Overture October 2017

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What the critics said about our 2017 operas The Book Weekend returns for the fourth chapter Mozart’s a hit with the kids

The newsletter for Friends & Supporters of Buxton International Festival Issue Four  October 2017

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Felicity Goodey CBE DL Chairman

A message from the Chairman of Buxton International Festival

The 2017 Buxton International Festival has been judged by critics and audience alike as ‘the best yet’.

Congratulations are owed to Stephen Barlow and all the artists and crews on stage and behind the scenes.

Ticket sales were up 16% and we received glowing reviews from national critics for all our operas.

Macbeth was virtually sold out.

for financial support but ticket sales cover less than half the cost of our operas. The reality is that those who enjoy high quality arts, and wish to preserve them for the future, can no longer expect a hard pressed public purse to make much of a contribution.

The exception is the Arts Council to whom we are grateful for renewal of our National Portfolio status.

Stephen Gadd, who starred as Macbeth wrote to me to say: ‘Working on Macbeth with Elijah and in Buxton was one of the highlights of my career, and I’m so glad that the audiences (and critics) enjoyed it too!’

The Executive Director, Randall Shannon, has stepped down after a five-year contract to move on to other projects and we thank him for his contribution to the artistic quality of the Festival. A new Executive Director is being sought. Meanwhile the team under the leadership of Artistic Director Stephen Barlow and Interim Executive Director Joanne Williams, is busy planning for 2018.

And the New York Met’s Elijah Moshinsky who directed it writes: ‘I am delighted that Macbeth was a real hit. There is no reason why Buxton cannot make a significant imprint on the arts scene in England’.

Elijah returns next year to direct Verdi’s Alzira.

The other highlights of 2017 are too many to mention, but I must tell you about Roderick Williams. After a sell-out performance of a beautiful Schubert song cycle, Roddy went straight to a primary school in Buxton where he entranced over 50 seven- and eight-year-old children. Hundreds more Buxton youngsters packed the Opera House one afternoon for an uproarious session of Crazy Composers with our Associate Orchestra, early music specialists The English Concert. Sponsored by the Chairman of The English Concert George Burnett and his wife Daphne, Crazy Composers enabled children from all over the region to discover that classical music can be great fun – even Buxton’s Mayor joined in to egg them on!’

Financially results this year are not as good as they should have been. Fortunately, core supporters who are passionate about the Festival and its future, have stepped in with the necessary financial support.

Meanwhile the special Anniversary Appeal launched by the Duke of Devonshire and Lesley Garrett during the Festival is beginning to attract a steady stream of donations. I wish we did not have to continually ask

Two operas already announced are Verdi’s Alzira and Mozart’s Idomeneo.

The Book team is swinging into action with the enthusiastic help and advice of Lord Peter Hennessy, Mathew Parris and publisher Andrew Lownie. And the music series is promising to produce another glittering array of talent.

Meanwhile don’t forget the Literary Weekend coming up in November with a terrific line up which includes Vince Cable on his first novel, and possibly a word about becoming the new leader of the Lib Dems, as well as the supremely funny and irreverent Tony Robinson and the darling of serious historians and historical novel fans alike, Alison Weir.

Thank you for being a ‘Friend’. Your annual subscriptions are our life-blood. There will be no increase in membership fees this year but if you would like to upgrade you will find some very tempting behind the scenes offers available and any extra you give us makes a world of difference.

We look forward to seeing you in the Autumn for the Book Weekend, at one of our Friends events and, of course, for the Festival next Summer.

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Next year’s operas For Buxton International Festival 2018 we are excited to announce two operas, continuing our tradition of creating fine productions of less well-known works by the most celebrated composers.

Verdi’s Alzira completes our trilogy of Verdi titles (following Giovanna d’Arco in 2015 and Macbeth this year), conducted by the Festival’s Artistic Director Stephen Barlow, and directed by internationally renowned Elijah Moshinsky. Based on Voltaire’s play Alzire, ou les Américains, it is set in 16th century Peru, where the love affair between two Peruvian natives, Zamoro and Alzira, is set against a fight for independence by the tribesmen against the Spanish rule of the conquistadors. Described by The New Grove Guide to Verdi and His Operas as ‘an opera decisively ahead of its time’, Alzira finds Verdi experimenting with a realist style that makes it ripe for revival.

Our second opera for 2018 is Mozart’s Idomeneo, King of Crete.

It tells the story of Ilia, a refugee from the Trojan War, and her love for Prince Idamante of Crete, the

Supported by

former enemy of her father, set against the jealousy of Greek princess Elettra. The premiere of Idomeneo in 1781 came just two days after Mozart’s 25th birthday.

It was his 13th work for the stage and marks his full maturity as a dramatic composer. The plot moves with breathless immediacy, plunging the characters into extreme emotional states, taking the audience with them. Idomeneo also features some of Mozart’s most varied and inventive music, including the heroic regality of Idomeneo’s ‘Fuor del mar’, the tenderness of Ilia and Idamante’s duet ‘S’io non moro a questi accenti’ and the furious vocal acrobatics of Elettra’s ‘D’Oreste, d’Ajace’.

Both operas contain strong roles for principals as well as plenty of scope for our celebrated Festival Chorus.

Buxton International Festival 2018 will also include a full programme of music and book events with something for all tastes. We will of course keep you informed on the programme as it begins to take shape over the coming months.

2017 in numbers

32,000 £3m tickets sold

generated for the local economy

206

musicians and singers employed

3

unique in-house opera productions

2,500

members of Friends support group

120

events featuring music, opera and books

3,000

young people take part in creative arts projects

16% 963

tickets sales increase

volunteer hours

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Macbeth Giuseppe Verdi

“ Stephen Gadd gives a gripping, raging-bull performance.”

The Times ★★★★★ “ …we’re on the edge of our seats, spines tingling, right to the end.”

Bachtrack ★★★★ “ …the exceptionally adroit conducting of Stephen Barlow, who drew crisp, pungent playing from the Northern Chamber Orchestra.”

The Daily Telegraph

Albert Herring Benjamin Britten

“ Social comedy at its most lovingly, evocatively drawn.”

The Spectator

“ An excellent cast...”

The Times

“ A near-ideal ensemble cast plays affectionately off each other.”

The ArtsDesk

The Guardian

★★★★ ★★★★

Bachtrack

What the critics said...

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Lucio Silla

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“ Astonishing musicmaking, at such luxurious length…”

Bachtrack “ Mozart’s early opera registers impressively in this focused, well sung staging.”

The Stage

“ Terrific playing from the English Concert under Laurence Cummings’s stylish direction…”

The Times “ …a brilliant young cast…”

The Spectator

The Festival Circle continues to grow from strength to strength and plays an important role in supporting the continuing development and growth of this nationally recognised cultural event.

Our business membership brings existing supporters closer to the organisation while also developing a wider network of business support across the region. Members of the Festival Circle support the continued development of our education and outreach projects and help to maintain the highest artistic standards across the Festival.

Members receive benefits as part of their membership, together with the opportunity to promote their business in the local community.

Festival Circle Alpine Lodge Guest House Best Western Lee Wood Hotel Brooke-Taylor Solicitors Buxton Civic Association C R Clowes & Sons Ltd The Columbine Restaurant The Duke, Burbage East Lodge Hotel & Restaurant Haddon Hall Care Home High Peak Bookstore & Cafe Glorious Creative Go Ape Grosvener House Hotel Image Design & Print J Sidebotham & Son Jewellers John Hattersley Wines

John Whibley ‘Holidays with Music’ Medi-Kelsey Ltd Queen’s Head The Palace Hotel Buxton & Spa Roseleigh Guest House Shackleford Pianos SiBCAS Simply Thai

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Festival in pictures

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Book Weekend 24–26 November Buxton International Festival’s Book Weekend returns later this year

The Book Weekend returns this November for its fourth year, extending the reach of the Festival far beyond the summer, and continuing to enthral audiences with fascinating talks from celebrated writers and personalities with great stories to tell.

This November’s weekend features two high profile evening events.

On Friday 24 November, actor, history presenter and campaigner Tony Robinson talks about his life and career, from Blackadder to Time Team, from playing the Artful Dodger in the original West End cast of Oliver! to Maid Marion and her Merry Men, from acting opposite John Wayne to a leading role on the National Executive of the Labour Party. Then on Saturday 25 November, broadcaster Jeremy Vine gives a fascinating and humorous account of how the input of the listeners to his Radio 2 show have changed his views of politics in the world today.

Our daytime speakers are equally prominent. Vince Cable returns to Buxton for the first time since becoming Leader of the Liberal Democrats, to talk about the state of politics today and introduce his debut novel, a thriller set in the post-Brexit world. Actor Timothy Bentinck who for 35 years has been the voice of Radio 4’s David Archer, talks about life in Britain’s most listened-to serial. Historian and historical fiction writer Alison Weir introduces the formidable Queens in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, while Simon Heffer talks about the decadent years of pre-World War I Britain.

John Higgs talks a journey to the heart of Britain as he tells the story of Watling Street, a road of witches and ghosts, of queens and highwaymen, of history and myth, of Chaucer, Dickens and James Bond and James Hamilton looks back at the maverick artistic genius of Gainsborough (talk sponsored by No 6 The Square).

With the dark nights drawing in, on Sunday 26 November, dare you join us for the Crime Writers Lunch, with three Queens of Crime? Scottish crime legend (and former Buxton resident!)

Val McDermid talks about killing people for fun and profit and her latest thriller Insidious Intent.

Fellow Scot Denise Mina blurs fact and fiction with her take on the infamous 1950s Glasgow killer Peter Manuel in her award-winning novel The Long Drop and Derbyshire detective novelist Sarah Ward introduces on her latest Peak District page-turner A Patient Fury.

For more information on all Book Weekend events, and to book tickets, go to buxtonfestival.co.uk or phone 01298 72190. Special offer: Book 3 or more Book Weekend events and receive a discount of 20% (excluding Crime Writers Lunch).

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On guard Opera beats pop when it comes to sword-fighting

Sketching the stained glass, the architecture, and ‘seeing the dumb waiter in the ladies toilet’ were among the highlights, said the children.

“First of all I hated painting and then I tried again and I loved it and I want to do it 100 times,” said one pupil. They especially liked performing in front of an audience on the Opera House stage – one venue at which Roderick has yet to appear.

“You’ve got one over me!” he told them.

Opera singers get into more swordfights than pop stars ever do, Buxton Infants School pupils learned from internationally famous baritone Roderick Williams, OBE. Roderick, who had just received foot-stamping, rapturous applause for his performance in Buxton International Festival at the Pavilion Arts Centre, dropped in to see Year 1 children who had been working on their Arts Award Discover programme, a ten-week introduction to the arts run jointly by the Festival and Buxton Opera House.

He amazed the 55 youngsters with the power of his voice with a song in Russian, and explained how he began his musical career at the age of seven in choirs in his native Wales.

Roderick, who has sung all over the world including solo at The Last Night of the Proms, explained the difference between singing opera and singing pop – how he had to fill the theatre with voice, unaided by a microphone, and only sang “cover versions”.

And he decided it was the career for him when he discovered the official training programme included make-up, dressing up and combat training for fights scenes: “I thought it sounded like an awful lot of fun.”

The children, who sang to him in German, received certificates for completing the Arts Council project in art, music and drama after visiting the Opera House to see how everything works backstage.

By Christmas Buxton International Festival will have given out over 500 Arts Award Discover certificates in the town. They have also worked with students at Harpur Hill School at the next level, Arts Award Explore, and hope to do more in the future.

The awards were presented by Buxton man Mark Burns, who is now an assistant opera director working across the globe. Mark’s interest in music was sparked as a child taking part in the Festival’s outreach programme.

Issue Four – October 2017

Friends at the Centre From the Chairman What a festival! Congratulations to Stephen Barlow, Randall Shannon and the marvellous line-up of performers – across the operas, the music series and the literary talks – for arguably the best festival in recent years – an accolade heard repeatedly both during and after this year’s Festival.

It was most encouraging to meet with, and indeed correspond with, so many Friends over the summer – lots of good ideas and suggestions mixed in with expressions of great satisfaction. Last but not least, our thanks to the Festival volunteers - mostly Friends themselves – for ensuring such a stress-free visit for Festival goers.

These are good times to be a Friend – from ensuring one’s favourite Festival seats through priority booking to hearing first about the increasing and enticing variety of Friend events. Just read on to see what I mean!

This year we have been asking rather a lot of our Friends. Firstly, we had our Grand Prize Draw with just one winner but with Friends buying up over 750 tickets to add over £7,500 to the Festival funds. Now we have the ambitious and challenging 40th Anniversary Appeal, about which I have already written to you all with a particular request for further support. So, despite agreeing at last February’s AGM that we would slightly raise subscriptions this November, the Committee have decided not to make such an additional demand on everyone. At the same time, we know that such is the commitment of many of you that you will always consider increasing your regular support. If this is the case, I would urge you to consider upgrading your level of membership. This has always been one of our most effective fund raising strategies and it adds, of course, to the advantages of your membership.

Buxton International Festival is unique. It enjoys a devoted following and attracts star performers. Through the Appeal, it has also recently caught the attention and support of a number of highly influential people. But the Friends remain “at the centre”. Thank you so much for your unstinting appreciation and support.

David Brindley, Chairman friendschairman@buxtonfestival.co.uk

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Friends round-up Backdrops to Friends events included the country house where Agatha Christie wrote her murder mysteries and a museum dedicated to the man who created the setting of our daily lives.

Spirit of Agatha Christie in country house backdrop Upper House, at the foot of Kinder Scout near Hayfield, was the setting a concert by harpists The Septentrion Duo, students Kathryn Mason and Alice Roberts from the Royal Northern College of Music who performed pieces ranging from Satie’s Gymnopédie to work by Nino Rota, who won an Oscar for his The Godfather Part II theme.

Upper House was owned by James Watts, a cotton baron and mayor of Manchester in 1856, whose son married Agatha Christie’s sister.

The crime writer spent many holidays in the country house, arriving by train at Marple Station – which was just the ticket when looking for a name for her most famous detective.

Upper House is now owned by Friends’ member Nicky Hudson and her husband Paul, who have turned the remote and romantic home into a luxury retreat and wedding venue.

Friends Chairman David Brindley said: “We are indebted to them for providing such warm and generous hospitality in such an amazing setting.”

Membership Rates for 2017/18

Friend Gold Friend Patron Benefactor Directors Circle

Single £30 £60 £175 £500 £1,500

Joint £40 £85 £250 £600 £1,500

Above are the membership rates for the year ahead. Subscriptions can be paid by Standing Order, by cheque payable to ‘Friends of Buxton Festival’ or online via the Festival website using your credit card. We will send out a reminder to all members so no action required at this time.

A full list of benefits for each membership tier is also listed on the Festival website.

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David Mellor Design Museum The previous event was a recital in the David Mellor Design Museum in Hathersage, which includes examples of the modern traffic lights, bus shelters, litter bins, park benches and stainless steel cutlery which made the awardwinning designer famous.

Music was provided by Royal Northern College of Music students Trio Volant who played works by Beethoven, Milhaud and

Mozart, ending with Last Dance by “The role of philanthropy for my contemporary British composer colleagues and Buxton International Cecilia McDowall, who phoned the Festival is an essential one,” players just before the concert to said Simon. tell them to get the venue rocking!

“We should celebrate that. The The role of The Friends and similar more we reduce our dependence organisations in securing finance on public money the more healthy for live music was described our sector will be. The role of the as vital at a talk by Simon Webb, philanthropist is crucial and General Manager of the Salfordalways has been. I don’t suppose based BBC Philharmonic (architect) Frank Matcham built Orchestra.

Buxton Opera House with Arts Council money – there was no Arts Council in 1903.”

Tickets to Madeira make money go a long way

Long-time supporter of the Festival Hugh Henderson won the four nights in the five-star Belmond Reid’s Palace – Madeira’s number one hotel for over a century – plus a chauffeur-driven Mercedes from the airport and 500 Euros in spending money.

The Friends had used the donation to buy the prize, and sales of tickets at £10 each brought in the cash which will support the Festival in the future.

Friends of Buxton International Festival proved they know how to make money go a long way by turning a £4,500 donation into £7,500 thanks to a prize draw for a dream foreign holiday.

Mr Henderson heard about his windfall in a text from his sister who was at the annual Friends dinner when the draw was made.

“I had totally forgotten that I’d entered the competition,” he said.

“I thought it was a joke!”

His first Festival was at the end of the 1980s: “I’ve been virtually every year since. It’s a great venue, and a happy place.”

The choice offered by the opera, music and books means that the audience can choose what sort of experience they have, said Mr Henderson: “It’s got masses of variety. You can be totally relaxed or totally busy.”

With its tropical gardens and oceanview pools, Belmond Reid’s Palace is a haven of old world charm.

Winston Churchill wrote his war memoirs there while enjoying its cliff-top setting, grand colonial architecture and ocean views.

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Forthcoming Friends Events Coffee Morning Talk

Annual General Meeting

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 at 10.30am 6 The Square, Buxton

Friday, 9 February 2018 at 10.30am The Studio, Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton

One of the world’s greatest playwrights George Bernard Shaw, is less well-known as an opera critic who brought his deep knowledge and incisive perception to the late Victorian music scene. As part of the Friends Coffee Morning Talk series, Professor Anthony Ogus CBE will discuss Shaw’s work as a prominent critic whose occasionally outrageous wit produced some devastating opera reviews.

Anthony, a retired academic lawyer with a lifelong passion for the arts, will introduce a selection of these reviews as part of his talk.

All members are welcome to attend. If you wish to stand for election to become a trustee, or nominate a fellow member with their consent, contact the Friends’ Secretary by 19 January. This can be done by email to friends@ buxtonfestival.co.uk or by post to 3 The Square, Buxton SK17 6AZ.

Member of the Friends, Anthony is now Emeritus Professor at the Universities of Manchester and Rotterdam and in 2007 was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. He regularly reviews concerts and opera performances around the world, has written a book on his experiences called Travels with My Opera Glasses and has a monthly column in the magazine Opera Now. Places cost £8 each including coffee.

This is a chance to see a young pianist with a great future, Romanian-born George Todica, who has already played at prestigious halls across the globe. The 23-yearold is currently studying for a Masters at the Royal Conservatoire in Scotland after gaining a scholarship to Stewart’s Melville College in Edinburgh.

AGM LUNCH Friday, 9 February 2018 at 1pm Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton Following George Todica’s recital, Friends are invited to a two-course lunch with a glass of wine and coffee. Places cost £20 each.

AGM RECITAL WITH GEORGE TODICA, piano Friday, 9 February 2018 at 12 noon The Studio, Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton

His Buxton concert, details of which have yet to be announced, has been made possible by The Tillet Trust, which along with Help Musicians UK, is supporting George’s career.

Places cost £10 each.

Supported by The Tillett Trust Young Artists’ Platform.

George Todica

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Stockport Plaza

English Touring Opera Recital

Stockport Plaza

Coffee Morning Talk

Friday, 23 March at 11.30am Moorcroft House, Buxton

Sunday, 29 April at 11.45 am Mersey Square, Stockport SK1 1SP

Tuesday, 1 May at 10.30am 6 The Square, Buxton

This annual event has become a firm favourite on the Friends’ event calendar. Members are treated to a recital in the intimate setting of Moorcroft House, home of Pat and Philip Holland who are both members of the Friends.

Come and join us for a recital given by singers from the English Touring Opera productions followed by lunch. Please note that places for this popular event are limited and early booking is recommended. Places cost £25 each including lunch.

Friends can step back in time to the golden age of the silver screen with a visit to the Stockport Plaza, considered to be the best surviving cinema auditorium in the north of England, for a fun day of classic film featuring favourites such a Laurel and Hardy and Harold Lloyd.

A remarkable building in Manchester which has the same status in the world of architecture as the Taj Mahal will be the subject of the May talk. Elaine Griffiths MBE will speak on her work as Chief Executive of Gorton Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust, which rescued the building and turned it into a multi-faith centre and one of the city’s leading attractions.

Behind its regeneration is a tale of faith from the past, faith in the future and mysterious geometry.

Places cost £8 including coffee.

Also on the bill at the Art Deco theatre, built in 1932 at the heart of Stockport, will be short historical films including vintage footage of Buxton, with accompanying music played on its original Compton theatre organ.

Members have been promised a red carpet welcome at the sumptuous cinema. The event will start with a Bucks Fizz and popcorn reception and also include lunch in the delightful theatre restaurant at the end of the show. Places cost £28 including reception, films, music and lunch.

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Study Day Wednesday, 2 May, 11am to 3.15pm Lee Wood Hotel, Buxton This established and popular event returns to the Lee Wood where experts in the field will provide a fascinating insight into the history and significance of the opera productions chosen for the 2018 Festival. Places cost £35 each.

Haddon Hall Wednesday, 16 May at 6.30pm Haddon Hall, near Bakewell Lord and Lady Manners extend a personal invitation to Haddon Hall, one of the most romantic buildings in Derbyshire, which “slept” for 200 years.

The Hall, possibly the finest example of a fortified medieval manor house anywhere, is the setting for a recital by a string quartet from the Northern Chamber Orchestra. On arrival, there will be a drinks reception and canapes in the Banqueting Hall before heading to the Long Gallery for the music. During the interval guests will be able to go into the Rose Garden and explore the grounds with a glass of bubbly.

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Buxton Goes To London Thursday, 14 June, 7pm 22 Mansfield Street, London An historic house in the heart of Mayfair which is a home from home for Buxton International Festival will host a preview of music and song from the 2018 opera programme in a showcase event devised by Artistic Director Stephen Barlow.

Georgian Mansfield Street was created by Robert and James Adam, and Number 22 is also where the Nicholas Boas Trust, which helps young musicians at the beginning of their careers, holds concerts to raise money.

Places cost £80 each, including a meal and drinks.

Dates for your diary On 12 September 2018 we will be holding an event at Hassop Hall and on 19 October 2018 we say farewell to our outgoing Patron, Donald Maxwell, with a special Concert and Dinner at the Pavilion Arts Centre.

Further dates for future Friends events will be announced in the next newsletter and on the Festival website.

Cavendish Bar Upgrade your membership for an invitation to the Cavendish Bar in 2018. One of the benefits of becoming a Directors Circle, Benefactor or Patron member is an invitation to join other VIP guests for an interval drink at the evening performances. We very much hope you will join us in 2018 as one of our Directors Circle members, Benefactors or Patrons.

Garden Party Wednesday, 24 June at 12.30pm Bishops Grange, Buxton Former Chairman of the Friends Louise Potter opens her house at Bishops Grange for afternoon tea and brass music from local Burbage Band. Places cost £30 each.

The Hall has been used as a setting for many films and TV series, including The Princess Bride and Jane Eyre but was once a real “sleeping beauty” when from the 1700s to the 1920s it lay dormant until the 9th Duke and Duchess of Rutland restored the house and gardens. Places are £50 each including Drinks Reception and canapés plus interval drink.

Haddon Hall, near Bakewell

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Friends Autumn & Winter Holidays 2017 Friends of Buxton International Festival’s own tour operator specialising in opera holidays has released a programme which will keep opera enthusiasts enthralled this autumn.

John Whibley’s Holidays with Music have trips to Glyndebourne, Prague and Wexford, bringing the curtain down on the year with a Christmas Oratorio in Leipzig.

John and Helen Whibley have been involved in classical music all their lives. They are both cellists and studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London before playing in the Hallé in Manchester. John took over the management of the Manchester Camerata in 1975 and ran the orchestra, with help from Helen, for over 20 years. After many years of organising tours for orchestras and groups of patrons, John and Helen started “Holidays with Music” in 1999.

Holidays this year include:

Glyndebourne Touring Opera at Glyndebourne

Estates Theatre, Prague

Opera in Prague 26–30 October Mozart conducted the first performance of Don Giovanni in Prague’s Estates Theatre on 29 October 1787. Plácido Domingo will conduct the opera in the same theatre to celebrate its 230th anniversary. Plus two operas in the National Theatre – Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Smetana’s Bartered Bride. Cost per person: £1,745.

Glyndebourne Touring Opera in Canterbury 31 October–3 November

24–27 October Brett Dean: Hamlet; Rossini: The Barber of Seville; Mozart: Così fan tutte. Cost per person: £690. Travel to Eastbourne is not included.

Mozart: Così fan tutte; Rossini: The Barber of Seville. Cost per person £690. Travel to Canterbury is not included.

For more details contact John Whibley: 01663 746678, john@whibley.co.uk, www.whibley.co.uk. Please mention you are a Friend of Buxton International Festival when contacting John Whibley.

Thomaskirche, Leipzig

Wexford Festival Opera 2–6 November Luigi Cherubini: Medea; Franco Alfano: Risurrezione. Flights to Dublin will be included from Manchester or London. Cost per person: £1,445.

Christmas Oratorio in Leipzig 14–18 December Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in the Thomaskirche, where he was cantor for the last 27 years of his life, plus two operas at Leipzig Opera House and free time to enjoy the Christmas Market.

R Strauss: Salome; Bach: Christmas Oratorio; Verdi: Don Carlo. Cost per person: £1,775. Price includes flights from Manchester or London to Leipzig via Frankfurt.

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Mozart’s a hit with the kids Five hundred kids went crazy for the composer Mozart in Buxton Opera House They filled the theatre with song, accompanied by baroque orchestra The English Concert, as the finale of a project which in the previous weeks had seen the youngsters compose their own music based on the works of Handel and Mozart.

The children from schools in Buxton, Stockport and Walsall had been researching the life and works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – whom they christened Wolfie – for the performance of a specially penned song set to his music.

Bringing to life the stories and music of these great composers and demonstrating why they were brilliant was Robert Howes, who created the live education programme for The English Concert, run in conjunction with Buxton International Festival and the Opera House.

Robert, an Associate of London’s Royal Academy of Music who as well as being a classical musician has worked with The Grateful Dead, The Carpenters and Chris De Burgh, is a passionate believer and supporter of the positive power of music in children’s lives.

In a cross between a pantomime and the TV show Perfect Pitch, he got the children on their feet and singing their hearts out, with a bit of slapstick among the orchestra and a personal appearance by Wolfie himself.

The English Concert’s Chairman George Burnett said: “This is the fourth year that The English Concert has brought its Crazy Composers programme to Buxton and on each occasion more and more pupils have become involved.

“At a time when music provision in schools is very limited, it is really important that children have the opportunity to experience live music and to realise that classical music is for everyone – there is nothing scary or elitist about it.

How better to demonstrate this than having 500 children raising the rafters in Buxton’s incomparable Opera House.”

Issue Four – October 2017

Opera star to raise £1.5 million for debt she cannot repay The Festival already generates £3 million for the economy of the area, but the appeal aims to create a financial base which will allow it to expand.

Nationally, the Festival provides an important training ground for the opera singers, musicians and theatre technicians of the future with its annual Made in Buxton original productions.

“I owe this Festival a debt I simply cannot repay,” said Lesley, who was given two big roles there as a young singer.

The Festival, which is unique as it produces its own operas as well as incorporating concerts, jazz evenings and book talks, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019, and hopes the appeal will put its finances on a firm footing. “Forty years ago this Festival and I were in our professional infancy,” said Lesley, who is Patron of the Appeal.

“I very much feel we grew up together. There is something for everyone in this Festival. You cannot, even in this cash-strapped world, allow that great heritage that we have worked so hard for to fail for lack of effort.”

A survey by the University of Derby demonstrated that the average Festival-goer spends more than £320 each locally, and the event attracts visitors from France, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, the United States of America and New Zealand.

“With some increased investment, the Festival could become a landmark in the UK for events,” said the report.

‘Buxton has won a European award for its outreach work with local children. “All children have a core entitlement to experience music and the arts,” says David Brindley, Chairman of the Festival Friends

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Britain’s favourite opera star Lesley Garrett is helping to raise £1.5 million for Buxton International Festival – which gave her a break early in her career and a former head teacher. “The arts have the power to transform young lives, to enable young people to find new forms of expression and to discover hidden talents. It is marvellous that this is a growing element in the Festival’s progamme.”

The appeal, backed by the Festival Company’s President the Duke of Devonshire, aims to raise the £1.5 million over three years.

The Festival in 2018 will coincide with restoration of the magnificent Georgian Crescent to its former glory as a five-star spa hotel, while the town, together with the local authority and the University of Derby was now working on developing Buxton’s tourist potential.

“The Festival is absolutely the epicentre of this continuing success and growth, and the opportunities for Buxton are enormous,” said the Duke.

“Without the Festival, Buxton and Derbyshire would be a much poorer place.”

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Being an intern can be murder...

A chat with a convicted murderer over a cup of tea was just one of the big surprises that came as part of being a Buxton International Festival intern

Wanted: new Festival board members!

Could you help us stage one of Europe’s ‘great little unmissable’ (New York Metropolitan Opera House), ‘least pretentious’ (The Guardian) Opera Festivals?’

Skills and experience in modern marketing techniques, business development, performing arts event production/management, would be especially welcome.

We are also looking for a chartered accountant to chair our audit committee. It is not essential to live in the area; current Directors live all over the UK. Board meetings are usually held in Buxton or Manchester. The post is not remunerated and directors fund their own expenses.

The young people who do the sound checks, heave the scenery, run the errands and generally make the two weeks of opera, music and literary events run like clockwork were still slogging away even after the audiences had gone home.

They were busy “decomposing” – rubbing out the pencil annotations made by the arrangers on the scores of musical scores needed for the orchestras, soloists and singers – as they looked back on what their jobs at Buxton had involved them in.

“We had a cup of tea with Erwin James after the Oldie Literary Lunch,” said Helen Bowell. “In the 1980s he murdered two people and went to prison and reformed himself. Now he is writer for The Guardian.”

Buying a toaster for the Festival office, serving drinks in the rain at the Cavendish Bar and making sure no-one got lost in the woods on a walking tour of Buxton were also on the list of strange jobs, but the experience they gained in managing events and people will stand them in good stead whatever career they choose.

“I thought I wasn’t a people person,” said Hayley Suviste. “Now I think I’d like to go into arts management because I enjoyed it so much.”

One of our 2015 Interns, soprano Sarah Gilford, won the W Towyn Roberts Scholarship, the top prize at the National Eisteddfod, on Anglesey last month.

We ask a lot of our Board members but in return offer the huge satisfaction of helping to run and develop one of the most prestigious arts events in Britain.

If you have the skills and appetite to help us deliver this exciting annual Festival please write or email the Festival Board Chairman, including a brief CV and a letter explaining why you think you could help us.

Applications should be addressed to Felicity Goodey CBE DL, Chairman, the Buxton International Festival, 3 The Square, Buxton SK17 6AZ; or sent by email to Lee Barnes, lee@buxtonfestival. co.uk and marked for the attention of the Chairman.

Expressions of interest by the end of October please.

Issue Four – October 2017

Joan Haworth 6 March 1926 – 22 May 2017

Buxton International Festival dedicated one of this year’s operas to the memory of Lady Joan Haworth, who died recently aged 91.

Lady Haworth joined the Festival Board in 1987, but had been a supporter of the event for long before then, latterly becoming Chairman of the Board and a trustee of the Festival Friends.

This year the Friends are sponsoring Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring, and to mark Lady Haworth’s dedication to the Festival, it was decided to dedicate all five performances to her as well.

Joanne turns Journalist John looks forward to 40 cultural capital into Festival cash years of reporting on the Festival Former Buxton Advertiser Editor John Phillips has been appointed Press Officer for the Festival.

John, who has also worked for the Derbyshire Times and as Community Liaison Officer for the University of Derby’s Buxton Campus, said: “This is a dream job for a journalist. The 2017 Festival saw me writing stories about everything from wildlife and opera to Brexit and terrorism.”

He wrote about the creation of the Festival in 1979 as a young reporter on the Buxton Advertiser and has watched it grow in artistic quality and importance ever since.

“The Festival is a vital part of Buxton’s life and economy, generating the excitement, visitors and international profile which will ensure the town’s future as a major cultural venue,” he said.

Experienced arts and charities fund-raiser and marketeer Joanne Williams has joined the Festival team as Development Manager.

Jo will be shaping the 40th Anniversary Appeal as well as strengthening the Festival’s ties with its support groups such as the Circle and Friends while forging new links with industry.

Her background in local government, cultural organisations and the entertainment industry ideally suits her for this role, which reflects her interest in social change and the role of cultural capital.

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“Lady Haworth was a forceful advocate of the Festival, and with her husband Sir Philip hosted numerous fund-raising events and campaigned tirelessly for its success,” said Friends Chairman David Brindley.

“Many people believe that without her the Festival could well have failed in its early years instead of growing into the international event it has now become in its 39th year. What’s more, she had a wonderful common touch, a quite wicked sense of humour and was marvellous company.

Jo has worked for High Peak Borough Council as a Market Town Project Officer, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in marketing and resource management and with the National Trust as a Visitor Experience Manager.

Her fund-raising experience in the arts and environmental sector has included supporting Manchester’s Cornerhouse, The Lowry Centre Trust, Manchester International Festival and the Festival of New Cinema and Digital Future.

As a trustee of Buxton Festival Fringe for five years, Jo saw first-hand how the arts are helping to create a bright future for Buxton.

She told Overture: “Investing in culture and the arts has paid dividends for all the organisations I have worked for, and the Festival is prime example of the industry can help its host community.”

Friday 24 November

Saturday 25 November

Sunday 26 November

12 noon

10am

12 noon

On the maverick genius of Gainsborough

The LibDem leader on the post-Brexit world and his first political thriller

James Hamilton 2pm

John Higgs

On a journey to Britain’s heartland along Watling Street 7.30pm

Tony Robinson

On life without a cunning plan

Vince Cable 12 noon

Timothy Bentinck On 35 years as Radio 4’s David Archer 2pm

Alison Weir

On the powerful Queens of the Norman Conquest 4pm

Special Offer Book for 3 or more Book Weekend events and receive a 20% discount (excluding Crime Writers Lunch)

Box Office: 01298 72190

Simon Heffer

On the Age of Decadence pre-World War I 7.30pm

Jeremy Vine

What his listeners say – and why we should take notice

The Crime Writers Lunch

Featuring three Queens of Crime – Val McDermid, Denise Mina and Sarah Ward