Where it all began.
I often get asked in interviews how I got started in the music industry. Unlike other professions, there’s no obvious way in to being a freelance musician which can make it daunting for young people starting out. For me, it was one serendipitous moment which sent a whole chain of reactions in motion. I was at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1997 and heard on the radio that The Swingle Singers would be giving a broadcasting a live show later that day; I went down to the studio, watched the show and knew in that moment that this was what I wanted to do.
Ward Swingle, my mentor.
I was so fortunate to have Ward Swingle, founder of The Swingle Singers, as my mentor. His official role was Musical Advisor and mine was Musical Director. Over the seven years that I was directing The Swingles, I would make frequent trips to Paris to discuss ideas, listen to music and chat to him over a glass of wine about the group, life, the universe and everything!
It was during my tenure with The Swingles that I learned about performing in different styles, about recording CDs, about writing my own music and, most of all, about directing groups of singers. My first tour was performances of Berio’s Sinfonia, a piece I’ve now sung over 70 times!
Photo: me with Ward, in his music room, in 1999.
“Joanna’s superb direction of The Swingles over seven years brought a sense of togetherness which I had not seen before”