Matilda In The Middle Book Launch

We’re delighted that our own Katy Lironi has launched her own book, following star studded launches in Edinburgh and Glasgow last week.
The event was hosted by leading cultural commentator, Alistair Braidwood and was an opportunity to listen to excerpts from Matilda In The Middle read by Katy to packed audiences.

Not only did it feature our very own Choir 21, Katy and husband Douglas MacIntyre played an acoustic set, with celebrities in the audience including the wonderful Mel Giedroyc.
Katy’s story is first and foremost, a musical, family memoir. Both parents come with their own lives immersed in the Scottish music scene of the 1980s – Katy enmeshed in everything that was Edinburgh-based C86 indie pop, while her bandmate and future husband, Douglas MacIntyre, embraced the Scottish post-punk era.

At the turn of the century, just as the the couple’s musical projects are in the midst of a creative overload, children start to appear at an alarming rate. Six years and five children later, SandFest was born – raising thousands of pounds over the next decade for Down’s Syndrome charities.

A family. Functioning. JUST – music is always there to save the day. At the centre of this family saga is the indomitable spirit of middle child, Matilda, whose Down Syndrome is, in equal parts, challenging and an amazing gift within the family dynamic!

In part, with the raw and unflinching honesty Katy tells of her encounters with the medical profession and educational authorities, which can be described as alternating between difficult and wonderful.

At heart, this is the story of a family’s love of music and how it has provided purpose, forged relationships and created harmony in every aspect of their lives … with Matilda in the middle.

You can order a copy here.