Heavenly Sounds

In two holiday concerts, Renaissance songstress Annie Haslam brings her ethereal voice to her adopted home of Bucks County, Pa.

By: Susan Van Dongen
   An angel has landed in Bucks County. Well, a mortal with the voice of an angel, anyway.
   About 15 years ago, Annie Haslam — whose soaring soprano was the signature of ’70s art-rock group Renaissance — moved from Bolton, Lancashire, England, to put down roots in eastern Pennsylvania. Bucks County, with its history of creative inhabitants, may be the perfect place for her.
   "Bucks County, Bolton — they both begin with a ‘B,’" she says, chuckling.
   Ms. Haslam is aware that other stellar talents have lived in the region sometimes called the "genius belt." Former Bucks residents include Pearl Buck, James Michener and, of course, Oscar Hammerstein, who was inspired to write "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" looking out on the countryside of Solebury Township.

Annie Haslam, the angel-voiced frontwoman for ’70s art-rockers Renaissance, will present concerts at the Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church in Upper Black Eddy, Pa., Dec. 21 and Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pa., Dec. 27.

   How appropriate Ms. Haslam should haunt Mr. Hammerstein’s former stamping grounds. It was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s music that first captivated her as a child, when her parents took her to see South Pacific. She’s recently released One Enchanted Evening (White Dove), full of her favorite songs, including several from the classic show.
   "It’s an unusual collection of songs," she says. "There’s Rodgers and Hammerstein, some light opera, as well as some Joni Mitchell. I do ‘She’s Leaving Home’ by the Beatles. Just songs that planted the seed for me musically."
   Ms. Haslam will do selections from the new album and will delve into her extensive back catalog — including songs she did with Renaissance — as well as her favorite festive music, in a special holiday concert at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pa., Dec. 27, shortly after hosting a cozy Christmas concert at Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church in Upper Black Eddy, Pa., Dec. 21.
   "It’s always a wonderful, intimate evening," Ms. Haslam says. "We have a vegetarian supper, because I know people are going to be coming from abroad and they’re going to be hungry. It’s mainly my fans. They make it a part of their holiday celebration."
   The music business has sailed a sea of change since Renaissance fused folk, jazz and classical influences with rock. Founded in 1969, the group came about at a highly creative and experimental time, taking the classical arrangements from the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper a giant step further. The new format of FM free-form radio — with stations like Philadelphia’s WMMR and WNEW in New York leading the way — was perfect for the group’s lengthy, suite-like songs. Ms. Haslam maintains longstanding friendships with early progressive rock jocks Ed Sciaky and Alison Steele.
   Her five-octave range was beautifully suited for the romantic lyrics and numerous references to classical music in their songs. For example, "At the Harbor" quotes parts of Claude Debussy’s "Engulfed Cathedral," and "Running Hard" borrows from Jehan Alain’s "Litanies."
   Renaissance personified the term "art-rock," especially after the band recorded Scheherezade and Other Stories in 1975, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Later, they would take this symphonic work to Carnegie Hall, where they would do two sold-out concerts with the New York Philharmonic, capturing the moment on a live album. The group garnered a large fan base in New York, Philadelphia and other East Coast cities but were never embraced by the mainstream.

Ms. Haslam’s recently released CD, One Enchanted Evening, is full of her favorite songs, including several from the classic show South Pacific

   In 1977, Ms. Haslam recorded her first solo album, Annie in Wonderland, and continued to tour and record with Renaissance until the group disbanded in 1987. Numerous solo projects, guests appearances and foreign tours followed, including sojourns to Brazil and Japan.
   Ms. Haslam has had personal as well as professional challenges, surviving a bout with breast cancer in 1992, as well as enduring the highs and lows of the music industry. A few years ago, she decided to "do it herself" and founded The White Dove Organization to promote her work.
   "I prefer things this way," she says. "If I was in the mainstream, I wouldn’t be doing this. I’m very happy with what I’m doing."
   She’s also found time to explore her spirituality. The Dawn of Ananda (White Dove, 2000) was co-produced and co-written by former Renaissance member Michael Dunford as well as producers Tony Visconti and Larry Fast. All the songs on Ananda relate to her spiritual journey.
   "I’ve been working with the angelic realms for thousands of years," she says, laughing. "I’ve had many otherworldly experiences in my life."
   It’s appropriate, then, that her most beloved annual show has been at a church. This will be the seventh year for Ms. Haslam’s Christmas concert at Upper Tinicum Lutheran.
   At first, the congregation and the locals didn’t have a clue that this was one of the most distinctive female voices in progressive rock. They thought the petite, velvet-gowned woman was just someone from the area who happened to have an extraordinary talent.
   "These were people who never even knew Renaissance existed, and that made it even better," she says. "I’ve acquired a lot of new fans through these concerts."
   After the concert, the uninitiated invariably scramble to find Ms. Haslam’s earlier recordings.
   One such item in this list is the Yes tribute CD, Tales from Yesterday. Progressive rock fans will think they’ve died and gone to heaven when they hear Ms. Haslam’s ethereal voice do "Turn of the Century" with guitarist Steve Howe. She also appears on an all-star tribute to Genesis, doing the 1975 classic "Ripples." Both albums are available through the Magna Carta label.
   There is talk in some of the British and European trend magazines that progressive rock — with its 10-minute long songs, obscure lyrics and virtuosic instrumental solos — is coming back.
   Naturally, Ms. Haslam would be pleased to find a new generation discovering her music. Meanwhile, she’s quite happy to have a legion of loyal fans, her new-found passion of painting and other creative activities and plenty of performances in the tri-state region — especially anything in her adopted shire of Bucks County.
   "It reminds me of England," she says.
Annie Haslam performs a holiday concert at the Keswick Theatre, Easton Road and Keswick Avenue, Glenside, Pa., Dec. 27 (rescheduled from Dec. 7), 8 p.m. Tickets cost $30-$35. For information, call (215) 572-7650. On the Web: www.keswicktheatre.com. Annie Haslam on the Web: www.anniehaslam.com. Annie Haslam’s 7th Annual Christmas Concert will be held at the Upper Tinicum Lutheran Church, Upper Tinicum Church Road, Upper Black Eddy, Pa., Dec. 21, 8:15 p.m. Tickets cost $27.50, which includes a vegetarian supper at 7 p.m. Available by mail through The White Dove Org., PO Box 12, Folsom, PA 19033. For information, call (610) 859-0366.