Wlecome To all the Pleasures 1st ode to St Ceciila's Day (1683) by Henry Purcell
- I was head hunted from Karsten Zündorf's performance of the Vespers of Our Blessed Virgin Mary by Monteverdi to work as a professional countertenor soloist with his wife Maike Wichelt conducting. This constituted a second set of concerts that gave me a modest amount of professional work experience in singing solo Opera and Oratorio.
- On St Cecilia's Day weekend in November 2002 I was asked to sing at the fairly prestigious venue of St Antonius Church in Cologne City Centre in Schildergasse not too far from the cathedral in the shopping precinct there and on the outskirts of town in a suburb called Brauweiler in the church there of which Maike was head conductor.
- Maike went on to win a conducting prize and work in Osnabrück. She is a graduate of the main Campus of Cologne Conservatoire as a conductor.
- The piece she chose for us was Henry Purcell's Oratorio in English Welcome to All the Pleasures 1st Ode to St Cecilia's Day 1683 she is of course tha patron saint of music who's saint's day is the 22nd of November.
- I did it well enough to be asked back but lacked experience at the time.
- I sang the countertenor parts.
- Pay was 200 euros for both gigs.
