Festival Fundraisers
The festival season looms – which means that all festivals are currently looking for ways to swell their bank balances so that they can put on an even better festival than last year – hence the rush of fundraisers!
Last Friday the Islington Festival had a splendid one at the amazing St Pancras Clock Tower. Lots of bubbly and Portuguese custard tarts (Martin’s speciality), a raffle, an auction (at which I am delighted to report that two tickets to a Salon Music evening raised £180) and a concert from Joana (Ly) and Martin (André), the founders and directors of the festival.
This year’s festival, ‘The words beneath the sound’, will run from 24th July to 2nd August and if last year’s is anything to go by, it will be a cracker. Full blown concerts in St Mary’s in Upper Street and Christchurch in Highbury Barn, coffee concerts, walking concerts, yoga, swing dancing and tea time jazz, late night recitals… You name it and it will be there.
Full details will be available and booking will open in mid March (you will hear about it here…) But meanwhile, here is a snippet from Friday’s concert to whet your appetites: a touch of Schumann, some bird song and some rousing Gershwin – arranged by Heifitz!
And much closer to hand – our Shakespeare in Music Fundraiser on February 14th
On St Valentine’s evening we are inviting you to Hampstead Lane to hear all about the Shakespeare in Music Festival, to hear Shakespeare-flavoured music from Bloomsbury Baroque and the Painted Fall – and to eat lots of delicious cheese and drinks lots of bubbly.
We hope that you will be so enthused by the project that you will sign up as a Friend – and book lots of tickets for the festival concerts which run from 20th-23rd April.
For more details see this post – and if you would like to join us for the evening, please email me.
And while on the subject of festivals…
Don’t forget that this year’s London Handel Festival starts on Februry 18th with a performance of Saul at Smith Square Hall. But, before you get too excited, that one is already sold out. As are all but the unreserved side seats for Acis & an Ode on March 14th.
However, if you get your skates on there are still tickets for Tamerlano in Shoreditch Town Hall on the 26th, 27th an 28th March (although not that many), Titus L’Empereur on March 5th at St George’s and a whole raft of other exciting Handelian goodies running on until the St John Passion on April 3rd.
See the festival website for the full programme.
And don’t forget that we are still looking for volunteer stewards for this year’s festival – and being a steward means that you would get in even to the concerts that are now booked out!!
If you are interested contact Andrea Lee, Head of Development.
Meanwhile…. Monday 2nd February – Highgate School
On Monday 2nd February Madeleine Mitchell’s London Chamber Ensemble will be playing Charles Wood’s Highgate Quartet – in Highgate School.
The concert is in commemoration of Wood’s death a century go in 1926 – and how appropriate that it should be celebrated in the establishment that inspired it. Wood wrote the quartet in 1892 after visiting his brother William, who was music master at the school.
To book for the concert go here.
As for Charles I
On Sunday we attended the very splendid ’54th Annual March in Commemoration of Charles I, Executed Illegally on 30th January 1649’….
My musical excuse for including King Charles is a very flimsy one but I was desperate to share Sunday’s commemoration of his beheading, courtesy of the English Civil War Society.
The march and ceremony take place down the Mall and into Horse Guards Parade – three regiments of the king’s army, three extremely squeaky guns, three horses and a suitable number of camp followers – all intensely serious as befits the occasion. Once arrived in Horseguards Parade, the regiments assemble, a lengthy oath of loyalty is sworn, followed by an equally lengthy prayer, a brave if slightly painful interlude with a tin whistle (my musical excuse for including the event) and a long drum roll, doffing of hats and presentation of pikes which I assume commemorate the king’s last march to the stage outside the Banqueing House in Whitehall for his beheading.
I am not sure what happened after that as I am afraid that our need for coffee won out over our loyalty to the king.
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