Music / Sponsored Feature
Spice up your life- New season at St George’s
NEW compositions, ‘theatrecitals’, as well as some of the world’s best classical, folk and jazz artists perform at St George’s during its anniversary season.
St George’s Bristol, just off Park Street, is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a music venue and the 30th anniversary of its first evening performance.
The anniversary celebrations come as St George’s starts work on an ambitious £5.5million extension with multi-purpose performance, education workshop and venue hire spaces including a café bar.
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is performing a special anniversary concert for the independent music venue. There’ll even be a chance for audience members to vote online for the encore.
Big names performing this season, from September to December, include:
- Top pianists Mitsuko Uchida, James Rhodes, Duo Tal and Groethuysen, and Katia and Marielle Labèque, plus classical stars Brodsky Quartet, La Serenissima, Trevor Pinnock, The Tallis Scholars and Trilogy
- Award-winning and acclaimed folk artists Sam Lee, who plays the title track of the new Guy Ritchie film, plus Lynched, and Megson
- ‘The Troubadour 50th’ is a celebration of one of the country’s most influential ’60s folk clubs, which hosted Al Stewart, Martin Carthy, Jasper Carrott and Fred Wedlock
- Jazz artists The Darius Brubeck Quartet, Phronesis and Clare Teal.
- The formidable GoGo Penguin, a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band mini festival, plus Tubular Brass Play Tubular Bells
- Much-loved poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan performs an evening of poetry and song, and George Monbiot joins Ewan McLennan for a unique collaboration in words and music
New compositions come from Graham Fitkin and Liz Lane, especially commissioned for the ‘Art of Flight’ celebration.
Music with plays include the ‘theatrecitals’ Aurora Orchestra and BAFTA-winning Katherine Parkinson with ‘Kreuzer vs Kreuzer’ and ‘Satie: Memoirs of a Pear Shaped Life’.
There are also music events and concerts for children including ‘Wild Words’ and ‘MiniBeats’, plus a ‘Family Flight Day’ and Bristol Ensemble’s annual ‘Children’s Christmas Carnival’.
Suzanne Rolt, Chief Executive of St George’s Bristol, said: “This season is as eclectic as ever, crossing continents and centuries to bring inventive, perfectly-formed offerings of jazz, folk, world and classical.
“We are big on fusions of words and music too, with music-edged plays that reveal the hidden worlds of Satie, Rachmaninov and the passions simmering beneath Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata.
“Music that has laid undiscovered for hundreds of years comes up for air alongside the latest compositions by young composers from around the south west and two special premieres.
“We’re going from strength to strength, promoting a wider range of music and spoken word events than ever before.”
Commenting on the 30th anniversary concert, Suzanne added: “We have invited the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment back for a special birthday celebration – and audiences can get into the party swing by voting for the encore. The OAE encapsulates all that is great about St George’s, a world-leading, ground-breaking orchestra whose players have built up close bonds with Bristol audiences.”
Please go to www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk for full details of the new season at St George’s Bristol.