Picture Gallery page 2

Our first concerts in Peru

The ensemble first performed together when Janet was invited to tour South America by the British Council and the Mozarteum Argentino. The pianist John Flinders was a creative cement between two otherwise very different singers! This was fantastic experience. Everywhere there were wonderful venues, huge, and above all spontaneously effusive audiences. This particular concert was memorable for a variety of reasons. Janet was ill in a big way, sang like a Goddess, looked great, but was secretly desperate to flee the stage!

We fell in love with South America. The spontaneity of the audiences was thrilling for young singers newly plying their trade. The warmth of our hosts has left us with all with some of our strongest memories. As with all work related travel there was little time for tourism, but we were driven around by our hosts where time allowed.

Throughout our tour we were invited to wonderful receptions, where we met so many refined and cultured people who were delighted to be offered something different in their recitals from their usual fodder of operatic excerpts. Much as we like opera, in recital we love performing repertoire written for piano accompaniment - true vocal chamber music with voices. Here the British Council representative introduces (and translates for) us. Over a period of three weeks we gave nine concerts in Peru, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. These were heady days of rich culture, a bit of tourism, plenty of warmth and kindness, and trying hard to smile when yet another huge steak was put our way by hosts who couldn't be refused (to say nothing of the wines). Whilst we were on tour, the first programmes of the newly conceived radio station Classic FM were being prepared. Young artists were being invited to give live recitals late in the evenings. News of our tour reached the programme controller's ears and we were invited to sing on day two of the fledgling channel, making us the first singers to sing live on Classic FM. Another broadcast followed a few years later before the concept was dropped.