Cherry Potts, Writer, Editor, creative writing tutor; Lesbian, cat-mother, would-be singer. Any of these can crop up here.

Clytha Castle

Clytha Castle has been on my list of places to stay for a long time – a folly in the best sense; it is a pinkish rendered, Gothick, castellated and turreted confection on a small hill in Monmouthshire – with panoramic views of Skirrid Fawr and Sugarloaf. It is gloriously daft – every opportunity for…

September 10, 2011
Opening Doors to the ‘Other Side’

In a previous post I mentioned that I thought I might be missing out in not having seen a variety of operas. I’ve started making up for it. The advantage of doing a community opera of the calibre of Blackheath’s is that you get to meet people who know a thing or two, and this…

August 28, 2011
Sing for Water- rehearsals

For the past few weeks A and I have been rehearsing for Sing for Water, a concert in London to raise money for Wateraid. The concert takes place on September 11th at 2pm, in the Scoop, next to City Hall on the South bank of the Thames. Not surprisingly a number of the songs have…

August 28, 2011
sleeping with cats

I was going to call this dancing with cats, but decided it was derivative, and inaccurate! Spurred by the sad demise of my next-door-cat Cundy, a cat of great age and fortitude, who will be much missed by her family, and generations of schoolchildren and commuters who have been indelibly marked by her engaging manner…

August 27, 2011
Tower, Train and Tree

Monday Bit late posting this been too busy to upload the photos! Having finished the opera, had the birthday party and packed totally inefficiently, we are off on holiday to the tiny village of Upper Arley, and our home for the week, Arley Tower, a sandstone castellated cube overlooking the river Severn and the Severn…

August 26, 2011
The Blackheath Onegin book launched

Most of my free waking hours since finishing the opera (apart from work, singing, partying, holidays…) have been spent fighting with the software to get the book to look beautiful. Anyone planning to do a photobook on Blurb be warned you need a lot of free RAM. It does very strange things, like randomly copying…

August 14, 2011
Eugene Onegin – Gallery – Katie Slater (Olga)

What the reviewers said: a rich-toned Olga Classical Music Source show bags of promise What’s on Stage To view a large version of any image click on the thumbnail, all images are copyright, and will eventually be available on a CD if you are interested, make contact:

July 31, 2011
Eugene Onegin – gallery – Nicholas Sharratt (Lensky)

What the reviewers say: loads of appeal as Lensky What’s On Stage got my sympathy Classical Music Source To view a large version of any image click on the thumbnail all images are copyright, and will eventually be available on a CD if you are interested, make contact:

July 31, 2011
Eugene Onegin – Gallery – Kate Valentine (Tatyana)

What the reviewers say: Kate Valentine’s Tanya, radiant with optimistic innocence in the ‘letter scene’ The Stage I particularly liked Kate Valentine’s change from diffident ingénue (left alone at her own birthday party after Lensky and Onegin’s row and duel challenge) to assured princess. Classical Music Source Superb: Tatyana dominates (it surely won’t be long…

July 31, 2011
Eugene Onegin – Gallery – Damian Thantrey (Onegin)

What the reviewers said : Perhaps Damian Thantrey’s chisel-featured Onegin was not self-centred enough (after all, after the performance he opened the door for me as I left), but I liked the way he threw over most of the chairs in his final confrontation with Tatyana. Classic Music Source Damian Thantrey’s slicked-back, cold-fish Onegin impresses.…

July 30, 2011