FOCUS on Chris Watson

I started learning the violin, aged 8, with Mr Burns, who, for my first lesson, taught me to play the scale of G major, in 2 octaves, and told me to practise that for 45 mins per day until my next lesson. I obediently did just that; no wonder I was banished to the bathroom to practise!

I grew up in Blackburn where there were plenty of opportunities for me to indulge in singing, playing the piano, violin and even French horn - the Choral Society, Arts Club, school and youth orchestras, chamber music, competitive music festivals. For a time I considered music as a profession but decided I’d probably enjoy it more as a hobby. That has always felt like the right decision for me.

At Durham University I studied French & German but seemed to spend more time in the Music Department than in the Languages Department. Again I was involved in many musical societies and activities. One highlight was being cast as Lady Jane in the G & S opera ‘Patience’ and ‘playing’ a cello with string as strings, while the actual tune was played beautifully in the pit by a ‘proper’ cellist.

Then based in the London area I continued orchestral playing and also sang for one season with the BBC Choral Society. This included singing in the First and Last Night of the Proms and also in a performance of Belshazzar’s Feast, conducted by the composer himself, Sir William Walton.

When I moved to Hertfordshire I joined the Dacorum Symphony Orchestra and had the opportunity to take part in regular concerts and all their foreign tours and exchanges, which have taken us to France, Germany and Italy. At first I played in the 1st Violin section before one summer, deciding to teach myself to read the alto clef and returning in the autumn term as a viola player – there’s nothing like Ravel‘s ‘Daphnis & Chloe’ as a baptism of fire for sight-reading alto clef music.

I once appeared as a contestant in Radio 4’s music quiz programme ‘Counterpoint’, under the benign chairmanship of the late Ned Sherrin, but failed to press my buzzer quickly enough to win through to a 2nd round

My musical involvement in Plymouth started from 2001 when I came to work at the University Library. I quickly got involved in local musical scene, joining the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra, University orchestra & chamber choir, South West Chamber Choir & finding like-minded chamber music enthusiasts. As my family base is still in Hertfordshire I continue to perform with the Dacorum Symphony Orchestra when possible and to join in their foreign tours, most recently to Florence for a 3rd time, to perform the Verdi Requiem outdoors near the Uffizi Gallery and the Piazza Signoria

Music will always be an integral part of my life. Having recently retired from paid employment I’m enjoying the opportunity to practise more regularly and hopefully to improve. Maybe I’ll even have time to take up another instrument??