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| Sunday 28th September 2008 at 7.30 pm |
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| Northern Sinfonia Bradley Creswick director / violin Kyra Humphreys violinNorthern Sinfonia is one of Europe's most exciting chamber orchestras. The Sinfonia's repertoire covers the full range of Western classical music from early baroque, through the classical and romantic periods, to specially commissioned new work. The Northern Sinfonia is moving to a bright future as it approaches its 50th anniversary Season in 2008, embarking on a brand new stage in its development. It is the orchestra of The Sage Gateshead cnetral to the extensive classical music programme inits new multi-million pound home. Northern Sinfonia is noted for its dynamic approach to programmes and performances, ranging from small-scale ensembles in intimate locations to the full orchestra in the major concert halls of Europe including The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, The Philharmonie in Berlin and The Musikverein in Vienna.Touring forms an integral part of Northern Sinfonia's work. From its home at The Sage Gateshead it continues to perform across the North of England and fly the region's flag throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Touring plans for the 50th Anniversary Season include the Hong Kong Festival with Northern Sinfonia Chorus, and a European tour with Ian Bostridge. Recordings and broadcasts form an integral part of the orchestra's work. Northern Sinfonia has won Classic CD awards for 'Best Concerto Recording' and 'Best Living Composer Recording' and has released two CDs on The Sage Gateshead's own label with partner Avie; the first features Imogen Cooper as pianist in Mozart Piano Concertos no.9 'Jeunehomme' and no. 23 Find out more about the Northern Sinfonia |
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| Sunday 19th October 2008 at 7.30
pm |
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| Esbjerg Ensemble Danish Wind and String Ensemble
The
Esbjerg Ensemble was founded on the initiative of the Danish Ministry
of
Culture in 1967, as the first professional chamber ensemble in For
almost 40 years, the Esbjerg Ensemble has set the standard for chamber
music in
Today,
the Esbjerg Ensemble consists of 12 musicians from all over the world,
including
wind quintet, string quintet, piano and percussion. The members has,
apart from
their high level of instrumental skills, has been specially selected on
their
ability to work within a chamber group. This
uniquely flexible grouping allows for an enormous repertoire, from
baroque to
contemporary, from solo works to compositions for chamber orchestra. At
the
centre of the group's efforts to communicate and develop the classical
chamber
music tradition stands the exquisite chamber concert hall at the
Vestjysk
Musikkonservatorium (West Jutland Academy of Music) where concerts are
presented to local audiences. At the same time, Danmarks Radio
broadcasts its
concerts throughout the country. At the Academy, close collaboration
between
students and the group has led to an increased focus on the practice
and skills
involved in performing classical chamber music. Recordings
form an important part of the ensemble's working practice.
Early LPs and
present-day CDs present music by composers including Beethoven, Mozart,
Shostakovich
and Fauré. Most notable, however, are the recordings of
Danish music - by Carl
Nielsen, Bent Sørensen, Karl Aage Rasmussen and Per
Nørgård, to name a few. In
addition to concerts in The
Esbjerg
Ensemble has always had a close relationship with contemporary
composers. Its
annual workshop, allowing young composers to collaborate with the
ensemble has
become an institution in Danish musical life. The group also works
closely with
the |
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| Sunday 16th November 2008 at 7.30
pm |
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| Henschel String Quartet Christoph Henschel, Markus Henschel violins Monika Henschel-Schwind viola Mathias D. Beyer-Karlshoj cello  After a sold out concert at London's Wigmore Hall Paul Cutts in "The Strad" wrote: “The Henschel Quartet's concert was a highlight of my concert-going year. It was as close to perfection as to be beyond reproach. Magical.” Likewise the FAZ newspaper described the quartet's most recent appearance at the Rheingau Music Festival as “a great moment of chamber music”. In 1994 the Henschel siblings had the great fortune to find the ideal cello partner in Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj. In their intensive years of study with Felix Andrievsky, Thorleif Thedeen, Sergiu Celibidache, Franz Beyer, the Amadeus Quartet and later with members of the Alban Berg and La Salle Quartets the young artists were confronted with the highest international standards. In 1995 the Henschel Quartet were prize-winners of no less than five prizes at International String Quartet competitions in Evian, Banff and Salzburg for the best interpretation of works ranging from Mozart up to contemporary composers. In 1996 they won the first prize and gold medal at the coveted Osaka International String Competition. Highly acclaimed debut concerts in many of Europe's prestigious concert halls helped to firmly establish the Henschel Quartet as one of today's leading string quartets. Constant critical acclaim has led to an impressive international career. Find out more about the Henschel Quartet |
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| Sunday 7th December 2008 at 7.30
pm |
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| Red Priest Piers Adams recorders Julia Bishop violin Angela East cello Howard Beach harpsichord Red Priest is like no other early music instrumental ensemble you have ever heard. 
 Red Priest has done its research and presents its findings wittily. Piers Adams, the group's gifted recorder player, also acts as presenter, and all four members have the knack of transforming Baroque cliches into vivid drama, often at terrific speed and with practised coordination. Beneath all the fun and games thereis a bedrock of tremendous skill and timing, which is what gives Red Priest the wherewithal to take the liberties it does. Novo, following two concerts at Indiana Early Music Festival said: "the Red Priest of London returned to Indy to climax this summer’s Early Music Festival series [and] present a near perfect symbiosis of entertainment and edification.....The D Minor Toccata capped this early music series to perfection." Find out more about Red Priest |
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| Sunday
18th January 2009 at 7.30
pm |
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Tom Poster piano
 Winner
of the First Prize at the 2007 Scottish International Piano
Competition, Tom Poster appears as concerto soloist, solo recitalist
and chamber musician across an extensive repertoire in a range of major
international venues. He has performed concertos with the BBC
Philharmonic/Yan Pascal Tortelier, BBC Scottish Symphony/James
Loughran, China National Symphony/En Shao, Southbank Sinfonia/Vladimir
Ashkenazy, St Petersburg State Capella Philharmonic and European Union
Chamber Orchestra. He has given solo recitals at the Barbican Hall, St
John’s Smith Square and at festivals in Brighton, Edinburgh,
Windsor and Spoleto, and has performed chamber music at the Wigmore and
Bridgewater Halls, the Aldeburgh and Cheltenham Festivals and the
Louvre Auditorium. Tom appears regularly on BBC Radio 3
and has recorded works by Thomas Adès for EMI. As pianist of
the Aronowitz Ensemble, he is a member of the BBC New Generation
Artists scheme (the group makes
its BBC Proms debut in 2008). He has also collaborated with the
Brodsky, Endellion and Medici Quartets. Earlier competition successes
include winning the keyboard
sections of the Royal Over-Seas League and BBC Young Musician of the
Year Competitions in 2000. Born in 1981, Tom studied with Joan Havill
at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he held a
Postgraduate Fellowship, and at King’s College, Cambridge,
where he gained a Double First in music. He is also a successful
composer.
Find out more about Tom
Poster |
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| Sunday 8th February 2009 | ||||||||||||
|
Local Junior
Artists’ Concert |
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| Wednesday 18th February 2009 at 7.30 pm |
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| City of Nicholas Ward
Director/violin City of London Sinfonia is one of the UK’s
leading professional orchestras and performs more than one hundred
concerts each year in London, throughout the UK and abroad. Founded in
1971 by its Music Director Richard Hickox CBE, it has established a
reputation for thoughtfully combined programmes, a commitment to music
by 20th and contemporary British composers and for the expert stylistic
interpretation of the repertoire performed.
City of London Sinfonia engages audiences in vibrant
and fresh performances that reach over over 100,000 each year in both
the concert hall and through participation in education projects. The
Orchestra has introduced regular professional orchestral presence in
four UK regions in recent years, building hugely successful concert
series in Ipswich, King’s Lynn, High Wycombe and
Chatham. It launched a new concert series at
London’s at Cadogan Hall in 2007, continues to be engaged as
a regular guest at major festivals throughout the UK and abroad, and in
2004 City of London Sinfonia became Resident Orchestra at Korn/Ferry
opera Holland Park.
In its 37-year history, the Orchestra has made over 130 recordings on many of the leading labels including Chandos, EMI, Virgin, Naxos, Classic FM, regularly collaberates with John Rutter’s recording label Collegium Records, and in 2006 won a Grammy for its acclaimed recording of Benjamin Britten’s Death in Venice. City of London Sinfonia’s recordings are regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM Sarah Williamson Concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition in 2002, Sarah Williamson gave a highly individual performance of the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis. She then went on to win second prize in the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in Berlin, again playing the Copland Concerto, this time with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marek Janowsky. Find out more about Sarah Williamson Find out more about the City of London Sinfonia |
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| Wednesday 11th March 2009at 7.30 pm |
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Amy Dickson saxophone
Born in Sydney, Amy began
saxophone lessons at the age of seven with Melinda Atkins and later
with Mark Walton. Amy made her concerto debut at 16, and at 17 she
became a recipient of the James Fairfax Australian Young Artist of the
Year competition, which led to a recording of the Dubois Divertissement
with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. One year later, she embarked upon
an international career which has since led her to travel throughout
the world as a soloist. In London, she has studied with Kyle Horch and
Martin Robertson, and in the Amsterdam, with Arno Bornkamp.
She became the winner of many
international competitions, and was the first saxophonist to win the
Gold Medal at the Royal Overseas League Competition, the
Prince’s Prize and the Symphony Australia Young Performer of
the Year award.
Amy now gives recitals and
performs concertos throughout the world and has performed in venues
including the Wigmore Hall, the Bridgewater Hall, the Purcell Room, the
Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Beurs van
Berlage. She has toured as a soloist with orchestras including the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Amadeus Orchestra and Orchestra
Victoria, and as a solo recitalist throughout Europe, the United
Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Amy was invited to perform at the
2005 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and has also performed
at St James’ Palace, the Scottish Parliament and for former
Australian Prime Minister, John Howard. As leader of the Zephirus
Saxophone Quartet, Amy has also toured throughout the United Kingdom
and parts of Europe and has won first prize in the ensemble section of
the Royal Overseas League Competition.
Find out more about Amy Dickson |
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|
Sunday 19th
April 2009
at 7.30 pm
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The Fibonacci Sequence Chamber Ensemble Jack Liebeck violin
Julian
Farrell clarinet Helen Paterson
violin
Richard
Skinner bassoon Yuko Inoue viola Stephen Stirling horn Benjamin Hughes cello Duncan McTier double bass
The Fibonacci Sequence was founded in 1994 by its artistic director, pianist Kathron Sturrock. Now well established as one of the foremost chamber ensembles in Britain, it is distinguished by the quality and high profile of its players and by the imagination and variety of its programming, making full use of the range and versatility of the chamber music repertoire. Its players are noted for the zest and enthusiasm they communicate to their audience. The Fibonacci Sequence has a busy recording schedule: CDs of chamber music by Ned Rorem for Naxos, and John McCabe for Dutton Epoch have been released to glowing reviews and the ensemble has started an exciting project of a series of chamber music CDs for the recording company Deux-Elles. ‘ Harp’ appeared in 2004 and ‘Bassoon’ in 2005... “ Skinner's expertise and sensitivity are perfectly matched by his colleagues, notably the pianist Kathron Sturrock.’ The CD “Horn’ was released in 2007 and ‘Oboe’ will be released later this year. ‘Clarinet’, with the Dohnanyi Sextet, and ‘Violin’, devoted to the Schubert Octet, are being recorded this year, along with Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ to celebrate his centenary. The commission for the ensemble by the distinguished composer Graham Fitkin, based on the Dohnanyi sextet instrumentation, will be ready early in 2009, and the ensemble has also begun a collaboration with the Royal College of Music for concerts and workshops.Details of these and all other Fibonacci events can be found on the website. The group is named after Leonardo of Pisa, a great mediaeval mathematician, commonly known as Fibonacci. The series of numbers named after him occurs throughout the natural world in the most extraordinary way, appearing magically, in petals of flowers, branches of trees, and many more complex way. The relation of the numbers to each other is directly connected to the Golden Section, held by many to determine the most harmonious proportions in art and music. '...no praise can be too high for the Fibonacci Sequence's polished and dashingly committed performances...' Gramophone Find out more about the Fibonacci Sequence Chamber Ensemble |
