abylon Lane
is a group of shapenote singers which was founded in 1997 by Steve Fletcher
and Sheila Girling Macadam.
The 2008 personnel are:
Steve Fletcher (treble)
Sheila Girling Macadam (alto)
Tony Singleton (tenor)
Ken Baddley (bass, and treble at tenor pitch)
Edwin Macadam (bass)
They led the shapenote
workshops at the Sidmouth Folk Week in August 2007, and appeared in the
Saturday morning showcase concert in the Parish Church. They will be
returning to Sidmouth in August 2008 as part of the
FolkWeek in the Church.
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, Tony and Ken also lead West Gallery quires in
Warwickshire (Immanuel's
Ground), Kent (The Marsh
Warblers) and Bedfordshire (Bedford
Gallery Quire) respectively. All 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 a contribution to travel expenses, and
overnight accommodation when necessary, would be welcome.
For further information on shapenote
singing in the UK please visit the
UK Shapenote website.
For Babylon Lane workshop enquiries
please contact either
Sheila
Girling Macadam or
Steve
Fletcher.
( NB. Please
substitute @ for -at- in the email addresses.)
* Picture taken from "The Seven Wonders of
the World" by John and Elizabeth Romer.