Background & Philosophy
"Listen for the sound within the silence and the silence within the sound"
My earliest memory is of throwing back my head and running like the wind across the sandy beaches and rocks in Cornwall, the west country of England. Feeling the spray from the sea and listening to the elements 'humming' around me. The sun always seemed to shine. Then, off to school, which I thought was a good idea, however once there, we didn't have very much in common. Why were they hiding so much? Why were they making us go so slow?
Puberty came and went, painlessly; having a voice that could reach soprano and bass in a moment was fun. And so eventually school and I parted company both eying each other with mutual suspicion. My teenage years were probably as traumatic and as much fun, as for anyone else. It was the late 60's and there was a heady mixture of freedom and revolution in the air and I felt it was time to leave this island (England) and set off on a journey through France, Spain and Morocco, to taste different ways of living and seeing; expanding my horizons. - The real journey had begun, no rehearsals, it was the real thing. It was a time for unlearning and learning, getting lost and being found and looking at this world in wonder. At 18 years of age I proudly announced, "I do not know". Only later realising pride also needed looking at. The person standing before you is doing so despite the system not because of it, although it could also be argued conversely!
Around the world events were unfolding very fast. Was the media coverage essentially hyping it up? Or was it time for a radical change? And I was open to many influences it's difficult to list them all, but the significant early ones were: Spike Milligan, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ravi Shankar and the Beatles, the first kiss and first love. Later ones include: many esoteric books, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Monty Pythons Flying Circus, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, two near fatal car crashes, severe PTSS (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome), and meeting some remarkable people who nudged me to a more wakeful and aware state of being.
Click here to find out more about Music from Within:
A Masterclass for Flute by Paul Cheneour
Music was the one language that spoke directly to my heart. Then, at 19 years of age, a friend introduced me to the concert flute. Picking it up and feeling it was like coming home. Luckily, since then I have been playing professionally, in many different styles: Classical, Jazz, Fusion, Arab, Indian, now also on Ney flutes, and my own 'pan cultural' or 'world fusion' style.
Here, I must express deep thanks to my Guildhall flute teacher Professor Rainer Schuelein for opening my eyes. My late Mother and Father who gave warm from the heart encouragement, never faltering in their belief in the process. My brothers' and sister's generosity when times were difficult.
Having played and taught for over 33 years, I still delight in and enjoy more exploration. For me the beauty of playing music is that there is no finite end. And the music I heard inside all those years ago as a boy comes through me, I throw back my head and feel the sea, sun and wind running through me, like rain. What a sound! To be alive at this time in our history is a privilege, even with all the struggles and hardships as they do make us stronger.
During an interview I was asked to give my definition of the meaning of Life, which is not, the easiest of questions to answer and after some thought I said:
To be or not to be? is neither the question nor the answer as both are full of desire. To live and love unconditionally and participate in the realisation of God's plan is my definition of the meaning of life.
