Culture

COLERIDGE CONCERT: The New Elizabethan Singers Singers set to debut new composition

The New Elizabethan Singers are to present the first concert performance of a new piece by local choral composer and conductor Matthew Coleridge, plus two more works by English composers from around a century ago. The concert at St Swithun’s Church, North Allington, starts at 7pm on Saturday, January 28. Magnificat (“My soul doth magnify the Lord”) and Nunc Dimittis (“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace”) by Coleridge form part of the Anglican service of Evening Prayer, the words being Mary’s when she tells her cousin about her pregnancy and Simeon’s when the young Jesus is presented in the Temple. Saint Nicolas is a cantata by Benjamin Britten from 1948. It’s the same Saint who became mythologised as Santa Claus, but this is the lifestory of the historic 4th century Bishop of Myra rather than of the distributor of Christmas goodies. Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams was composed around 1909. It uses verses by Welsh poet and Anglican priest George Herbert that were written in 1633 and comprise his quiet, personal meditations.

n Tickets (£15, under 18s free) can be obtained from Goadsby Estate Agents in Bridport or online at ticketsource.co.uk/nes

Elvis is in the building for Blue Hawaii show

An audience at Buckland Newton Village Hall can expect the usual mayhem and lots of interaction, together with a host of Elvis songs as Spitz & Co return to the Artsreach programme with a brandnew comedy, following their previous sell-out tours of Gloriator, Gloria In The Mist and Les Gloriablès. Award-winning Elvis impersonator Joe Reeve (Best Sideburns, GlosVegas 2014) stars in his version of the classic Elvis film Blue Hawaii, whilst his long-time tour manager Josephine Cunningham is there to keep the show on the road – next stop, Vegas! Dig out your favourite Hawaiian shirt and escape to Paradise in this new musical comedy, guaranteed to leave you all shook up. Artsreach Director Kerry Bartlett said: “Audiences have loved each of the previous Spitz & Co tours, and we so are thrilled to welcome the company back to Dorset for the first time since the spring of 2020!”

n Catch Elvis in Blue Hawaii at Buckland Newton (01300 345455) at 8pm on Saturday, January 14. Further information and tickets are available online at artsreach.co.uk

Rising star Douglas returns

BSO trio in village gig

Dorset-born musician Douglas Dare is returning to his roots to perform the final date of a global tour of his new album Milkteeth. After leaving Bridport in 2008 to study music at the prestigious Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Douglas, a farmer’s son and former pupil of Symondsbury Primary School, Beaminster and Sir John Colfox Academy, is returning home to where it all began. Douglas will perform the final set of a 44-date solo tour – which took him around the UK, Europe and the US – at Eype Church on Friday, February 3. Douglas said: “For the last eight years I’ve been touring the UK, Europe and the US, and I can’t wait to be headlining a show in my hometown. “My album is peppered with my memories of growing up on a West Dorset farm; surrounded by land, animals and extended family yet feeling a sense of otherness The track Red Arrows even mentions Denhay Hill in Broadoak.” While studying at LIPA, Douglas took part in a one-to-one song-writing session with Sir Paul McCartney. Shortly after he attracted the attention of London-based record label Erased Tapes, where he met and collaborated with label-mates Nils Frahm and Broadchurch composer Olafur Arnalds. Douglas went on to release his debut album Whelm in 2014 to critical acclaim. A regular on BBC Radio 6, Douglas has twice been named Album of the Day for his second album Aforger in 2017 and Milkteeth in 2020. He was invited by The Cure’s Robert Smith to perform at his Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre in 2018, followed by the David Lynchcurated Manchester International Festival alongside Anna Calvi in 2019. Douglas is now working on his fourth album. n Tickets to the Eype Church show are available at douglasdare.com/live

HOMECOMING: Douglas Dare is at Eype Church on February 3 A trio of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra musicians will perform at Portesham Village Hall on February 10 at 7.30pm. Hosted by Portesham Arts Club in association with Artsreach, the trio will perform pieces by Bach, Brahms, Debussy, Dvorak, Grainger and Grieg on flute, cello and harp. The bar opens at 7pm. Tickets for the concert are £12 for adults, £6 for children and £25 for families, and are available from Jan Gray on 01305 250212 or at janice.gray12@ btinternet.com

BRITTEN: Saint Nicolas

+ music by Vaughan Williams & Matthew Coleridge

St Swithun’s Church, Bridport DT6 5DU Saturday 28th January 2023, 7pm

NEW ELIZABETHAN SINGERS

registered charity no. 1125032

Get ready for take-off with James

Enjoy some truly uplifting storytelling from acclaimed performer James Rowland this winter. Following tours with Team Viking, Revelations and A Hundred Different Words for Love, James is heading back to Dorset to tour his brandnew show Learning to Fly with rural arts charity Artsreach. Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and featuring a captivating mix of theatre, comedy and music, Learning to Fly sees James tell the story of a remarkable friendship he made when he was a lonely, unhappy teenager with the scary old lady who lived in the spooky house on his street. It’s a show about connection, no matter the obstacles, and it’s about love’s eternal struggle with time as well as music and its ability to heal. It’s also about the old lady’s last wish: to get high once before she dies… Described by critics as “uplifting”, “big hearted” and “hilarious”, this show is James’s first since his acclaimed Songs of Friendship trilogy which included Team Viking. Artsreach assistant director Yvonne Gallimore said: “James’s previous shows have always sparked such interesting conversation and debate amongst audiences. “We can’t wait to welcome him back to Dorset.” n Learning to Fly will be performed on Thursday, February 2 at 7.30pm at Broadoak village hall. For tickets call 01308 424922. It will also be performed on Friday, February 3 at 7.30pm at Piddletrenthide memorial hall. For tickets call 07786 880676. Further information and tickets are available online at artsreach.co.uk

FLYING HIGH: Storyteller James Rowland has two performances of Learning to Fly in Dorset in February

Clocktower’s top ten!

The most purchased artists at Bridport’s Clocktower Music in December were: 1. David Bowie , 2. New Order, 3. Van Morrison, 4. Bob Marley, 5. Fleetwood Mac,6. Led Zeppelin 7. Pink Floyd, 8. Bob Dylan 9. Motorhead, 10. Herbie Hancock

Janice and Jon’s show

Janice and Jon are playing at Shipton Gorge Village Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday, February 9. A folk duo with a spellbinding presence, Janice & Jon’s compelling storytelling comes alive through tight vocal harmonies and sensitive interplay between mandolin, bouzouki, and guitar. The duo have performed at the likes of Sage Gateshead, Cambridge Folk Festival, and Edinburgh Tradfest. Their latest album brings together folk songs that explore man’s relationship with nature, love and loss.

n Tickets are £10, £5 (u18s), £25 (fam 4 – max 2 adults) at artsreach.co.uk For enquiries, call 01308 897407.

George Egg’s cracking show packed with yolks

Picture a ‘culinary Bill Bailey with chopping boards instead of keyboards’ – that’s how The Scotsman described award-winning comic George Egg, who is bringing his anarchic brand of humour to Dorset later this month. Following sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, extensive tours of the UK and beyond, and even an appearance on Channel 4’s Bake Off: An Extra Slice, George Egg’s utterly absurd comedy show Set Menu –The Best of George Egg is making a welcome comeback. Part comedy show, part cooking show, Set Menu sees George cook food in the most unbelievable ways, served up alongside some sparkling repartee delivered with his uniquely chef-y flair. Presented by Artsreach, catch George Egg at Yetminster Jubilee Hall on Friday, January 27 at 7.30pm (for tickets call 01935 873546). George will also perform on Saturday, January 28 at 7.30pm at Burton Bradstock Village Hall (for tickets call 01308 897421) and on Sunday, January 29 at 7.30pm at Lytchett Matravers Village Hall (for tickets call 07795 467666). For more information visit artsreach.co.uk

FRYING TONIGHT: George Egg is on tour with his Set Menu show

Guitar concert nets £500 for church

An evening of classical guitar raised £500 towards the upkeep of St Peter’s Church in Portesham. The village’s arts club hosted an intimate, candlelit performance by Scottish virtuoso guitarist Ian Watt in the church late last year. A club spokesperson said: “In this wonderful atmosphere, Ian played a wide range of familiar, as well as less well-known solo guitar pieces. “These ranged from settings of lute songs by Italian Renaissance composers, to pieces by Bach, Grieg and a number of Spanish composers, including Antonio José, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and Manuel de Falla. “Within the church’s ancient walls, the excellent acoustics provided a near perfect setting for such a concert. “However, improved kitchen and other facilities would have made the venue even more suitable for the occasion. The £500 raised by the concert was handed over to the church as a contribution towards the costs of such an upgrade, thereby helping enable St Peter’s to host many more such marvellous concerts in the future.”

THANK YOU: Handing over the cheque to St Peter’s Church and, inset above, guitarist Ian Watt

SHERBORNE GUITAR TUITION 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com