Isaac & Rebecca Draper

Husband-and-wife players of string instruments and vocal cords. Other interests include birds, science-fiction, and the constant pursuit of new shoes.

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What a lovely evening; perfect for some knife juggling. #juggler #juggling #knifejuggling #keepingmydistance (at Kingston upon Hull)

[irdraper]

Since we've been pretty quiet on social media for a while, we thought we'd update you on what we've been up to. Firstly, a personal revelation. We both struggle with anxiety & depression, and Rebecca with PTSD. We live with it day to day, and it affects every area of our lives, including our music. We'll probably do a standalone post to go into more detail about this, but we want you to know that we're still making music, both together and separately, and that we're very grateful for your patience with us. Secondly, some new ventures. Rebecca has returned to the viola section of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra after four years away. This is a big step, as it marks a real turning point in her mental illness. She's very excited to be back home! Her first concert back is Saturday 13th May at Hull City Hall. We've also both joined a new orchestra, Culture:Orchestra; and chamber choir, Culture:Voce; run by the lovely Daniel and Charlotte of @culturemusichull. Isaac has never played with an orchestra before, and has only a little experience with choral singing, and Rebecca hasn't sung regularly with a choir for seven years. We are really excited and full of enthusiasm about these new projects, both for the opportunity to regularly make wonderful music and making lovely new friends. We're both pretty shy and meeting new people can be hard, but the folk we've met through Culture:Music have been so warm and welcoming to us. We have concerts coming up in June and July, and we'll keep you posted. Lastly, experiencing music new and old. On the weekend of Rebecca's ​birthday, we attended two concerts as part of the BBC Radio 3 Uproot festival, and this weekend we were at John Grant's North Atlantic Flux festival. We've heard artists we already knew and loved, and discovered many more brilliant artists we'd never heard of before. The @2017hull City of Culture year is such an exciting time to be in this wonderful city, and has given this place a newfound sense of joy and self-esteem. Thanks for sticking with us on our journey. There's much more to come! #hull #lovehull #hull2017 #mentalhealth #music #singing #hullphil #culturemusichull #orchestra #choir #festivals (at Kingston upon Hull)