York man reunites with Royal Philharmonic for second release

Paul Studer, 71, previously recorded with the well-known orchestra to release his album, All My Love, which was written in memory of his wife, Diane, who died with bowel cancer on November 3, 2022.

Mr Studer said he looked after his wife for 15 years while she lived with neuropathy, a condition affecting the nerves in the body’s extremities including hands and feet, before she was diagnosed with bowel cancer a year before she died.

Members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Angel Studios in Islington, London, during the recording of Paul Studer's second album, The Magic Slippers (Image: Ben Bauer/PA Wire) The amateur singer paid tribute to his wife by creating an album and contacted the RPO last year, who were moved by his story and agreed to record his music, and now has helped him to create his second album, The Magic Slippers, which is about his childhood.

Paul Studer said he was 'just an ordinary bloke' and that 'it was amazing that the RPO had twice agreed to perform for his recording (Image: Ben Bauer/PA Wire) Speaking from Angel Studios in Islington, London where he recorded his new music, Mr Studer told the PA news agency: “It amazes me that an orchestra of this quality would make a record with me.

“I’m just an ordinary bloke.

“But not only have they done it once, they’ve done it twice.

“It’s quite amazing that they should agree to do that.”

Mr Studer recalls using Google to search orchestras to help bring his album to life and was touched after a ‘very nice lady at the RPO answered the phone’.

He said: “I started to tell her what I wanted to do, and I burst into tears.

“She said: ‘We will do anything we can to help,’ and they have done.”

Mr Studer suffered a breakdown after losing his wife and admitted himself to Foss Park Hospital, which provides support for people living with mental health issues, where he sought help.

However, he could not attend his wife’s funeral after he was told to stay at the hospital for six months, but through determination he wrote the album and created a ‘proper memorial service for her and (to) give her the send-off she deserved’ on September 28, 2023, which marked their 45th wedding anniversary.

He hopes the songs he wrote for Diane’s memorial service will provide some form of ‘comfort’ for people who listen to it.

Paul Studer said: “For the (songs) for the memorial service, it’s an ideal thing for a funeral those songs.

“That means something to people that have lost somebody.

“It’s songs about loss.

“If I can give them some comfort with those songs, that will do for me.”

He said making a record is something he’d always wanted to do, having written 110 songs over a period of around 50 years, which drives him on to continue releasing music.

He said: “I’m not getting any younger.

“I’ve got to carry on, although it’s nerve-wracking.

“I am taking like a leap, I am nervous, but it’s just something I’ve got to do.

“If I don’t do it now I’ll never do it.”

Mr Studer will record the rest of his album, The Magic Slippers, which is yet to be released.

All My Love is available to listen to on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music.