Musician Spotlight: Laura Stephenson

Laura Stephenson has been working with us in the South of England since 1986. She most recently performed at our Festive MusicaliTea event in Walton-on-Thames.

“The first live music I did was at a mental health hospital called St Francis in Sussex. It was an Elizabethan programme and we actually got dressed up in costumes. So that was quite an induction!

The power of music is incredible. I hear families say they can’t believe it because their father has disappeared, but then he’ll be singing all the words of a song they didn’t even know he knew. I’ve loved the work and found it incredibly humbling and extraordinary. More than in any other way of making music, you have to give the best of yourself. You are thinking of other people all the way through and you really want to take them away for a while. That’s such an incredible thing to be able to be a part of.

As the artist you’re merely the vehicle for the music. You bring your own interpretation, but you’re just passing it on really. Something that we all share in is the music. You’re the vehicle through which it goes, but the participants are all having an influence and make a difference. I often find it quite difficult to do a regular concert then because I’m so used to really interacting with the audience. And that’s the loveliest thing about it really.”