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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