Val is a great believer in the adage ‘it’s never too late to learn’ and her playing the bassoon in this evening’s concert is testament to that. Yes, there was music in the family (more of that later) but her own music making was modest from an early age. Although she learnt to play the violin and piano (and the ubiquitous recorder) that all stopped at the age of 14. She did sing in the school choir though and has continued to sing in choirs through most of her life.
Val’s school career came to end relatively early when she left at 16 to become a lab technician for Unilever Research. The company wanted her to build on her scientific knowledge and she was sent on day-release courses which eventually led to her getting a degree in Soil and Land Resource Science. This resulted in her joining the British Antarctic Survey, based in Cambridge. Part of that role was a posting to study soil ecology for 6 months at BAS station Signy Island in the South Orkneys, and she was the first woman the BAS ever sent to live on an Antarctic station.
Val decided it was time to move on and studied to become a teacher, moving up to Darlington. She had been in a choir in Cambridge, and while in County Durham joined a competition choir, The Richardson Singers. She also decided to extend the music making and took up clarinet lessons while in her mid 30s. The teaching role took a new direction, working for RM, showing others how to use interactive whiteboards and learning software, which eventually brought her to where she is now, based in the Midlands. She speaks fondly of a community wind band in the area, Harmonie, where she was able to make music on her clarinet. Through this group Val was introduced to the bassoon and fell in love with the instrument. This wasn’t until her mid 40s but it must have been in the genes as she tells me her grandfather, who she never met, was a horse riding bassoonist with the Hussars, Welsh Guards, and then later became a professional musician playing saxophone at dance halls. Val decided to set herself the goal of working through the graded exams, joined the Birmingham Bassoon Choir, and at Grade 6 started with a new teacher. She still learns with Maria Mealey , a guest player with the Orchestra tonight. She was invited to join the SSO at that stage, and it is a terrific achievement that, as an adult, Val now has grade 8 under her belt and is even considering working towards her diploma. She insists though that she would not have got where she is today musically without the help and support of so many generous musicians, not least our former conductor Andrew Swinn, who helped her in so many ways, not just in the orchestra, but also by covering the aural tests, and familiarising her with the piano accompaniments for those dreaded exams! She enjoys all her music making but of note is singing Carmina Burana in Symphony Hall, and performing Dream of Gerontius concert in Worcester Cathedral, on Elgar’s home turf. On the bassoon, she particularly enjoys playing the Beethoven symphonies, many of which she has done with another of Dan’s Orchestras, Nova Musica and playing Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with 3 other bassoons was simply the best!
As you may have gathered, Val likes to set herself challenges and keep busy. While still teaching she is a keen gardener with an allotment, is a twitcher, loves walking in The Lakes and, when not practising her bassoon, crafts and knits.