I've been in Anglican Choral singing since the age of 7 on and have been singing since the age of 5. the majority of my work has been done at scholarship level but I have had some limited access to a performing career. I have sung some professional opera an oratorio on a limited basis in Germany. I also HfM Cologne and GSMD London for some time
Fleshing that out a little bit I have achieved 400 lifetime performances as a singer both amateur and professional before and whilst turning my attention to professional acoustic composition or electronic composition for live performance with playable scores which I have written over 220 of. It's mainly choral singing I made myself a reputation in as a boy and then beat my head chorister once to win my competition at school. When I really started training to be a professional singer though I didn't like it as much as playing which I did as a second study and writing my own Classical Music works with a modern twist. My works are based on the historical European traditional of Classical Music, rather than jazz or modern dance or hip hop though I do like to listen to these genre's and appreciate them. I feel it is time someone stood up for the traditional European and UK line of Classical music and kept it going as a living tradition. I so enjoyed growing up singing traditional classical music. I've sung 26 of the greatest oratorios and 3 of the best operas of all time. I don't think this should be allowed to give out to modernism and evangelist reformers of the system.
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Interview with Hugh Waldock
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I compose a piece of music by improvising a theme, practising it up on the piano a bit and then writing it out on Sibelius note for note. I might extend that piece then on Sibelius, print it out and learn it via my own score and record it live on an Ipad or Phone until I have an absolutely perfect take of that particular piece of music rhythmically and pitch wise. Re-record as many times as necessary onto M4a then convert the files to high quality ,WAV files for the internet. If it's a cover the process is the same I just select the music myself through my own research on U-tube then buying the score from it and learn it by reading from the score.Alternatively, I start by simply by browsing the music on sale in my local traditional music store Manns Music of Colchester or using music I started using at college or have acquired over the years. I normally work entirely alone on recordings but connect with other musicians and sing for them on a local basis with music teachers mostly and arts admin people, singing at scholarship level to promote my work in the local area. I also attend Classical Next in Rotterdam in Holland a yearly conference.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: An ability to keep recording and sometimes more complicated pieces. To do and learn everything alone from learning the music independently and or writing it to performing it and carrying out basic editing with the Big EQ app, topping and tailing, and converting the files.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: As a performer; power and enthusiasm, clarity of rhythm and a decent sense of pitch! Technically, I am able to set up my own EQ presets to bring out different qualities in the music. I can select the one that brings out the best in that song or instrumental or use an algorithmic track mastering programme such as that on Soundcloud.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Streaming on Spotify on piano and vocals, producing podcasts of my own performance poems, composing songs and instrumentals, producing scores of my work for sale, and attempting to sell them to Tilli Press Finland at Classical Next Rotterdam, copyrighting and publishing my own work, with the BMI and American Copyright Office producing accompanying videos of my work for U-Tube, composing Classical and other instrumental and vocal music. Singing in scholarship choirs such as Aldeburgh Voices and the Roman River Festival Choir, the Pimlott Foundation Family choir etc, playing for the Pimlott Foundation Christmas Concerts and Mrs Daniela Bechly. In the past I sang regularly for a local church choir and played violin for a worship group and played in a local orchestra once or twice on the second fiddle. I have done some professional solo countertenor work in Germany whilst at college there and was briefly reviewed as a countertenor. I sing bass just for fun now because I didn't like singing countertenor professionally when I tried it and I'm heterosexual. I find doing my own recordings of my own music and covers more interesting now I'm older. I had quite a good reputation in choral music. I was in the school choirs for 9 years from 1987-1996, and have been a member of some famous choirs most notably Aldeburgh Voices under Ben Parry in 2016 and Junges Theater Göttingen Summer Opera 2002 and Eton Choral courses in 1995 and 1996, and I was also on a Peter Holman recording in 1998 Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame with Hyperion Records. I have a second study piano exam form HfM Cologne Wuppertal Campus where I studied with my friend Anja Binkenstein.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My in my front room, file convertors, a decent IPad or mobile phone and apple computer
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My ex girlfriend Anja Binkenstein Opera Singer in Germany most recently in 2019 for Leipzig Opera but made her name in Bavarian State Opera Munich and Opera Halle, currently 2nd Soprano soloist for the Choir of St Thomas's Leipzig and Bach Foundation Leipzig and Halle. The love of my life and the assistant director of the Choir of St Thomas's her first love Titus Heidemann, and her friend the Thomaskantor Gotthold Schwarz. Her teacher and recording artist for Harmonia Mundi Barbara Schlick whom I also knew personally and had Early Music Seminar with. Her former employer André Rieu and one of her best friends Hannah Morrison soloist for the Monteverdi Choir and London Baroque Soloists under John Elliott Gardiner. John Elliott Gardiner himself, Simon Rattle, Masaaki Suzuki. Danielle Bechly, Ben Parry, Ben Vonberg Clark, Ralph Allwood MBE, Dominic Ellis Peckham, Andrew Leach, John Chillingworth, Bob Chilcott, Brian Kay, Sir Stephen Cleobury, Tim Brown, and Ian Ray I've all sung for at some stage. the great Classical German composers Bach especially, Schumann Brahms etc.
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Beethoven
