Young Musicians impress in Barcheston for Shipston Proms

Young Musicians in Barcheston

The young musicians of the Shipston and wider area, put on an excellent classical music concert at St.Martin’s Church, Barcheston. This was part of the Shipston Proms 2015 series on events, and the Young Musicians event has been a part of the Proms since they started in 1998.

The event was introduced by Phyllida Gardner and then each performer was introduced by Vaughan Reed.

The concert started with a cornet quartet from Shipston Junior Brass band, conducted by their musical director David Birch. The quartet (Luke, Barker, Bethan Brown, Sasha Turner and John Boseley) played La Rejouissance by Teleman.

The we moved onto soloists with Eleonor Tomalin playing Tarantella by Pauline Hall on Piano. Eleonor attend Hook Norton School and also plays the guitar, flute and recorder.

Then next to perform was Luke Barker on cornet (accompanied on piano by Paul Webber) with an uplifting piece You Raise Me Up by Rolf Lovlund. Luke attends Warwick school and also plays violin and oboe. Interests outside of music include skiing, swimming and farming.

Moving on the violin Gemma Keffery gave us a splendid performance of Reverie by Michael Rose, with accompanied by Frances Morrissey on Piano. Gemma attends Great Rollright Primary school and also plays Baritone.

Then Will Smith played a piano piece Indian Pony Race by D.C. Glover. This year the organisers didn’t need to watch him on a YouTube clip first as his musical skills were evident. He also plays the clarinet, and will played it in the second half of this program.

Now we moved onto the Cornet larger brother, the trumpet with Cerys Wallis playing Album Leaf by Grieg from Lyric Pieces Bk 1, accompanied on piano by Helen Porter. Cerys attends Chipping Campden School in year 10 and here other hobbies include horse riding, swimming and cross country.

Then we had Olivia Rawle’s beautifully played flute pieces Tre Giorni san che Nina by Pergolesi and Whistling by Dave Stapleton. Olivia attends Kings High School in Warwick and also sings and plays the piano.

Then to complete the first half we had Lilly Locke passionately singing Irish Folk song My Lagan Love by Herbert Hughes. This piece was collected by Hughes in the early 1900s from irish folk songs sung in the Donegal area of Ireland.

Then after a welcome refreshment break, on what was the hottest July day on record (though the church was beautifully cool) we moved back the second half of the program.

This started with Will Smith, this time on Clarinet, with a well know swing piece Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima, accompanied on the piano by Helen Porter. Will’s other interests include sports, football and Tennis and he attends Chipping Campden School.

Then we had another cornet solo, this time Sasha Turner of the Shipston Concert Brass group, with Share my Yoke by Job Webb, accompanied by Paul Webber on piano.

Then we had another Flute piece, this time by Lotte Davis with the first movement from Pan et les Bergers from La flute de Pan by Jules Mouquet. She was accompanied by Paul Webber on piano. Lotte’s aim are musical and hopes to go onto music college, and then to make her career in music.

Next up was another Soprano singer Octavia Lewis, with a very powerful voice for her age, who sang two pieces, O-Del Mio Dolce Ardor by Gluck (from a little known Opera Paris and Helen) and then in a very different style for And Greenfinch and Linnet Bird by Stephen Songheim, from the musical Sweeny Todd. She was accompanied by Helen Porter on piano.

Then we had a violin and viola duet from Kate Matthews and Chloe Halliwell with the first movement from Allegro Mozart Ist Duo for Violin/Viola KV423. Both performers are from the music department from King Edward VI School in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Mozart Duet is unusual in that the Viola has almost as many fast semiquaver passages and as much double stopping as the violin. The piece is very much an equal duet with the viola as prominent as the violin. 

Chloe’s interests also include fencing, and she will be representing Great Britain at the Cadet Commonwealth Games later in July.

Kate enjoys helping within the community and this year she has been volunteering at The Limes, a care home in Stratford.

Next to perform was George Wilkes (who we had seen in an earlier Shipston Proms event at St. Edmunds Church in Shipston) on cello with two pieces by Ernest Bloch entitled Jewish Life and Jewish Prayer. George is a music scholar at Warwick School, and also plays piano. He was accompanied by Julian Harris on piano.

Then for the finale we had the entire ensemble perform Eye Level by Jack Trombey which went down very well to the packed audience in St. Martin’s.

To conclude David Cleave, representing the parish to thank all the performers and accompanists and thank the audience for coming along to support both the musicians and Shipston Proms.

Exciting “Songs from the Shows” Concert at Shipston Proms

Fiona Bates & Arthur Taylor

As part of the 17^th Shipston Proms Helen Porter (Musical Director/piano) had put together an interesting and challenging selection of acts singing popular show tunes. The event took place in the Townsend Hall in Shipston-on-Stour on Friday 3^rd July, in front of a large and appreciative audience.

Proms host Tim Porter started off the show with the Cotswold Concertiers (Martin Hannant, Arthur Taylor, Diana Dodd, Fiona Bates and Debbie Radley) with songs from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel including a harmony version of the Liverpool FC anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

Later in the concert individual/selected members of the Cotswold Concertiers sang Belle Notte (Lady and the Tramp), Baby Mine (Dumbo) and two more Rodgers/Hammerstein numbers Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific) and Climb Every Mountain (The Sound of Music).

Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The show includes the well-known songs "If I Loved You", "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his favorite of all his musicals.

It first appeared in the London West End in 1950.

Then we had a splendid solo soprano version of “If I Loved You” by Tavia Lewis, also from Carousel.

Now we heard Sasah Brades sing the Oliver! song “Consider Yourself”.

Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

It premiered in the West End in 1960, enjoying a long run, and successful long runs on Broadway,

Dorothy Carrington

tours and revivals, after being brought to the US by producer David Merrick in 1963. It was made into a musical film in 1968. Major London revivals played from 1977–80, 1994–98 and again from 2008–11.

Next up with Olivia Rawle with The Lion King song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John.

The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical.

The show debuted in the West End's Lyceum Theatre on October 19, 1999 and is still running. The cast of the West End production were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance 2008 at the London Palladium on December 11, in the presence of senior members of the British Royal Family.

Then the show moved into Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice (and others) teritory with Harry Homer singing “Any Dream Will Do” and later Jacob & Sons, both (Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat). Elizabeth Moulson gave us a fine rendition of “Wishing You Were Showhow Here Again” (Phantom of the Opera).

The Cotswolds Concerteers

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical or operetta with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. It was first performed in an alternative form in 1972, and evolving over the next 3-4 years to the current version.

Then we moved in a USA mindset with Dorothy Carrington singing “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard (Lloyd Webber/Black/Hampton) and “Someone Is Sending Me Flowers”  from Showstring Review (Harnick/Baker).

Then to finish off the first half we had Robin Hammond sing “I talk to Trees” from Paint Your Waggon (Lerner/Loewe) and “Our Love is Here to Stay” from Goldwyn Follies (George and Ira Gershwin. Next we had another Rodgers & Hammerstein favourite “Honeybun” from South Pacific

Finally Jennie Hopkins and Katy Traynar gave us “What Is This Feeling” from Wicked by Stephen Schwartz. Later we were to also here Olivia Rawle sing “Popular”, and Freya Liddell sing “I’m Not That Girl” from the same show.

Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, an alternative telling of the witches from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The musical is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz; its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy's arrival in Oz from Kansas and includes several references to the 1939 film and Baum's novel.

After the interval we had Tavia Lewis back on to sing the Guys and Dolls song “If I were a Bell” by Frank Loesser.

Then John Wheeler gave us a song from another George and Ira Gershin Show, Funny Face with “S’Wonderfull”.

Then Jennie Hopkins was back on this time with “Somewhere That’s Green” from Little Shop of Horrors (Menkin/Ashman).

Little Shop of Horrors is a comedy horror rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, "Skid Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly, Seymour".

Back next was Robin Hammond with a couple of songs, first with the My Fair Lady song “On the Seat where You Live” and then the first of songs from Les Miserables “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”. This was dedicated to late former Mayoress of Stratford Angela Holbeck, with who Robin sang this as a duet with the Mayoress in full regalia.

Then two more Les Miserables songs, first Jennie Hopking with “Bring Him Home” and then the Cotswold Concertiers with “Do You Hear the People Sing?”.

Les Misérables, colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz is a sung-through musical based on the novel Les Misérables by French poet and novelist Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, with an English-language libretto by Herbert Kretzmer.

Cameron Mackintosh, in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company, assembled a production team to adapt the French musical for a British audience. After two years in development, the English-language version opened in London on 8 October 1985, by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Centre, then the London home of the RSC. The success of the West End musical led to a Broadway production.

To finish the evening the whole cast of singers and the audience sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

For the full image set view the Flickr feed

From World Music and 1970s Country Rock to Classical music at Shipston Proms

Incandescendo

At the first full week of the 17^th Shipston Proms, after the opening weekend of Rock, Soul, R&B bands, Brass Bands and Silver Linings Barbershop choir we moved onto a different style with classical and folk music via Brazilian music.

First up, hosted by the Cherington Arms, was Incandescendo, with their musical kaleidoscope of jazz, world & classical musical influences. Their line up was Emily Burridge (Cello) with Felix Gibbons (percussion) and they were joined by Brazilian guest Marco Campos (10 string guitar), from Rio de Janeiro.

The cello that Emily was using was a antique version over 160 years old with its very mellow sound. The percussionist Felix Gibbons is an internationally acclaimed percussionist specialising in the multiplicity of instruments that characterize the distinct rhythms of Brazil and Latin-America.

Felix’s percussion rhythm’s danced around and enhanced the melodic sounds of Emily Burridge, the classically trained virtuoso 'cellist, who with her passion for Brazil is energized by the rhythms and finds them a limitless source of inspiration for composing and

improvising melodies along with Marco Campos, with his modern approach to composition,

based on Brazilian rhythms, as jongo, frevo, choro, samba, bossa-nova and baião

Incandescendo, and their music, created a unique and dynamic sound, inspired by both their love of the English countryside and mutual association with Brazil.

They used modern sampling technology to enable them to expand their compositions and

create exciting multi tracked pieces, spinning a web of intricate harmonies and

rhythms, highlighted by some dazzling displays of improvisation.

In collaborating with Marco, Emily & Felix have expanded their concert program with their

arrangements of Brazilian classical and popular music; choros , samba and

compositions by Marco.

Next we moved the following day to a show by The Vale Musicians, hosted by Cherington, Stourton

The Vale Musicians

and Sutton under Brailes Village Hall.

The group was formed in 2013 and play late 1960s and early 70s US West Coast styled music. The core of the band consists of Paul Bulman (guitar/vocals), Janet Bulman (Piano/Keyboard), Gayle Burch (vocals) and Ian Raemus (Pedal Steel Guitar).

They were joined by special guests Belinda Webb (percussion), Tim Porter (Harmonica), Charles Matthews (Piano) and Ruth Mathews (Flute).

The songs performed were written between 1968 and 1977, when country music had evolved in Country Rock and Country Folk made famous by artists such as The Eagles, Carole King, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. The new wave mainly took place in California following The Beatles rise to fame in the 1960s.

The group started off with a couple of Carole king songs “It’s Going to take some time” and Its too Late” through some Neil Young and Crosby, Stills, Nash (all the later coming to prominence at the Woodstock Festival in 1969).

Then we had a song from Poco “Just for Me and You”, the classic Bill Withers tune “Ain’t No Sunshine” and the first half was finished off with a rendition of The Eagles “Desperado” with Tim Porter on Harmonica instead of the vocals (this was the first of two renditions of that song, with Tim on Harmonica, as he played it again at the Open Mic event in Shipston).

After a refreshment break the group covered a few Carly Simon numbers “Your so Vain” and “Nobody Does it Better” along with Eagles tracks including the famous “New Kid in Town”. Also included were a Linda Ronstadt track “Faithless Love” and a Jackson Browne number “Take it Easy”

The large audience were very appreciative to the group performing and Shipston Proms organizer Tim Porter encouraged them to try and attend other events in this year’s program.

The following day featured a classical concert at St. Edmunds Church, Shipston-on-Stour, which was sponsored by local estate agents Sheldon Bosley.

Vicky Bacon, George Wilkes & Lesley Currah

This was entitled Mrs Porter’s Chamberpot Pourri and was organised with a variety of musical pieces for the appreciative audience.

The concert included a piece by Haydn “Trio for Flute and Cello in F” performed by Vicki Bacon (flute), George Wilkes (cello) and Lesley Currah (piano). Then we moved onto group Eight in a Bar (Conductor – Bernard West) singing music across the centuries, in a range of styles from spirituals to close harmony.

They sang a couple of pieces by Finnish composer Jussi Chydenius “Deep in the night” and “The sound of the Sea” along with Lennon/McCartney Beatles hit “Penny Lane”.

Then Beryl Braithwaite, a keen amateur pianist from Little Wolford, gave us a sparkling rendition of Shubert’s “Selection of Dances”, taken from a Myra Hess mini recital. In the 2^nd half she gave a rendition of “Father’s a drunkard and Mother’s Dead”

Then we heard Flutist Hannah Porter, accompanied on piano by her mother Helen Porter, give a rendition of Sonatina by Lennox Berkeley.

Then we had a varies piano duet with Helen Porter (who studied at the Royal Academy of Music) and

Hannah Porter

Shauni McGregor with Capriol Suite (in 4 parts) by Peter Warlock.

To finish off the evening we had a Porter family musical treat with a performance of Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer, with Tim on Harmonica, Helen on piano and Hannah on violin.

For a full set of images have a look at the Flickr feed