Julie Wassmer talks to singer Laura Gillham about her life in music and her recent hit Canterbury Festival fringe event It’ll End in Tears
Like many of us I’m a sucker for a sad song, so when I learned that Whitstable-based vocalist, Laura Gillham, was about to perform a special Canterbury Festival fringe event featuring a wide repertoire of songs on the subject of “loss and longing”, I made sure I was in the front row of Whitstable’s St Peter’s Hall where the event took place on Saturday 19 October.
After the sell-out concert I was keen to learn more from Laura, who also teaches singing and musical theatre in schools, colleges, and community settings across the South East, and currently directs five community choirs in Kent and London.
Huge congratulations and thanks to you, Laura, for staging such a successful collection of diverse music, including a beautiful song of your own, Clifden. As the programme rightly pointed out, sad songs “give voice to the universal experiences of rejection, unrequited love and the yearning for things to be other than they are”, and I wonder how the concept of the show came about as the show also included a number of other talented performers as well as poetry readings?
That’s right. The idea came to me when I heard the sad news of the death of a musician friend of mine, Dave Thorpe. He and I shared an appreciation of the art of the sad song. I’ve always found sad songs to be strangely comforting. The sorrows and disappointments expressed in them remind us that we’re not alone in our sadness, that others have endured the same, and have used those emotions to create something beautiful.
And the performers who joined you, how did that all come together?
I found the perfect collaborator for the show in pianist, composer and arranger, Andrew Sleightholme. Andrew lives in London and works as a freelance piano and keyboard player in a diverse range of musical genres. He played synthesiser for the UK première of Philip Glass and Robert Moran’s opera The Juniper Tree, and has composed, performed and directed the music for Shakespeare: The Puppet Show at the V&A Museum. Andrew was also Musical Director for performances of The Glass Menagerie at Drama Centre, London.
After we started working together on material in late 2023, I soon decided that I wanted to include poetry, both as a way of linking the pieces, and augmenting the emotions expressed in the lyrics. I was delighted when actor Richard Hansell agreed to read for us. Richard has worked in both TV and as well as appearing in numerous West-End productions, most recently playing President Biden’s chief of staff in the Old Vic production of Mike Bartlett’s new play ‘The 47th’.
And you also had a wonderful string trio – strings being a perfect expression of sorrow and poignancy?
Yes, we always knew that we wanted to include strings in the show. Andrew wrote the arrangements for a string cello and we were lucky to have three fabulous players joining us; viola player, Sophie Sirota, who lives in Whitstable, and cellist Sarah Wilson and violinist Paloma Dieke who are both London-based.
And Paul Whatley joined you on guitar and vocals with a distinct retro feel on the Buddy Holly number It Doesn’t Matter Anymore?
Yes, while I was living in the United States I developed a love for Country and Americana music, and on return here, I formed the London country band Texacana. Paul and I form an acoustic duo The Rubatos (videos available on this link: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Rubatos-61565596184028/) and I was really pleased he was able to accompany me for the show.
As did two other guest vocalists; your daughter, Greta Gillham Wright and local guitarist/composer, Brian Barnett. The a cappella number you performed together was mesmerising. I always think there’s such power in voices singing unaccompanied in close harmony; the kind of magical unity that choir singers experience. And that’s clearly a form of magic you’re continuing to cast in your work with various choirs across the county, Laura. Which choirs are you now involved with?
At the moment, I’m running two community choirs here in Whitstable; a singing for fun group called the Bay Singers, and the Horsebridge Singers. Until fairly recently I was also pleased to be involved in a choir singing project at Whitstable’s Revival café and I also run an NHS staff choir in Ashford and another community choir in London, with an organisation called The Third Age Project, a creative older people’s charity for those over 60 years of age.
Sounds pretty full on – but knowing your commitment, I suspect you have even more in the music pipeline?
Well, the Horsebridge Singers community choir will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next July, and we plan a big gig and party to mark the occasion. And starting in January next year, a great charity, Time2Shine, is kindly funding me to run a choir at Maya’s Community Support Centre in Herne Bay.
That sounds really exciting. Can you tell me more about that?
Sure. The Time 2 Shine project delivers collaborative music journeys that inspire confidence, celebrate achievement, and bring isolated and vulnerable individuals together through the sheer joy of song.
Maya’s Community is an award winning charity providing “food, support, love, kindness and free hugs for everyone.”
Adding some music to that will be great privilege for me because I truly believe that group harmony singing is a wonderful aid to social cohesion. There’s something very powerful about sharing the experience of singing with others. I see the benefits it brings to individuals and communities, and I feel very fortunate to be part of that.
I’m also hoping to take It’ll End in Tears to a wider audience next year with more performances across London and the south east for those who missed it this time around.
That will definitely be something to keep an eye out for, Laura.
In fact, whether it’s sad songs or happy numbers, you can bet Laura Gillham will continue to cast musical magic for us all.
Laura Gillham studied music at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and voice with Joann Creed. She lives in Whitstable and works as a freelance singer, singing teacher and choral leader. For more information about her work and classes, contact Laura at lauragillham@gmail.com
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