Natalie Thurlow DipLCM (Voice), ALCM (Pianoforte)
I was born in Basildon, Essex - thats right, an Essex girl! I have 2 older brothers (Matthew & Chay) and 2 wonderful parents (Helen & Roy).
We all play the piano, my brothers both went up to Grade 7, my dad went up to Grade 5, and my mum and I got our Diplomas - entitling us to letters after our names (No comments!!) Matthew spends all his spare time composing music, and Chay took up the drums and is a fantastic player. (Check out The Nat Pack someday or his new band - B-Side)
My mum is now a retired Music teacher, but both my mum and dad still play the piano for fun!!
I have a grand total of 5 nieces!!! Abigail, Grace, Emily, Isabelle and the youngest one, Ruby. All gorgeous, and each have their own unique personalities! I now also have a beautiful nephew called 'Bear' and i have had the honour of becoming a godparent to a lovely boy called sam!
Obviously the Piano is my main instrument, but I also took the Trombone up to Grade 5 and the Saxophone up to Grade 3.
I started singing when I was 14 and I was in my first band which was 'Doctor Palmer and his seven daughters'!
As you can imagine, it wasn't really my cup of tea, but still a lot of fun!
I have been very lucky to work with so many Professional & Amateur Dramatic Societies, and for the past 9 years I have turned my hand to Musical Directing - which I love. The shows I have run to date are - Half A Sixpence, Annie Get Your Gun, Annie (Twice), Lust, Barnum, High Society, Mack and Mabel, Fiddler on the Roof, The King & I, Annie Get Your Gun (1999 version), and Beauty & the Beast. This production was for the charity, Lennox - which is a wonderful group who help Children with Cancer. Check out my links page!
I am currently working with Lennox on Fiddler on the Roof which will be performed in May, but before that we are doing a fund-raising concert in February at the Brookside Theatre, Essex. I am also working with Firebirds Productions on 'Little Women' which will be performed in July at the Brentwood Theatre, Essex. Book your tickets for Fiddler NOW via www.queens-theatre.co.uk
2004, I started playing for 'The Howard Wallace Chorale' in Shenfield, Essex, under the direction of Tim Rhys-Morgan. A fantastic choir consisting of about 80 singers. Please read about them from my Links page.
I am now also a resident tutor of the choir 'Funky Voices' (under the direction of Sandra Colston) - superb group - Check out the links page.
I have directed the Basildon Junior School festival 4 or 5 times (can't remember!) and I am doing my 5th (?) year with the Chelmsford Junior School festival this June. 1000 children singing their hearts out.... lovely!!
At 18, I was approached by my music teacher who asked if I would come and sing with his Function band at weekends - a great opportunity which I snapped up! The band's name was 'Sounds Around' which after about 6 months joined with another band, and we became 'Sunset Boulevard'. A typical Function band, playing all the standards for Weddings, parties etc.
As the band began to fold, my music teacher, now very good friend, John Stevenson asked if I wanted to be in a duo with him, so 'It takes Two' was formed in 2000. We worked up until the end of 2002 as I had now met the lovely Nikky Napier who asked me if I would like to join 'Calico'.
I quickly explained that I knew absolutely nothing about the Country/Linedance circuit but Nikky assured me that I would soon grow to love it, which indeed I did!
Nikky and I became the best of friends, and I loved working with both her and Shanks (Brian)
The band, as all bands do, went through their changes, but all for the better.
At the end of 2006, I left Calico, which, to date, has been the hardest decision to make. I have always worked heavily with the Amateur Dramatic circuit, and with the amount of workload that Calico had, I found it impossible to do both.
After 3 months of leaving - I was asked to do Peace-Trains social, which just made me realise how much I missed everybody!
So, with the encouragement from Peace-Train, I started up on my own, and also started a band called 'The Nat Pack' - it has worked much better for me, as I now run my own diary and can cater for everything - including sleep!!
In December 2012, myself and a dear friend of mine foolishly decided to take our diploma in Musical Theatre singing...which,thankfully, I passed!!! It was worth all the blood, sweat and tears!! So I am now officially a double dip apparently!!
I was awarded the Crystal Boot Award for 'Dedicated Dance Artist' for 2009, nominated for it in 2010, and was lucky enough to receive it again for 2011 & 2012... an absolute honour. Thank you all!!!
Thank you for reading.
N x
I was born in Basildon, Essex - thats right, an Essex girl! I have 2 older brothers (Matthew & Chay) and 2 wonderful parents (Helen & Roy).
We all play the piano, my brothers both went up to Grade 7, my dad went up to Grade 5, and my mum and I got our Diplomas - entitling us to letters after our names (No comments!!) Matthew spends all his spare time composing music, and Chay took up the drums and is a fantastic player. (Check out The Nat Pack someday or his new band - B-Side)
My mum is now a retired Music teacher, but both my mum and dad still play the piano for fun!!
I have a grand total of 5 nieces!!! Abigail, Grace, Emily, Isabelle and the youngest one, Ruby. All gorgeous, and each have their own unique personalities! I now also have a beautiful nephew called 'Bear' and i have had the honour of becoming a godparent to a lovely boy called sam!
Obviously the Piano is my main instrument, but I also took the Trombone up to Grade 5 and the Saxophone up to Grade 3.
I started singing when I was 14 and I was in my first band which was 'Doctor Palmer and his seven daughters'!
As you can imagine, it wasn't really my cup of tea, but still a lot of fun!
I have been very lucky to work with so many Professional & Amateur Dramatic Societies, and for the past 9 years I have turned my hand to Musical Directing - which I love. The shows I have run to date are - Half A Sixpence, Annie Get Your Gun, Annie (Twice), Lust, Barnum, High Society, Mack and Mabel, Fiddler on the Roof, The King & I, Annie Get Your Gun (1999 version), and Beauty & the Beast. This production was for the charity, Lennox - which is a wonderful group who help Children with Cancer. Check out my links page!
I am currently working with Lennox on Fiddler on the Roof which will be performed in May, but before that we are doing a fund-raising concert in February at the Brookside Theatre, Essex. I am also working with Firebirds Productions on 'Little Women' which will be performed in July at the Brentwood Theatre, Essex. Book your tickets for Fiddler NOW via www.queens-theatre.co.uk
2004, I started playing for 'The Howard Wallace Chorale' in Shenfield, Essex, under the direction of Tim Rhys-Morgan. A fantastic choir consisting of about 80 singers. Please read about them from my Links page.
I am now also a resident tutor of the choir 'Funky Voices' (under the direction of Sandra Colston) - superb group - Check out the links page.
I have directed the Basildon Junior School festival 4 or 5 times (can't remember!) and I am doing my 5th (?) year with the Chelmsford Junior School festival this June. 1000 children singing their hearts out.... lovely!!
At 18, I was approached by my music teacher who asked if I would come and sing with his Function band at weekends - a great opportunity which I snapped up! The band's name was 'Sounds Around' which after about 6 months joined with another band, and we became 'Sunset Boulevard'. A typical Function band, playing all the standards for Weddings, parties etc.
As the band began to fold, my music teacher, now very good friend, John Stevenson asked if I wanted to be in a duo with him, so 'It takes Two' was formed in 2000. We worked up until the end of 2002 as I had now met the lovely Nikky Napier who asked me if I would like to join 'Calico'.
I quickly explained that I knew absolutely nothing about the Country/Linedance circuit but Nikky assured me that I would soon grow to love it, which indeed I did!
Nikky and I became the best of friends, and I loved working with both her and Shanks (Brian)
The band, as all bands do, went through their changes, but all for the better.
At the end of 2006, I left Calico, which, to date, has been the hardest decision to make. I have always worked heavily with the Amateur Dramatic circuit, and with the amount of workload that Calico had, I found it impossible to do both.
After 3 months of leaving - I was asked to do Peace-Trains social, which just made me realise how much I missed everybody!
So, with the encouragement from Peace-Train, I started up on my own, and also started a band called 'The Nat Pack' - it has worked much better for me, as I now run my own diary and can cater for everything - including sleep!!
In December 2012, myself and a dear friend of mine foolishly decided to take our diploma in Musical Theatre singing...which,thankfully, I passed!!! It was worth all the blood, sweat and tears!! So I am now officially a double dip apparently!!
I was awarded the Crystal Boot Award for 'Dedicated Dance Artist' for 2009, nominated for it in 2010, and was lucky enough to receive it again for 2011 & 2012... an absolute honour. Thank you all!!!
Thank you for reading.
N x