Christmas with Serendipity
Margaret Jowett and Kathy White
Margaret Jowett trained at the Northern Theatre School, under the direction the late Esme Church.
After touring with a children’s theatre company, she worked as a stage director and actress in northern repertory companies, followed by personnel work in retail and industry. She founded and ran for 30 years her own “Speech and Drama Workshop”, whilst teaching speech and drama at Leeds Girls’ High School, and appearing on YTV, including being the first announcer to appear in colour at the Faraday lecture of 1964. Her tuition has equipped many young people with invaluable skills for both theatre and other professions.
Margaret is a member of Equity and The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama. She hosts the Boston Spa Lunch time concert season, has directed plays, run Dickens workshops in schools. In London she has performed at Christmas concerts and was narrator for Rachmaninoff Vespers for the Esterhazy Singers. She hosts charity concerts and spent twenty years as a Tour Guide at Harewood House and Ripley Castle included story-telling, costumed presentations such as “The Ladies of Ripley Castle” and performances at The Bar Convent.
Margaret hosts “Serendipity,” which she and Kathy created in 2003.
Kathy White was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Aged 8 years she commenced singing lessons with Dorothy King and became a valued member of several choirs. From her teens she enjoyed entertaining with her father, singing solos and duets locally and performing with the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Operatic Society.
On moving to Leeds in 1988 Kathy continued her studies with singer Margaret Lucas and joined Headingly Operatic Society, Wetherby Light Music Singers and the Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
In 1993 she formed a quartet, ‘Limelight’ who provided songs for social occasions from musicals, operetta and light popular music. Kathy is often invited to contribute solo items at concerts for organisations in Bramhope, Burley in Wharfedale and annually at churches in Coxwold and Tockwith.
As the other half of ‘Serendipity’ Kathy’s experience and extensive repertoire can be heard in their themed programmes of ‘words and music’ performed in surroundings such as Stately Homes, Masonic Ballrooms and many venues around Yorkshire.
Linda Hinchliffe began her piano studies at the age of four in Leeds and subsequently trained at the London College of Music under the direction of William Lloyd Webber. She was awarded two piano diplomas and a degree in 1974, and later completed PGCE in music education at Reading University.
Her distinguished career spans more than five decades, encompassing both teaching and performance. She has worked extensively with amateur societies as a pit musician and Musical Director, with notable productions including “My Fair Lady”, “Oh, What a Lovely War” and “Oliver”.
Linda was employed for 25 years by Leeds Education Artforms as a peripatetic pianist, and National Curricular music teacher. She also served for 13 years as an accompanist for Leeds Youth Opera, contributing to productions such as The Magic Flute, the European premier of Philip Glass’s Appamatox, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Sweeny Todd and Verdi’s Macbeth.
Now retired, she continues to accompany students for examinations and diploma recitals and remains active in supporting choirs and students in conducting lessons and masterclasses.