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Sedbergh Music Festival 2010

Festival brochure

Sedbergh’s sixth biennial Music Festival will run from 4th to 20th June 2010. The programme covers a rich canvas of music and, while the main focus is upon the classical end of the musical spectrum, there is a breadth of performances which will take audiences from folk and blues through the classics to experimental music and electronic compositions. International artistes Emma Kirkby and Anthony Rooley will explore the classical tradition in English song and Carlo Curley, the “Pavarotti of the organ”, will give a wide ranging performance including works by Bach, Buxtehude, Sousa and Lindblad. Visiting choirs and soloists will sing works ranging from a Haydn Mass to songs by Gilbert and Sullivan. Instrumentalists, from those in the Town Band to individual soloists, will cover an equally diverse programme. We are extremely fortunate this year to have a wealth of young talent which will include soloists from Chethams, the BBC Radio 3 Youth Choir of the Year 2006 Amabile, the Westmorland Youth Orchestra, the choirs of Sedbergh and Casterton Schools and Sedbergh’s own Pepperpot Music Makers & Festival Players together with the Extreme Cellists. Throughout the Festival there will be an interactive musical and visual experience in Saint Andrew’s Church and there will also be other exciting exploratory events.

The Festival is dedicated to providing opportunities to the local community to enjoy quality music both as performers and audiences and with particular care taken to be totally accessible and inclusive.

Catering icon The St Andrew’s catering ladies will again be providing dinners and light lunches during the Festival. Dinners will be available in the Parish Room before the evening concerts on June 7th, 9th, 14th, 16th and 17th and must be booked in advance from the Tourist Information Office or our online box office. Lunches will be available before the recitals from 12.00 noon in the Parish Room on June 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th, and from 1.00 pm in Queen's Hall on June 9th.

Sonic Saturdays iconFor this year’s Festival we are presenting a series of ground-breaking concerts which use electronics and improvisation to push the boundaries of performance and unveil unsuspected worlds of sound.

Supplementary event
Friday 11th June

The Celtic World

Canon Alan Fell will give an illustrated talk on his research, conducted during his sabbatical in 2009, into early Christianity in the North of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 1:00pm.
Admission: Free.
A pre-talk lunch will be available at 12 noon
Sedbergh Festival of Music
Special Offers!

Multimedia installation

Top Saturday 5th – Saturday 19th June

This multimedia installation by Sedbergh sound artist Andi Chapple will be in St. Andrew’s throughout the Festival, running from 10am to 5pm daily and before concerts. It uses recordings of sounds in the church and around Sedbergh, along with computer-controlled recordings of the church bells, to make a sonic portrait of the church and its place in the town.

We gratefully acknowledge support from AA2A and Audioworks.

Details of events

Top Friday 4th June

Event 1 Eve of Festival Barn Dance and Ceilidh

Following 2008’s most successful start to the Festival the Cornerstone Ceilidh will once again get us off to an invigorating start.

Venue: People’s Hall, 8:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Top Saturday 5th June

Sonic Saturday event markerEvent 2 Mayming

We regret that this performance has been cancelled due to the illness of one of the performers.

Seaming To and Semay Wu, performing as Mayming, are one of the more innovative and inspiring acts in the North West. Semay uses the cello as a subtle and powerful instrument that complements and drives Seaming’s stunning vocals. Both are looped and sampled to create a hypnotic free-form soundscape delivering a consistently emotive human story.

Venue: Brigflatts Meeting House, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Event 3 Ulverston Choral Society

Ulverston Choral Society, directed by Heather Paynes, will perform Haydn’s Great Organ Mass in E Flat and Jonathan Willcock’s Magnificat.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Sunday 6th June

Event 4 Choral Eucharist - St. Andrew’s Choir. Director of Music Mary Hamilton

Preacher Canon Robert Western

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 10:30am

Event 5 Cello Recital

Cellist Jeremy Lamburn returns after his popular series of the complete Bach Solo Suites at the last Festival. Jeremy is this time accompanied by Nigel Spooner in a partnership that has flourished over the past 4 years. They will present two concerts linked by performances of the two magnificent Brahms Sonatas for cello and piano.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 3:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Event 6 Five in a Bar

A group of friends with an eclectic taste in music, who have delighted audiences across the North West since 1998, will sing their a capella arrangements of a wide variety of music from folk to contemporary classics and blues.

Venue: Brigflatts Meeting House, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Monday 7th June

Event 7 Violin Recital

Julian Cann returns to this year’s Festival in a solo violin performance of Bach’s Partita no. 1 in B minor & Partita no. 2 in D minor.

Venue: URC Church, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Catering iconEvent 8 Organ Recital

Carlo Curley, “the Pavarotti of the Organ”, one of the world’s foremost concert organists will be bringing his 3 manual Allen touring organ and will perform in Saint Andrew’s Parish Church on both the touring organ and the Church organ. His repertroire will include works by Buxtehude, Bach, Sousa and Lindblad.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 8:00pm
Tickets: £10.00 Nave, £8.00 North and South Aisles, Children half price
A pre-performance dinner will be available at 6:45pm, price £7.00. Please note that dinner tickets must be obtained in advance from the Tourist Information Office or our online box office..

Top Tuesday 8th June

Event 9 Over the Hills and Far Away

A miscellany of music, old and new. Roger and Judith Bush who both studied music at Bretton Hall before pursuing careers in education will introduce us to a wide variety of music and instruments. Roger has played the accordion in the Garsdale Street Band for 25 years and is now a keen player of the hurdy-gurdy. Roger and Judith will be joined by the Cautley Carollers, the Friday Recorder Consort, some crumhorns, a cornetto and a rackett.

Venue: URC Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Top Wednesday 9th June

Catering iconEvent 10 Muncheon Music

Venue: Queen’s Hall, 1:30pm
Admission: Free
A pre-performance lunch of free soup and sandwiches will be available at 1:00pm.

Catering iconEvent 11 Sedbergh Town Band

The Band will perform a variety of music including compositions by the Band Master, Alan Lewis.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 8:00pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free
A pre-performance dinner will be available at 6:45pm, price £7.00. Please note that dinner tickets must be obtained in advance from the Tourist Information Office or our online box office..

Top Thursday 10th June

Event 12 String Sextet: Julian Cann

Julian Cann returns to this year’s Festival leading his string sextet formed from members of the Castalia Ensemble and the Stonebridge Quartet.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Friday 11th June

Event 13 Dalston Male Voice Choir

The Choir, which is celebrating its Silver Jubilee, is a very welcome returnee to this year’s Festival. It is one of the leading male voice choirs in the North of England. Its 35 members are drawn from the immediate area around Dalston and it continues under the direction of its founder, Hilary Hodgson.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Saturday 12th June

Event 14 Pepperpot Coffee Concert and the Extreme Cellists

After coffee, the Pepperpot Music Makers and the Sedbergh Festival Players will make music in St Andrew’s. Weather permitting, the Extreme Cellists will be playing from the top of the church tower (or in the bell tower if wet) and afterwards at the Pepperpot. Bring your own picnic

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 10:30am for 11:00am - and afterwards at the Pepperpot
Admission: Free; retiring collection

Sonic Saturday event markerEvent 15 Jonathan Coleclough

Over the last 15 years Jonathan Coleclough has made a dozen albums and performed on four continents. He is an alchemist, transmuting the sounds around us into brooding, cinematic epics. For this performance he responds to the “Book Town” idea using electronics, video, heat and water to turn lead type into sonic gold.

Venue: Westwood Books 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Sonic Saturday event markerEvent 16 Andi Chapple and Musicians

An outdoor performance (in church if wet) involving the St. Andrew’s bell ringers and Andi’s usual collaborators in a mix of acoustic and electronic sound which will enhance listeners’ appreciation of the sounds around them – and be a lot of fun.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 3:30pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Event 17 Ripon Cathedral Choir

Sacred music through the centuries.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Sunday 13th June

Event 18 Choral Mattins - Sedbergh School Chapel Choir. Director of Music John Seymour.

Sedbergh School Chapel Choir performs a cathedral choir repertoire every Sunday in the School Chapel. The Choir sings Evensong in cathedrals around the country and tours regularly, most recently to Northern France where they sang in Rouen and Orleans Cathedrals.

Preacher:The Rt. Rev. Bishop David James.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 10:30am

Event 19 Cello Recital

Cellist Jeremy Lamburn returns after his popular series of the complete Bach Solo Suites at the last Festival. Jeremy is this time accompanied by Nigel Spooner in a partnership that has flourished over the past 4 years. They will present two concerts linked by performances of the two magnificent Brahms Sonatas for cello and piano.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 3:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Event 20 Recital: A Venetian Journey

Nicholas Hurndall Smith, accompanied by Alexa Wightman, will take us on a musical adventure through songs by Monteverdi, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Faure, Hahn, Gounod and Gilbert & Sullivan.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Monday 14th June

Catering iconEvent 21 Piano Recital: Christine Stevenson

Christine Stevenson returns to Sedbergh, where she once lived, to give a piano recital which will include works by Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Hewitt Jones, Liszt, Mozart and Schumann.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 8:00pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free
A pre-performance dinner will be available at 6:45pm, price £7.00. Please note that dinner tickets must be obtained in advance from the Tourist Information Office or our online box office..

Top Tuesday 15th June

Catering iconEvent 22 Four Hands One Piano: Alexa Wightman and Helena Morwood

Alexa Wightman and Helena Morwood will entertain with a variety of piano duets.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free
A pre-performance lunch will be available at 12:00 noon.

Event 23 Sedbergh Summer Singers Open Rehearsal

After their recent Gilbert and Sullivan successes the Sedbergh Summer Singers return to the concert platform with performances of Summer Sunday by Horovitz, The Blue Bird by Stanford and The Rhythm of Life by Coleman.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Admission: Free; retiring collection

Top Wednesday 16th June

Catering iconEvent 24 Organ Recital

A lunchtime recital on the Saint Andrew’s Parish Church organ by Edward Tambling.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free
A pre-performance lunch will be available at 12:00 noon.

Catering iconEvent 25 Sedbergh Summer Singers

After their recent Gilbert and Sullivan successes the Sedbergh Summer Singers return to the concert platform with performances of Summer Sunday by Horovitz, The Blue Bird by Stanford and The Rhythm of Life by Coleman.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 8:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free
A pre-performance dinner will be available at 6:45pm, price £7.00. Please note that dinner tickets must be obtained in advance from the Tourist Information Office or our online box office..

Top Thursday 17th June

Catering iconEvent 26 Violin and Piano Recital

Julian Cann returns to this year’s Festival in concert, to include Grieg sonata, accompanied by David Chapman.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free
A pre-performance lunch will be available at 12:00 noon.

Catering iconEvent 27 Recital: Emma Kirkby

Emma Kirkby accompanied by Anthony Rooley, theorbo-lute In a newly researched programme the internationally acclaimed duo will perform “Orpheus and Corinna” which explores the classical tradition in song in England in the 17th Century.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 8:00pm
Tickets: £15.00 Nave £10.00 North and South Aisles, Children half price
A pre-performance dinner will be available at 6:45pm, price £7.00. Please note that dinner tickets must be obtained in advance from the Tourist Information Office or our online box office..

Top Friday 18th June

Catering iconEvent 28 Chetham’s

“Chets” have been involved in every Music Festival since its beginning in 2000 and we welcome their young musicians for their sixth visit. Originally founded as a Bluecoat orphanage in 1653, Chets was re-founded as a specialist school for young musicians in 1969. Now with over 290 pupils still housed around the historic College building Chets is at the forefront of music education in Britain and Europe.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free
A pre-performance lunch will be available at 12:00 noon.

Event 29 Amabile Girls’ Choir

Join Amabile Girls’ Choir and Poco Amabile as they combine forces to provide an evening of beautiful choral music for treble voices. The programme will include something for everyone – from Bach to Rutter, from Purcell to Jenkins. The programme will also include the Premiere performance of Earth Tide, by Melody Rowe. This four movement work, recently commissioned by Amabile Choirs with the assistance of a BBC Choral Ambitions grant, portrays the changing nature of the seasons as experienced in Cumbria and Lancashire.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Saturday 19th June

Sonic Saturday event markerEvent 30 Vox Novus 60x60

60x60 contains 60 works, each 60 seconds long, from 60 different composers sequenced together to create an hour-long playback performance. It shows the vibrancy of electronic composition today by presenting the diverse array of styles, aesthetics and techniques being used.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 1:00pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Event 31 Westmorland Youth Orchestra

The Youth Orchestra was formed in 1948 and since then has performed throughout Cumbria and inspired many young musicians. It will give a varied concert under its musical director, Noel Bertram.

The Sedbergh Town Junior Band will provide Welcome Music before the the Concert.

Venue: Settlebeck School, 7:30pm
Tickets: £5.00, Children free

Top Sunday 20th June

Event 32 Choral Eucharist - Casterton School Choir. Director of Music David Chapman.

Casterton School Choir will sing Choral Eucharist in Saint Andrew’s Parish Church.

Preacher:Rev Ernest Lennon.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 10:30am

Event 33 Recital: Alla Kravchuk

Alla, who was lately the Principal Soprano at the Hannover State Opera, will bring the Festival to a close with a concert accompanied by Simon Phillips, piano.

Venue: St. Andrew’s Church, 7:30pm
Tickets: £7.50, Children free

Top Special Offers

10% discount

Season tickets

Top Booking information

Tickets can be purchased from the Sedbergh Tourist Information Centre: The Information Centre can also provide full information on where to stay and what to do in the Sedbergh and Yorkshire Dales area. Walking, sight seeing, book hunting and visiting tourist attractions are already popular activities but there are many more things to do in the area.

Top How to find us

Sedbergh is on the A684. Leave the M6 at Junction 37 and drive 5 miles east through the stunning Howgill landscape to the town … it couldn’t be simpler! The nearest train stations are Oxenholme (Lake District) 10 miles, Garsdale 10 miles and Kirkby Stephen 12 miles.

Location map

Top Eating In or Eating Out in Sedbergh

'hOwGiLLs' Bakery & Tea Room

57 Main Street, 015396 21058
Open weekdays 9am - 5:30pm,
Sat 8.30am - 6:30pm, Sun 10am - 5:30pm

Happy Valley, (Takeaway Chinese food)

14-16 Main Street, 015396 21277
Sun - Thu 5pm - 11pm (closed Tues),
Fri & Sat 5pm - 11.30pm

Post Office Café

24-26 Main Street, 015396 20406
Open weekdays 9am - 5pm,
Sat & Sun 9am - 4.30pm

White Rose Fisheries & Café

Main Street, 015396 20468

The Sedbergh Café

30 Main Street, 015396 21389
Free internet access and wireless internet connection for customers’ use
Open every day 10am - 6pm

Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant

30a Main Street, 015396 20000
Open Sun - Thur 5.30pm -10.30pm,
Fri & Sat 5.30pm - 11.30pm

Duo Café Bar & Bistro

32 Main Street, 015396 20552
Free wireless internet connection for customers’ use
Open daily for snacks, coffee and cakes with a selection of home made fresh foods
Evening meals Thursday to Sunday 6:00pm ’til late.

Weavers Tea Room

Farfield Mill Arts & Heritage Centre,
Garsdale Road, 015396 21958
Open every day 10am - 5pm

Town Centre Pubs:

The Bull, The Dalesman and The Red Lion.

Top

Our next biennial Music Festival will take place in 2012. Why not sign up to our email newsletter now and we'll send you further news about it and other major events in Sedbergh when they become available.

Top Acknowledgements & Sponsors

We would like to acknowledge the help and support of the many organisations which have supported the Festival. We are also grateful to those individuals who have supported the Festival in particular the Tourist Information staff, the Music Festival Committee and our patrons.

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