COWAL Music Club will welcome two of Scotland’s best-known performers to Dunoon later this month for what promises to be an afternoon of music and laughter.
Scottish musical legend Gordon Cree and his wife, acclaimed mezzo-soprano Cheryl Forbes, are set to appear at Dunoon Burgh Hall at 2.30pm on Sunday, February 22. The concert was originally scheduled for November but was postponed due to Cheryl’s ill health.
The couple are widely recognised across Scotland for their outstanding contribution to music and entertainment.
Gordon Cree has built a distinguished career as a pianist, organist, arranger, composer, conductor and entertainer, earning a reputation as one of Scotland’s most versatile and accomplished musicians. His work spans classical, jazz, traditional Scottish music and musical theatre.
His piano performances feature on numerous commercial recordings and on soundtracks for television, radio and film. Over the years he has worked with leading figures including Marilyn Horne, Moira Anderson, John Rutter and Nicola Benedetti, as well as renowned entertainers such as Roy Hudd, Ken Dodd and Anita Harris.
He has conducted many major orchestras, frequently performing his own arrangements. These include the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Hall Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and orchestras in Australia and New Zealand.
More recently, he was selected as one of the organists to play the famous Wurlitzer at Blackpool Tower Ballroom. In 2019 he received the Scottish Music Hall and Variety Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is currently President of the Scottish Showbusiness Benevolent Fund and a trustee of the Scottish Cinema Organ Trust.
Cheryl Forbes, originally from Falkirk, is regarded as one of Scotland’s most exciting and versatile mezzo-sopranos. She made her stage debut at just eight years old and went on to study in Glasgow, London and New York, working with celebrated soprano Marilyn Horne and Metropolitan Opera coach Frederic Camara.
She has performed many principal roles with Scottish Opera and Opera Bohemia and has appeared in oratorios with leading UK choral societies. Her career has also included guest appearances in London’s West End.
Sunday’s concert will focus on lighter repertoire in a variety-style format, featuring music by Gershwin, Hammerstein, Flanders and Swann, Sullivan, Irving Berlin and others.
Cowal Music Club organisers say the event promises to be a highly entertaining afternoon, and all are welcome to attend.
