Sedbergh Music Festival 2012

Planning is well under way for the 2012 Music Festival, which will run from Sunday 3 June through to Sunday 17 June. In this Jubilee year we hope to have an even more exciting programme than in 2010 and we have engaged Tasmin Little, the world-renowned violinist, who will perform her solo repertoire ‘The Naked Violin’. Exploring a slightly broader canvas than hitherto we shall welcome the Cottontown Chorus, a male voice close-harmony choir who will be supported by Eu4ia, a ladies' barbershop quartet. The Festival's climax will be an impromptu performance of Mozart's Requiem, conducted by Jeremy Jackman, for ten years counter-tenor with the King's Singers, when we hope that the Sedbergh Summer Singers will be joined by enthusiasts from throughout the local area. Many of our old favourites will be returning. The list below gives a summary of the festival events, more detailed programme information will be available here later.

Heading East: Jeremy Lamburn, cello, accompanied by Nigel Spooner, piano, will start the Festival with a two-part programme with pieces by composers from Russia, Poland, Slovakia and Romania. The second recital will take place in St Andrew's at 3.00 pm on Sunday 10 June.
Choral Evensong: St Andrew's Choir and friends will sing Choral Evensong.
Lunchtime Recital: Lizzie Hosker, nee Thornely, violin, accompanied by her brother, Richard Thornely, piano, will give a recital comprising works by Brahms, Schumann and Dvorak.
Evening Concert: The Cobweb Orchestra Baroque Ensemble in concert.
Evening Concert: The Robson Duo, gifted twins, will play two piano duets: Beethoven's Symphonies No1 and No 9, the Choral.
Lunchtime Recital: We welcome back Julian Cann, violin, in three concerts. His first performance in the intimate surroundings of the United Reformed Church will be a solo violin recital.
An Evening of Slovenian Folk Music: Performers from Slovenia drawn primarily from the area of Zrece, Sedbergh's twin town, will entertain with a programme of folk music.
Organ Recital: Mark Swinton, formerly organist at Kendal Parish Church and now Assistant Director of Music at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, will explore the versatility of the recently restored organ in St Andrew's with works drawn from Bairstow, Langlais, Saint-Saens, Mozart and Bach.
The Naked Violin: Tasmin Little brings her project ‘The Naked Violin’, which has brought to the world the experience of the huge range of styles and expressions that a single, unadorned violin can produce, to Sedbergh. Her concert will include works by Telemann, Patterson, Bach, Albeniz and Ysaye.
La Serenta Trio: Charles Edmonson's trio of keyboard, flute and voice will give a varied programme.
Recital: We welcome back to this year's Festival Alla Kravchuk accompanied by Simon Phillips, who need no introduction to Sedbergh. Alla, who is now based in England, will sing some English songs and Brahms Lieder; and a specially commissioned cycle, Einsige Tage, by the English composer Francis Pitt which had its world premier on 12 November 2011. She will conclude her programme with Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben which she last performed in Sedbergh at the inaugural Festival in 2000.
Cottontown Chorus and Eu4ia: The Bolton Barbershop Harmony Club, aka Cottontown Chorus, is one of the leading barbershop groups in the UK. It has won the much sought after Gold medal at the British Association of Barbershop Singers four times in the last six years and represented the UK twice at the Barbershop Harmony Society Convention in the USA. They promise stirring harmonies, emotional lyrics and exciting choreography during their performance when they will also be joined by Eu4ia, a ladies' barbershop quartet.
Heading East: The second recital of Jeremy Lamburn and Nigel Spooner's programme.
Recital: Nicholas Hurndall Smith, tenor, accompanied by Alexa Wightman, piano, returns to St Andrew's with an adventurous programme.
Recital: Julian Cann, violin, accompanied by David Chapman, piano, will perform a variety of works.
Jadid Ensemble: Formed by guitarist and composer Glenn Sharp, the Jadid Ensemble is a unique group of musicians, based in Northwest England, who have a passion for the music of other nations and cultures. Their training in flamenco, Indian and Arabic musical traditions, coupled with their classical and jazz backgrounds, allows for traditional melodic styles to be reworked into something fresh and new.
Four Hands One Piano: Alexa Wightman and Helena Morwood return with their inimitable mix of fun and imagination at the keyboard.
Sedbergh Town Band: The Band will perform a variety of music, including compositions by the Bandmaster, Alan Lewis.
Pepperpot Teatime Concert: The primary-age Pepperpot orchestra, directed by Elizabeth Dodd and Anthea Meuli, will play some favourite pieces from their repertoire, followed by afternoon tea.
The Stonebridge Quartet: The quartet of Julian Cann and Jane Cull, violins; Allison Calderbank, viola; and Jeremy Lamburn, cello, return to this year's Festival.
Chetham's: One of the traditions of the Festival is the appearance of the astonishingly gifted young musicians from Chetham's who have featured in every Festival. We look forward to a varied programme of exciting music.
The Sedbergh Orchestra: This will be the Sedbergh Orchestra's inaugural performance at the Festival. Formed in October 2010 the Orchestra has made remarkable ''progress under the direction of Peter Crompton and is now a musical force to be reckoned with. We look forward to a varied and exciting programme which will feature soprano Jennifer Ward, nee Morris, and include music by Balakirev, McDowell, Rodrigo, Handel and Gade.
The Playing of the Merry Organ: Roger Bush will explore the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘King of Instruments’.
Recital: Tahirah Osborne, soprano, came to England from Trinidad and Tobago to study music at the Royal Academy of Music in 2009. In her first year she was awarded the Michael Head Prize, the Arthur Burcher Memorial Prize and the Douglas Samuel and Birdie Matthews Award. In October 2010 she won the Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers Competition. Tahirah has a remarkable talent and we look forward to a vibrant and exciting performance which will include works by Mozart, Handel, Schubert, Quilter and Hahn, and Spanish songs and Negro spirituals. She will be accompanied by Pablo Garcia-Berlanga, piano, another young and exceptionally talented musician.
Mozart's Requiem: The climax of the 2012 Festival will be a performance of Mozart's Requiem under the direction of Jeremy Jackman, for ten years counter-tenor with the King's Singers and now Director of the English Baroque Choir. The performance will be given by an invited choir, formed from local singers, who will rehearse throughout the day, when Jeremy will take the opportunity to examine the path to good choral singing. The performance will also include an excerpt from Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers, the Ave Maris Stella. The organ continuo will be played by Mark Swinton.
Choral Eucharist: Sedbergh School Choir will bring the Festival to a close.

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