Karen Smith, Music Teacher & Accompanist

Wonderfully musical week... if you would like to experience great sounds in Norfolk, you could do a lot worse than nipping along to any of these events:-
Wednesday 20th ~ T#e Accidentals play at Yarmouth Minster from 12:30pm (eat your sarnies at the same time as listening to fab music)
Thursday 21st ~ Patrick Monk (tenor) & myself will be performing Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich, kicking off at 1pm
... Friday 22nd ~ Anna Hopkins and guess who 😜 will be at the Strode Room in the UEA from 1pm for a virtuosic flute recital
Saturday 23rd ~ in the brilliant setting of the St Lawrence Centre in South Walsham, treat yourself to a concert of outstanding young musicians from Norfolk
Hope to see you at one or all of these gatherings, they're sure to be exceptionally entertaining!
See More

For the past 2 Thursday lunchtimes I have had the privilege of accompanying young musicians at The Belfry Centre for Music & Arts. Firstly it was Scarlett Askew - Flautist and today, clarinettist Jimmy Jefford. The next 3 Thursdays have a singer, guitarist & trumpeter. We're so lucky in Norfolk to have a wealth of musical talent - I think it's important for Joe Public to support these guys. Get along to The Belfry at 2pm next Thursday. For £5 you will be wonderfully entertained, the small café is an absolute delight & provides incredible quality refreshments, Keith & Lucy work hard to make everybody welcome... Just turn up, no need to book, you will be so pleased that you did!

Another chance to hear the wonderful sounds of The G&S Singers in this celebration concert. For £5 you get fabulous singing, a comfy seat, top notch refreshments and the best MD around (other MDs are available). There may even be a chance of joining in with the singing at the end... DON'T MISS OUT!

Pop along this Sunday afternoon, it's their debut recital & one not to be missed! If you haven't heard of these composers then that's even more reason... also if you can say Karl Goepfart without laughing, you'll win a special prize...

This friendly workshop will help you to polish your performances! Bring along 2 contrasting pieces that give you different challenges/goals and sing them in front of an enthusiastic group, with expert feedback from Vetta Wise and occasional jokes from yours truly. The cost is £85 which includes snacks, drinks & a wonderful hot luncheon. If you're not sure whether this is right for you, or you feel you'd like to test the waters, observer positions are available for a very small fee (and you still get the benefits of all the refreshments).

Join the G&S Singers as they help Magdalen Way celebrate their 60th year of embracing the local community. For £5 per ticket you get the joy of listening to music by John Rutter, Easthope Martin, Antonio Vivaldi, Martin Nystrom and more! Delicious refreshments are also included in the price and there will be the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets.
Tickets are available by calling 01493 665374 or 07477 593374

***Fully booked, observer places available for £15*** An exciting opportunity to work with the internationally-acclaimed mezzo Diana Moore in the historic Music Room at the Anteros building in Norwich. You will get the chance to sing 2 pieces for Diana and receive top tips about communication, presentation & performance skills along with other important singing issues. To register your interest please comment below - EARLY BOOKING IS ADVISED!

The SongSmiths make their long awaited public debut for this exciting recital of seasonal sounds

Christmas shopping in Norwich? Have a lunchtime break at St Peter Mancroft (opposite the Forum) & listen to The Accidentals, a marvellous flute/piano duo. Starts at 1pm, won't go on for too long, fast & exciting pieces... support your local musicians 😀

Late notice I know, but if you happen to be near to Yarmouth Minster on Wednesday at around 12:30ish, step inside! There you will find the inimitable soprano stylings of Jo Westaway and her favourite accompanist - a small recital of wonderful English songs to serenade you through your luncheon.

Well, what a weekend that was! Not only was it hot enough to melt steel (at least that's how it felt to me) but there was the 2nd of 2 workshops completed on the theme of Love & Passion! Great fun had by all and my congratulations to the all of the singers over both weekends for such a wonderfully high standard of performance. Even though I've been playing piano for about 100 years, I'm still able to learn so much from everyone.
On to more business. This Wednesday at 12.3...0 in Gt Yarmouth Minster, myself and my wonderful flutey friend Anna Hopkins will be performing a small lunchtime recital. I'm very excited about this as I love playing with Anna and I know that her glorious sound will fill the Minster's wonderful acoustic. Then, as if that wasn't enough fabulous music, we're playing together at an art exhibition up in Wells on Thursday evening from 6-8pm. Finally this Saturday, as you will see from the post below, the all-new revamped G&S Singers make a tiny intimate debut in Gorleston for their Welcome Gentry concert. It's only £2 to come in and that includes fabulous refreshments! Certainly cheaper than a night in the pub and much more musical...
See More

Hear the musical stylings of this local group of singers - lively choruses, wistful melodies & everything between! It will cost you a mere £2 but that will get you some refreshments too and a chance to enter our raffle. Best value for money AND more entertaining than the television.

I'm not good at keeping up with my FB page, website & Twitter account, it seems that life gets in the way too much! However, I do have a few things that are of extreme musical interest that I'd like to share.
Firstly, the amazing vocal ensemble Seraphim are having a musical pilgrimage on Saturday 2 July. Scoot across to their FB page or visit them on www.seraphimvoices.uk for further details (there may even be a wonderful pianist somewhere along the way).
Later on in the mo...nth there will be an opportunity for those of you wanting to improve your vocal stylings or just sing in an intimate friendly atmosphere with constructive & helpful feedback; a Love And Passion! workshop led by Vetta Wise is being held on the 16th and 23rd July (venue tbc). Bring along songs that get you excited/worked up/engulfed in flames of love... Please message for further details.
Moving into August & it's the time of year for the Summer Schools all across the country (and many abroad too). The best one to attend, however, is the East Anglian Summer Music School for Singers and Accompanists 2016. Yes, it's a bit of a mouthful but you vocalists can cope with that! This year we're at a new location, Norwich High School for Girls. The tutors are of the highest quality and at the very top of their fields; take a look at the website for more details. http://www.operadacamera.co.uk/music-scho ol-2016
A couple of concerts that I would encourage you to attend are being held at Yarmouth Minster. In their lunchtime series there have been many fantastic performers and I can recommend two more for your musical delight. Wednesday 27 July will see the marvellous flautist that is Anna Hopkins performing a programme of virtuousic music ranging from Telemann to Piazzola. On Wednesday 7 September there's a return to the Minster for the enchanting soprano Jo Westaway (she sung there last year in Carmina Burana) with an English-themed recital. Both of these will be most ably accompanied by yours truly and promise to brighten up your midweek! Search 'music at the minster' for extra info.
Back to the grindstone for me then, or as it's more commonly known, my fabby piano :-)
See More

Exciting week of playing ahead. On Wednesday I'll be accompanying my flutey friend Anna Hopkins in a lunchtime recital at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich. It promises to be a really exciting experience if our rehearsal yesterday was anything to go by... Anna is possibly my favourite instrumentalist to accompany because she's just so good! I've never heard the flute played with such passion, musicality & all round fun.
Then on Saturday I'll have the dubious honour of playing in ...a masterclass with the incredible baritone Roderick Williams. I've not played before for some of the singers who will be attending & also I'll be sightreading most of the repertoire - who said anything about nerves?!?
Finally, Sunday will be the first orchestra rehearsal for the forthcoming production of Carmen from NNCO (North Norfolk Chamber Opera). A challenging work at the best of times, we're doing this as an almost all-female cast! I was dubious at first but after the initial rehearsal & working with the über-talented Susie Self, I'm very enthusiastic about the show. Note the dates and get yourself along, you'll recognise a lot of the tunes too!
http://www.operadacamera.co.uk/about-the- day-and-roderick-w…
See More

I love what I do for a living; I love playing the piano and I feel privileged to pass on my knowledge & enthusiasm for the instrument to my students... I'm so lucky to teach a young chap called Michael - he's severely autistic but is very high-functioning and a total joy to be around. He's been playing for less than a year and never ceases to amaze me with what he can achieve. Today in his lesson I asked him how much he'd practiced and he said just twice during the week, so I... decided not to expect too much. He then proceeded to play every single Grade 1 scale and broken chord from memory, including both melodic AND harmonic minors (I'd given him the scale book the previous week). His fingering was perfect, the evenness of tone & tempi was spot on and he finished with his trademark smile! He's a natural born talent and will only get better.
Music. Can't help falling in love...
See More

Guess what??? There's another exciting chance to take part in an ENGLISH ART SONG workshop with myself & Dame Vetta Wise on Saturday 27th February. Following the recent success of the one held at the end of January, comments and reactions led to Vetta organising another for the unlucky people that sadly missed out. This is such a wonderful opportunity to join fellow music lovers in exploring such a diverse genre - we've had Elgar, Stanford, Quilter, Warlock, Head, Britten et al & I'm sure there'll be plenty more to come! For further details please feel free to message me and I'll help you as much as I can.
Places are already filling up fast; there is also some room for observers (you do pay a small fee but all refreshments are included) if you feel too shy to sing...

CALLING ALL SINGERS!!!
If it's January, it must be Workshop time. The wonderfully knowledgeable Vetta Wise will be leading a day of great music and enjoyment on Saturday 30th January from 10am (venue tbc). The day's theme for singers is ENGLISH ART SONG and you can pick 2 pieces that you'd like to perform. The whole day is relaxed and yet informative, the atmosphere is friendly and I guarantee that you will come away feeling encouraged, buoyed and thorougly invigorated by the musical sharing that goes on. Please message me for further details and I will get back to you asap.
DON'T MISS OUT!!!

You are the best, wish you all the best :)

Great teacher with a sense of humour. Extremely broad musical knowledge and a wonderful coach. Can play almost anything.

Excellent accompanist on advanced and professional level. I enjoy leading master-classes with her support and valuable input. An asset to the area.

You are the best, wish you all the best :)

Great teacher with a sense of humour. Extremely broad musical knowledge and a wonderful coach. Can play almost anything.

Excellent accompanist on advanced and professional level. I enjoy leading master-classes with her support and valuable input. An asset to the area.

You are the best, wish you all the best :)

Great teacher with a sense of humour. Extremely broad musical knowledge and a wonderful coach. Can play almost anything.

Excellent accompanist on advanced and professional level. I enjoy leading master-classes with her support and valuable input. An asset to the area.

You are the best, wish you all the best :)

Great teacher with a sense of humour. Extremely broad musical knowledge and a wonderful coach. Can play almost anything.

Excellent accompanist on advanced and professional level. I enjoy leading master-classes with her support and valuable input. An asset to the area.