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B

abylon Lane is a group of shapenote singers which was founded in 1997 by Steve Fletcher and Sheila Girling Macadam.

  The 2013 personnel are:

     Steve Fletcher (treble)
     Sheila Girling Macadam (alto)
     Tony Singleton (tenor)
     Edwin Macadam
(bass)

 

They have been leading shapenote workshops at British folk festivals since 2007, including a regular slot at Sidmouth Folk Week and appearances at the Warwick and Teignmouth Folk Festivals. They are back again for Warwick 2013 on 28 July, and will be in Sidmouth from Saturday 3 August.

Members of the group have been singing shapenote music for more than 20 years, both in the UK and in the USA. Steve and Sheila have both taught singing schools in the UK, and Edwin and Tony  also lead West Gallery quires in Warwickshire (Immanuel's Ground), and Kent (The Marsh Warblers)  respectively. Ken Baddley and Lin Cawthorne have joined the group for some performances in previous years. Edwin, Sheila and Tony also reprised their long associations with Rachel Jordan as The Belcher Supply Co., at a workshop in Teignmouth in April 2010, and - with expanded forces - at a workshop in Stroud in November 2011. All the singers belong to the West Gallery Music Association

Babylon Lane offer workshops in shapenote music, using material from;

the 1991 edition of The Sacred Harp,
the 1998 edition of Northern Harmony, and
Norumbega Harmony, 2005,
as well as contemporary compositions in the genre by English writers.  

There is no charge for these workshops to community groups, although Babylon Lane would request a contribution to travel expenses, and overnight accommodation when necessary. Babylon Lane also offer workshops and singing schools to traditional folk festivals, and other musical and educational organisations on a negotiable basis, to include travel and other expenses.

For further information on shapenote singing in the UK as a whole please visit the UK Shapenote website, and for singing in the Oxford area in particular visit the Oxford website, or  e-mail.

For Babylon Lane workshop enquiries please contact either
Sheila Girling Macadam or Steve Fletcher.

( NB. Please substitute @  for -at- in the email addresses.)

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