The Last Night of the Proms - 08.09.12

Last Night of the Proms aka the last chance this year we get to use our flags/bunting/union jack hats etc!

The whole place was dressed up red, white and blue and the classical music in the Cafe Bar before the concert started really set the mood for a night of celebrating being British with great music!

However right from the start audiences were in for a shock. 15 year old performers Elliot Crouch (trombone) and Emma Brown (oboe and cor anglais) played two short sets each and completely wowed the crowd with their talent! It was great to see young musicians up on stage promoting classical music.

After a short break (and a technical hitch) we were ready for the traditional Last Night line up, live from the BBC! Particularly outstanding were violinist Nicola Benedetti and tenor Joseph Calleja...

And then the old favourites You'll Never Walk Alone, Jerusalem, Pomp and Circumstance/Land of Hope and Glory, The Hornpipe and Rule Britannia! (featuring the Olympic athletes of course!)

There was no doubt that absolutely everyone in the room loved it and from the back all I could see was a sea of red, white and blue.

Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the waves, Britain's never never shall be slaves! :)

-Hilary Shepherd, Marketing Officer

Music of the Spheres - project with sinfonia ViVA 06.12.11

This project aimed from the start to involve young people in creating their own music. Lincoln College, Nettleham Primary and Monks Abbey Primary Schools met at The Collection in October 2011 to take inspiration from The Four Seasons installation.

Following that, each school, with the help of workshop leader James Redwood, (double bassist Dave and viola player Nina) exercised their imaginations and wrote songs and instrumental music about enjoying the four seasons, change and the journey of life. 

As well as their own compositions, the children and students learnt two songs (complete with actions) to incorporate into the final concert:

"Ah poor bird

Take thy flight

Far above the sorrows of this dark night"

And......

"Seasons change with time

As the earth circles so slowly

Dancing round the sun

Hear the planets spin

Orbiting, ever evolving

Music of the spheres"

It was truly inspiring to see so many children get stuck in to music, and to also get to listen to ViVA playing Astor Piazzollo's 'Four Seasons of Buenos Aires' as well as some Bartok in between each specially composed piece.

 

It was a privilege to have been part of something that introduced so many kids to some great music, but as well as that it was FUN! Kids can be hilarious.

 

If you didn't get to see it this year, please PLEASE try and make it next year (fingers crossed it will be going ahead next year) - you won't regret it!

-Hilary Shepherd, Marketing Officer

Sinfonia ViVA 05.10.11

I didn't know what to expect of sinfonia ViVA - I'd heard good things since about them since their name popped up in our brochure, but I'd not even heard of them before then, never mind heard them play.

It's safe to say I was absolutely astounded. They are phenomenal! The sound they made was just amazing - the strings simply sang in every single piece.

Leader Benedict was great at keeping the audience engaged, and explaining the pieces before they were played, and everyone in the auditorium (which sadly was not very full) loved him.

Even though the whole thing was 2 and a bit hours it definitly didn't feel like it, and I freely admit to going home and youtubing the pieces

ViVA played that night.

- Hilary Shepherd, Marketing Officer

You can see what other classical music events
we have this season by clicking here

Lunchtime Concert 06.09.11

To be honest, this felt like quite a long concert...

However, it sounded great - the pieces were high-profile and probably nearly impossible to play, (see Concert details - Lincoln Drill Hall Website) but I found myself a bit too tired to concentrate fully!

It was a piano four hands solo, which is fairly unusual, and I remember thinking that one of the pieces had a nice tune to it, though I couldn't sing it now if you asked me to. The Drill Hall's auditorium was comfortably filled with people, mostly of the silver-haired generation, but no complaints from me as they all seemed to love it! :)

- Hilary Shepherd, Marketing Officer

You can see what other classical music events we have this season by clicking here