Draft:Ro Hancock-Child

Ro Hancock-Child (born August 30, 1957) is a British concert pianist, composer and writer.

Biography Born Rosemary Anne Child in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England [1], she has championed the musical work of British composers most notably Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960) and Madeleine Dring (1923 - 1977). Ro graduated from the University of Oxford in 1979 [2], studying Music at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford with tutor Susan Wollenberg. She was occasionally taught by Stephen Banfield and Derek Puffett.

In 1985 Ro married baritone Nicolas Hancock (known professionally as Nik and Michael) [3] and their surnames were combined as Hancock-Child.

Ro Hancock-Child studied piano with Margaret Howle via a Music School in Staffordshire, England run by John Augustus Harvey, the father of composer and pianist Paul Harvey OBE. As a child Ro was given the first published copy of Paul Harvey's Rumba Toccata and she recorded the piece in later life, also including a snippet of Rumba Toccata in her own composition Corroboree, in homage to Paul Harvey.

Aged 12, Ro gained full marks (100/100) in her Grade 5 piano exam with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. [4]

Ro gained a Distinction in her piano Diploma examination taken via Trinity College, London in 1976 (Licentiate of Trinity College London).

Inspired by the publishing work of John Bishop (husband of composer Betty Roe MBE and owner of Thames Publishing, London), in 1993 Ro submitted a manuscript on the songs of composer Cecil Armstrong Gibbs. John Bishop, with editor Em Marshall-Luck, published the book as A Ballad Maker, The Songs of C. Armstrong Gibbs. Ro Hancock-Child then obtained financial sponsorship from Elida Gibbs Ltd (Gibbs' family firm) to enable the recording of a compact disc devoted to Cecil Armstrong Gibbs' previously unrecorded solo songs, with Nik Hancock-Child as singer and herself as piano accompanist. This recording, also entitled A Ballad Maker, was released by Marco Polo, which later became part of Naxos.

Further inspired by John Bishop's publications of art songs by composer Madeleine Dring, Ro Hancock-Child asked for permission to write a biography of Dring. John Bishop introduced Ro to Dring's widower, Roger Lord (d. 2014 age 90), who had been Principal Oboist with the London Symphony Orchestra and is oboist on The Beatles' recording of A Day in the Life [Sgt. Pepper, 1967]. [4] Roger Lord first asked Ro to transcribe and publish Dring's youthful diaries, and then he authorised and partially funded the publication of a biography Madeleine Dring Her Music her Life (first edition 2000, revised 2009) supplying Ro with a large quantity of previously unknown material regarding his late wife Madeleine. After writing Dring's biography, Ro recorded Red Glory, a compact disc of Dring's solo piano music, with recording engineer Paul Arden-Taylor. With soprano Luise Horrocks and baritone Nik Hancock-Child, Ro recorded Love and Time, a programme of art songs and piano music by Madeleine Dring.

Ro Hancock-Child began composing tonal music age 40, starting with short pieces for solo piano and expanding to songs (solo voice and piano) and works for oboe and cor anglais. Her piano piece Leo, from the set Zodiac Preludes, was chosen as a Grade 7 examination piece and published by Trinity College, London. Three of Ro's songs, settings of poems by A. E. Housman, were recorded by baritone Graham Trew, to whom they were dedicated.

With Michael (Nik) Hancock-Child, Ro set up Micropress Publishing with the initial aim of publishing previously unpublished musical material by British composers. Micropress has issued a series of solo songs and solo piano pieces by Madeleine Dring whose manuscripts were supplied by Roger Lord. Ro also rescued and transcribed Dring's Idyll, written for viola and orchestra, which was then published by Micropress as Idyll for oboe and piano and has been recorded by Nicholas Daniel and Thierry Cammaert.

Ro's recording of Madeleine Dring's piano piece Mazurka was broadcast by BBC Radio Three [4]. A Radio broadcast of Ro's recording of Dring's Caribbean Dance has led to the renewed popularity of this sunny calypso-inspired piece, including performances by Birmingham City organist Thomas Trotter.

Ro Hancock-Child also studied at Westminster College, Oxford, gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Education in 1980. She taught Music, pianoforte, and flute at institutions including Shrewsbury School, Shropshire; Brentford School for Girls, Middlesex; Worcester Sixth Form College; and Keele University, Staffordshire.

Wishing to add to her skills, aged 62, Ro took singing lessons with Glenys Groves of the Royal Opera House, London, and gained a Distinction in Grade 8 Singing when examined by Trinity College, London. [7]

Ro Hancock-Child also has a keen interest in the paranormal, and through dedicated research she solved a 100 year old mystery of a ghost face in an official Royal Air Force [RAF] photograph, publishing her conclusions in The Ghost in Goddard's Squadron, A Mystery Unravelled which is available as a Kindle e-book. Also see wiki article on Air Marshal Sir Robert Victor Goddard.

Discography for Ro Hancock-Child includes: The Songs of Roger Quilter, with baritone Nik Hancock-Child, Clockhouse Records. A Ballad Maker, the Songs of C. Armstrong Gibbs, Marco Polo. Red Glory, solo piano pieces by Madeleine Dring, Micropress. Love and Time, solo piano pieces and songs by Madeleine Dring, Dinmore Records. Heart's Ease, solo piano music by British composers, Chandos Records, and also many compact disc recordings as solo pianist and accompanist, with Michael Hancock-Child (baritone), Glenys Groves (soprano), and Paul Arden-Taylor (oboe, cor anglais) including Everybody Says Don't, a programme of American songs and piano music, released by Naxos America.

References [1] see Births 1957 viewable on Ancestry. [2] notifications of Oxford University graduations, The Telegraph newspaper, 1979. [3] see Marriages 1985 viewable on Ancestry. [4] article and photo in The Sentinel newspaper, Stoke-on-Trent, 1969. [5] see Roger Lord (artist) • The Paul McCartney Project. [6] see BBC programme details for Suzy Klein, Martin Handley. [7] examination report sheet with Ro Hancock-Child.