Stephen Fischbacher - how it all started!
Stephen Fischbacher originates from Glasgow, but has been living in Edinburgh for the last 20 years. He is married to Erna and has three children, Beth, Brodie and Sunna. Fischy Music grew out of the work that Stephen was involved in at St Paul’s and St George’s Church in Edinburgh, and the charity was formed in 1998. Most of the initial work that Stephen did was in churches around Edinburgh but in 2000 the work in schools really started to take off, and requests to lead assemblies and classes started to flood in. Stephen worked on his own in Fischy Music for a while and remembers working in his bedroom with piles of boxes and bits of paper everywhere.
“It was all a bit chaotic in the early days and you were not sure if it all was going to work or not” says Stephen, “but as the schools work started to take off, we realised that we had found a real a real niche in writing and performing songs for children in schools and churches on issues that affect their lives. Even though most of the songs that I write do not mention God or seem explicitly Christian, the inspiration and root of the work of Fischy Music is Christian. Children face many things today that they did not have to face when I was young and have to cope with more complicated family structures. I see Fischy Music as having a relevant message for children today, that they are massively valued, creative and every child has their own unique contribution to make to our world. Many children have little or no concept of this and I think music is a tremendous way of celebrating, exploring and expressing emotions and truths about who we are as people”.
Stephen is a fanatical fisherman but is embarrassed to admit that he does not like eating fish. “I give them to people as presents, rather than a bottle of wine, why not give a frozen, recently caught fish?!” He attends a small Episcopal church in Edinburgh and also enjoys swimming, golf, going to Sutherland and sleeping.

Suzanne Adam

Suzanne has been working for Fischy Music since 2001. She graduated from Edinburgh University in July 2001 with an honours degree in Music and Technology, and now teaches music, sings and plays violin professionally. She was delighted to be formally employed by the Royston Trust in December 2001 as a performer, and as Event Manager for Fischy Music, after two years of employment on a sessional basis.
This position involves event management, marketing, website maintenance and general development work as well as regular school visits and concerts: Suzanne finds the variety of work challenging and extremely rewarding. An exciting development has been the opportunity to lead events, assisted by other Fischy team members. This gives Stephen more time to work on new material and training events, and promotes the idea of Fischy Music as a movement rather than a personality-driven organisation.

Ken Wylie, a mime artist from the London area, has also been making regular appearances with Fischy over the last four years. He first performed with Stephen in 1998 at a London concert (both having been persuaded by mutual friends that they should work together, despite reservations!), and has been adding colour and energy to larger Fischy events ever since. His performances can be poignant and hilarious by turn, encouraging children and adults to interact, and adding a dramatic visual element.

In 2003, Edinburgh performer Naomi Barton was added to the Fischy team . Naomi's particular enthusiasms are dance and drama, and this together with her several year's experience as a primary school teacher have made her a great asset! Naomi has worked in partnership with both Stephen and Suzanne, enabling them to cover more ground than they were previously able to, and her sons Scott and Jamie have also become familiar people at Fischy events!

Jazz singer Louise Holden is a trained interpreter for the deaf. She adds a new strand of non-verbal communication to what Fischy can offer, and has already augmented several concert performances with her dynamic 'signed' interpretations of Fischy songs. January 2004 sees her commence schools work with Suzanne, allowing her to use her vocal talents as well!

Stewart Henderson is a poet, broadcaster and songwriter. His two collections of poetry for children Who Left Grandad At The Chipshop? and All Things Weird and Wonderful are best sellers, with the Sunday Times describing his poetry as ‘essential reading’. The magazine ‘Time Out Kids Out’ remarked on Stewart’s uncanny ability to write about life from a child’s point of view – with all its hopes, disappointments and ‘the complications of growing up’. As Roger McGough said of Stewart’s work, it can combine the ‘silly and the serious’in the same poem, no mean feat.
Stephen and Stewart have been writing songs together for the past few years and the results can be heard on the new album I Wonder, scheduled for release in early 2007. When he’s not writing songs and poems, Stewart broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 4 on a whole range of programmes, including presenting the weekly, problem solving favourite, Questions, Questions.
Stewart's poetry books for children are now available to buy in the Fischy online shop - recommended reading!

Naomi and Scott 2002

Louise Holden 2003