Charlotte Baskerville - soprano

What do you do for a living?
I teach music at an all boys secondary school in Gloucester.
Have you lived in Gloucestershire all your life?
Not at all! I grew up near Salisbury, then went to university in Cambridge and then ended up moving to the Gloucestershire area about four years ago.
Where is your favourite place in Gloucestershire?
I can't pick! My husband and I love going for walks in the Cotswolds, we have such beautiful countryside on our doorstep.
Which bit of the building at Gloucester Cathedral do you love the most?
The Lady Chapel. A very calming space which is often overlooked by visitors.
If you had to name your favourite choral piece, what might it be and why?
Howells' Requiem. It's a gorgeous piece, particularly some of the harmonies! Also, I have very fond memories singing it on a university choir tour to New Zealand.
Is there a choral piece that you would love to sing in, but haven’t yet?
Tallis' Spem in Alium is definitely on my choral bucket-list.
What has been your favourite moment or event during your time with the Saint Cecilia Singers?
We went to Norwich Cathedral a couple of years ago to sing the services for a weekend. Brilliant music and great fun!
Where in the world would you most like to visit, but haven’t?
I'd love to go to Sicily. I've been to Italy a few times, but never Sicily. It's the combination of the Roman history, landscape and climate that appeal to me.
If you could read only two books from now on, which ones would they be?
Anything by Wodehouse (I think his writing is hilarious) and probably Berlioz's memoirs (he is up there as one of my favourite composers).
Which four figures from the past would you like to have at your dinner table?
John Cage, Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky and Ralph Vaughan-Williams - oops, they're all composers...
What was your favourite subject at school?
Music
What other hobbies do you enjoy outside of music?
Am I supposed to have other hobbies? I enjoy playing the clarinet and composing (I've had the time to do a lot more of the latter since lock-down).
What are you most looking forward to after lockdown eases?
Definitely seeing family and friends. My family are rather dispersed across the country, nobody lives close by!