An Afternoon of Popular Classics with Jody Smith (violin) and Heather Howell (piano)

Sunday 18th May 3pm
United Reformed Church. Tickets £14

Across the spectrum of music From Brahms to Williams and all styles in between.
Jody left the Royal Northern College of Music with a 1st Class Honours degree and has since played with a wide range of famous ensembles including the BBC Philharmonic, the Northern Chamber Orchestra & The Welsh National Opera Orchestra – accompanying these and other Companies on tours to Germany, India and Saudi Arabia. TV works also feature in her repertoire including the Take That album ‘This Life’; the Paramount series; ‘A gentleman in Moscow’; and ‘Christmas Carols on ITV; with Russell Watson. Jody enjoyed several years as 1st Violinist at Lasham Classical Music Festival performing a variety of chamber music, and together with her friend Louisa Till, is a member of the Amica Duo.

Heather was brought up in Devon, where she began playing the piano at the age of 11 and became the accompanist for the local Operatic Society at the age of 16. She graduated at the Birmingham Conservatoire where she studied the piano with Beryl Chempin and piano accompaniment with Malcolm Wilson. She was the winner of many awards including the Burke Trophy for piano accompaniment and the Vincent Lieder prize with Elizabeth Hetherington. She joined the Birmingham Canoldir Male Choir as an accompanist in July 2009, a post she held for 13 years, including accompanying the choir for their many competitive successes. Heather teaches the piano at Edgbaston High School for Girls and is in demand as an accompanist for both instrumentalists and singers such as Elin Manahan Thomas, Aled Wyn Davies and Elizabeth Donovan.