Lily Kettlewell
- press notices

Ensemble "Music for Awhile"
- press comments

"Music for Awhile"
- repertoire

PRESS NOTICES 1950-1960

Lily Kettlewell

NUITS D'ETE: Berlioz

In the same work, came the one, the almost stunning, surprise of the evening. A new, and absolutely first.rate contralto was suddenly discovered - Miss Lily Kettlewell, whose name one had never heard before, but to whom is due what was perhaps the most moving experience one has had for a long time. Last night she sang Berlioz - a very considerable problem - wonderfully. All at once, there burst upon us some thing so beautifully finished and so sincerely experienced that the pleasurable shock brought one almost to tears. Miss Kettlewell has a perfectly homogeneous voice, lovely in quality from top to bottom, and without a trace of a break in production anywhere.

Her intonation is steady, her phrasing exquisitely poised, her words are faultless, and she responds sensitively, but without exaggeration lo musical and poetical implications. She has the rare artist's gift of letting the hearer into the secret of what the work is about, and of refusing to draw attention to herself at its expense. These are fervent words, and one can but pray that they will not spoil Miss Kettlewell; but, if there is no promise of a great future for so rare a singer, then one must give up belief in any future for music itself.

ERIC BLOM - Birmingham Post

One of the two elements of interest was the appearance of a perfect singer in some perfect songs or at least of a singer perfect in those particular pieces: Miss Lily Kettlewell in two of the Berlioz "Nuits d'Ete," "The Spectre of the Rose" and "On the Lagoons." Miss Kettlewell's voice and technique are well nigh ideal, her tones are lovely in them selves and most delicately expressive. But above all she has poetic insight - the imagination of the creative artist; and so her Berlioz songs became things of extreme beauty and character.

Musical Opinion

HEREFORD ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

The vocalist this year was Miss Lily Kettlewell, who can without extravagance be described as a singer of accomplishment and fine artistry; her clear and limpid tones being most expressive. In all her songs her graceful style and well-balanced tones were most marked.

Hereford Times

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

ANGEL'S FAREWELL "DREAM OF GERONTIUS" - Elgar

One would not expect even a real angel to sing with a more lovely tone and easy, even delivery than Miss Lily Kettlewell did.

ERIC BLOM - Birmingham Post

BIRMINGHAM BACH CLUB

CHURCH CANTATAS Nos. 161 and 6

Lily Kettlewell excelled in the second work, where she gave warmth, steadiness, and beautifully inflected articulation to every phrase.

ERIC BLOM - Birmingham Post

RECITAL: SOCIETY OF ARTISTS GALLERY.

Miss Kettlewell must be given full credit for the way in which she used her very attractive voice and exceptional talents to the most artistic ends.

Birmingham Post

Miss Lily Kettlewell who was the soloist at the second of the Lieder Concerts, promoted by Mr. Appleby Matthews, possesses marked natural gifts which go far to make her a singer of note. Her well-balanced contralto voice is evenly and easefully produced and she has imagination to help her interpret a song.

Birmingham Mail

BRAHMS' ALTO RHAPSODY

The concert this year was doubly notable for the inclusion of the "Alto Rhapsody" or Brahms and for the singing of Miss Lily Kettlewell, who was the soloist in this work. Here is an artist of rare gifts. She possesses a voice of unusual clarity and beauty of tone, combined with a mature artistry which lifts her far above the common herd of gifted singers.

Reading Mercury

"MESSIAH": HANDEL

Miss Kettlewell's performance was marked by a pure-toned and very sympathetic rendering of the one sad theme, "Man of Sorrows."

Stratford-on-Avon Gazette

Lily Kettlewell brought feeling and beauty to "He shall feed His flock." Her voice has a lovely -mellowness and is wide in range. Enunciation is perfect, and one could not imagine a more moving rendering of "He was despised."

Stratford and Evesham Journal

RECITAL

Miss Kettlewell is the possessor of a splendid contralto voice which is directed by that great rarity in vocalists these days - a musicianly brain with a breadth of outlook behind it. I have seldom enjoyed a recital as I did this one. Quality of tone, intonation, the ability to make the most of the melodic line in phrasing - and a fine stage presence these virtues she can claim in a very high degree.

Weekly Post

(c.1950)

AN ENSEMBLE of FOUR VOICES AND PIANO

presenting programmes of

Solos, Duets, Trios and Quartets

by Purcell, Arne, Mozart, Brahms, Parry, Warlock, Sibelius, Debussy Mozart, Rossini, Mendelssohn, trad. arr. Mofatt, Herbert Howells, Armstrong Gibbs and others

TIMES. 13-3-50.

'Music for Awhile' .... offered a charming and neatly varied programme .... Brahm's Liebeslieder received a notably attractive performance in commend able German with accompaniment for two hands dashingly played by Mr. Robert Keys.

DAILY TELEGRAPH. 9-3-50.

.... They gave a spirited and polished performance of Brahms's Liebeslieder Waltzes

RICHMOND & TWICKENHAM TIMES. 21-1-50.

... the four singers .... all splendid solo artists made an excellent team. Their voices blended and balanced perfectly . . . what impressed even more was the splendid ensemble.

BRIDGEWATER MERCURY. 31-1-50.

.... the four singers and one pianist who trade under the pleasing title of "Music for Awhile" managed to provide an evening that was as musically satisfying as it was well varied - and it was both to a high degree .... the ensemble singing was admirable. The voices blended well without losing individual character. Not least remarkable was the extreme clarity of the enunciation. Not a word was lost all the evening .... Individually and collectively these singers possess a tonal range of the first order, from expressive pianissimo to rich powerful double-forte.

STREET (Somerset). 31-1-50.

.... the five performers were excellent individually and as an ensemble ... The Brahm's Liebeslieder Waltzes were an outstanding achievement. The singers and pianist performed them .... with every sign of complete understanding and abandon. It was a great musical experience to hear the work performed in this way.

PETERBOROUGH. 23-2-50.

.... five artists, all of superior talent in their own musical spheres made "Music for Awhile" at Peterborough Music Club's concert at Elwes Hall on February 23rd. The songs .... were treated admirably and gained much from the expert piano accompaniment of Robert Keys.

The Artists

June Wilson, Soprano

Australian born soprano commenced her career singing with the Wireless Chorus of the Broadcasting Commission in Sydney. From Sydney Conservatorium in 1945, she gained an open scholarship for further study abroad, which she took up at the Royal College of Music, London. Since then she has sung in many parts of the country, principally in oratorio and concert work. A recent London recital was very favourably noticed by the critics.

Lily Kettlewell, Contralto

Although born in Northumberland, lived in Birmingham from an early age and commenced her singing studies at the Birmingham School of Music. After six years there she began to be known throughout the Midlands as a concert and oratorio singer and also broadcast frequently from the Midland Studio. A period of study with the late Sir Henry Wood was cut short by the war years during which time her career was interrupted by training and serving as a hospital nurse. Studies were resumed in the post-war years with a Royal College Professor.

She has appeared abroad and in England with the English Opera Group, and with the Glyndebourne Opera Company at the Edinburgh Festival. She has also sung in concerts and oratorio in many parts of the country, and broadcasts in the Home Service and Third Programmes.

Alexander Young, Tenor,

born in London, was studying under Walter Hyde at the outbreak of war in 1939. After Military Service in North Africa and Italy, including a short period under an Italian master in Naples, he won an Opera Scholarship to the Royal College of Music in 1946. Since then he has studied with Professor Pollman of the Vienna State Academy. For the past 2 years he has appeared with the Glyndebourne Opera Company at the Edinburgh International Festival playing the part of SCARAMUCHIO in Strauss' "ARIADNE AUF NAXOS" at the 1950 Festival. He is also a concert and oratorio singer, and broadcasts from time to time with Anthony Bernard's special productions on the 3rd programme.

Gordon Holdom, Baritone,

Was born in Ilford and while at school studied piano and 'cello. He spent four years at London University obtaining an Honours B.Sc. degree in Physics and a Teaching Diploma. Owing to difficulty in finding a teaching post he went into the chorus at the London Coliseum and at the same time won a Heilbuth Scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music for singing. He was awarded the School Gold Medal for Vocalists in 1938 and the L.G.S.M. diploma. He gradually worked up a concert connection in London. His studies were interrupted by the war period which ¥e spent as a Flight Lieutenant, weather forecasting in the Meteorological section of the R.A.F. He resumed his training in 1946. He has appeared in many parts o£ the country mainly as a concert artist and oratorio singer although he has ventured into opera, playing the Don in "Don Giovanni", Alphonso in "Cosi fan tutte" and Shamus O'Brien in Stanford's opera of that name.

Robert Keys, Pianist,

displayed an interest in music at an early age, and first performed in public at the age of eight. While studying under the great English pianist Frederick Dawson, he became known throughout the North of England. After graduating at the Royal Manchester College of Music, he began to give concerts at the South Coast resorts, Eastbourne, Bournemouth, etc. He also broadcast frequently from the B.B.C.s Bristol studios. This was followed by four years residence in the Midlands during which he made many recital and concert appearances. He is equally at home in the performance of music o£ all the great composers from classic Concerto and display pieces of virtuoso writers to delicate compositions by the French impressionists. He is also a keen Chamber Music player and interested in the performance of music by little known, or unduly neglected, composers

Repertoire includes:-

Quartets, Trios, Duets ... Liebeslieder Waltzer ... Zigeunerlieder ... ... To the Hills and the Dales ... Come, pretty Wag, and Sing ... It was a Lover and His Lass ... Quartet from "Fidelio" ... ... Round from "Peter Grimes" ... Three Canzonets ... This have I done for my True Love ... Prelude ...American Folk Song Sketches ...'Tis Disgraceful "Marriage of Figaro" ...Soave sia il Vento "Cosi fan Tutte" ...Das Bandel ... ... ... ...Zitti, zitti, "Barber of Seville" ... ...Sound the Trumpet ... ... My Dearest, My Fairest ... Give me thy hand oh Fairest "Don Giovanni" ... I would that my Love (and others) ... The Wee Cooper of Fife ... Singe Lully by, lully ... ... The Garden ... ... .. Winter ... ... ... and solo items by each member of the ensemble

The Kettlewells
A 100-YEAR CHRONICLE
OF AN ENGLISH MUSICAL FAMILY

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1945-1955
- Dr. Spock's children