Milngavie Choir
Sharing live music with the community
Penelope Smith won an open scholarship to the Royal Manchester College of Music at the age of 16 to study with the renowned piano teacher Gordon Green. After her graduation she acted as special vocal accompanist to the Principal and other professors at the Royal Manchester College of Music, taught at a training college and did occasional recitals together with broadcasts for the BBC. In 1969 she followed her husband (Geoffrey Haydock) to Scotland upon his joining the BBC SSO and became Scottish Ballet's first pianist staying with them for 4 years. Since then she has spent a career mostly in broadcasting and the concert hall. During the course of her work she has made over 2,000 radio and television broadcasts and accompanied many well-known artists including Jack Brymer, Kennether MacKellar, Marisa Robles, Moira Anderson and Jessie Norman. Penelope has played and recorded with many orchestras including The Royal Scottish National, BBC Scottish Symphony, Polish Chamber and Scottish Chamber. Whilst occasionally featuring as a concerto soloist with the BBC she is particularly noted for her work as a sensitive and sympathetic accompanist. As member of the "Classic Trio" she has given chamber music recitals, master-classes and concerts all over U.K. and abroad and on one occasion with the Trio gave 32 Concerts at different venues in 30 days for the Scottish Arts Council plus recording a CD for ASV.
Penelope has always taken a great interest in the encouragement of young people to play a musical instrument and has had a special interest in accompaniment. She has also acted as accompanist in the televised final for the 'BBC Young Musician of the Year' and the television 'Masterclass' series for STV. For 12 years Penelope was accompanist and Chamber Music Coach at Scotland's Special school for musically gifted children (Douglas Academy) leaving upon Georffrey's retirement from the BBC following which they spent up to 6 months of the year giving Concerts/ Masterclasses aroudn the world at Festivals, on cruise liners and expedition ships as well as in UK.
On a personal note, Penny in 2013 was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia and together with her husband Geoffrey and fellow musicians since then has rasied many thousands of pounds for the 'Paul O'Gorman Leukaemia Reasearch Centre' to help fund the work of the doctors and scientists that saved her life.