All about "creating well-being in the workplace through the power of music"

They bring the lessons of 25 years’ experience to Denmans Garden on October 11 when they offer Verdi’s opera La Traviata as a fund-raiser for Hostage International.

City Music Services CEO and founder Howard Charles is delighted to return to Denmans Garden where they performed Don Giovanni two years ago.

“My background is as an opera singer and I was just randomly giving some singing lessons in a big law firm. I was in the office giving lessons to some senior partners, and it became clear within a few months that this was something that I could develop, going into offices and giving singing lessons and doing music-related activities. I started bringing in more tutors and I started running a choir and doing events and productions.”

Clients now include Goldman Sachs and Barclays and JP Morgan and the London Stock Exchange.

“Initially I had no long-term vision for it. It was just an opportunity to go in and give the lessons but I realised that doing that was actually doing a number of things. It enables people to have quality time in their offices during their work day, and it enables people to start maybe a new instrument or picking up their music-making where they had left off before. In all the years I was doing it, I was aware of all the benefits that it brought both to individuals and to groups but now all those benefits have been confirmed by research.

“I would often talk about the benefits of music-making in terms of social engagement and health and well-being. It is just that now there is a whole raft of research and evidence that supports that. 25 years ago it was just me saying ‘People have experienced this and people experienced that’ and I have found that 45 minutes of music lessoa meant that they returned to their desks much more productive and de-stressed.

“There are just so many benefits. For instance, it reduces isolation but it's also using your brain, in fact using both sides of your brain and generating new neural pathways.”

From lessons it was a natural step to performances such as the one that is coming up at Denmans Garden when two up-and-coming young opera singers will work with an amateur company comprising investment bankers, lawyers, IT consultants and the like.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/la-traviata-tickets-1427206375689

The event is a fund-raiser for Hostage International, a charity which provides specialist assistance for people affected by kidnappings and arbitrary detention worldwide, offering expert assistance to the families of hostages and former hostages throughout their ordeal and beyond.

While Hostage International isn’t involved in the resolution of hostage situations, it offers practical guidance, trauma support and information to those living through the complexities of international hostage situations. Co-founded in 2004 by former hostage Sir Terry Waite and Carlo Laurenzi, it is the longest-established international charity offering independent and tailored support for families affected by a hostage incident regardless of their nationality or place of residence and is currently supporting around 100 individuals.

The fund-raising event was the brainchild of Hostage International volunteer fundraiser, Jo Bowen, who wants more people to be aware of, and support the work of Hostage International.