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Charities
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Demelza
gives voice
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Demelza is a young singer studying at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama and
is becoming well known throughout
Freemasonry as she is a beneficiary of the
Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys
(RMTGB).
She supported the Trust at the launch of
the 2006 Festival, which is being supported
by the Province of Yorkshire North and East
Ridings.
Demelza has been appearing at Ladies’
Nights, family dinners and Christmas
concerts at various Lodges for over ten years.
She has even been invited to entertain
Masons in Munster, Germany at the zu
den drei Balkan Lodge. Subsequently
she entertained Dutch visitors to Mitre
Lodge, York.
Her love of performing was well
nurtured by her late grandfather, W. Bro.
Chris Stafford, who proudly presented
the nervous youngster for the first time
to his own Lodge of St. Germain, Selby
at their Christmas dinner.
This was her first taste of singing in the
Temple, and she has grown and matured
both vocally and personally under the
watchful eye of her Masonic connections.
Demelza’s mother, Elizabeth, instilled
in Demelza and her brother Ben, a strong
sense of determination as she displayed her
ability to work as hard as possible to support
the two of them as a single mother.
She had overcome a youth plagued
by hospitalisation for a broken back, and
despite being told she would never walk,
held down a number of demanding jobs
in order to support her children.
Being brought up around such courage
and strength, Demelza learnt that she could
achieve anything she wanted to if she was
prepared to work hard enough.
In 1997 the Stafford family’s luck
dramatically changed. Demelza’s mother
suffered a bad fall which reignited the horrific
back injury and left her unable to walk.
This led to Elizabeth’s independence being
shattered and the children’s grandfather
stepped in to help, but tragically, only
months later, Chris Stafford was diagnosed
with cancer and died within weeks.
At this time, the MTGB took the two
children under their wing to allow them to
continue with their education and to support
them in their quest to achieve their goals.
Thanks to their continued support,
Demelza has been able to complete her
A-Levels, a business course to support her
in her future career and also to gain a place in
one of the world’s top vocal conservatoires.
Her performance successes have been many
and very varied, from touring the UK as
a solo act with a variety show to performing
as a soloist in the London Palladium,
entertaining at the BBC Sports Awards
and singing for the wedding of a BBC
producer and her Presenter husband.
This year she performed her first major
role in an opera, Mother, in Humperdink’s
Hansel and Gretel. Demelza hopes to produce
her second CD and is to perform at the
Christmas concert in the Grand Temple
on 10 December.
Her future involves one more year
completing the undergraduate Batchelor
of Music and then two years of postgraduate
training before attempting to gain a place
on an opera course for two years, and then
hopefully obtaining a position on a training
scheme at an opera house.
Meantime, during vacations, she works
part-time in and around her home village
in order to contribute to her upkeep.
Demelza is available for events and
can be contacted on 07811 466 550.
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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