Musical Duo

Article from Jordan's Crossing Gazette

December 2009

For Bundanoon musicians Kerith Fowles and Ann Clipsham, Serendipity: the choir is just one musical venture in which they are involved. Their creative energies extend beyond planning and researching concert material and arranging much of the music for the choir. They have made a significant contribution to other aspects of 'Arts' in the Highlands.

Both are multi-talented - Ann specializes in keyboard (piano, organ, spinet, piano accordion), with trombone, mellophone and more recently, timpani, as additional instruments. Kerith's major interest is singing, and she also regularly plays recorder, violin and percussion.

Both are members of the instrumental trio Concertante, an ensemble, featuring music of the Baroque, which has become known for diverse programming, with music ranging from Celtic folk, various jazz styles and orchestral re-arrangements to South American numbers.

'Concertante' performs regularly in Berrima, plays at the Goulburn Conservatorium and was recently invited to Crookwell. Ann is a member of the 'Highlands Sinfonia' and they both play in orchestras for the Highlands Theatre Company's musical productions and the Highlands Proms. This year they also played in the inaugural 'Highland Tattoo'.

During 2009 this remarkable duo accepted an invitation to jointly undertake the music direction of a show for the theatre company, Ann as repetiteur, Kerith as conductor. 'The Baker's Wife' proved to be a great success, despite being unknown to all involved (including the music directors!).

Kerith is much sought after as a tutor for recorder events, and has tutored in Melbourne for the Victorian Recorder Guild and for the annual Australian Recorder Summer School. She has worked with the Sydney Recorder Society, and here in Bundanoon for both the Sydney Society and the Canberra Recorder and Early Music Society. Her tutoring at the Bundanoon recorder weekend was somewhat unusual - Kerith was recovering from foot surgery and confined to a wheelchair. As well as this, a throat infection forced her to whisper into a microphone for the two days of the workshop. Ann's skills as an accompanist make her much in demand by both singers and instrumentalists. They are both members of Bowral Uniting Church where Ann regularly plays the organ. She also teaches piano.

Not enough? Believing in using skills and experience wherever there is opportunity, Kerith initiated an instrumental group for the Southern Highlands U3A, providing an opportunity for third age musicians to revisit instruments of their youth. ‘The Highland Buskers', a unique ensemble (who never actually busk!), has been in existence for several years and from modest beginnings now has some 24 players of wildly assorted instruments. All music which the ‘Buskers' play has to be especially arranged for the unique talents of this group.

In response to requests from several local players Kerith has agreed to form a new recorder ensemble, Players will be coming from as far away as Picton!

Musically, life is full, but there is still time for Ann's weaving and candle making and both enjoy embroidery, gardening and reading. In recent years, long-distance pilgrim walks have rekindled and inspired the creative spirit.