A Wye Valley Music in Mind project:
The Music Memory Café takes place every third Wednesday of the month. Doors open from 10.30am to 12.00pm. Entrance is free.
Venue: the St Briavels Assembly Rooms, East Street, St Briavels, nr Lydney, GL15 6TG. Parking is available nearby - please contact us for details.
Next session: Wednesday 16 April, 2025, with Gabriella Alberti and Cai Charles.
Come along to a short programme of live music in a relaxed setting, with sing-alongs, refreshments and a chance to chat and reminisce.
The Music Memory Café is for people who are concerned about memory loss or who are living with a diagnosis of dementia or other brain disorder, along with their family members, friends and carers. Information will also be available at each session, provided by local dementia support services including the Alzheimer's Society, Crossroads Gloucestershire and the Gloucestershire Carers Hub.
If you have any questions about the Café, or if you would like to volunteer, please do get in touch with us. You can telephone Mel on 07966 627 840. Or you can email us at [email protected].
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Stop press! The St Briavels Indoor Gentle Active Games are up and running again at the St Briavels Assembly Rooms, St Briavels, GL15 6TG. The sessions are fully inclusive, they include a fun and social series of games, including bowls, table tennis and table games, all of which can be played seated or standing. And there will be plenty of tea, coffee and cake available! For more information, you can contact Gill on 07764 578963 or by emailing her at [email protected]. 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month, 10.00am-12noon. £4 entry, to include all refreshments.
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If you've enjoyed our Music Memory Café, there are now three new ones in the Forest of Dean: at the Main Place, Coleford, GL16 8RH, on the 1st Wednesday of every month; at the Town Hall, Lydney, GL15 5DY, on the 2nd Wednesday of every month; and at the Wesley, 7 Belle Vue Road, Cinderford, GL14 2AA, on the 4th Wednesday of every month. Doors open at 10.30am.
And, if that wasn't enough music, Mindsong have now launched Sing2Remember in Lydney. This is a wonderful dementia friendly, community singing group for anyone who might enjoy singing songs together from across the years, sharing memories, making friendships and accessing support if needed. The group meets at the Lydney Community Centre, GL15 5AT, on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 11am. Contact: Paige Halliewell. Email: [email protected]. Telephone: 07413 066526. To learn a little more about these sessions, click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gswYa2iS3MU.
We would like to thank the following for their generous support (plus some anonymous donors):
We are delighted to be working with the following musicians at the Music Memory Café:
Nikkila Thomas - singer.
Welsh Mezzo-Soprano, community music practioner and vocal teacher Nikkila Thomas is a recent graduate of the Royal College of Music, London, where she earned an MSc in Performance Science with Distinction, supported by the Thomas & Elizabeth Williams Scholarship. Prior to that, she graduated with a First-Class BMus (Hons) Degree in Voice & Opera Studies from The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Nikkila's work blends her rich academic knowledge with her passion for community music, particularly in using group singing to support health and wellbeing. Since 2017, she has focused on creating meaningful musical experiences for individuals living with dementia and adults with additional learning needs. She believes in the power of music to positively impact lives, bringing joy and connection in all her work.
In addition to this, Nikkila co-facilitates voice and harp workshops in primary schools alongside her duo partner, harpist Cerys Rees. Together, they are passionate advocates for accessible music education, working to bring classical music to schools across Wales.
As a dedicated vocal teacher, Nikkila helps singers of all ages and abilities find their voice. She places a strong emphasis on building a strong technical foundation, while encouraging students to explore their musicality and creative potential. Nikkila fosters a supportive, inclusive learning environment where her students feel inspired and empowered to grow through their musical journeys.
In addition to her professional pursuits, Nikkila is committed to charitable causes, working with several organisations to create a positive impact in the community. She uses her skills and platform to advocate for social change and empower marginal voices, igniting artistic expression and promoting a sense of belonging across all ages. Through her work, Nikkila strives to make a meaningful difference, supporting initiatives that enhance health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Cerys Rees - harp.
Harpist Cerys Rees is currently studying for a Masters in Music Performance, under the tutelage of Caryl Thomas and Rhodri Davies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD). Graduating from RWCMD with a First-Class Bachelor of Music with honours, Cerys is the recipient of the Daniel Emlyn Davies Award and her studies are supported by a Sir Howard Stringer Scholarship.
Cerys has performed at many prestigious events, notably, the opening of the 6th Senedd, with HM The Queen, HRH The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and First Minister Mark Drakeford in attendance.
Community engagement is central to Cerys’ musicianship. Performing with Soprano Nikkila Thomas, she has delivered community engagement projects and interactive concerts at care homes for people living with dementia. After the successful launch of Wye Valley Music in Mind, she has enjoyed piloting the Music Memory Café in 2022, helping to take interactive concerts into the community. Both projects are supported by Wye Valley Music.
As well as working with the elderly, Cerys has taken various music workshops into schools in south Wales via Zoom and in-person, which focus on relaxation and well-being, the music of Wales and provides an introduction to the harp.
Cerys’ main passion for the harp lies within contemporary music and working with composers to expand the harp’s repertoire and push the boundaries of what the harp can achieve. Cerys is excited to start working with and incorporating electronics into new music.
Olivia Dance - piano.
Olivia Dance was born in Oxford and began piano lessons at the age of eight. She was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Professor Stephen Savage. Whilst at the college, she won the Bessie Cronshaw/Frost Brownson Song Cycle Pianist Prize and was awarded the Clifford Hartley Prize for showing great commitment to her studies. Olivia has been fortunate to be mentored by James Bailleau, Julian Jacobson, Kathryn Stott, Leslie Howard, Phillipe Cassard and Stephen Hough. Olivia gained a BMus 1st Class Hons and, in 2020, she graduated from the RNCM with an MMus.
She currently teaches a broad array of piano students, accompanies both the Serenata Ladies Choir and Caldicot Male Voice Choir, and performs for care home residents and people living with dementia as part of outreach projects run by Wye Valley Music in Monmouthshire and St Briavels. Some performance highlights include an appearance at the Wigmore Hall in London, performing Mark-Anthony Turnage's Two Elegies Framing a Shout, a concert of Norwegian song in Bergan, Norway, and a performance at Gloucester Cathedral in conjunction with the Three Choirs Festival.
Sarah Waycott - flute/cello.
Born in the Forest of Dean, Sarah is a graduate of Bath Spa University and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has worked in Masterclasses with a number of prominent flautists including Graham Mayger and Stephano Parrino, and her studies with Susan Milan have led to a close association with Milan's British Isles Music Festival.
An eclectic musician, Sarah has studied Jazz, World Music and Baroque instruments. At the other end of the spectrum, she was a founding member of the 'ELO Again Tribute Band', and their lead cellist until 2016, and she has recently started experimenting with electronics, to layer and manipulate the sound of the flute.
Sarah has performed with various ensembles and orchestras and, as a soloist, has worked extensively in the UK and abroad. Closer to home, she is a freelance conductor for several local community choirs and runs a teaching practice, offering lessons in flute, cello and piano.
Her latest venture, in partnership with pianist Yanna Zissiadou, is Animo, a Contemporary Declassified flute and piano duo, performing soulful, timeless music. You can follow Sarah at www.sarahwaycott.com and Animo at www.animofluteandpiano.co.uk.
Aulus Duo: Ellie Knott - flute; Georgina Dadson - classical guitar.
Formed in 2020, Aulus Duo share a passion for collaboration and engagement with classical music in the community. Ellie Knott (flute) and Georgina Dadson (guitar) are both masters students at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Their most recent education project has seen them working with authors Tom and Joe Brassington to create musical resources to sit alongside their book, Bottled. It aims to equip young children with the tools to develop an emotionally honest way of talking more openly about their mental health. They are thrilled to be collaborating with composer Ryan Elliott to create a piece of music to be performed alongside a narration of the book. The project will be launched in schools across the UK during Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week in February 2022.
Aulus Duo look forward to performing recitals and introducing their project to the wider community across Wales and England.
Amy Hulme - accordinist.
Amy has a lifelong passion for music and her expertise spans a diverse range of instruments, with her main focuses being kit drums and piano accordion. In addition to her instrumental abilities, she has a great love for harmony singing.
Amy is currently studying for a Music Therapy MA at University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol and has a placement at Severn View Care Home, Chepstow.
Gabriella Alberti - flute
Gabriella Alberti is a flautist based in Cardiff, originating from Melbourne, Australia. Gabriella graduated with a Distinction in Orchestral Masters from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, which was funded by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, the A.E.H. Nickson Travelling Scholarship and a PPCA Performers Trust grant.
Gabriella has worked as a freelance flautist with Welsh National Opera and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She has also played Principal Flute with Opera on Location, British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Cardiff Chamber Orchestra, Ballet Cymru and Orchestra de Cymru. In 2023, Gabriella was awarded First Prize in the All Flutes Plus Prize, adjudicated by Veronika Kirova. This saw her perform William Alwyn's Concerto for Flute and Eight Winds at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama lunchtime concert series. She has also worked for Wye Valley Music and is an active member of the Bute Wind Quartet, who had a successful 2024 performing at the Beaumaris, Cowbridge and Fishguard music festivals.
Cai Charles - guitar
Cai Charles is a classical guitarist from Llanelli, Wales. He attained both BMus (Hons) and MMus Perf at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
He had great success at Wales' National Eisteddfod in 2023, where he won the Solo String competition and was selected as one of the four best musicians to compete for the prestigious Rhuban Glas award. He has also performed in affiliation with Ty Cerdd and gave the UK premiere of the Dos Dalias concerto by Gerardo Tamaz, as a soloist during the World Harp Congress 2022, in St David's Hall, Wales. Cai has also performed internationally with the Wales Guitar Duo as part of the 'Maestros de la Guitarra' concert series in Granada, Spain.
For more information about Wye Valley Music in Mind, click here.
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