A picture of me singing

ecm.me.uk

- Home of Charlotte Mercer

About Me

Ok, I know it's a bit pants to put one's biog on what might otherwise be a decent site, but it seemed to be about time I explained myself.

Work

I'm a civil servant, currently working on Marine Planning policy. It's as interesting as it sounds. Marginally more interesting, though rarely updated now, is the www.foi.gov.uk site I developed in my last job.

Music

As you might have guessed by the URL and a few other bits on this site, I'm a musician. I'm primarily a singer, and am gradually building up some decent solo experience, but I also play flute and piano (just about). I have an MA in English Cathedral Music, and spend a week or so every year singing in cathedrals around the country with various choirs. I have been known to conduct a bit when necessary.

Other interests

Singing and other music-related pastimes aside, I enjoy doing gymnastics and trying to ice-skate, although I'm too lazy to do them often. I also like fell-walking, camping and caravanning. Yes, I do mean that I enjoy spending my holidays in the fibreglass boxes that shows like TopGear and Brainiac delight in blowing up. Weirdly, I also like those TV shows.... I'm becoming increasingly geeky, hence teaching myself CSS to re-design this site. (Credit must go to Molly E. Holzschlag, whose book Spring into HTML and CSS got me started.) I suppose geekiness was inevitable after I started using Apple computers aged 14. Thanks Mum! Other passing interests include listening to BBC Radio 4, watching cricket, reading (historical novels, fantasy and travelogues mostly - I don't pretend that it looks educated), Tudor history, sleeping and avoiding learning to cook. I travel when I can afford it, and I speak passable German.

Boring biog details

I was born and brought up in Norfolk, where I was a founder member of the Norwich Cathedral Girls' Choir. I studied law at Bristol University and after graduating decided that I wanted a proper music qualification too. I spent a year at Exeter University doing my MA (RIP the Music Department, btw), then started working for the Civil Service. I did warn you it was dull.