Michele’s World

Guest Blogger: Ad’m Martin

Pianist and vocalist Michele Thredgold spoke with Ad’m Martin about loving music, confronting mental health challenges, feelings of social isolation and her yearning for chocolate.

Michele’s parents would serenade her to sleep as an infant and that is where her love of music began. Her voice saw her become a finalist in a talent quest at the ripe young age of twelve. She now has her own music business and a new show Welcome To My World, debuting at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival.

One of my first questions to any disabled artist is what labels they choose to use. I am loath to thrust labels onto anyone, but when people choose their own it makes communication flow much easier and I love to hear people’s responses. When I asked Michele she replied simply “First and foremost I am Michele.” I thought that was a brilliant response. As for her impairment, Michelle refers to herself as “totally blind”

Music may be Michele’s life and work, but she does like to take a break from music every now and again with “a good talking book, a cup o’ tea and some Haigh’s honeycomb chocolate.

During our conversation she mentioned the social difficulties she endured growing up without the ability to make eye contact with people, with some moving anecdotes that have found their way into Welcome To My World. Performing songs both familiar and original, Welcome To My World, sees Michelle using song, and humour to explore depression, alienation and her addiction to chocolate! It promises to be a powerful one woman show (one woman and one dog) of song and storytelling about the various and fascinating facets of Michele’s life as a blind person navigating a sighted world.

It promises to be a powerful one-woman (that is one woman and her dog) which Michele hopes will enlighten people on all the various and fascinating facets of her life.

Michele is a Salisbury girl through and through, growing up in Para Hills and spending a lot of time within in the Salisbury community. So having the first three performances of Welcome To My World at the Salisbury Secret Garden, as part of the 2014 Adelaide Fringe on Feb 25, 26 & 28, is for her like “going home”. You can also catch Michelle perform Welcome To My World at The Bakehouse Theatre on March 12 & 13,2014 ).

Don’t miss your chance to experience life through the soul of a blind woman in her biggest solo performance to date.

Click here to go to the FringeTix website to book tickets