The latest news about Charles Timberlake
Thursday 7th August 2008
A very warm welcome to my site and I hope you will enjoy finding your way around! We have now added a brand new Gallery section which includes new photographs and features which I hope you will like!
What a wonderful opportunity it was to play in Norwich Cathedral on Saturday lunchtime; and thank you to the Vergers, Chris and Keith, and all the staff for their very warm welcome. Norwich has a very important place in my heart, and every time I go to Norfolk I experience an enormous sense of peace. Thank you, too, to the fellowship of St Mary's Church, Cowes, the previous Saturday evening for their very warm welcome. I hope that the select audience enjoyed a mix of the serious and the light-hearted - those of you who know me are aware of how much importance I attach to both! How lovely it was, too, to have stayed over on the Island and to have worshipped at St Mary's on the Sunday morning. I was struck by the comment of the Vicar, Revd Richard Emblin, and I am grateful to him for allowing me to print the following quote: "The churches have begun to listen more, and having listened to a reflective evening with Charles it became apparent to me that we need to not only listen but be willing to reflect. Only after listening and reflecting can we begin to know what God may require."
I am very much looking forward to giving a concert evening this coming Saturday, 9th August, at Christ Church, Eastbourne. Please see the Diary page for details.
What a privilege it has been to play in a number of other cathedrals over the past few weeks - very informally - Chichester, Rochester (England's second oldest cathedral), Wells (England's smallest cathedral city but a very spiritual place and with the most magnificent cathedral church of St Andrew) and Portsmouth (where I was confirmed way back in December 1971 so a very special place for me spiritually). Thank you to those of who you who have travelled and who have come to listen to me play, along with the casual visitors - and I hope that the music enhanced the visit of those just passing throug.
It has actually been a very exciting few weeks for me - performing in my home church in June and a live interview with Aled Jones on Father's Day (read on... and listen to the interview in the new Gallery pages) as well as an interview with Lynne Wallis-Eade on Radio Kent and half-hour live interview with Terry Powell on Express FM.
I added the following note in the light of the response we had to my interview with Aled in June. Following the broadcast we were inundated with not only orders for the recordings but also requests as to the pieces of music played and the poem I read at the moment of reflection. To summarise, the tracks were The Lord's Prayer (taken from the CD album Only In Your Eyes) and Abba Father (from the album If You Lead Me). Please find at the bottom of this page the words to the poem. Thank you to all of you who have emailed and telephoned saying how much my words meant to you - I feel very humbled.
The exciting news is that the feedback on the new album, Only In Your Eyes, released on 20th March, has been incredibly heartening, including a good review by Anthony Longville from Cross Rhythms. This album is very special as a lot of the pieces I wrote around the time of my father's death seventeen months ago; and it includes one of his own compositions, a beautiful setting of The Lord's Prayer that he wrote 35 years ago for the choir of Meoncross School in Hampshire, of which he was a Governor. I am delighted to say that John Daniels has specially composed two beautiful tracks for this album too! The cover design of a donkey (this really is going to be the last of the animals!) is again by artist Paul Matthews. Please visit the online shop for full details and track listing and to listen to three samples.
The last album, Called to Freedom, is also touching many hearts - especially as a result of the air-play on Good Morning Sunday (Aled Jones, Radio 2, Sundays 7 to 9 am). I am really excited that our arrangement of Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, which listeners have come to love, is included on the double-CD compilation of favourite music from Good Morning Sunday that was also released in March - entitled Aled Jones Presents Good Morning Sunday. We are track 10 on Disc 2. Please visit the new Gallery pages for details.
Tracks from the other albums continue to be played on the prog, too, often at the time of reflection - and all the albums continue to get air-play on UCB and various local radio stations.
Tracks from three albums are also being played on Singapore Airlines' in-flight programme.
Below are two shots taken at the recent evening at Yapton Village Hall, West Sussex.
I am delighted to have composed a piece of piano music for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims - now officially recognised as the third Sunday in November (which this year falls on Sunday 16th November). The national charity RoadPeace is also celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this year. I have been encouraged and inspired to write an appropriate piece for this wonderful cause and something that is close to my heart. In April we had a recording session in St John's, Smith Square - wow, what a wonderful experience it was to play there! We now have all the details on this web-site - please click on the link on the Home page and you will be taken to a brand new section. I hope you enjoy The Long Adieu and that it is meaningful for you.
Earlier in the year I was privileged enough to have been shown around Naomi House, the Wessex Children's Hospice at Sutton Scotney, near Winchester. Serving this part of southern England, the hospice provides a warm, homely atmosphere for some eight to ten children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses; and it was lovely to have seen at first hand the setting and the wonderful work that that the staff do with the children. I have given two informal recitals in Romsey Abbey in aid of Naomi House, and I was delighted to have returned to the Abbey on Wednesday, 9th July, during the Romsey Arts Festival fortnight. Despite the display of magnificent quilts hanging in the Abbey unfortunately the weather was not in our favour on the day, but thank you to those who did come and give to this most worthy cause. Very sadly the founder of Naomi House, Jo Smith, did not make it to the Abbey from Dover in time - but there will, I am sure, be another opportunity to meet her soon.
With best wishes
Charles
"What Makes a Dad?"
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea;
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagles in flight;
The joy of a morning in Spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need.
Then God combined these qualities
And there was nothing more to add;
He knew his masterpiece was complete
And He called it - Dad.
Anon.
© 2008 Something Music Ltd