Dunelm Records

Dunelm Records was founded by Jim and Joyce Pattison in Glossop, England in 1992; its first job was to record a concert for a local choir, and the quality of the work soon attracted enquiries from amateur and professional musicians alike, form Royal Holloway Symphony Orchestra, London Shostakovich Orchestra, The Fitzwilliam Quartet, and soloists from many countries, several of whom have reached the top of their professional ladder: Korean Jae-Hyuck Cho, Russian Sergei Dukachev, Greek pianist Panayiotis Demopoulos and also established British artists such as pianists Martin Roscoe, Nigel Foster, Bernard Roberts and Alicia Fiderkiewicz, organist Ronald Frost, Dunelm became closely associated with the fine group of composers and performers in the Manchester area, especially the internationally famed pianist Murray McLachlan, who has made over 20 recordings for Dunelm some of which, including his Beethoven complete sonata series, remain to be released. The label also was instrumental in helping to popularize the music of Robert Simpson, through recordings by the Kensington Symphony Orchestra and others, which remain in regular demand.

The Dunelm catalogue grew to some 250 titles, gaining often glowing reviews. After suffering health problems in their 70s, Jim and Joyce decided to retire; following the incorporation of Dunelm into the Divine Art Group in 2008, several of the best professional recordings have been re-issued on the Diversions and Metier labels; the rest of the catalogue is to be made available digitally (excluding those made for purely personal or local interest) and the CDs - all of which are made to order on custom CDR stock) will be withdrawn in due course, though at present (September 2011) they remain available via the Divine Art online store and Jim Pattison continues in his ‘retirement’ to play an active role in supporting and promoting British music and musicians.