Past events - 2018 - 2019

Shostakovich, his Life and his Quartets

Friday 26th - Sunday 28th October, 2018

at Artrix, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

Presented by Festive Classics

Dante Quartet performed all 15 Shostakovich String Quartets

Speakers included Stephen Johnson, Elizabeth Wilson, Roderick Swanston,

David Rudkin and Alan George

The weekend included a masterclass run by Robin Ireland with students from

Birmingham Conservatoire, and a showing of Tony Palmer's 1987 film 'Testimony',

introduced by David Rudkin


'Strings on a Summer Evening' at the New Guesten Hall, Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings Astaria String Quartet A carefully-selected cornucopia of works spanning nearly two centuries will be performed by this well-known local quartet, including music by Mozart, Borodin, Britten, Piazzolla and Bridge. - Thursday 20 June 2019, at 7.30pm - The opening concert of Bromsgrove Festival 2019


'Music at Lunchtime' events at the New Guesten Hall, Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings - all presented as part of Bromsgrove Festival 2019

Wed 26 Jun 2019	'Roll Over Beethoven' - Actor/singer and pianist Michael Lunts - Returning for his fifth time - always to full audiences - Michael takes an irreverent look at classical music, finding humour in an art-form that can take itself rather seriously. As Mozart himself famously illustrated, a love of classical music is not incompatible with a sense of humour. You will be treated to the works of the great composers as you may never have heard them before! Michael Lunts' website
Wed 3 Jul 2019	'Mozart & Dvořák Serenades' - The Orchestra of St John Chamber Ensemble - Mozart's Serenade No 12 K388 ('Nacht Musik') is full of dramatic contrast and textures, with amazing athleticism required of the bassoons in the fourth movement, which has a joyous conclusion. Dvořák's Serenade for Wind is a perennial favourite, composed in the Slavonic style with almost too many tunes to count! This is Dvořák at his best. Orchestra of St John's website This concert generously supported by Margaret Goode
Wed 10 Jul 2019	'Horn Showcase' - The Birmingham Horn Sound - This talented group of eight horns visits for a second time, after pleasing the large audience in 2016. The emphasis this time will be to provide an enjoyable alternative to more serious classical music, with musical showmanship to the fore.
Wed 17 Jul 2019	'Light Jazz Classics' - The Prewer Trio - Claire Prewer and son, Aaron, will be known to many from choral performances in the Orchestra of St John. In this concert, they present their talent in many well-known, easy-listening jazz favourites.

Festive Classics gratefully achnowledges the generous support from the
Bromsgrove Institute Trust for this lunchtime series.