What a lovely lady who will be greatly missed.
Christine Allen (16 Jan 1940 - 7 May 2019)
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Christine Birmingham Hospice (formerly Birmingham St Mary’s and John Taylor Hospices)
Here is Christine's obituary ... in her own words.
Born 16-01-40 in Morley, Yorkshire- a woolen mill town on the outskirts of Leeds.
Parents were proud owners of a newsagents and sub-post office. A bit like Coronation Street!
Music was a part of everyone’s life and she became a proficient pianist and possessor of a rich mezzo contralto voice.
By the time she was 16, she was ‘doing the rounds’ of the local Chapel’s Messiah performances. Wonderful experience for young singers.
She left Morley Grammar School in 1958 to study music at Birmingham University. Here her career as a singer blossomed, and on graduating in 1961 she began to teach theory at the Birmingham School of Music (now known as the Conservatoire).
During this time she joined the BBC Midland Singers, and a chamber opera group - Phoenix Opera - formed by her singing teacher, David Franklin.
She was taken from the age of 9 to the annual performance at Leeds Parish Church of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. One of her ambitions was to perform in this as a soloist - an ambition she fulfilled.
Another ambition was to sing in York Minster. This she did - the mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem -the highlight of her career.
Another memory was singing the Angel in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in Birmingham Town Hall a few days after the assassination of John Kennedy.
After her marriage to Frank and the birth of their two sons, Warwick and Richard, her priorities changed. It was difficult to carry on singing when your husband was also a musician. Her children became her life.
When they were at school she tried many things. For a few years she was a tutor at St. Peter’s College Saltley.
She taught singing at the Birmingham Theatre School.
She taught music therapy in a residential home for the adult education service.
For the adult education service she set up her ‘singing for pleasure‘ classes at Arthur Terry School which ran for 12 years.
She loved her job as a school pianist- trying to give primary school children a love of music. Deykin Avenue, Heathfield, Short Heath, Margaret Mary’s all kept her busy until failing eyesight and Frank’s illness forced her to retire at the age of 76.
She sang with Louise’s quartet and began to rehearse with Richard Owen, and a new career as an accompanist blossomed. The trips to Carluccio’s restaurants playing for the three singers were wonderful.
Seeing her sons grow, marry and give her grandchildren has been the most important thing in her life. Richard with Caleb and Mackenzie over here and Warwick and Shannon with Nicholas and Charlotte in Florida - all doing FaceTime and meeting up together has been wonderful.
What support during Frank’s illness and death and my illness. I have been so lucky.
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