King Georges Hall

• Blackburn Classics 2011/12 Season

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Background

The Blackburn Classics has a long and illustrious pedigree. It was started by the Blackburn Music Society and was later taken under the wing of the King George's Hall General Manager.  The two main orchestras have always been the RLPO and The Halle, with Manchester Camerata making an occasional appearance and sometimes a orchestra from further afield!

Opera and ballet have had regular performances at King George’s Hall over the years. Unfortunately we have not been able to take an opera performance this year due to funding restrictions, although we would love to offer a high class performance in the future should a sponsor come forward. The Vienna Festival Ballet are producing Nutcracker  this year. The ballet is a firm favourite in particular with the younger audience and the dance schools.

 NEW Season

The Blackburn Classics Season at King George's Hall in 2011-2012 is bigger and better than ever!  We have an excellent choice of events this season, culminating with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012.  The excitement of next year's Olympics is reflected in a sporting programme with Carl Davis, and before that a trio of Halle concerts showcase some greatest works in the classical repertoire.  We hope you have a wonderful season!

  Friday 23 September 2011 - The Halle   Friday 28 October 2011 - The Halle   Friday 17 February 2012 - The Halle

Friday 13 April 2012 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra   Friday 22 June 2012 - The Halle

The October Concert was the 90th Anniversary of The Halle's debut at King George's Hall.  Staff from the venue and Cllr Damien Talbot posed with a vintage car for The Lancashire Telegraph to celebrate the occasion.

Click here to download the 2011/12 dates

Prize Draw Winners

Stephen Whewell won the first prize from the 23 September 2011 Concert.  Sharon Bibby from Peter Jackson the Jeweller presented Stephen with a Tissot watch in front of the camera for The Lancashire Telegraph.

Five year old Charlotte Tomlinson came to her first ever Classical Concert on 28 October and won a gorgeous Tresor Paris bracelet courtesy of Peter Jackson the Jeweller.

 Showcase for Young Talent

At the 23 September Concert some musically talented pupils from Westholme School played for the people enjoying their pre-concert suppers:

Hannah Dacey (Piano & Violin) - Hannah is doing A Level music and is applying for Music College.  She also plays the double bass.

Hannah MacIntosh (Trumpet) - Hannah is about to start University at Newcastle studying History.

Anna Power (Clarinet) - Anna also plays bassoon, piano and saxophone.

Accompanied by Eric Millest, the Director of Music for Westholme School.

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Students from the Royal Northern College of Music performed at the 28 October Concert...

Jennifer Coleman ~ Soprano

As a soloist Jennifer has performed in recitals, concerts and competitions across the UK at venues including the RNCM, Churches, Eton College and most recently at the Bridgewater Hall. As a choral member Jennifer has sung at the National Indoor Arena, the Millennium Dome, the Lowry Centre Theatre, the Royal Victoria Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and has been on a tour of Malta. Jennifer has won many competitions, including The Mavis Bennett Award for Grand Opera and The John Lightfoot Award for Musical Theatre at Maidenhead Music Festival. Her television credits include freediving on the Hidden Talent Show to be aired early in 2012, as an extra on Channel 4's Hollyoaks, singing on BBC 2’s Let Me Entertain You. Jennifer hopes to continue her studies in Music and do a Masters in the near future.

Charlotte Hewett ~ Soprano

Charlotte Hewett is a 21 year old Soprano currently in her final year of undergraduate study at The Royal Northern College Of Music under the tuition of Mary Plazas. Since studying at the college she has won the Feckleton prize and Doherty Cup for singing. Her experiences range from the soloist in Hayden’s Nelson Mass to ‘Dido’ in ‘Dido and Aeneas’. However, she particularly enjoys singing in RNCM Operas as a Chorus member. In 2010, she won the Serenata Music Festival vocalist prize at Britain’s first Classical Music Festival. In 2009 she was selected to represent the College in the junior Kathleen Ferrier competition where she was a semi-finalist, and has also been asked to sing for College Open days on a couple of occasions. Charlotte began singing aged 13 and has progressed at the rate she hopes to go on. By the age of 15 she was awarded the prize of Young Musician of the Year in the South West of England at The Two Moors festival, Devon. Charlotte loves singing all kinds of music but feels her true passion lies in Opera.

Alexandra Wynn ~ Mezzo-Soprano

Alexandra is a mezzo-soprano in her fourth year at the RNCM studying with Susan Roper. She has been awarded the ABRSM UK Undergraduate student scholarship to fund her studies at the RNCM. Her most recent performances include singing as the duet partner of Naomi Harvey (a principle soprano of the WNO) and as a soloist in the Woodard School’s Anniversary concert in the Birmingham Symphony Hall. This year she sang the soprano solo in one of the first performances of Bob Chicott’s new Requiem conducted by the composer.

Alexandra has been a member of the chorus for the RNCM productions of ‘Die Fledermaus’, ‘Katya Kabanova’, ‘La Belle Helene’ and ‘Carmen’. Alexandra sang as a ‘gossip’ in the RWCM’s performances of ‘Noye’s Fludde’ when she was a member of the Royal Welsh College junior school. Alexandra recently appeared with Elemental Opera singing as ‘the parishioner’ in Szymanowski’s ‘King Rodger’. She has also just completed her performance in the summer opera scenes at the RNCM singing ‘Florence’ in Brittan’s ‘Albert Herring’,  ‘Madame de la Hatiere’ in Massenet’s ‘Cendrillion’ and ‘Penelope’ in ‘il Ritornello d’Ultilise’ by Motiverdi. Apart from singing Alexandra is a keen composer having had her composition recently used on the BBC’s ‘Songs of Praise’. Future engagements involve performances of Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and his C minor Mass with the William Bird singers.

James Vaughan ~ Piano

James, originally from Lincolnshire, began playing the piano at the age of five and later took up the violin and voice. He is currently in his fourth year of undergraduate study at the Royal Northern College of Music, under the tutelage of renowned pianist Sally Ann MacLeod.From a young age, he was heavily involved in local music festivals and concerts. In June 2004, he received a distinction in his ATCL performance diploma and in August 2008, also received a distinction in his LTCL performance diploma. James has been fortunate enough to have recently been offered numerous recital and concerto opportunities including a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 26, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, the latter of which he performed in the Concerto Competition finals at the RNCM. He is also heavily involved in duo playing and other chamber music, including recently performing in the final of the Barbirolli Prize for cellists at the RNCM, as well as in Malvern at the Elgar Birthplace Museum, with the violinist Caroline Pether.  Since becoming a student of the RNCM, James has won first prize in the John Ireland Prize which is held every two years and open to all students, as well as several prizes in accompaniment, including recently the Stella Bradshaw Award for accompaniment, and is very much in demand as an accompanist and chamber musician.  He has been lucky enough to have participated in masterclasses with Peter Donohoe, Benjamin Frith, Julius Drake, Ralph Kirshbaum, Gary Hoffman and Gabor Tacaks-Nagy amongst others. In Manchester, he maintains a busy portfolio of teaching, accompanying and solo performance work.

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The Joy Quartet at the 17 February Concert

The Joy QuartetThe Joy Quartet was formed in November 2011 at the Royal Northern College of Music. Already the quartet have worked with the composer Howard Skempton, performed in the RNCM Chamber Music Festival and received world class coaching from musicians such as Peter Cropper and Avedis Kouyoumdjian as part of the European Chamber Music Academy.   Anna Brigham - ViolinAnna Brigham started the violin aged 5, and is currently is studying for a Masters in Violin Performance under Pavel Fischer at the Royal Northern College of Music. Previously she studied with Krysia Osostowicz and attained a BMus (Hons) degree from the University of Birmingham.  

Chamber music is Anna's great musical passion. She attended the chamber music course Pro Corda for five years and has appeared several times as a guest performer with the world-renowned Dante Quartet. As an orchestral musician, she has led the CBSO Youth Orchestra, all of the University of Birmingham orchestras, and the Cornwall Youth Orchestra. Anna has also performed solo recitals throughout the UK, and recent master-classes include Gerard Poulet, Peter Manning and Yair Kless. In the last year Anna has organised and led numerous musical outreach projects; working with schoolchildren, the elderly, and people with learning difficulties.

Anna’s studies at the RNCM are generously supported by Henry Dixon’s Foundation for Apprenticing and the Adam’s Youth Trust. Sam Parker – ViolinSam Parker started the violin aged 4 and was playing in his first string quartet aged 7. He was a member of NYSA and Pro Corda chamber music courses and led orchestras on both of these courses, performing solos on numerous occasions with Sir Neville Mariner at NYSA. Sam studied under Maciej Rakowski for 3 years prior to undertaking an undergraduate course in Mathematics at the University of Warwick, leading the universities orchestras for the entirety of his time there. In 2010 Sam won the University of Warwick concerto competition, and performed Sibelius’ violin concerto at the Butterworth Hall in April 2011. Having graduated with honours from Warwick, Sam is currently studying a postgraduate performance course at the Royal Northern College of Music under Leland Chen. Since joining the RNCM in September 2011, Sam has worked with and performed for the composer Howard Skempton in a festival celebrating his works, and has led the RNCM Chamber Orchestra.  Sam continues to pursue a passion for chamber music with a variety of projects, foremost being the creation of the Joy Quartet in November 2011.   

Joy Becker – Viola

 Joy Becker is 18 and has been playing the violin since the age of 5, after hearing Tasmin Little at the Bridgewater Hall and announcing that she wanted to be a violinist! She is currently carrying out a four year degree in performance at the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Leland Chen, before which she studied at the Junior RNCM taking lessons in violin, voice, and chamber music. She was previously a member of the NYO and the former leader of the Halle Youth Orchestra, the Bolton Youth Orchestra, with whom she also performed the Bruch Violin Concerto, and the Junior RNCM Chamber Orchestra.  Joy has been awarded the Dorothy L. Sayers award two years running, and was last year awarded the Rohi Gazder Prize for Violin. In her final year at the JRNCM she was received the prize for ‘outstanding contribution’ to the institution. After her degree Joy hopes to carry out a post-graduate course in Germany. Since starting at the RNCM she has become heavily involved in chamber music and has taken a keen interest in the viola, which she studies with Ruth Gibson.  Daniel Harrison – Cello

Daniel Harrison studied at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music before reading Music at Cambridge, graduating with a first. After a very nearly becoming a lawyer, he decided that playing the cello was a far better plan. He has performed at venues across Europe including the Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room and the Palace of Versailles and his compositions have been performed in the Royal Festival Hall. He is currently enrolled in MMus course at the RNCM, studying with Peter Dixon.

Special Offers for Season Ticket Holders

• Get 5 concerts for the price of 4
• Guarantee your favourite seats (we'll keep them for you until 30 August 2011)
• Save money on concert programmes
• Get FREE parking in Feilden Street car park - only two minutes from the Hall
• FREE tea or coffee vouchers to use in Blakeys or any of the Hall's bars
• FREE ticket to the Blackburn Classics End of Season Party on 22 June 2012

Special Offers for Individual Concerts

• Special prices for groups are available from the Box Office
• NEW - students and under 16s can sit anywhere for only £7.50
• NEW - senior citizens now get £2 off any full price ticket
• NEW - schools and organised youth groups can get stalls seats for only £1 - with a FREE adult ticket for every ten children

                Pre & Post-Concert Suppers

             Blakeys offers a choice of preconcert supper menu, with 2 or 3 courses.  There is an early sitting to ensure you get into the pre concert talk and reception – for this you really need to arrive by 4.45pm. Otherwise the later sitting lets you relax until the concert starts at 7.30pm. Please contact Blakeys directly on 01254 503238 to book your table. Please note this does get booked up.

 Pre-Concert Talk & Reception

Group & Coach Offers

We offer an excellent incentive if you can get a large group of friends together.  There are many coach companies around the area who are geared up to bringing groups to KGH, who we can put you in touch with. Don’t forget we also do a good deal on pre and post-concert suppers. Please contact the Box Office for further details.

Friends of Blackburn Classics

Previous Years Programme Highlights

Everyone will have their favourite concert and piece. The best attended concert last season was the final concert in April with RLPO and Vasily Pretrenko...... The Rachmaninov Piano number 2 played by Sophia... was amazing. A known favourite and in fact Classic FM’s number one in its “Hall of Fame” this year. Vasily gave an animated talk and answered many questions during our first pre-concert talk, with over 100 people, interviewed expertly by James Davy the Assistant Director Music at Blackburn Cathedral.

    Corporate Support & Hospitality

The Blackburn Classics have been supported for many years by Peter Jackson the Jeweller:  www.peterjackson.co.uk  Many concert goers have been delighted to win some of the prizes offered by Peter over the years.

The Blackburn Classics is an important part of the cultural landscape of the area, attracting people from the Borough but also a wide audience as far as Kendal in the north, extending to Bolton, Clitheroe, Burnley, Skipton and Oldham.

• Sponsors Bar – a private bar area which access directly onto the right balcony. Ideal for small parties. Please contact the Catering Manager to view the bar and discuss your requirements. Neil Dagnall: neil.dagnall@blackburn.gov.uk or 01254-582579 x242
• Windsor Suite – for the larger VIP receptions, with two bar areas, direct access to kitchens and a functions suite that can be laid out to meet your requirements with special technical sound & light support. Perfect for the pre or post concert reception. Neil Dagnall neil.dagnall@blackburn.gov.uk or  01254-582579 x242
• Corporate Events – King George’s Hall has a wide range of versatile spaces with tailored hospitality options. KGH can arrange high quality artists and performers to meet your event requirements.
• Concert sponsorship opportunities: There are a range of options for your business, from title sponsorship of an individual concert or the series – to advertising space in the programme. Please contact Anne MackSmith: anne.macksmith@blackburn.gov.uk or 01254-582579 x 210 to see how your business could reach the Blackburn Classics audience.

Related Links

 www.blackburncathedral.com

       www.rvipw.org.uk 

www.ribmusicfestival.co.uk

www.kathleenferrier.org.uk

www.blackburnmusicsociety.org.uk

www.blackburnsymphony.org.uk

www.blackburnpeopleschoir.org

www.blackburnanddarwenband.co.uk

www.manchestercamerata.co.uk

www.halle.co.uk

www.liverpoolphil.com

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