Choirs, Stories and Song: Sian Jamison Prepares for A Right Old Ding Dong at Market Hall

Composer, musician, and choir leader Sian Jamison is bringing the spirit of London to Plymouth with A Right Old Ding Dong — an evening of original songs inspired by the city’s landmarks, history, and hidden stories. Performed by community choirs, soloists, children from Widey Court Primary School, and a live band, this vibrant celebration takes place at Market Hall, Devonport, on Saturday 18 October.
Ahead of the performance, we sat down with Sian to talk about her creative journey, the inspiration behind the songs, and how a surprising burst of creativity during the menopause shaped her work.

A Right Old Ding Dong is such a brilliant title — can you tell us what audiences can expect from the performance at Market Hall?

The songs are about various places within London and explore their history and social significance.  They are written in a wide variety of styles: folk, music theatre, calypso, music hall and rock. A Right Old Ding Dong to me implies a sing song or all kinds of goings on!  A  large adult community choir, a chamber choir, a children’s choir and a live band will be performing so it will be a really vibrant, colourful performance.  Each song will be introduced by a character, such as Nelson in Trafalgar Square or a Yeoman of the Guard in Tower Hill who will describe the scenario and put the song into context. We are also going to project pictures to illustrate the places and events being described in the songs.  The singers will be dressed as Londoners through the ages…so the audience should be drawn into a fascinating musical journey through our wonderful, evocative capital city.

You’ve written a whole collection of original songs about London. What is it about the city that inspired you, and how did you decide which stories and landmarks to bring to life in song?

It’s the history and the stories which intrigue me.  I didn’t really choose the places in a conscious way … they just came to me one at a time … sometimes because I was just walking and found the place and wondered about it!  And then I used the internet to research more information about the places.

I think I started with Oxford Street which is the way the prisoners were taken to Tyburn, (the hanging tree at what is now Marble Arch) from Newgate prison.  So, the first song is an illustration of that journey from life to death!

Then I thought I should include Trafalgar Square as it’s very central to everything that happens in London, especially as a place where New Year has been celebrated traditionally.

Other songs are more personal as The Old Kent Road was where I lived when I first went to London as a student. It has a fascinating history as the entry and exit from London to the English coast and the continent.

One of the most fascinating is Unsung Heroes which is about a place called Postman’s Park where there are plaques displayed in memory of people who lost their lives saving others. There are many plaques but I chose to tell the story of just six of these brave souls.

The event brings together a community choir, soloists, and children from Widey Court Primary School. Why was it important for you to include both adults and young voices in the performance?

It’s very important to me that all people of all ages and abilities have access to singing.  I trained and worked as a secondary school music teacher and Head of Music and in that role, I was passionate about choral music and training choirs.  My students did all kinds of events and performances over the years and really, I just can’t stop doing it.  It’s exciting for everyone, it develops confidence, expands their knowledge, involves socialising and communication.  Basically, singing with others is life affirming and a joy!

Collaboration is clearly at the heart of this project. What is it like working with such a diverse group of singers and musicians to bring your vision to the stage?

It’s actually really hard work and involves a lot of self-belief. Everyone also needs to buy into your vision and you have to tell them it’s going to happen and it’s going to be amazing.  There hasn’t been a live performance of these songs previously and they are quite complex in some ways as they involve a lot of different groups and musical techniques, but I’ve done this kind of thing before and the only time I failed was towards the end Covid when we didn’t get an audience.  So, I know things can go wrong but I try to ensure that everything will be in place. 

In the past few years I’ve been working as a musician and educator with a number of different groups in the area. I  am the accompanist for the South West Chamber Choir, some of whom are taking part in this event and recently I have taken up a post as accompanist to a teenage choir, The Legacy Choir.  Last year I ran some sea shanty workshops for The Saltash Festival and I also do some music with children in primary schools as a singing and recorder teacher. I’m hoping that people from all these groups will join up, and that these various strands get woven together as we move towards this event at the Devonport Market Hall.

You’re not just a composer but also a storyteller. Do you see yourself primarily as a musician, or more broadly as someone who uses creativity to make history and place come alive?

I see myself primarily as a musician but if I hadn’t been a music teacher I would have studied history or archaeology because I find social history endlessly fascinating. I feel as if the stories of the past are just there under my feet waiting to be told and it seems that the way I tell the stories best is through song. 

Your creative journey is fascinating. Can you tell us a little about your background and how you came to this point in your career as a composer and musician?

I studied music and dance at Goldsmiths’ College in London and sang in some excellent choirs. It was stimulating and exciting.  I would like to have been a professional singer but financial security meant I had to teach.  My favourite part of teaching music was creating events and concerts and taking choir trips abroad … combining the wonderful resources of teenagers and their musical abilities with travel. I was, I think it would be fair to say, renowned for my school choirs which always sang in harmony and performed in many countries and prestigious places, such as the Albert Hall. Many students went on to study and make music, some very successfully.

After 22 years I opted to teach piano and singing outside the state education system  and eventually ran my own music school in Stonehouse.  It was at this stage that I found myself writing and recording songs and forming community choirs and children’s choirs to perform the songs.  More recently I have been able to work as a freelance musician and pursue my own musical interests.

You’ve spoken about how going through the menopause sparked a high energy wave of creativity for you. Could you share more about how that experience shaped your music and confidence as an artist?

I’m not sure if it did,  but it just seems an odd coincidence that the three albums of songs I’ve written and recorded were made when I was in my late fifties and certainly menopausal, experiencing lack of sleep, electric shocks, heat and tiredness.  I was in a creative fervour, the songs almost arrived complete, though I had to hone rhymes and lines and I had the intense need to score and record the songs to a high standard.  I also produced illustrated song books in case anyone wanted to sing them.  Since I took HRT, for which I’m very grateful, the intensity and need to create hasn’t been quite the same although I am doing other things which are equally challenging, but different.  I can rehearse and organise effectively and I’m also improving my own musical skills through more methodical practice.

The Market Hall is such a unique space. How does the venue itself contribute to the atmosphere and experience of A Right Old Ding Dong?

The venue grabbed me from the moment I saw it.  It is so amazing: the height, the wrought iron, the position of the hall.  I think it’s incredibly special and also of course, I can almost see the market sellers and the carcasses and the vegetables and the fish and the cheese.  Practically, the stairs are spectacular and will serve as a brilliant, tiered stage for a choir.  I also have a feeling that the acoustics will be very good: no amplification needed. I hope that the participants and audience really enjoy the space.

Looking ahead, what do you hope audiences will take away from this performance, and what’s next for you and your music after the London Songs project?

I would want the audience to enjoy hearing the stories told through song in an almost intimate way.  I am told I write ‘earworms,’ so the tunes should be in their heads as they leave. I want them to feel as if they’d like to join in and maybe we can find an opportunity for that in one or two songs. People should leave humming and tapping their feet and feeling like they were an integral part of the event, because an audience is totally part of the performance.  I hope we can make them feel that. Perhaps also, when they visit London next, they will know a little more about some of the hidden places that they may not have heard about before and make a visit remembering the songs.

There will probably be opportunities to sing in other community projects I put on in the future … so perhaps the event will inspire people to take part in singing  in the future.

What I’d like most though is to be invited to perform the songs at a venue in London perhaps in association with a London Choir.  Wouldn’t that be great?