On 24^th June, mezzo-soprano Emma Brown will appear as a guest soloist with the Band and Drums of the Cheshire Constabulary and conductor David Woollam. The concert, entitled “A Musical Midsummer Night’s Dream,” is a fundraising concert for the Nantwich and District Royal British Legion and St. Mary’s Parish Church. Emma will sing a broad range of songs, including the Maori lullaby “Hine e Hine,” the Welsh hymn “Calon Lân,” and “The Lost Chord.” The concert includes a moving commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele, one hundred years ago. It ends with “Land of Hope and Glory.”

24^th June, 19:15, St. Mary’s Parish Church, Nantwich, United Kingdom

Admission: free

A collection will be taken for the Nantwich and District Royal British Legion and St. Mary’s Parish Church, Nantwich. 

Each year, the Netherlands holds veterans’ day to honour veterans of all Dutch military campaigns. Every city has an event especially for the city’s veterans. This year, Emma will sing for veterans from her home town of Leiden. The City Council of Leiden are providing a dinner for the city’s veterans, after which Emma will give a short recital with organist Brian Fieldhouse. She will sing well-known British songs including “Jerusalem,” “I vow to thee my country,” “Land of Hope and Glory,” and of course “We’ll meet again.” This is a wonderful occasion to thank the veterans for their service and for risks they took.

This is a private event for veterans and their carers.

On Sunday 11^th June, Emma will sing for the Royal British Legion’s (Holland Branch) Picnic in the Park in Wageningen. She will sing a mini “Last Night of the Proms” with the Royal Harmony Orchestra of Oosterbeek with repertoire including “I vow to thee my country,” “Jerusalem,” and “Rule Britannia.”

The picnic will take place in Park Torck in Wageningen, the Netherlands, with music from 14:30. The music is free and refreshments are available; please do not forget to bring your own picnic!

On 10^th June, Emma Brown will sing as a guest soloist at Gouda’s veteran day in a free open air concert in the market place. She will sing together with the brilliant US soprano Marnie Baumer in a fun and varied programme. The event is free and begins at 14:00. For more information, see here. 

Emma has just returned from Normandy, France where she sung in various remembrance ceremonies to commemorate the seventy-third anniversary of D-day. On 6^th June, 1944, the Allies campaign to liberate Western Europe began on the beaches of Normandy. The stories of those involved are humbling.

During the Royal British Legion’s remembrance service in Bayeux this year, the Revd. Patrick Irwin suggested we could regard D-day as a mosaic. Whilst today, we can see the whole picture of the military campaign, the picture is composed of single stones. Each soldier’s story forms a single stone. It was a privilege to meet D-day veterans and to listen to their stories.

Emma sang for remembrance ceremonies in Chouain, Jerusalem, Colleville-Montgomery, Bénouville, Bayeux, and Arromanches for the Normandy Veterans Association, the Royal British Legion, the 52nd Oxford and Bucks regiment, and the family Bates. The tour ended with a concert at Château de Bénouville with the Band of Liberation and Pipes.

The next day, at the lunch of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, Emma was serenaded by some of the veterans themselves. You can watch a short film of veteran Danny McCrudden singing “When you were sweet sixteen” here.

On Friday, 12^th May, Emma sang as a guest soloist at the reunion of the Dutch Royal Guards Regiment of Fusiliers ‘Princess Irene.’

The Princess Irene Brigade participated in D-day in 1944 and in the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945.

On 12^th May, current members and veterans were invited to the Generaal-Majoor De Ruyter van Steveninck Barracks in Oirschot, the Netherlands for a reunion. HRH Prince Jaime Bernardo of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi, the son of Princess Irene was present.