4^th October 2007 1.05 - 1.55pm

‘The London Bridge Ensemble’

Benjamin Nabarro (violin) Kate Gould (cello) Daniel Tong (piano)

  

Haydn: Trio in E flat Hob XV:29

Dvorak: Piano Trio in F minor Op. 65

A trio from Britain’s brightest new ensemble opens our 2008 season with a sparkling concert of Haydn and Dvorak. Individually, the performers are amongst the most distinguished artists of their generation. Collectively, the Ensemble is rapidly establishing itself as one of Britain’s most exciting and brilliant young chamber groups, appearing at Wigmore Hall, St George’s Bristol, the City of London Festival, Sheffield’s Music in the Round and at both the Kerry and Wye Valley Chamber Music Festivals. LBE is the resident ensemble at the Ponte de Lima Festival of Opera and Classical Music in Portugal.

18^th October 2007 1.05 - 1.55pm

‘Bones Apart’ Trombone Quartet

 Helen Vollam, Becky Smith, Arlene Macfarlane and Lorna McDonald

 

Formed in 1999, the all-female trombone quartet Bones Apart is firmly established as one of the world's leading young chamber ensembles. They have performed at major UK venues including London's Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Fairfield Halls and St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The diversity of their recital programme incorporates music of many styles and genres including baroque, classical, romantic, popular and contemporary. Their programme will include works by Bizet, Rossini and Shostakovich.

1^st November 2007 1.05 - 1.55pm

‘Celebrating Black History Month’

Philip Herbert (piano) Angela Caesar (soprano) Christopher Rogers (violin)

 

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Sonata in D minor for violin and piano Op. 28  

 

Art Songs:

Margaret Bonds: The Negro Speaks of Rivers  

Betty Jackson King: In the Springtime  

Florence Price: Song to the Dark Virgin

 

Piano Solo:

Margaret Bonds:  Troubled Water

 

Negro Spirituals:

Free at Last arr. Julia Perry

Deep River arr. Moses Hogan

It’s Me, O Lord by Betty Jackson King

Ride on King Jesus arr. Hall Johnson

Philip Herbert is well-known in Leicester as a distinguished academic, pianist, conductor and composer. He has devised this concert to celebrate Black History month. Chris Rogers has played with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the CBSO, Welsh National Opera and Ulster Orchestra. He is a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader as well as a teacher. Angela Caesar has worked with the Royal Opera House, the English National Opera and has been a featured soloist on television and radio. Angela made her debut at Carnegie Hall, New York as the first prize winner of the Centre for Contemporary Opera's International Opera Competition.

15^th November 2007 1.05 - 1.55pm

  

‘Szymanowski String Quartet’

Andrej Bielow (violin) Grzegorz Kotow (violin) Vladimir Mykitka (viola) Marcin Sieniawski (cello)

 

Ravel: String Quartet in F Major

Haydn: String Quartet No. 40 in F Major ("Dream"), Op. 50 No. 5

 

The Szymanowski String Quartet made an electrifying impression on last year’s Leicester International Music Festival audience with their virtuosity and the sheer energy of their playing. Founded in Warsaw in 1995, the quartet has developed into one of the most charismatic string quartets of the younger generation and is in demand all over the world. In 2005, the quartet was awarded the prestigious Polish Karol Szymanowski Award for its “unique artistry in the interpretation of the music of Karol Szymanowski and for the consistent international furthering of this music”.  Previous recipients of this award have included Sir Simon Rattle and the pianist Piotr Anderszewski.

 

29^th November 2007 1.05 - 1.55pm

‘O Duo’

Oliver Cox and Owen Gunnell (percussion)

 

O Duo’s repertoire spans more than 300 years and is a mix of popular classics and accessible contemporary music played on two marimbas, vibraphone and a huge array of percussion. Performing from memory, Owen and Oliver’s performances are hugely popular as they communicate with immediacy and brilliance. Their programme will include works by Bach, Chopin and Ravel, alongside Minoru Miki’s dazzlingly virtuosic Marimba Spiritual.

 

O Duo has performed concertos with the BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, worked at Abbey Road and Sony studios on television and film scores and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and BBC TV. In 2003 and 2004, O Duo won ‘Best Music Act of the Fringe’ at the Edinburgh Festival and in 2006 were shortlisted for a Royal Philharmonic Society ‘young artist’ award.

‘… phenomenal artistry’ ‘Brimming with style and panache’  The Daily Telegraph

13^th December 2007 1.05 - 1.55pm

‘Trio Alpaca’

Sigrid Elisabeth Stang (violin) Marianne Baudouin Lie (cello) Else Bø (piano)

 

Haydn: Piano Trio in A Hob XV:18

Grieg: Andante Cantabile

Ravel: Piano trio

 

Trio Alpaca was founded in 1996 in Trondheim, Norway, and is a piano trio who explore new musical and artistic territory. They play a wide-ranging repertoire and have given numerous concerts and festivals in Norway, Sweden, France and from 1999-2001 they were on the Live Music Now! UK scheme. This led to extensive concert engagements in Britain, also with tours in schools and institutions. Since 2001, the group have been based in Norway.

‘This is a thrilling trio because they make music exciting and burst with their enjoyment of making music together.’ 12.5.2003 Hroar Klempe, Adresseavisen

10^th January 2008 1.05 - 1.55pm

Charles Owen (piano)

 

Fauré: Nocturne No. 7 in C sharp minor

Debussy: 12 Preludes, Book II.

 

Charles Owen has virtually become Leicester International Music Festival’s resident pianist. Charles showed extraordinary artistry and versatility in the last festival and his playing of the Debussy Preludes Book I in last year’s lunchtime series was met with a sigh of contentment by an enthusiastic audience so we have asked him back to play Book II. Following that concert, Charles triumphed at the Wigmore Hall and has been asked to perform in their London Pianoforte Series. Charles has performed in many of Britain’s leading concert halls including the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham. Internationally, he has appeared at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie/Weill Recital Hall in New York, the Brahmssaal in the Vienna Musikverein, the Paris Louvre, the St Petersburg Philharmonic and the Moscow Conservatoire.

24^th January 2008 1.05 - 1.55pm

 

Eleanor Turner (harp)

 

Serge Prokofiev: Prelude in C Op. 12 No. 7                                         

Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in E, Kp.380                                             

Sophia Corri Dussek: Sonata in Bb                                                              

Paul Hindemith: Sonate                                                                       

Isaac Albeniz Preludio “Leyenda” from ‘Cantos de España’                      

Elias Parish-Alvars: Introduction, Cadenza and Rondo                            

 

In 1997, aged fifteen, Eleanor Turner won the Audi Junior Musician Strings Final, which led to her concerto debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. It was this performance, with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Daniel Harding, which inspired Eleanor’s career as a harpist. Since 2000, Eleanor has studied with Alison Nicholls. She won the Royal Overseas League Annual Music Competition Award for Strings and Marisa Robles Harp Prize in 2002. Eleanor was chosen for a Philip and Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists in 2005 and won 2nd Prize in the Wales International Harp Competition 2006.

7^th February 2008 1.05 - 1.55pm

Clara Andrada (flute) and Morgan Szymansky (guitar)

 

Manuel M Ponce: Estrellita  

Manuel De Falla: From 'Siete Canciones Espanolas'

Heitor Villa-Lobos: Distribucion de Flores

Simone Lannarelli: Omaggio a Felini

Bela Bartok: Rumanian Dances

Astor Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango

 

Clara Andrada gained her orchestral experience with the Spanish Youth Orchestra (JONDE) and the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO). She has performed as Principal Flute with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Bamberger Symphoniker, the World Youth Peace Orchestra and the Sudwestrundfunk Sinfonie Orchester.  Since 2005, she has been the Principal Flute of the Hessicher Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester in Frankfurt am Main.

 

Born in Mexico City, Morgan Szymanski was the first solo guitarist to be selected by Young Concert Artists Trust and was the first guitarist to be awarded a Junior Fellowship at the Royal College of Music. A top prize-winner at international competitions, in 2002 Morgan won first prize at the prestigious National Guitar Competition in Mexico. Future engagements include further concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and with the Hallé Orchestra and Orchestra of the Swan, and recitals at Wigmore Hall and the London International Guitar Festival. Clara and Morgan regularly perform together.

21^st February 2008 1.05 - 1.55pm

Nicholas Daniel (oboe) Julius Drake (piano)

 

Schumann: Duos

Alan Bush:  Northumbrian Impressions

Paval Haas: Suite

Schumann: Adagio und Allegro

 

Nicholas Daniel is the Artistic Director of the Leicester International Music Festival and the Lunchtime Concert Series. Nicholas won the BBC Young Musician of the Year when he was 18. At his debut at the BBC Proms in 1992, the Sunday Times described him as one of the greatest exponents of the oboe in the world. He was appointed Prince Consort Professor at the Royal College of Music, London from 1999-2002. He is Artistic Director of the Barbirolli/Isle of man Oboe Competition, and Associate Artistic Director of the Britten Sinfonia.

 

Julius Drake is one of the UK’s most celebrated accompanists and works with many of the world’s leading vocal and instrumental artists, both in recital throughout Europe and America, and on disc – new releases are with Ian Bostridge, Alice Coote and Katarina Karneus. Julius took part in Leicester International Music Festivals in 1997 and 2004 as Festival Ensemble pianist and has  played regularly in the Lunchtime Concert Series.

6^th March 2008 1.05 - 1.55pm

‘National Young Pianist Week’ Laureates

 

Back by popular demand for the third year, following two years’ of amazing concerts by such young pianists, the Laureates have been selected as showing the most exceptional promise at the NYPW held at Uppingham School, Rutland in 2007. NYPW is a residential summer course for pianists worldwide with coaching and performances from some of the world’s leading teachers and practitioners. The course identifies nurtures and promotes exceptional young pianists through the Young Laureate Scheme, providing guidance, practical support and opportunities for their development.

20^th March 2008 1.05 - 1.55pm

  

  

Kenneth Smith (flute) Katherine Wood (cello) Paul Rhodes (piano)

 

Philippe Gaubert: Trois Aquarelles (for Flute, Cello and Piano)

Georges Enesco:  Cantabile et Presto (for Flute and Piano)

Gabriel Fauré:  Elegie for Cello and Piano, Op. 24

Philippe Gaubert:  Pièce romantique (for Flute, Cello and Piano)

Carl Maria von Weber:  Trio in G minor for Flute, Cello and Piano, Op. 63

 

Each year we are fortunate in having a chamber concert by different Philharmonia Soloists.

 

Kenneth Smith is principal flute of the Philharmonia Orchestra and continues to win many admirers who follow the Philharmonia Orchestra on disc and on the concert platform throughout the world with his individual tone and superior quality.

 

In 1996, Katharine Wood was a national finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. Katherine has played with the Goldberg Ensemble, the English Chamber Orchestra, as co-principal of the English Sinfonia and as guest principal with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

 

Paul Rhodes has been described in the press as “an impeccable accompanist – a model of style and refinement, with a sensitivity that allows the soloist to shine whilst providing total musical support”. Paul has featured in numerous recordings and broadcasts with Kenneth Smith in a musical partnership that is now in its eighteenth year.

Ticket Information

 

Single ticket £6.00, concessions £5.00

Discounted Season Ticket for 6 concerts £30, concessions £24.

Discounted Season Ticket for 12 concerts £54, concessions £42.

 

Concessions apply to holders of The Card (contact Leicester City Council for details, telephone 0116 252 7328) and Leicestershire Gold Card, full-time students, senior citizens and the unemployed. We recommend you buy your ticket in advance, in person, by post or phone during opening hours.

  

Tickets on sale September 1^st 2006 from the New Walk Museum Shop. Opening hours 11.00 am - 4.00 pm.

Telephone: 0116 225 4920. Credit Cards accepted.

 

Postal Bookings to: Lunchtime Concert Series, Museum Shop, New Walk Museum, 53, New Walk, Leicester, LE1 7EA.

 

Please make cheques payable to “Leicester City Council” and enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you would like your tickets posted to you.

 

Please note that seats are unreserved. Concerts occasionally overrun so it is recommended that members of the audience who have to leave at 1.55 should sit near the rear of the hall where they will be able to leave discreetly. Latecomers may be admitted at a suitable break in the programme.

 

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