Mary Keith
Musician
2024 was an really fruitful year- I hit 60 and enjoyed some inspirational projects including leading a Singing/Hiking holiday on board the Turkish Gulet "East Meets West, leading another glorious week of singing at La Maison Anglais, Taroudant, Morocco, writing and performing songs about Curlew in the Yorkshire Dales, working with Wolverhampton Poet Laureate Emma Purshouse and composer Michael Betteridge on "Voices Weaving" with the Mere Singers, well-being Singing Walks for Jenny Blair Yoga Studio, improvising vocal scores to George Mélies silent films in the Morecambe Winter Gardens, co-ordinating community choirs for the Pentabus production of Make Good about the Post Office Horizon scandal, working on an extraordinary songwriting project in HMP Stafford with Rideout and the Irene Taylor Trust and continuing to work with all three regular choirs.
In September 2024 I spent an amazing (and exhausting!) two week s in Portugal working with a group of talented creatives from all over the world as part of the Curiosa "Other Sounds Other Lands" residency.
Below is just a little snapshot of my foreign travels...
2025 looks to be a little calmer, with less one-off events and time focussed on my choirs and Buzzy Beats.
Hope you can join me somewhere along the way!
About
I am a freelance musician, currently working regularly as Musical Director for The Mere Singers in Shrewsbury, The Keele Women's Community Choir, the Morning Sun Singers in Welshampton and Buzzy Beats based at the Hive in Shrewsbury.
I am composer/ Musical Director for theatre and community based projects, including B Arts, The New Vic, The National Trust, Arts Alive, National Heritage Lottery, About Face Theatre, The Fetch and Teatro Montemuro, (Portugal).
After completeting a BSC Hons Music at City University, I trained with Community Music East, before embarking on a free-lance career that has seen me working with community and education projects for Glyndebourne Opera, Opera North, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic, The Royal Ballet, and creating new music for The New Vic Theatre, Foursight Theatre, Horse and Bamboo Theatre, Pentabus Theatre, About Face Theatre, The Fetch and a series of musical folk tales from around the world for Channel 4. My musical work has taken me to exciting parts of the world- Palestinian Refugee camps, the jungles and hills of Nagaland, a horse drawn theatre tour across the Hungarian Pusta, creating playful new theatre with students in Korea, composing for Teatro Montemuro in the wild Montemuro mountains of Portugal, performing on Woman's Hour, the Royal Albert Hall, Hamlet's Castle in Denmark, the Edinburgh Festival and on top of the Long Mynd.
Gallery
Dates for 2025
Friday 10 January: Buzzy Beats sessions resume Friday mornings 10.30-11.30 at The Hive, Shrewsbury.
Please book in with the link above.
Monday 13th January: Mere Singers term starts, 7.30-9.00 at The Hive Shrewsbury.
New singers welcome!
Thursday 9th January: Morning Sun Singers sessions start,
Thursday mornings 10.30-11.30 at Welshampton Parish Hall. Drop-in group for all voices!
Thursday 6th January: Keele Women's Community Choir sessions start.
Thursday evenings 7.30-9.00 at The Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Keele University.
Friday 14 February Mary and The Mudlarks
@ The In Good Hands Cafe, Shrewsbury, donations on the door please.
July 5th: Songs for a Summers Day
St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, afternoon time TBC -Joint performance by the Mere Singers, Morning Sun Singers and Keele Women's Community Choir.
Saturday
13th July:
Annual Singing Picnic, with Polly Bolton and Sue Harris, Wistanstow Village Hall, Shropshire 2-5.
July 23-27; premier of Who is Molly Leigh? a new opera by Francesca la Lohe, with B Arts.
Summer 2025; ongoing working with About Face Theatre on their ACE funded new show TBC
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October 5th- November 8th; - MD on La Caja Magica with Teatro Montemuro, Portugal.
Saturday December 13th: Songs of Peace and Joy, Mereside Centre, Shrewsbury
Mere Singers annual end of year celebration.
Advanced Notice!
May 20-27 2026: Singing Holiday at la Maison Anglais, Taroudant, Morroco. Please book with Holiday with Heart
.https://cecu.co.uk/br260520/