&Piano Festival 2023 Brochure

& &Piano Music Festival 2023

Slaithwaite, Huddersfield

May 6th - 21st 2023 Discover & experience fantastic music performed by fantastic musicians

Welcome to &Piano 2023 Classical music is such a rewarding genre to get into. Stratospheric emotional highs & lows, virtuosity that can leave you breathless, beautiful sounds that can instil a deep calm in you.

Itʼs great to hear that more people than ever are listening to classical music, thanks to music streaming services & YouTube etc. But nothing compares to a group of people coming together to listen to live, exciting, spontaneous music being made then & there…

Thatʼs why &Piano was established - to help support & promote live classical music performance & appreciation in Huddersfield, with relaxed, approachable & personable events that bring our community to listen & discover together.

We present an annual series of relaxed, accessible events, all designed to help people discover & enjoy classical music - no matter how much or how little you know. Itʼs also a chance to celebrate some of the amazing, passionate musicians that live, study or work up inʼt North.

For this special Kirkleesʼ Year of Music 2023, we have a fantastic programme of events designed to give you new things to listen to, alongside more familiar & popular pieces - from musical theatre to a piano quintet, film music to songs from America - with introductions and chat to help guide your listening experience.

Classical music is an incredible genre. It can inspire people, move people, calm people, bring people together in a way that other music canʼt - and we want everyone to discover how amazing classical music is and know that it is for everyone. I hope youʼll be able to join us for one (or more!) of the fantastic events weʼve got lined up, & be part of our growing community.

Chris Pulleyn, Artistic Director

&Piano 2023 Festival Calendar Date

Event

Start time

Venue

Sat 6th May

((Listen)) Classical Night @ Dark Woods Coffee

8pm

Dark Woods Coffee, Slaithwaite

Sun 14th May

Event 1 | Musical Theatre An Afternoon with Emma Williams

3pm

St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite

Thu 18th May

Performance Pub!

7:30pm

Attic Theatre, The LBT, Huddersfield

Fri 19th May

Event 2 | Instrumental Piano Quintet with Avenue Ensemble

7:30pm

St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite

Family&Piano A journey in the jungle

11am

The Civic, Slaithwaite

Free Relaxed Lunchtime Performance

1pm

The Civic, Slaithwaite

Event 3 | Vocal From Knoxville to New York

7:30pm

St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite

Young Musician Showcase

3pm

St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite

Event 4 | In conversation with Keith Swallow

6:30pm

St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite

Sat 20th May

Sun 21st May

Classical M Jazz Song ((LISTEN)) Contempo Opera Ba Romantic C Musical Th Saturday 6th May 2023 Venue Dark Woods Coffee, Holme Mills, Slaithwaite 8pm - 10pm

Classical Night @

We launch our 2023 Festival with a special gig in the cool and cozy surroundings of Slaithwaiteʼs award winning coffee roaster Dark Woods Coffee.

Weʼve put together an eclectic combination of singer & saxophonist to entertain your ears with some amazing music - and we're throwing the kitchen sink at this one, with a fantastically varied selection of music that spans centuries and genres! A bit of Opera, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Contemporary music…weʼve got it all. And a fully licensed bar available too so you can enjoy some drinks while you listen! #ComeHear: Opera by Puccini, Jazz by Gershwin, cool contemporary music by John Williams & William Grant Still, and lots more great music for voice, saxophone & piano…

Saturday 6th May 2023

Mu g orary aroque Classical heatre Sunday 14th May 2023 Venue St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite 3pm - 5pm

Event 1 | Musical Theatre An Afternoon with Emma Williams

Emma Williams, originally from Halifax, has had an incredible career performing in some of the biggest shows on the West End. She was the original ʻTruly Scrumptiousʼ in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, performing opposite Michael Ball at the London Palladium, and in 2017 won the What's On Stage Award for Best Supporting Actress, also being nominated for an Olivier Award for the same category for her performance as the lead role of ʻHelenʼ in Half A Sixpence.

Join us for an afternoon with Emma, accompanied by Chris Pulleyn on piano, as they perform songs from shows Emma has performed in & songs from shows that she loves, while talking about her musical experiences & influences growing up in West Yorkshire, as well as her professional career on the West End. #ComeHear: Songs from hit West End shows including Come From Away, Thereʼs Something About Jamie, Shrek, Waitress, South Pacific & more…

Sunday 14th May 2023

Thursday 18th May 2023 Venue Attic Theatre Laurence Batley Theatre

Performance Pub!

7:30 - 9:30pm

A new addition to &Piano this year is our 'Performance Pub' - an open-call opportunity to give musicians of any ability, experience & background to perform as part of our festival, & weʼre delighted to be hosting this at the Laurence Batley Theatre.

Weʼre looking for classical singers & instrumentalists to perform around 6-8 minutes of music with piano accompaniment. Perhaps youʼve always wanted to perform a particular sonata, or youʼve recently done your Grade 5 exam and fancy the chance to perform some of your pieces to an audience. This is that moment! A grand piano & a professional accompanist will be on hand ready for you. (An opportunity for a quick rehearsal will be available before too). Bring your friends & family along to listen & support!

For more information on how to take part as a performer, email: jenny@andpiano.co.uk.

Thursday 18th May 2023

Friday 19th May 2023

Event 2 | Instrumental Something Old, Something New From Franz Schubert to Hans Zimmer: Piano Quintets & Film Music

Venue St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite 7:30 - 9:30pm

Since &Piano first started back in 2018, we've showcased a different string instrument as a soloist every year…this year we're bringing them ALL back, and introducing one more member…the double bass (the largest of the bunch!) - to form a piano quintet!

We're delighted to welcome Avenue Ensemble - a Leeds-based group of professional musicians that bring classical music into unusual venues and locations around the North of England. You'll often find their gigs in pubs and bars, where they play anything from Bach to music from Film & TV. This evening, weʼre taking you from one side of musical history to another starting off with the beautiful, lively and uplifting piano quintet by Romantic composer Franz Schubert, before moving on to the present day, performing iconic music written for TV, Film & Video Games. #ComeHear: Piano Quintet ʻTroutʼ Franz Schubert Music from Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Shutter Island & more.

Friday 19th May 2023

Saturday 20th May 2023

&

Venue The Civic, Slaithwaite 11 - 11:45am

Family&Piano A journey in the jungle Family&Piano is back for another musical adventure! This time, we're off on a journey into the jungle....bring your binoculars - and brush up on your animal noises - as we'll be trying to look out for all sorts of exciting and exotic animals both big & small!

Guiding us on our adventure will be Rachel Fillhart (Clarinet), Jenny Hobbins (Piano) and singer Edward Robinson (Baritone) whoʼll be performing all sorts of interesting music to help us tell our story.

This event is suitable for toddlers and small children up to the age of about 7/8 years old.

Supported by:

Saturday 20th May 2023

Saturday 20th May 2023 Venue The Civic, Slaithwaite 1 - 1:45pm

Free Relaxed Performance How about a bit of classical music on a Saturday afternoon?

Following our Family event a little earlier in the morning, Rachel, Ed & Jenny will perform a similar selection of music in a more traditional concert format, without the interactive story element - but in a very relaxed format, with a laid-back approach to noise and movement. For this event youʼre welcome to sit & listen, or stand, or walk around, or pop out…

This event is perfect for anyone and everyone - for families with children, or for anyone who might have an access requirement, which could include anyone with dementia, learning disabilities, who would benefit from a more relaxed environment. #ComeHear: An animal-themed programme of music for clarinet, voice & piano

Saturday 20th May 2023

Saturday 20th May 2023

Event 3 | Vocal From Knoxville To New York

Venue St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite 7:30 - 9:30pm

Powerful American songs & broadway classics &Piano is extremely fortunate to welcome one of the finest collaborative pianists in the North - Jonathan Fisher - who is joined by Soprano Hayley Swanson and Baritone Sam Jackson to take you on an enthralling and entertaining journey through America's most compelling musical landscapes.

Jonathan, Hayley and Sam will take you on a musical trip documenting the sound of America. From a warm summerʼs evening in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Broadwayʼs most iconic sights and sounds, you'll experience music that summarises the highs and lows of the American Dream - from profound and reflective, to catchy, witty and down-right fun! #ComeHear: Music by Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber & Florence Price Showtunes from Guys & Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun & West Side Story

Saturday 20th May 2023

Sunday 21st May 2023

Young Musician Showcase 2023

Venue St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite

3 - 5pm &Piano's Young Musician Showcase was created as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, when the world was forced to stay at home and live music wasn't possible. In an effort to give some of the talented young musicians the opportunity to work towards something, we created a digital platform or them to perform as part of. The livestream generated thousands of views around the world and so the Young Musician Showcase is now part of &Piano's line-up of events.

Last year, we were delighted to present our first live, in-person YMS, giving 8 young talented local musicians the chance to each perform a short recital to a live audience. Join us this year, for another selection of fantastic young singers and instrumentalists - from saxophone to double bass! #ComeHear: A fantastic mix of music of different styles and genres on a range of instruments and voices, performed by talented young musicians.

Sunday 21st May 2023

Sunday 21st May 2023 Venue St Jamesʼ Church, Slaithwaite 6:30 - 8:30pm

Event 4 In Conversation with Keith Swallow To close &Piano 2023, weʼre delighted to welcome the legendary Yorkshire-born-and-based pianist Keith Swallow to chat about his incredibly successful career playing for some of the biggest names in the classical world.

Keith joins &Piano Artistic Director for a conversation discussing his life and career, growing up in Huddersfield, and how he balanced a life up in Yorkshire alongside all his professional work around the country. We can only assume it will be filled with quintessential wit & deference that Keith is known for.

Throughout the interview, Keith will hop on to the piano to perform a selection of pieces significant to him, and Chris will join him to play some piano duets.

Sunday 21st May 2023

&Piano School Tour Our 2023 Festival will continue in July when weʼll be taking classical music to secondary school students across Kirklees & Calderdale. &Piano was delighted to receive a grant last year from the Liz & Terry Bramall Foundation to deliver classical music performances to secondary schools, which gave students the chance to experience professional classical musicians performing music for voice & violin by composers like Brahms, Rebecca Clarke, Rossini, Gershwin & more.

Thanks to the continued support of the Bramall Foundation & this year, Arts Council England, weʼre able to continue our mission to help young people across the region begin to get into classical music & develop the next generation of classical music fans. Last year, students were curious, engaged & enthralled by our performers - we know that if people get the opportunity to discover how to understand & listen to classical music, they can unlock an endless world of incredibly enriching & life-enhancing music for the rest of their life.

If you are a secondary school teacher in Kirklees or Calderdale who would like to enquire about a visit to your school, email: info@andpiano.co.uk for more information.

Support Us &Piano is a small charity run by a small group of volunteers and trustees, working to nurture & develop the rich musical heritage of Kirklees & Calderdale, supporting & showcasing talented musicians based around the area, and encouraging people to come together to listen to & discover classical music.

There are a number of ways you can support us - the best way is by coming along to one or more of our events - audiences are essential to our work!

Our goal is always to present accessible, relaxed & welcoming concerts whether youʼre familiar with the music or not - we always offer explanations & introductions that provide context & background to help you on your listening journey. We strive to make our ticket prices affordable while offering excellent musical quality & we pay our artists fairly for their work & craft.

If you would like to help as a volunteer, to help support the running and organisation of the festival in some way, please email info@andpiano.co.uk to enquire how you can help.

If youʼd like to support us beyond attending one of our concerts, then you can make a one-off donation to support our work, or you can sign up to our 88 Keys Friends Scheme and pledge to make an annual donation from just £10/year. Weʼre incredibly grateful to our wonderful group of supporters any donation we receive is a huge help towards our artist fees, venue hire, marketing costs, and allows us to put on our participation events like our celebrated Young Musician Showcase, our Family events & our schools tour.

You can sign up to our 88 Friends Scheme or make a donation by visiting: www.andpiano.co.uk/support-us (or scan the QR code below) If you are a business that is interesting supporting the festival, please get in touch with us to find out how by emailing info@andpiano.co.uk

Tickets Visit www.andpiano.co.uk/whats-on or scan the QR code above for further details on tickets and how to buy them.

One Event Ticket

£12

Two Event Ticket

£22

Three Event Ticket (& Keith Swallow interview)

£30

((LISTEN)) Classical Night @ Dark Woods Coffee

£12

Performance Pub

£5 £5 (1 Adult & 1 Child)

Family&Piano

£5 (Additional adult / additional child)

Young Musician Showcase

£5

In Conversation with Keith Swallow

£7

For our four main evening events at St Jamesʼ Church, there are multi-ticket options available - tickets become cheaper than more events you attend.

Additionally, you can upgrade your ticket at any stage of the festival, and youʼll only pay the cheaper discounted price.

We also offer a £5 ticket for Under 30s, and have a limited number of free tickets for students available.