Tony Backhouse interview

by: Jennifer Richardson on

 

I am so happy to present this interview with Tony Backhouse.
An awesome guy and huge inspiration to so many of us from all around the world.

 

1. Tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up in NZ listening to Elvis & was fascinated early on by vocal harmonies. After singing in the school madrigal group & gaining a B.Mus in Composition, I left  the classical world behind & played guitar in a few NZ bands. This hedonistic & thoughtless life culminated in playing in the Crocodiles, NZ’s Band of the Year in 1980. The Crocodiles, giddy with success, hit Sydney in 1981 & promptly broke up. Unable to afford a plane fare home, I stayed on in Sydney playing music, & working in Badde Manors cafe...

2. Please share your singing journey with us?

After playing & singing in bands with Renee Geyer and Jackie Orzasczky in Sydney in the ‘80s, I gave up music as a career, instead focussing on singing for the love of it. This was the best thing I ever did - freed of the need to make a living out of music, I explored a whole new repertoire: Black gospel choirs and quartets. I started an a cappella quartet the Elevators in 1985, and then the Cafe of the Gate of Salvation a cappella gospel choir in 1986. The choir became popular & many wanted to join it - too many, so I started running workshops in a cappella gospel - which I continue to do. 

3. What is one of your most memorable singing experiences?

I’ve had many great singing experiences - jamming with Valanga Khoza, singing with the Heavenly Light Quartet, singing with the Cafe of the Gate of Salvation for Nelson Mandela & Desmond Tutu…but I remember vividly singing in a church in New Orleans with the Cafe of the Gate of Salvation. We sang a song I’d written, obviously unfamiliar to the church, but before we’d finished the church had taken over the song with bass, drums, organ & voices, and everyone was dancing in the aisles.  

4. 3 tips to someone who wants to improve their technique as a soloist &/or choir member?

Listen. Relax. Move - and move around to where you can hear all the parts, and hear how your part fits. 

5. Why do you love working with The Create Escape?

A memorable experience on one of the tours? The Create Escape has taken me to beautiful villages in Samoa and Bali, plazas and churches in Italy & put me together with other choir directors from different traditions. I love the intersection of different cultures that Jen provides, and the gorgeous locations where we all meet to sing. The most potent memory is of Edoardo Materassi’s Animae Voce choir singing ‘Indodana’ in the round to us in a church in Firenze. Or perhaps in the chapel at Montestigliano, when I sang Shine on Me in that small space with a lovely acoustic & time stood still.

6. What do you love most about teaching? 

Seeing the joy on singers’ faces. Hearing unexpected beauty emerge from a disparate group who suddenly unite on a chord or a riff.

7. Favourite song and why?

One Night by Elvis. It’s the first Elvis song I heard, a good melody, good feel and still has a ton of raw energy in it,

8. What’s next for you?

2020 is a year of travel including our event in Argentina, but I’m also very involved in some recording projects, one of which we’ll start mixing next week. 

I have a ton of nearly-completed recordings and compositions on the go & I’m keen to complete them all - these are not a cappella gospel or anything remotely like it, but collaborations with old friends and colleagues (all of us played in the Crocodiles) that involve funky rhythm sections, screaming & crooning horns, guitars, strings, keys…I’m getting back in touch with some youthful frenzy.

9. 5 things on your bucket list?  

Visit Ethiopia. Live in France or Italy for a while. Finish the collaborative recordings. Become a better bass player. Record with an African American gospel choir.

For details on our upcoming event in Buenos Aires, Argentina with Tony click on this linked line >>

I'll leave you to listen to Tony's favourite song and the video we took of Tony singing in the little chapel at Montestigliano!

Tony looking quite at home during a coffee break in the square in Mercatello.

Making Music in Mercatello and Florence with '3' maestros!

by: Jennifer Richardson on

An immersion in song, food and culture!

This year our big singing in Italy event was a cultural and singing immersion spent in 2 stunning locations and our lucky group of singers were given a real treat with 3 brilliant maestros including our much-loved Tony Backhouse

The Create Escape group and Animae Voces combined choir with directors, Tony Backhouse and Edoardo Materassi after our performance in Florence. What a grande gruppi!
 
Tony was in good form and instantly had the group sounding like a professional choir on tour! This really took our local maestro in Mercatello, Guerrino Parri by surprise as we had discussed the concept… ‘a bunch of people come together from all over Australia, NZ and beyond as strangers and learn a repertoire’… ‘some of them will be stage performers and others are shower singers’ but you never know, maybe it will be good enough for a concert at the end of the week.

 

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Palazzo Donati and the village of Mercatello provided a warm and welcoming cradle for our first 6 days. The accommodation included Palazzo Donati and Palazzo Ducale and gorgeous apartments throughout this quaint medieval village of Mercatello. 

Although a little sceptical at first we were soon to find the whole village opened their Bars, Pizzerias, Ristorantes, Gelatarias and their arms and voices for us.


There were various forms of transport, from private charter to public bus to Urbino and even a tractor ride to take us to dinner!


We found Guerrino to be a phenomenal choir and music director and it was a thrill to see our group of passionate singers of ‘american black gospel’ take to singing a completely different repertoire. I'd been talking with Guerrino for many years about this dream to bring people here to this delightful village and to work with him .. this was a dream come true.
Hmm - It did not go unnoticed that he looked very similar to Tony (perhaps a slightly younger version).. they even wore similar clothes!
 
Take a look at the video of our itinerant concert around the village of Mercatello sul Metuaro. This was the Anteprima performance to launch the annual summer festival of Musica e Musica, curated by Guerrino Parri

After this lovely concert where the Mayor and a large proportion of the village turned out to check us out we celebrated with a shared meal. Guerrino's choir and a group of us prepared our meal. Sally Battson's pavlova's were won the evening! You'll have to ask her the story of the making.. it's a story in itself. 


The following 6 days were spent in Florence. A different scene after the gentle village immersion in the countryside of Le Marche. But how could anyone not love the city of Florence? We stayed in another gorgeous Palazzo, Palazzo San Niccoló, in the artisan’s area near the Arno River.

One of our most adored directors, Edoardo Materassi was our local teacher in Florence this year and he got us inspired and energised in the mornings and evenings with fun warm ups and exquisite songs.  We were joined by members of his brilliant choir Animae Voces and worked towards a concert in the superb acoustics of the magnificent Chiesa Valdese.
 
Edoardo’s choir equally loved learning the spontaneously joyous gospel under the skills of the legendary Tony Backhouse. They were singing their hearts out!
 
And the concert? Well you can look and listen at some of the results of the concerts in both Mercatello and Florence in videos I posted on our YouTube channel. We play them over and over again because they are simply beautiful harmonies and delightful to watch.

 

Here's a link that should take you to the playlist. YouTube >

If you are green with envy, don’t fret, we are working on bringing Edoardo to Australia for some workshops and there will be another Italian singing immersion coming up in 2021 with Edoardo and Guerrino.

There's a similar type of event happening in Buenos Aires in 2020 with Tony Backhouse, Eric Dozier and Gerardo Flores! Take a look at The Gospel Explosion in Argentina >>

We also have our Singing in Sardinia and Corsica event coming up next year.. you better book now for that one it is selling up quickly. Singing in Sardinia >>

Or let us know of your interest now for 2021. >> Contact us

 

Rehearsing for Heaven! 23rd January with Tony Backhouse

by: Jennifer Richardson on

An afternoon workshop with Tony Backhouse coming up! 

If you are in the vicinity of Northern NSW in January here's a little beauty for you! 

Date: 23rd January, 2016

Time: 1-4pm

Where: Byron Region Community Centre, Mullumbimby

Cost: $30 (Tickets at the door)

Contact: apearl@mullum.com.au

 

Marianne Backhouse

by: Jennifer Richardson on

In Loving Memory of a very special Lady!

Below is a pic I took of a magical moment between Tony and Marianne in rehearsal in the forest in Singing in Siena, 2013.

Marianne used to love picking the grapes and fresh figs on the property of Montestigliano during Singing in Siena. I took this pic below in 2011.  

Below is a little video I took of her in the Granary in Montestigliano singing a lullaby to her daughter Cristy. It is rough and unedited but hopefully it will serve as a memory of her beautiful spirit and divine voice.

She very recently became a young grandmother, so perhaps her lovely little granddaughter will enjoy being sung to as well.

Love and deepest sympathy to Tony Backhouse and her loving family and friends.

Forever in our thoughts, with love and gratitude.

xxx

Rehearsal of 'Lilly in the Valley' with Tony Backhouse

by: Jennifer Richardson on

A final rehearsal of 'Lilly in the Valley' at Montestigliano before they gave it out to the waiting audience of 200+ gypsies and local Tuscan's. They shared the stage with Ginevra di Marco and her band. A truly wonderful night.

 Don't they all look gorgeous?

Tony joins us again for a wonderful week in Italy, check out the deets