Together With Yourself At Sea Level

This music was largely written on a rare Erard Grecian Harp that lives in a beautiful arts centre called Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland. I am so privileged to play this harp and I look after the harp for the house. In exchange, they allow me a couple of days in their collection to write, think and absorb all that the house has to offer. There are paintings, sculptures, musical instruments, carvings, exquisite stonework and furniture, beautiful gardens and all kinds of other delights and I have found it incredibly inspiring to think about the personality of all these pieces of art. I have a rare genetic disorder that manifests in a number of mischievous ways so my health is a constant challenge and huge part of the decisions I make in my day-to-day life. The house, its art and my relationship with nature and the environment have been so integral in how I have learned to know myself and find creativity within myself. This music is a result of this period of my life.

The title and accompanying album artwork are intended to reflect my relationship with nature, the sea, my body, identity, vulnerability and strength and photographer Beth Chalmers has been fantastic at creating striking photos that I hope capture some of what the music aspires to.


When I first started writing this music I was expecting it to be dark, pensive and an expression of how fearful I was at the time. I was really struggling.  However, the music kept returning as an optimistic surprise. It took me some time to realise that being surrounded by art and musical instruments that have been made so creatively and intuitively was giving me hope and deep reassurance in the power of human endeavour, invention and the ability of us all to overcome challenges and even, if we’re lucky, to grow and reflect on our place in the world and what we can do to make it better.

Beth Chalmers also lead the crew on the video shoots and edited the footage so beautifully. Audio was engineered by Iain Hutchison and mixed by C Duncan.

 

The wonderful band are:

 

Laura Wilkie on Fiddle,

Suz Appelbe on 'Cello,

Tim Lane on Percussion and Tongue Drum,

Mikey Owers on Trombone and Sousaphone,

C Duncan on Bass and Vocals

Gillian Fleetwood on Harp and Vocals.

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All music is written and arranged by me, Gillian Fleetwood.

I hope you enjoy this music and the intention behind it. I also hope it brings you some sense of optimism and empowerment as we all have stories to tell and lessons to learn.