy collision of holidays and concerts ...
True North (August 2007) ... Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, Canada
A taste of Vienna (February 2007) ... Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
An English woman's Christmas in Wales (December 2011) ... Acapela Studio, Pentyrch, South Wales

Festivals
Expect surprises (August 2008) ... Three Choirs Festival, Worcester Cathedral
Five pounds well spent (August 2009) ... The Proms, Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall, London

Choral workshops
Sound advice for a trip to Birmingham (March 2007) ... Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Sing Messiah! (March 2010) ... Royal Hospital Chelsea, London
Singing like larks in the cold air (May 2013) - Ludlow, Shropshire



 

Some of my other articles have been published in music organisations' in-house journals:
Making Music 'West Midlands Network', January 2008
CBSO MusicStand (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra), Winter 2007
CBSO MusicStand, Spring 2009
RCO News (The Royal College of Organists), October 2008
RCO News, May 2009

It's not always about music ...

Ice and a slice of wedded bliss (August 2013) ... Iceland

A Bruges of two architectures (May 2013) ... Belgium

Lunch on top of the world
(October 2012) ... Mount Etna, Sicily

Ask a policeman
(May 2007) ... South Australia

Men in white
(April 2006) ... Muscat, Oman

Pillow talk
(August 2010) ... Switzerland

Hands up if you see an otter
(August 1995) ... Tarka Trail, Devon

Bare watching in Canada
(August 2007) ... Vancouver, Tofino and Whistler
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