By the Dart • Dartmouth at Play


Helen Deakin Professional Musician


How do you bring music to the people of Dartmouth? I have worked very hard to develop the classical music programme at the Flavel. I’m a trustee and I organise the lunchtime concerts, direct the Flavel Ensemble and run workshops for pianists and piano teachers. I also devised the new International Classical Series, which has brought artists such as Tasmin Little and Leon McCawley to the town. Tell us about the Ensemble… It’s a group of enthusiastic people who come together every other Tuesday at the Flavel to play cham- ber music. They also get together to rehearse in each other’s houses. The repertoire ranges from Baroque to the 20th


century and the aim is for


members to explore a wide range of music, improve their skills and, above all, enjoy themselves. Why did you start the lunch- time concerts? I wanted to give people access to music in an everyday ‘short burst’ experience. We hold one a month and it’s intended to be an enjoyable way to pass half an hour in your lunch break. It’s open to everyone, any age and is free with a retiring collection. They are very popular. Are we a musical town? We certainly have a loyal classi- cal music following here and I’m pleased to say concert numbers have grown in the past 10 years – we now regularly draw audiences of 80 to 90 people to the lunchtime concerts and the Classical Series comes close to selling out. When did you first real- ise you were interested in music? I could remember a tune and hum or sing it back when I was really young. I started playing the family piano when I was six and when I was a teenager I took up the clarinet, as I liked the sound. I went on to study both instruments at the


63


Royal Academy of Music. Is music in the blood? Well, my two boys are also musical; they were both in the National Youth Orchestra when they were young - playing principal parts. One of them is coming to give a piano duet concert at the Flavel in August with his wife who is a Russian concert pianist. What do you do when you aren’t at the Flavel? I’m an examiner with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music so I travel all over the world listening to people trying to achieve their next grade. I’m also an adjudicator on the panel of the British and International Federation of Festivals so I go to events across Britain and Northern Ireland. Where do you enjoy travelling to most? My favourites are probably Hong Kong, New Zealand and North- ern Ireland. There are some great people in Northern Ireland. I love the food in Hong Kong except dim sum – I can’t bear dim sum! After all these visits I’m now quite good with chopsticks! I think New Zealand is fascinating – it’s so far away from home. One of my best memories is having dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower in Auckland.


Are you a strict examiner? We have to work to precise criteria but I do try and make people feel at ease. Some are really nervous, especially if they are going for a high grade. How often do you practise at home? I play the piano for a couple of hours a day if I can. Back when I was a student we had to do six hours a day. I never go long without practising, it would be like an athlete not training – you need to stay in the game. Where can we find you on a Saturday afternoon? Usually in the garden or on our boat out on the Dart. It seems music really was the path for you but in another world what career would you have taken? I can speak a couple of languages so it probably would have been something along those lines - perhaps an interpreter. What is your guilty pleasure? Bendicks Bittermints. I always have a pack on the go. What can’t you live without? My garden, I love it.


For information about concerts, chamber music, piano workshops and private lessons contact Helen on 01803 835882.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148