The Gallery
Welcome to the Charles Timberlake Gallery and Library pages.
The following article is taken from The Pompey Chimes, the Portsmouth Anglican Diocesan newspaper, from June 2004, prior to Titchfield Music Week.
Charles Timberlake, pianist makes music via transatlantic links
They weren't even in the same continent when they recorded their latest CD together – but you'd never guess.
Pianist Charles Timberlake, from St Peter's Church, Titchfield, and composer John Daniels, who moved from Farlington to Texas, put together If You Lead Me by collaborating via e-mail.
It was the latest of three CDs that the pair have worked on together, with Charles playing the piano and John contributing orchestral arrangements. Their successful collaborations have helped Charles to sell thousands of CDs over the past fourteen years.
He also performs at craft shows and concerts, and will be one of the musicians on show during next month's St Peter's Music Week. 'An Evening with Charles Timberlake' will happen at 7.30pm on June 8 in St Peter's Church.
Charles will play some of his original compositions as well as instrumental versions of worship songs and other well-known tunes. The evening will feature guest clarinettist Fiona Reid and harpist Audrey Cameron Finnemore, and Charles will talk about his life and music.
It's a far cry from Charles' original attempts to learn to play the piano – he got no further than Grade 4 exams as a pupil at Portsmouth Grammar School, and then started improvising and composing.
In 1982 he started teaching French at a prep school in Kent and composed music for two school performances – Gobbolino The Witch's Cat in 1986 and The Magician's Nephew in 1988.
"As a teenager I'd actually been terrified of playing in front of people, so this was the first time I'd really allowed my compositions to be heard in public," he said. "But people suggested that I should do more and I ended up recording my first CD in 1990 – the first time I'd played a concert grand Steinway!"
"I had become a Christian in 1985, and began to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in my life and also in my music. I started to play and write worship songs. In 1993 I moved back to Titchfield, and a major turning point was meeting John Daniels. We still collaborate, even though he's moved to Texas."
Charles' first CD, Between the Worlds, was released in 1991 and his second, The Celestial Picnic, in 2000. Since then he has worked with John Daniels on Wings of an Eagle (2002), Face of Gold (2003) and If You Lead Me.