AFFINITI NP: The sound you create is very pure and unfiltered which creates a real intimacy with your audience. What elements do you feel have inspired and influenced your sound? Affiniti: Finding the right songs is key! We spend a lot of time trying out songs to find "the ones" that will work for our blend of instruments & voice. We try to get behind the song and put our own interpretation of what we believe is at its essence. Although we are all classically trained musicians, we are very aware of our Celtic heritage and this definitely is a big influence on our sound. NP: You were previously known as Celtic Rose. What does ‘Affinity’ mean to you? Affiniti: We have known each other for many years and initially formed Celtic Rose about 7 years ago as a wedding group. As we started to experiment more with our sound, we discovered that we got a real buzz from creating new arrangements of well known songs, by injecting celtic, classical and operatic elements into them. Our sound evolved as a result and we felt that the name Celtic Rose just didn't represent who we were anymore; that and the fact that every Irish group seemed to be called Celtic 'something or other!' After much brain storming, we suddenly reached the eureka moment where we realised that it was more than the music that kept

moment where we realized that it was more than the music that kept the three of us together, that we were now friends for so long that we had a real affinity with each other. And suddenly, it seemed so obvious that our name needed to be Affinití. You'll notice that we spell it with an Í rather than a Y at the end. This is our nod to the Celtic influences in our music. Also, seeing as we are three very different personalities, always with strong opinions, we have a joke amongst ourselves that there is no 'I' in team, but there are 3 in Affinití! NP: On your website, you all are described with various characteristics, “the girly one,” “the glam rose” and “the goony one.” As musicians however, you all have similar training in classical music. What do you think is the reason so many classical artists like yourselves are turning to classical crossover? Affiniti: We are all classically trained to

Masters level but although we may be

classical at our core, I think we all found

the classical tradition quite restrictive. For

example, as an orchestral musician, your

role is to play all the notes on the page

exactly as written, adhering to all the

dynamic & phrasing markings and

following the lead of the conductor. There

is little room for personal freedom and

creativity. Within the classical crossover

genre, we can do what we want! We love

using our instruments and voice to create

new sounds and effects, and there's

nothing we enjoy more than injecting

something of ourselves into the music we

are playing. On a broader level, the

classical

classical music industry simply has to embrace crossover in order to survive this modern era we live in. For some purist ensembles, this is met with inertia from musicians who resent having to 'lower their standards' but in Affinití, we strive to strike a balance between contemporary music and virtuoso performance with sensitive arrangements. We LOVE crossover and continue to adore classical music, Irish traditional music, world music, pop and rock music as separate genres in their own right. We just consider crossover as its own genre too! NP: Emer, tell us a bit about your most challenging vocal role? Emer: There is a lot of challenging repertoire in the operatic genre, so this keeps me on my toes! I still go to weekly lessons and I'm constantly working to expand and strengthen my range. I'm playing First Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute with an Opera company here in Ireland (Lismore Music Festival) this May. Vocally the biggest challenge is just the high tessitura i.e it sits very high in the voice throughout so it's just about working it into the voice the correct way! By the time we get to rehearsals I'll be able to just have fun with it and that's the greatest joy of singing for me - working in the technique and then just letting go and getting into character. Within Affinití, I use my voice in many different ways across a myriad of styles so the biggest challenge here is the very wide range required by the different genres. I can sometimes use 2 and half octaves in the one night so it's important I'm always breathing properly. NP: How did the concept for your EP “Rebirth” come about? We thought "rebirth" was a suitable title for our debut EP because we feel that we give

We thought "rebirth" was a suitable title for our debut EP because we feel that we give songs a new life! In this EP, we took 5 well known songs, paired them right back and completely reworked them, adding new melodies, or creating new textures. For example, in One Day Like This, we added a Hornpipe that we composed ourselves, in My Immortal, we composed a celtic melody as an instrumental in the middle of the song, Falling Slowly we morphed into an operatic aria etc..So in this way, we think it could be said that the songs experience a rebirth at the hands of Affinití! NP: Mary, you are the composer of the group. Have you been writing any new material for the group that we might be able to hear soon? Mary: I do some composing and freelance arranging outside of Affiniti which I very much enjoy, but when it comes to composition for Affiniti, this is a very collaborative process and we all play our part. Recently we have started working on some original compositions which is extremely liberating and something that we are very much enjoying. The project we are currently working on is the Shannon Suite which was commissioned by Shannon Airport and is a 4 movement piece with text both in English and the Irish language from the work of Irish poets including Máirtín Ó Direáin and W.B. Yeats. NP: You girls have a special relationship with classical and rock; is there any music style you think you would never cover or is the sky the limit? The sky is the limit and that is precisely

The sky is the limit and that is precisely why we love what we do so much! Saying that, we'll probably steer clear of rap! NP: Aisling, you have performed on the classical stage and also with Kayne West. How do you, as a harpist, adjust to accommodate such a range of styles? Aisling: Whatever the performance, concert or recording, whether with a symphony orchestra, chamber group, or rock star, music is music. It is a language and a playground all at once! I find I get lost in it and just the excitement of entering into the moment guides me. Of course, having trained from an early age helps endlessly in the task. It takes a huge amount of practice and study to appear effortless behind any musical instrument and adapt to so many different styles, but for me, that's the joy of the craft! Kanye West is such a massive 'star' and his production was huuuuuge. I can't honestly say that it was a musical highlight for me as I had to busk from a violin part but it was certainly a novel tour! Style over substance is rife in the music industry and often appearances are more important than the quality of music. As a harpist, my tone will vary hugely from genre to genre. Where I choose to play on each string will produce slightly different tone, how much or little flesh I play with on each finger, how quickly or thoroughly I close my hand after plucking each string, how abruptly I change a pedal (yes. The harp has SEVEN pedals, each with three different positions - flat, natural and sharp) what technical effect I use (harmonics, glisses, pedal slides... the list is endless!) What I adore about Affinití is that Emer and Mary know how much I love to improvise so I have lots of freedom to explore the harp

know how much I love to improvise so I have lots of freedom to explore the harp on every gig. We are sort of telepathic and know each other’s thoughts- which is VERY handy when you have to cope with a rather rebellious and rambunctious harpist! Affinití is all about marrying style WITH substance and we work incredibly hard, always striving for satisfying arrangements musically- for each of us. Its such a fascinating process that requires all three of us to have the eureka moment. (We nerdily joke about being 'struck by Affinití' when this happens) NP: Mentor’s are extremely important to the creation and improvement of any artist. Who are some of the people who have helped you on your journey so far? Affiniti: Well I think we would have to start with our manager, Terry Browne. He truly believes in what we are doing and has done so much to help us already since we first met him in September. Second would have to be Howard Crosby, nephew of the legendary Bing, who we also met last September at a concert in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. He loves our music

and has organized a very exciting White Christmas Tour which will take place in Dec 2014 and includes concerts in Portland, Washington State (the Bing Crosby Theatre!) and Chicago. Another inspirational mentor is Harry McKillop in Texas who presented us with the Spirit of Ireland Medal in McKinney, Texas in February. We had the honor of performing at his Honorary Conferring at the Perot Museum of Science in Dallas. At 94 years of age, he still goes to work every day and is an incredible and inspirational person. We have been very fortunate to meet these wonderful people and are so honored that they believe in what we are doing. When can we expect a full length album from you? Affiniti: We have recorded about 75% of the album. We don’t have a recording contract so it is an expensive process; we are currently saving to finish it off! We hope to have it ready to release by early Autumn.

Affiniti official: affinitimusic.com

BY NATASHA POHOLKcA

S tephen Bowman, Humphrey Berney

and Ollie Baines make up the band

BLAKE. Since the launch of their first

album in 2007, the friends have quickly

established themselves as one of the most

successful crossover bands. Thanks to

Sara French, Classical Crossover

Magazine was able to get to know them a

little better…

NP: The story of how your all found

each other and then started a group

thanks to facebook is very

interesting. What made the three of

you want to sing together as a group

as opposed to pursuing solo careers?

Steven: There is certainly safety in

numbers! We've all had the chance to

sing as soloists previous to Blake, which

was great, but genuinely it's a lot more

fun creating a group and enjoying the

experience together. A big part of our

live shows is the banter and comedy

between us, which the guys in audience

appreciate as antidote to all the love

songs we sing.

Humphrey: Singing in harmony is a

great feeling and working with others

adds a great team dynamic. You can

play off each other on stage and have

mates to have a beer with after the

show. It can be quite lonely as a soloist.

Natasha: Your group has had many

fantastic performance opportunities

since you released your first album

in 2007, including several major

sporting events. Which ones are your

family and friends most excited

about?

Steven: We've been asked to sing at

Twickenham stadium a number of

times, for national and international

rugby games. Seeing 70,000 people

filling that stadium is really quite

something, specially when you're

leading Swing Low or Jerusalem. We

often take our family and friends, who

get to enjoy us and a good rugby game

too!

Humphrey: My family all came to see

us perform at the classical Brits at the

Albert Hal. It was such a great night

and they were very proud. Another

highlight for them was when we sang at

the opening of the new roof. They are

big tennis fans!

NP: (for Stephen) You were accepted

into the London Guildhall School of

Music and Drama before you could

even read music and now you are

writing songs! Do you feel that your

studies in music theory have helped

broaden your appreciation for the

music you sing?

Steven: I was shockingly bad at sight

reading music when I started Guildhall,

preferring instead to play the piano and

sing by ear. I improved slightly, but

frankly I'm still pretty awful at it.

However, I'm sure that relying on my

ears has helped me with my song

writing and helped me appreciate more

than just classic music; essential for

writing and helped me appreciate more

than just classic music; essential for

Blake.

NP (for Humphrey): Although you

studied at the Royal Academy of

Music and performed in operas you

have also sung in a rock’n’roll band

and are now happily in the crossover

music scene. How important do you

think it is for people to be exposed to

all different genres of music?

Humphrey: Very. For me variety is so

important. Of course that brings

challenges in regards of singing

techniques but to be able to satisfy all

my musical tastes through Blake is

amazing.

NP: Change is an inevitable and

exciting part of any musical group.

Your band has gone from a quartet to

a trio in recent years. How are you

enjoying reworking old favorites to

accommodate this and creating new

sounds?

Steven: You're very right, change is

something to be welcomed in any vocal

group, as it injects new life into

performances and allows for new

directions. We've reworked every single

piece we sing, distilling four part

harmony into three. It was during this

process that we realised how often we

were doubling up on harmonies.

Audiences were surprise at how similar

the trio harmony sound was to the

quartet.

Humphrey: I am loving it, it has

provided challenges which we have

overcome. Becoming a trio has added a

new energy to the group both musically

and in our stage performance so things

are looking good!

NP (for Ollie) I think sometimes people underestimate the diverse careers available in music beyond performance. You have a degree both in music (performance?) and also music technology. Can you tell us a little bit about your studies and how they have helped you so far in your career? Ollie: I went to three universities and didn’t finish any of my degrees – not through lack of trying but because of my want to move onto the next thing. When I ended up at the Guildhall and found myself with a job after the first year (that’s when I joined Blake) I left as I felt it would have been foolish not to take the opportunity. The purpose of the music performance course is to get a job so when the opportunity came up I took it. Music technology has been an enormously helpful foundation for the amount of time we spend in the studio and the amount of input I have on the production of the recordings and I still keep up with all the trends and technology now. NP: As musicians I feel we have a

higher purpose than mere personal

advancement, and Blake has been

very supportive of multiple charities.

Do you have any words of

encouragement and advice for up and

coming artists to give back with their

music?

Steven: As a group we do all we can to

help charities in the UK and worldwide.

We've been very lucky with our career,

gaining the opportunity to travel the

world and sing the music we love. Giving

as much time as we can to charity feels

right, whether singing at events or

appearing on radio or TV to talk about

their campaigns. Musicians have a

unique way to help charities get their

message across, it's important to do all

we can.

Ollie: There are only so many ways of

getting one’s music out to the wider

public most of these involve major

record labels – if you are fortunate

enough of finding other ways to do this

you absolutely have to take the

opportunities – this includes charity work

of course. However, if wouldn't work if

you didn’t have some kind of personal

affiliation or connection with that charity.

All charities that Blake have worked with

over the last seven years (35-40 in total)

have had some significant personal

connection to at least one member of the

group. The advice I would give is they

should work with the causes they really

care about, because that way you gladly

give your time and you will feel more like

you are really making a difference.

Humphrey: Music is a very wonderful

thing and can help people in so many

ways. Use your music and if you are

fortunate enough, your profile to help

others or simply bring them enjoyment

through your performances. It is a

wonderful gift so share it!

8. In Britain singing in choirs is a

NP: In Britain singing in choirs is a

very important part of musical

culture. As you have choral

backgrounds, what do you think it is

about choral singing that continues

to draw the public?

Steven: It's true that Britain has an

exceptional tradition of choral music,

although for a while this was rather

forgotten in the mainstream. The public

now seem to be fascinated by choral

singing again, perhaps because of

recent tv shows headed by Gareth

Malone, a Royal Academy classmate

with Humphrey. Our harmony sound is

very much influenced by our times in

choirs, giving us some experience of

jumping around the available notes till

we arrive at chords which best suit the

mood of a piece.

Ollie: I think choral singing is a part of

the British culture and I think choral

music has played a huge part in Britain’s

musical evolution over the last 500 years

and since the break with the Catholic

Church choral music has been a major

part of the Church of England that the

rest of Europe has never experienced.

There are more than 40 cathedral choirs

in England alone and countless parish

choirs that are of an extremely high

standard. A lot of people in Britain do

not realize how far ahead of the rest of

the world we are is in terms of choral

music. It is something we should be

immensely proud of.

Humphrey: The new interest in singing

in choirs is a great thing and something

we have been very involved with having

invited hundreds of choirs to join us over

the past few years. Singing in a choir

brings so many things: Musical

fulfillment, team work, friendship and so

much more. If you have not sung in a

choir then join one - you will love it.

NP (for Humphrey): You’ve done a bit

of acting for the BBC. Is this a talent

you hope to develop more in the

future? And if so, would you ever

consider doing a super hero role?

Humphrey: I have been very lucky to

have had a great deal to stage time

throughout my life both acting, singing

and combining the two. Blake is my

focus and there is certainly no time for

other projects which is a good situation

to be in! Super hero?! I have a big jaw

and told I look like buzz light year so

maybe Toy Story the Musical!!!

NP: Tell us more about your label

Blake Records and how its formation

came about?

Steven: Blake Records was our best

business decision in seven years

together. As other artists were finishing

their contracts with major labels and

immediately looking to sign up to new

ones, we were approached by Svengali

Adrian Munsey, who asked if we would

consider setting up a record label with

him. We loved the idea of gaining more

control over how our records would

sound, so accepted the opportunity and

never looked back.

NP: If you had to label the members

of your group, who would be… the

Steven: Always hard to pigeon hole us boys as we're all

fairly multi-faceted, but here goes. Perhaps, Ollie the

Diva, the Prankster and the Scholar?

Or any other titles you feel more

appropriate?

Steven: Always hard to pigeon hole us

boys as we're all fairly multi-faceted, but

here goes. Perhaps, Ollie the bookworm

scholar, Humphrey the extreme sports

junkie and I the self professed online

geek?

Humphrey: Scholar - Ollie. He used to be a teacher and loves the academic side of music.

Sporty – me, I cannot sit still and happiest when I am doing something active - wake boarding, kite surfing, mountain biking....anything.

Techno - Stephen. He is the computer whizz and runs all our social media, keeping us in touch with the world.

Prankster - All of us!!!

NP (for Ollie): Have you done any

arranging for Blake so far?

Considering your background in

French Horn, Trumpet and piano, I

would imagine you would add some

very interesting textures to the

instrumentation. If you have not,

would you consider doing so in the

future?

I have been lucky enough to have a big

input in all the Blake albums which has

increased has time has gone on. I have

been lucky to work closely with all the

orchestral arrangers so that the structure

of our songs fits with the vocal

arrangements we come up with. We

have also over the years worked with

some incredibly gifted vocal arrangers,

such as the brilliant Mark Williams (who

is now the Director of Music at Jesus

such as the brilliant Mark Williams (who

is now the Director of Music at Jesus

College Cambridge) who have

significantly helped to mould the Blake

sound into what it is today.

NP (for Stephen): You are an avid

supporter of motor bikes, which some

might say is a bit risky. What makes

you enjoy them so much and do you

think that being a bit of a risk taker

has made you a better performer?

Stephen: I'm actually the least likely

person to get called a risk taker, even

when I'm on a bike, I'm cautious by

nature. I use a Honda Fireblade

motorbike to get around London, get to

the recording studio and attend some

concerts. It's a thrill to travel that way,

gives me an adrenalin buzz, maybe it

does pick me up on stage!

In conclusion, 2013 was a big year for

you in terms of touring and

NP: In conclusion, 2013 was a big

year for you in terms of touring and

performances. Do you gentlemen

have a new record coming out soon?

What can we expect from you in 2014

and beyond?

Steven: 2014 is a big year for Blake.

We have tours and shows in the UK,

Russia, South Africa, Germany and

America. Importantly we have our first

UK studio album by the trio, so that very

exciting. We can't wait!

Humphrey: Lots! Tours in the UK, South

Africa, Asia, USA, a new album and

amongst all this I am getting married! It's

going to be a big one!!

To keep up to date with all the latest

from Blake visit blakeofficial.com

The golden haired soprano was standing

before a mirror, humming a tune and

clutching a sparkly red dress to her chest.

The door opened a crack and her brother

launched a wind-up toy penguin into the

bedroom. The slim twenty something

stooped to pick up the bird that was

waddling towards her and launched into a

song about how she wished she could be as

carefree as her "feathered friend." She sang,

"everytime you have a date, you're not in a

nervous state, lucky bird...you don't cause a

lot of talk if you wiggle when you walk,

lucky bird." Amazingly enough, the perky

blond did not come across as seductive even

while demonstrating said wiggle and

changing into the red halter-top dress behind

a dressing screen while winking at the

camera. That's because this cutie was actress

Jane Powell performing in another one of

her MGM Technicolor musicals.

Unlike the sexy blond bombshells Marilyn

Monroe and Lana Turner, Jane Powell was

Hollywood’s nice “girl next door.” Her

screen personality was bubbly, friendly and

cheerful. However, in her autobiography

Jane describes herself as a lonely and tearful

child who was pushed by her parents into

being “another Shirley Temple.” This

included dancing lessons and perms, starting

at the age of two! She was an only child, her

“mother’s toy,” to be dressed up and shown

off. But even though she was groomed to be

a star from a young age, she never felt she

really was one – just a kid from Portland

Oregon.

Jane was the only child of Paul and Eileen

Burce, born on April 1st,1929. “Suzanne

Burce” (later Jane Powell) started singing on

the radio at the age of five for the “Stars of

Tomorrow,” program. By twelve she was

named the “Oregon Victory Girl” and

worked selling war bonds for two years

during the war. Although she loved to sing

and was grateful for her opportunities, as a

and was grateful for her opportunities, as a

child all she wanted was to have friends and

go to school with other children her age. She

was always being pulled out of school and

moved around due to her work however.

With her peers, Suzanne always felt like an

outsider, and it didn’t get any better once she

arrived in Hollywood. Yet, some of her

peers were welcoming, and she did become

friends with Roddy McDowell, whose house

she spent many happy Sunday afternoons at.

Not everyone was so gracious, though. Once

she went to a swanky party where there were

many major stars, including Shirley Temple.

What could have been an exciting moment

proved to be embarrassing when she caught

the famous actress mimicking her opera

singing. Once Shirley saw that Jane had

noticed her impression, she blushed and

turned away, but it only served to reinforce

the feeling that she didn’t belong in

Hollywood or as the girl next door.

“I’ll tell you how I felt then. Not like

Cinderella and not like Jane and not even

like Suzanne anymore. Everyone said I was

wholesome and sweet and darling, but I felt I

was an ordinary person doing an unusual

job. Who WAS this Jane Powell,’ The Girl

Next Door’? I wasn’t really The Girl Next

Door, and I didn’t feel like a movie star,

either. I didn’t know what I was. I just felt a

real ‘Girl Next Door’ had a better time. She

knew more than I did, dated more than I did,

had more friends than I did. She had a

mother and a father who were loving to each

other. She went to football games, had

pajama parties, flirted with boys, ate lunch

with girls, saw movies with boys and girls,

drank sodas in the drugstore. She took

physical education classes, ate in the school

cafeteria, worried about shaving her legs

and wearing silk stockings. I was not that person.”

Once it was time to plan her wedding, she

did not even know who to ask to be her

bridesmaids. Her MGM co-star Elizabeth

Taylor became one of them, and she later

became hers, but they were never close.

People assumed they were, but Jane

confessed that the reason they were in each

other’s weddings is because “we just didn’t

know anyone else to ask. How were we

supposed to meet anyone else? We were both

working all the time. It was hard to find

enough bridesmaids for us.”

The irony is that for someone as sheltered as

she was, Jane had a “Dear Abby” type

advice column! Teenagers would write to

her for advice, and “Jane Powell” would

respond – only in actuality she did not write

the column, somebody else did under her

name.

“I lived a dream, but it wasn’t mine.” Most

of her life was spent pleasing other people

and fulfilling their ideas of what she should

do, even her marriage at the tender age of

twenty, which the press was thrilled about.

“The Girl Next Door was SUPPOSED to get

married was supposed to pick an athletic,

All-American boy. Once again I’d pleased

my public by living out their fantasies, not

mine.” Although she didn’t realize it at the

time, looking back Jane believed the reason

she got married was to escape her parents

and their unhappiness.

Four years and two children later, Jane filed

for divorce. From the start, her marriage had

been unhappy, and although she was judged

and criticized by the public, for the first

time, she chose to ignore them. “All the

while, I heard Mama’s words in my ears,

‘we only stayed together because of you,

honey.’ What a burden to put on someone –

especially a child. I was afraid I might say

those same words to my children.”

In the meantime, Jane was busier than ever,

caring for her two children and working full

time. However, she was always full of

seemingly superhuman energy. “I realize

now that my energy helped me avoid facing

my problems. I was always running,

probably running away.” Her movie

musicals from this time feature famous co-

stars such as Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds

and Howard Keel. Jane Powell wrote that

her favorite movie was “Two Weeks With

Love,” a story about a Victorian family,

which in some ways resembled the Judy

Garland musical “Meet Me In St. Louis.”

She plays a teenage daughter who wants to

be grown up and allowed to wear a corset.

Not only did she enjoy the cast and the

music, but she could also relate to the

character’s longing to be considered a grown

woman.

After her divorce, she did marry again. And

divorce again. And marry again. She was

married five times in total, which is why at

the beginning of her biography, she jokingly

promised not to give advice (because she

said after four failed marriages, who would

want her advice?) But looking back, she saw

that one of the mistakes she made was

choosing men who needed help, because she

was again acting out the role she had

practiced from early childhood, helping and

pleasing her parents.

When she finally left MGM, the era of

movie musicals was coming to a close. “For

the first time in my life, I had to take care of

myself. All I’d ever known was the studio. I

was protected and guided by it. I hadn’t

realized how much the studio had taken care

of – the singing lessons, publicity, dancing

lessons, guidance. Where do you go now for

all those things? I wondered.”

She turned to the theater, and her career was

revived with her live performances in

musicals such as “My Fair Lady,” “The

musicals such as “My Fair Lady,” “The

Sound of Music” and the stage version of

one of her most popular movies, “Seven

Brides for Seven Brothers.” Her children

would travel with her at first, but they soon

tired of it. “They preferred spending time

with their own friends to hanging around

theaters watching their mother – and I

didn’t blame them.” She did her best to stay

connected even while touring –calling two

or three times a day and even ordering the

groceries by phone.

Unfortunately, years of singing incorrectly

eventually damaged her career’s most

valuable asset, her beautiful soprano voice.

However, the deterioration of her voice was

nothing compared to her worry regarding

the welfare of her children. Jane’s son left

home to live with his father, and later she

found that he had started experimenting

with drugs. All she could do was pray as he

made one bad decision after another. He

finally started attending AA and decided

to turn his life around. Jane herself started

to turn his life around. Jane herself started

going to therapy and trying to put her own

life in order, which previously she had never

found the time for.

When she got married for the fifth and final

time, it was to another former child star

named Dickie Moore. They currently reside

in Connecticut, and Jane was finally able to

achieve a sense of peace in her life instead of

the familiar feeling of constantly struggling.

Letting go of the expectations other people

have for her has allowed Jane to find

freedom from constant worry and

insecurities. At the end of her autobiography,

she described herself as the happiest she has

ever been. Life is full of learning and

subsequent growth.

Quotes and information from this article are

based on Jane Powell’s autobiography, “The

Girl next door and how she grew.”