Auctions

We were in the studio all day today recording first piano and then various vocals for our wedding film. It was a fairly exhausting, but ultimately rewarding experience. First up, Nathan's various nieces and nephews performed a line, and then Nathan's sister, Sam laid down vocals on top of the vocals brother Edward had put down yesterday. It was like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney doing Ebony and Ivory! Hearing the two of them singing in harmony was really sweet... Duetting via the wonders of technology!

Next up were our best men, Philip and Philippa. We learnt today that Philippa would rather be known as a best woman, which we really must try to adopt. It was so lovely to have everyone there together; best friends and family. A sure indication that there's a lot of good will for us and for the project in general.

I literally ran from Sonica Studios to Pall Mall to attend a charity gala meal for the NYMT, where, for the first time ever, a song from Brass was performed in public. It was performed by our Eliza, a stunning 17 year-old actress who threw herself into the performance hook, line and sinker. The hush in the room whilst she performed was extraordinary and I have a strong sense that, in five or ten years time, people who were fortunate enough to have been there will talk about the moment they first saw Laura Barnard.

I felt very proud to be introducing her to the audience, and also rather pleased to have a captive audience to whom I could wax lyrical about the importance of supporting new writers.

Dougal Irvine, a fellow composer, thanked me afterwards for what I'd said and, in his chat with the crowd, said, "I had this little speech prepared but Benjamin Till said it all so much more eloquently."

It struck me how nice it feels to be part of a set of composers who are trying to achieve the same thing. I've got so used to banging my own drum in obscure television films over the last few years that I'd adopted a rather isolationist stance. I'm rather enjoying the process of being integrated back into a society!

After the charity do I dashed across London to my old friend Matt's 40th birthday, which was in a penthouse in a London hotel. I remember his 30th birthday, and dancing round a maypole with Mel C. It does at least feel like rather a long time ago, so time hasn't started speeding up for me... At least not yet. It was also rather fun to tell him I'd been sitting next to the woman who'd won a chance to meet him in the auction earlier in the evening...

Anyhow. It's time for bed. I'm up first thing for a twelve hour session.