The Art of British Song

The Vision:

The catalyst for ‘The Art of British Song’ was the three CDs 100 Years of British Song, recorded by James Gilchrist and Nathan Williamson for the distinguished label SOMM Recordings.

‘The Art of British Song’ (TABS) seeks to build on this project by advocating the work of British composers in the field of song through further performances and recordings, the development and commissioning of new music, building audiences, and providing funding, we hope to share more widely the rich, diverse and brilliant body of work which is British song.

TABS is an unusual organisation within the arts in that it is completely disassociated from any specific artist, place, venue, or event –

Rather we seek to support a purely musical vision, one which can be manifested in any number of ways – live performance, workshops, education, recording, writing, criticism, lectures, video, discussion, composition… quite literally anything which orbits around the central practice of singing in this country today.

All our activities are directed towards a common goal: to bring the enjoyment and understanding of British song to the attention of a much wider audience.

The TABS Collective: 

The initial development of TABS has been funded by 16 ‘Founding Patrons’. We are now seeking to grow the appreciation of British song through membership subscriptions to the ‘TABS Collective’.

Anyone is welcome to join who wishes to support British song by encouraging and enjoying its performance, and by learning more about it.

Apart from the knowledge that you will be helping to grow a great British musical art form, the benefits of becoming a Member of ‘TABS Collective’ include:

• a bi-annual newsletter
• complimentary copies of all CDs produced under the TABS banner
• priority invitations to all our events, including the Salon Recital Series in Spring/Summer 2022
• an annual TABS Webinar with the TABS principals
• access to other exclusive online content.

TABS’ activities take place in a variety of venues around the UK, thus appealing to members regardless of location, and enabling us to tap into a wide range of support hubs and networks.

We welcome any enquiries regarding membership of ‘TABS Collective’, and questions about any of our plans and ideas. Email us on [email protected].

Thank you – to our Founding Patrons and Subscribers: