Q: How long have you lived in Richmond Hill?
A: I have lived in Richmond Hill for five years. I moved from London, England where I was raised.
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I run a public-relations agency in Richmond Hill.
Q: How and when did you first get involved with the Savannah VOICE Festival?
A: Two years ago, Visit Savannah recommended me to (Executive Director) Maria Zouves, who was planning to launch the VOICE Festival in Savannah. I was on the board of the Savannah Book Festival at the time and had led the team of people promoting that festival. Visit Savannah thought I would be a good fit. I started by undertaking the PR for VOICE and then became more deeply involved and joined the board.
Q: Why did you think the Savannah VOICE Festival would be a good addition to the coastal community?
A: Coming from London, England, I missed opera and musical theater. Even though there is a vibrant music scene in this part of the world, I thought the vocal arts were under-represented.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the Savannah VOICE Festival?
A: I love the magic of live performance and seeing the young singers develop their skills and talent.
Q: Do you have any musical talent? Do you enjoy singing or playing an instrument?
A: While I love music, sadly, I am not gifted in this area. My father is a very talented musician and played in a brass band. I tried to learn to play the trumpet as a child, but it became obvious that I was not going to be very good at it.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A: I have two sides of my personality — I love to spend time at home with my dogs and family, cooking for everyone, walking the dogs, writing and reading, but I also love to go out and socialize by going to concerts or out to dinner.
Q: What’s your favorite place to visit nearby? Why?
A: Walking the squares of downtown Savannah remains magical to me. I can imagine all the history and lives lived here in previous centuries.
Q: If money weren’t an option, how would you spend your time?
A: I would spend more time writing, as well as building on my voluntary work using my PR skills to help good causes.
Q: What talent would you most like to have?
A: It might sound obvious, but it really is true — I wish I could sing in tune. I only risk singing in the shower so no one can hear me!