Ben Lathbury

Until March 23rd 2020, I made a living principally as a choral conductor, concert pianist and lecturer. However, since the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown, all of my performing work has been indefinitely suspended. My lecturing work was able to continue online, but the semester concluded at the beginning of May and it has now stopped until September.

When the lockdown was first announced, I decided to start doing a daily music video, mainly as way of maintaining some semblance of normality and also to give myself something to do. As the lockdown has gone on, the videos have gotten gradually more complex, starting out with solo piano pieces, moving onto solo singing pieces and now even 4-part choral harmony and one-man polyphony. These choral videos in particular have proven to be very popular, and it's really pleasing to see them bringing joy to so many people at this very challenging time, especially given that so many people are cut off from making music in whatever capacity they are used to.

In a way, I've been fortunate that some of my choirs have been in a position to offer me a small retainer throughout this period of lockdown and my wife Megs has been able to continue with her work for a local IFA remotely. However, things are invariably tighter than they were 6 weeks ago and the uncertainty surrounding this whole situation is taking its toll on my mental health and that of my family (we have a 10-year old called Dylan). Therefore, I've started a Patreon page in the hope that some people may be willing and able to help support me and my family through this time.

My pledge is to create a music video of some description every day for the duration of this lockdown. So far, I've reached 50 videos, showcasing solo piano work, choral classics and even some musical theatre favourites. Hopefully, there's something for everyone in there!

I want to stress that there is no expectation from anybody to contribute, especially if you are facing financial difficulties yourself, and that all videos will continue to be publicly available for everybody. However, if you have been enjoying the content I've been creating and are in a position to contribute any amount great or small, any donation you can make would be most gratefully received. Also, if the Patreon model isn't for you but you'd still like to help out, please do get in touch to discuss an alternative donation platform.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this and thanks in advance for anything you're able to offer in support of me at this very difficult time. Stay safe out there everybody.

Ben
x