Saffron Hall 2014-15 Concerts & Events Brochure

Concerts & Events 2014–15

Saffron Hall Saffron Walden www.saffronhall.com

“ One of the finest halls of its size I’ve ever played in” “ A fabulous hall, the acoustics are fantastic, particularly for a chamber ensemble… and there is a great atmosphere between the performers and audience. A privilege to work there” Baldur Brönnimann, conductor

COVER IMAGES: © GETTY IMAGES/DOUGAL WATERS • © ROMAN GONTCHAROV

John Lill, pianist

Welcome Welcome to this season’s presentations at Saffron Hall. This is the Hall’s second season, but my first since leaving my role as Head of Music at the Barbican. I have fallen in love with the superb acoustic of Saffron Hall and the incredible potential it represents for music lovers across the South and East of England.

The 2014–15 season starts as it means to continue, heralded by the stunning musical partnership of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski, joined for this concert by sublime tenor Ian Bostridge.

Angela Dixon Director, Saffron Hall Trust

I have invited some of the world’s most exciting and prominent artists to showcase our award-winning new space. Audiences will experience the power and artistry of musicians such as Maxim Vengerov, Nicola Benedetti, Thomas Adès, Paul Lewis, Colin Currie and, of course, the irrepressible Barbara Hannigan, who was such a hit at the opening night last year.

Designed to accommodate large ensembles as well as chamber groups, Saffron Hall will also host Britten Sinfonia, such a significant part of the Hall’s first season, together with ensembles such as The English Concert, Czech Philharmonic, The Sixteen and Arcangelo.

I have been struck by the strength of support shown by the local community towards young artists and I am delighted to be able to start a series of Sunday morning coffee concerts featuring four of the country’s leading young musicians. Do please join us for a coffee or sherry and be inspired by the next generation of artists.

Saffron Hall is located within Saffron Walden County High School, a school with a thriving performing arts culture, mirrored by the great work of the community groups surrounding it.

Making music is a way of life in Saffron Walden and we are proud that the glittering international artists and ensembles will share the stage with the school and the local groups who continue to inspire me with their warmth and dedication.

We cannot wait to experience this potent melting pot of enthusiasm and talent and hope you will join us.

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Sunday 21 September 7.30pm

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Ian Bostridge tenor Mozart Symphony No.28 Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge Brahms Symphony No.4 The dynamic partnership between the LPO and its Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski brings discipline and fire to Mozart and Brahms. Ian Bostridge, an internationally celebrated interpreter of English song, performs Vaughan Williams’ elegiac song cycle On Wenlock Edge.

TICKETS: £16–£40 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Vladimir Jurowski © SHEILA ROCK, DRESSED BY ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

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Maxim Vengerov © BEN EALOVEGA

Saturday 27 September 7.30pm

Maxim Vengerov in Recital Maxim Vengerov violin Itamar Golan piano Programme to include Elgar Violin Sonata in E minor Op.82 Prokofiev Violin Sonata No.1 in F minor Op.80 Brahms Scherzo in C minor (from F-A-E Sonata) Brahms Hungarian Dance No.2 in D minor Dvořák arr. Kreisler Slavonic Dance No.2 Plus works by Wieniawski, Kreisler, Paganini and Ysaÿe

Sunday 14 September 2pm

Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg St Albans Symphony Orchestra Michael Thorne conductor Jennifer Wigram leader Saffron Opera Group Chorus Wagner Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg A concert performance of Wagner’s rip-roaring comedy with a fantastic cast of international soloists, including Andrew Greenan, Julian Tovey, Jonathan Finney, Inga-Britt Anderson, Adam Tunnicliffe, Anna Burford, Richard Wiegold, Paul Carey-Jones. The glorious acoustic of Saffron Hall promise an intimacy and engagement with Wagner’s music as never before.

A superstar virtuoso who combines showmanship with a staggering breadth of emotion. In a rare visit to the region, Maxim Vengerov offers a brilliantly varied recital on his Stradivarius violin, a unique instrument famed for its sweetness, depth and power.

TICKETS: £20–£60 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Sunday 5 October 11am

Peter Moore in Recital

Young Artist Coffee Concert Peter Moore trombone Jonathan Ware piano Programme to include works by Handel, Stojowski, Brahms and Pryor At just 12 years old, the astonishing trombonist Peter Moore was the youngest ever winner of the BBC Young Musician competition (2008). In April 2014 he became the youngest ever Co-principal of the London Symphony Orchestra. Prepare to be amazed.

TICKETS £12.50–£30

TICKETS: £12

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON OPERA GROUP

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

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“ Spellbinding and revelatory The Strad, on the Brodsky Quartet The Brodsky Quartet © ERIC RICHMOND

Friday 17 October 7.30pm

John McCarthy Words in Walden Other People’s Wars Journalist John McCarthy’s ‘hero’s return’ to the UK after five terrible years as a hostage in the Lebanon taught him about the unexpected impact of war on ordinary people. He discusses what he learned.

TICKETS: £12.50 PRESENTED BY WORDS IN WALDEN

Sunday 19 October 3pm

Family Concert Friday 10 October 7.30pm

The Brodsky Quartet Stravinsky Three Pieces Shostakovich String Quartet No.5 in B flat Op.92 Schubert String Quartet in D minor D.810 ‘Death and the Maiden’

Words in Walden

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor James Mayhew author/illustrator and narrator Scheherazade and the Magic of the Arabian Nights

Aged just 27, Schubert discovered that he was dying and poured all his torment into ‘Death and the Maiden’, a string quartet of monumental conflict, passion and – ultimately – profound catharsis.

Artist James Mayhew narrates enchanting Arabian tales of princesses and genies, then conjures them again on canvas while the orchestra bewitches the audience with Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic fairy tale.

Suitable for children aged 5+

TICKETS: £10–£25

TICKETS: £10 /£5 CHILDREN

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY WORDS IN WALDEN AND SAFFRON HALL

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Saturday 25 October 7.30pm

Beethoven Piano Trios The Ghost/Archduke Maria João Pires piano Augustin Dumay violin Antonio Meneses cello Beethoven Piano Trio No. 9 in B flat WoO.39 Beethoven Piano Trio No.5 in D major Op.70 No.1 ‘The Ghost’ Beethoven Piano Trio No.7 in B flat Op.97 ‘Archduke’ Three of the world’s finest chamber musicians bring their precision, energy and exuberance to Beethoven’s compelling masterpieces for piano trio. Symphonic grandeur on an intimate scale.

TICKETS: £10–£25

Maria João Pires

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

© FELIX BROEDE/DG

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The Sixteen © JOSEP MOLINA

Thursday 30 October 7.30pm

Baroness Shirley Williams Words in Walden

“ Gripping emotional power” The Telegraph, on The Sixteen

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Vera Brittain: A Woman in Peace and War Vera Brittain’s heart-rending Testament of Youth of 1933 is one of the most enduring war memoirs of all time. Her daughter, veteran politician herself, Baroness Shirley Williams discusses this seminal work and her mother’s political and literary legacy.

TICKETS: £12.50 PRESENTED BY WORDS IN WALDEN IN ASSOCIATION WITH CLIVE CONWAY PRODUCTIONS LTD

Sunday 2 November 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia Thomas Adès conductor Pekka Kuusisto violin Thomas Adès Piano Quintet Thomas Adès Violin Concerto ‘Concentric Paths’ Francisco Coll Four Miniatures (Saffron Hall co-commission: World premiere) Stravinsky Suite No.1 for small orchestra Sibelius Six Humoresques

Sunday 9 November 7.30pm

The Sixteen

Monteverdi Vespers Harry Christophers conductor Monteverdi Vespers for the Blessed Virgin (1610)

When the brilliant British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès is on stage, a concert of his own exquisite compositions becomes a major event – especially when Britten Sinfonia and violinist Pekka Kuusisto “the most engaging maverick in classical music today” (The Times) join him too.

The Sixteen performs the greatest opera Monteverdi never wrote. The lavish ‘Vespers of 1610’ is a sacred work which includes some of the composer’s most theatrical and dramatic effects. Be transported by fanfares, divided choirs and sumptuous instrumental writing.

TICKETS: £10–£25

TICKETS: £12–£30

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

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“ A rare eloquence” The Guardian, on Abdullah Ibrahim

Sunday 16 November 7.30pm

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim piano Cleave Guyton clarinet/flute Noah Jackson cello/bass

A favourite performer of both Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is one of the most charismatic performers in jazz today. His new trio will electrify Saffron Hall with delicately nuanced music inspired by the songs and rhythms of Ibrahim’s South African homeland.

TICKETS: £8–£20 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Abdullah Ibrahim © HEINRICH FRANS

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www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Saturday 15 November 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Choral Society Carmina Burana

Chameleon Arts Orchestra Janet Wheeler conductor Jeni Bern soprano Mark Le Brocq tenor Alexander Robin Baker baritone Orff Carmina Burana Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals (with Ogden Nash poems) A swan sings, a skeleton shimmies, and a tortoise does the can-can. Enjoy the infectious fun of the Carnival of the Animals, before thrilling to Carmina Burana, famous for its use in hundreds of adverts and films.

TICKETS: £20/£18 SENIORS, £10 STUDENTS, £2 UNDER 18s PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

Saturday 22 November 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Sunday 30 November 11am

Philip Higham in Recital

Young Artist Coffee Concert Philip Higham cello Alasdair Beatson piano Fauré Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor Op.117 Schumann Three Romances Op.94 Brahms Cello Sonata No.2 in F major Op.99 Award-winning young Scottish cellist Philip Higham has performed with many major UK orchestras. With his acclaimed recital partner and fellow countryman Alasdair Beatson, he presents a rich and varied programme of cello masterpieces.

TICKETS: £12 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Richard Hull conductor Brahms Academic Festival Overture Panufnik Sinfonia Sacra Shostakovich Symphony No.5

Philip Higham © KAUPO KIKKAS

After Soviet criticism of his decadence, Shostakovich responded with his ostensibly obedient fifth symphony, which – it’s now suspected – is actually a chilling cry of despair. It’s paired with Andrzej Panufnik’s tonal, atmospheric masterpiece of 1964.

TICKETS: £12/£10 SENIORS, UNDER 16s FREE PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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Calder Quartet © AUTUMN DE WILDE

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www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Sunday 7 December 7.30pm

Calder Quartet Ligeti String Quartet No.2 Smetana String Quartet No.1 in E minor ‘From My Life’ Andrew Norman Sabina Janáček String Quartet No.2 One of America’s finest young ensembles, the Los Angeles-based Calder Quartet perform Smetana’s heartbreaking musical autobiography, Janáček’s touching tribute to late love and Andrew Norman’s evocative sound-portrait of an ancient Roman church.

TICKETS: £10–£25 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Sunday 14 December 3pm

Peter and the Wolf / The Snowman Britten Sinfonia Neil Thomson conductor Sanjeev Bhaskar narrator Treble to be announced Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf Howard Blake The Snowman

Saturday 20 December 7pm

BBC Singers / Norwegian Wind Ensemble Messiah

David Hill conductor Fflur Wyn soprano Robin Blaze countertenor Samuel Boden tenor David Soar bass Handel Messiah Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Handel’s Messiah or the chance to thrill to its rousing Hallelujah Chorus. In a special arrangement for winds, the gorgeous sound of the BBC Singers is complemented by Norway’s oldest orchestra, the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, founded in 1734.

TICKETS: £12–£30 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

The Snowman © RAYMOND BRIGGS

The perfect start to Christmas in the company of Britten Sinfonia throughout.

Prokofiev’s tale of childhood courage is brought to life by Sanjeev Bhaskar, before a screening of The Snowman with Walking in the Air, the soundtrack to every child’s dream Christmas, sung live. Suitable for all ages.

TICKETS: £10–£25 (UNDER 18s HALF PRICE) PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

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Saturday 17 January 7.30pm

Ian Bostridge in Recital Ian Bostridge tenor Graham Johnson piano

A recital of works by Brahms, including Brahms Nine Lieder Op.32 Brahms Four Heine settings Ian Bostridge is a tenor admired for his intensity, his intelligence and his emotional clarity. Accompanied by his regular colleague Graham Johnson, he performs an all-Brahms programme.

TICKETS: £10–£25 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Ian Bostridge © SIMON FOWLER

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“ One of the world’s great lieder tenors” The Telegraph, on Ian Bostridge

Sunday 1 February 3pm

The Mozart Question Michael Morpurgo narrator Simon Reade director Alison Reid actor Daniel Pioro violin The Storyteller’s Ensemble Music by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi and Strauss

Sunday 8 February 3pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor Programme to include popular film scores

Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) presents his moving and inspirational story The Mozart Question, examining the power of music to heal emotional scars, even from the holocaust. Suitable for families with children aged 8 and over.

Thrill to the sounds of Hollywood’s greatest love themes, to the pounding excitement of death-defying chases and to soaring anthems of heroic triumph, all from Tinseltown’s greatest composers. A sprinkle of silver-screen stardust.

TICKETS: £8–£20 (UNDER 18s HALF PRICE)

TICKETS: £12/£10 SENIORS, UNDER 16s FREE

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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Saturday 14 February 7.30pm

Iestyn Davies Thomas Dunford Iestyn Davies countertenor Thomas Dunford lute A programme of songs and music by Dowland, Johnson, Danyel and Nico Muhly Countertenor Iestyn Davies, a star of both the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and New York’s Metropolitan Opera, is joined by the lutenist Thomas Dunford for a recital of profoundly moving early English songs.

TICKETS: £10–£25 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Paul Lewis © MOLINA VISUALS

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“ Time and again you marvel at the confidence and sureness of Lewis’s playing” Gramophone, on Paul Lewis

Callum Smart © PATRICK ALLEN, OPERAOMNIA.CO.UK

Friday 20 February 7.30pm

Paul Lewis in Recital Paul Lewis piano

Beethoven Piano Sonata No.30 in E major Op.109 Beethoven Piano Sonata No.31 in A flat Op.110 Beethoven Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor Op.111

Sunday 22 February 11am

Callum Smart in Recital Young Artist Coffee Concert Callum Smart violin Richard Uttley piano Fauré Sonata for violin and piano No.1 in A major Op.13 Franck Sonata for violin and piano in A major

Award-winning keyboard titan Paul Lewis performs Beethoven’s final sonatas, works in which Beethoven’s struggles with lyricism and form produce music of extraordinary urgency and power.

Callum Smart, winner of the strings category of the 2010 BBC Young Musician competition at age 13, is a fast-rising star of the musical world. His recording of the Franck Sonata, which he performs here, has already met with significant acclaim.

TICKETS: £10–£25

TICKETS: £12

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

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Nicola Benedetti © SIMON FOWLER

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“Benedetti’s violin soared with luminous grace” The New York Times, on Nicola Benedetti

Saturday 28 February 7.30pm

Nicola Benedetti The Four Seasons

La Cetra Barockorchester Basel Andrea Marcon conductor Nicola Benedetti violin Geminiani Concerto Grosso in D minor ‘La Follia’ Vivaldi Concerto for strings and continuo in G minor RV.157 Vivaldi Concerto for violin and strings in D major RV.208 ‘Grosso Mogul’ Vivaldi Concerto for four violins in B minor Op.3 No.10 RV.580 Vivaldi The Four Seasons Superstar Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti is noted for her fiery intensity, melting sound and independence of spirit. Here she plays Vivaldi’s ever-popular musical depiction of sun, storms and snow, The Four Seasons and other baroque works.

TICKETS: £12–£30 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Saturday 28 March 6pm

Saffron Walden Choral Society

St Matthew Passion Chameleon Arts Orchestra Janet Wheeler conductor Soloists to be announced Bach St Matthew Passion As Easter approaches, prepare to be uplifted by Bach’s dramatic and powerful retelling of the story of the passion of Christ, and marvel at the greatest opening number (for divided orchestras and choruses) ever composed for an oratorio.

TICKETS: £20/£18 SENIORS, £10 STUDENTS, £2 UNDER 18s PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

Sunday 22 March 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia Thomas Gould violin/director Alasdair Beatson piano Locatelli Concerto Grosso in C minor Op.1 No.11 Thomas Coult New work Hans Abrahamsen Double Concerto Bach arr. Sitkovetsky Goldberg Variations

Saturday 18 April 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor Alex Redington violin Elgar Violin Concerto Dvořák Symphony No.8

The versatile Thomas Gould – equally at home as violinist, director and leader of his own swing ensemble – brings his trademark energy and clarity to a programme which includes a beautiful string arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

‘It’s awfully emotional, too emotional, but I love it,’ said Elgar of his rapturous Violin Concerto, one of the most demanding in the repertory. It’s paired here with the boisterous exuberance of Dvořák’s penultimate symphony.

TICKETS: £10–£25

TICKETS: £12/£10 SENIORS, UNDER 16s FREE

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

“ Technically impeccable and musically overwhelming” The Guardian, on Colin Currie Group

Sunday 19 April 7.30pm

Arcangelo

Monteverdi Madrigals of Love and Loss Jonathan Cohen conductor Anna Dennis soprano Zoe Brown soprano Tim Mead countertenor Jeremy Budd tenor Benjamin Hulett tenor Callum Thorpe bass Monteverdi Ballo: Volgendo il ciel (Book 8) including Merula ciaccona; Ohimè, dovè il mio ben (Book 7); Lamento della Ninfa (Book 8); Hor che’l ciel e la terra e’l vento tace (Book 8) Dario Castello Sonata X Monteverdi Poppea: (Arnalta) Oblivion soave; Altri canti di marte (Book 8); Sestina Madrigals (Book 6)

Saturday 25 April 7.30pm

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Jiří Bělohlávek conductor Chloë Hanslip violin Smetana Overture to The Bartered Bride Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending Dvořák Symphony No.7

The exquisite pains of love, the joys of conflict, the agonies of pleasure... Monteverdi knew a thing or two about the paradoxes of human nature. He poured his insights into madrigals of breathtaking emotional immediacy and honesty, performed here by the dynamic young Arcangelo ensemble.

To hear great Czech musicians play repertoire from their homeland is an experience never to be forgotten.

Hear Maestro Jiří Bělohlàvek and the outstanding Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in masterpieces of their joint musical heritage.

TICKETS: £10–£25

TICKETS: £16–£40

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

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Sunday 26 April 7.30pm

Colin Currie Group Steve Reich Music for pieces of wood Steve Reich Quartet Steve Reich Music for 18 musicians Virtuoso percussionist and artist-inresidence at the Southbank Centre, Colin Currie leads his ensemble in a new quartet written for him by Steve Reich, and in the composer’s iconic and mesmerising Music for 18 musicians.

TICKETS: £10–£25

Colin Currie

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

© MARCO BORGGREVE

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www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Saturday 9 May 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia Barbara Hannigan conductor/soprano Mozart Overture to La Clemenzo di Tito Stravinsky Souvenirs de mon enfance Stravinsky Pastorale Haydn Symphony No.49 ‘La Passione’ Stravinsky Act 1 Scene 3 from The Rake’s Progress Mozart Overture to Idomeneo Mozart Bella mia fiamma, addio Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite With her crystalline soprano voice, her inspiring conducting, and her ability to perform major operatic roles en pointe, soprano Barbara Hannigan is a performer like no other. She dazzled audiences at Saffron Hall’s opening concert, and returns here to conduct and sing Mozart and Stravinsky.

TICKETS: £10–£25 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Britten Sinfonia © HARRY RANKIN

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“ The UK’s most consistently dynamic chamber ensemble” The New Statesman, on Britten Sinfonia

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Sunday 24 May 11am

Lara Melda in Recital

Young Artist Coffee Concert Lara Melda piano Beethoven Sonata No.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2 ‘The Tempest’ Chopin Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23 Albéniz Iberia (El Puerto, Fête-dieu à Seville and Triana) Pianist Lara Melda, winner of the 2010 BBC Young Musician competition at age 16, has appeared with leading ensembles throughout the UK. Here she performs vibrant works for solo piano, including three pieces by Albéniz which conjure up the flamenco rhythms of his homeland.

TICKETS: £12 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Harry Bicket © RICHARD HAUGHTON

Saturday 20 June 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Choral Society

Opera Arias and Choruses Chameleon Arts Orchestra Janet Wheeler conductor This glittering gala evening includes well-loved arias and choruses from Carmen, The Magic Flute and Fidelio, as well as from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Verdi’s Macbeth. An unforgettable night at the opera.

TICKETS: £20/£18 SENIORS, £10 STUDENTS, £2 UNDER 18s PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

Saturday 27 June 7.30pm

Wednesday 27 May 7.30pm

The English Concert Dido and Aeneas Harry Bicket conductor Soloists to be announced Programme to include Purcell Dido and Aeneas

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor Jill Morton piano Dvořák Carnival Overture Grieg Piano Concerto Elgar Symphony No.1

The English Concert is famed for its focussed commitment, its intensity, and its luxuriously rich sound. The ensemble performs Purcell’s profoundly moving operatic tragedy.

Grieg wrote his piano concerto as a calling card for his own dazzling skills.

Elgar composed his triumphant first symphony to express ‘a massive hope in the future.’ Enjoy two noble masterpieces side by side with a rollicking overture.

TICKETS: £16–£40

TICKETS: £12/£10 SENIORS, UNDER 16s FREE

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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Saffron Walden County High School presents Saffron Walden County High School has been at the heart of the community in Saffron Walden since 1950 and is now one of the top performing non-selective state schools in England. Saffron Hall is a magnificent addition to the facilities at the school and one that the students benefit from every day.

SWCHS presents Music

Over 2,500 people saw the school’s outstanding production of West Side Story in March 2014 and this year the school will start a Sixth Form Music Academy, providing incredible opportunities for talented musicians to improve their skills through an excellent teaching programme and connections with artists who appear at Saffron Hall.

Michaelmas Concert

For more information and on sale dates check www.swchs.net

© DOMINIC DAVEY

Music ensembles from string quartets to big bands give outstanding student performances.

Wednesday 5 November 7pm

Tuesday 10 February 7pm

Spring Concert

TICKETS: £6/£4 CONCESSIONS (UNDER 18S AND FULL-TIME STUDENTS)

Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 March

Saffron Walden Music Festival

Come and see the finals of Saffron Walden’s very own Young Musician competition as the community’s most talented young people compete for the Mullucks Wells Trophy.

FREE ADMISSION

SWCHS presents Theatre

In 2014 audiences and critics were wowed by SWCHS’s production of West Side Story.

Further SWCHS Theatrical performances are in production for Spring 2015. For details please check future print and the website.

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About Saffron Hall Saffron Hall is an award-winning, 730-seat performance space built in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School. The hall’s much-praised flexible acoustic and state of the art facilities surpass many of the world’s more established venues and since the hall opened in November 2013 its reputation has been growing.

Close to Saffron Walden’s historic town centre, the £10-million venue is the result of a partnership between the School and Yellow Car Charitable Trust and is believed to be the largest gift of its kind to a state school.

Thanks to continuing support from Yellow Car, Saffron Hall will offer audiences across the region an outstanding line-up of world-class artists and ensembles from the vast sound world of the London Philharmonic to intimate recitals from violinist Maxim Vengerov and pianist Paul Lewis. But Saffron Hall’s aims extend well beyond the concert hall and relationships with artists are already developing with regard to education work with Saffron Walden County High School, local schools and the surrounding area.

The work of local groups is also extremely important at Saffron Hall and this season showcases an extensive programme of community and school events alongside the programme of visiting artists. Saffron Hall aims to be a trailblazing model of state school and community music provision, producing outstanding events with world-class artists, inspiring through music and the arts.

Saffron Hall gratefully acknowledges generous support from the Yellow Car Charitable Trust.

Founded in 2008, Yellow Car was set up to make grants to specific projects identified by the Trust as offering particular educational and social benefits. Based in Saffron Walden, it has a particular interest in supporting initiatives that benefit the local community. The building of Saffron Hall was conceived by, and made possible as a result of, substantial grants from the Trust.

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Booking information

Visiting us

BUYING TICKETS

Saffron Hall is just minutes from the centre of Saffron Walden, a picturesque medieval town in north-west Essex. Saffron Hall is situated on the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School.

• Please advise us of your access needs at the time of booking.

The right is reserved to substitute artists and vary the advertised programme if necessary. All information is correct at time of going to print.

For full conditions of sale please visit our website.

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Proudly a smoke-free site.

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• Parking for Blue Badge holders is available on a first come, first served basis

Local services to Saffron Walden operate between Bishop’s Stortford, Cambridge, Haverhill and Stansted Airport. Details are available on our website.

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• Registered disabled patrons are eligible for a half price companion ticket if they require a carer to accompany them (subject to availability)

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• Wheelchair patrons are eligible for half price tickets. Wheelchair spaces can be booked by phone or in person at the Box Office (subject to availability)

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• Assistant dogs are welcome with additional space available

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• Saffron Hall is fully accessible and induction loop systems are in operation

The nearest station is Audley End Station two miles away. Regular services operate between London Liverpool Street, Cambridge, Birmingham and Stansted Airport. There is a taxi rank at the station.

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Saffron Hall does not charge booking or transaction fees. A charge of £1 applies if you would like your tickets posted.

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BOOKING FEES

Our address is: Saffron Hall Audley End Road Saffron Walden CB11 4UH

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On the door: Saffron Hall box office will open for ticket sales and collection an hour before each performance begins.

Parking: Ample free car parking is available on-site.

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Public Holidays 10.30am–1pm (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day)

Saffron Hall is a 30-minute drive from Cambridge and Bishop’s Stortford and easily accessible from the M11. Directions are available on our website.

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Monday–Saturday 9.30am–5pm

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In person: Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre, 1 Market Place, Saffron Walden

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By Phone: 0845 548 7650 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday inclusive (excluding Public Holidays)

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Online: www.saffronhall.com

2014–15 Concerts and Events SEPTEMBER

Sunday 14 2pm Sunday 21 7.30pm Saturday 27 7.30pm

Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg London Philharmonic Orchestra Maxim Vengerov

OCTOBER

Sunday 5 11am Friday 10 7.30pm Friday 17 7.30pm Sunday 19 3pm Saturday 25 7.30pm Thursday 30 7.30pm

Peter Moore The Brodsky Quartet Words in Walden, John McCarthy Words in Walden, Family Concert Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, Antonio Meneses Words in Walden, Baroness Shirley Williams

NOVEMBER

Sunday 2 7.30pm Sunday 9 7.30pm Saturday 15 7.30pm Sunday 16 7.30pm Saturday 22 7.30pm Sunday 30 11am

Britten Sinfonia The Sixteen Saffron Walden Choral Society Abdullah Ibrahim Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Philip Higham

DECEMBER

Sunday 7 7.30pm Sunday 14 3pm Saturday 20 7pm

Calder Quartet Peter and the Wolf/The Snowman BBC Singers & Norwegian Wind Ensemble

JANUARY

Saturday 17 7.30pm

Ian Bostridge

FEBRUARY

Sunday 1 3pm Sunday 8 3pm Saturday 14 7.30pm Friday 20 7.30pm Sunday 22 11am Saturday 28 7.30pm

The Mozart Question Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Iestyn Davies, Thomas Dunford Paul Lewis Callum Smart Nicola Benedetti

MARCH

Sunday 22 7.30pm Saturday 28 6pm

Britten Sinfonia Saffron Walden Choral Society

APRIL

Saturday 18 7.30pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Sunday 19 7.30pm Arcangelo Saturday 25 7.30pm Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Sunday 26 7.30pm Colin Currie Group

MAY

Saturday 9 7.30pm Sunday 24 11am Wednesday 27 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia Lara Melda The English Concert

JUNE

Saturday 6 7.30pm Saturday 20 7.30pm Saturday 27 7.30pm

Granta Chorale Saffron Walden Choral Society Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

27

Saffron Hall Audley End Road Saffron Walden CB11 4UH Box office: 0845 548 7650 www.saffronhall.com REGISTERED CHARITY NO.1153685