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Hello and welcome
Welcome to the Chester Music Festival
Summer Serenade
Sunday 23 June
Manchester Camerata meets Mozart in a concert that’s guaranteed to be an enchanting festival opener.
This year we’re proud to bring you an exciting line-up of young world-class talent who are performing some brilliant music in unexpected spaces here at Storyhouse.
The Camerata’s wind soloists are joined by maestros of tomorrow - exciting young conducting talent from the Royal Northern College of Music - to present a programme packed with Mozart’s melodies and lyrical laments.
Join us for a festival packed with playful, joyful musicmaking; a series of concerts and gigs by a new generation of musical stars, along with some well-known faces and our own Ensemble Deva, all presented in relaxed, informal surroundings.
Remember the moment in Amadeus where Salieri first encounters the music of the impish genius and proclaims: “It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God”? That was the sublime Serenade in Bb – dubbed the Gran Partita.
Sit back as the music unfolds among and around you and then stay for a drink at the bar with the musicians at the end.
The evening also features Anna Appleby’s Marriage of Figaro-inspired Federalizing Zoo, and William Alwyn’s swirling and succulent Concerto for Flute and Eight Wind Instruments.
The line-up includes thrilling young South African cellist Abel Selaocoe, concert violinist Sophie Rosa, jazz master Julian Joseph, and the acclaimed boundary-blurring jazz pianist and composer Gwilym Simcock. They will appear alongside international pianist Martin Roscoe, Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell, the ground-breaking Manchester Camerata, and Chester Festival Chorus.
seating The Kitchen: Seated - one level, same level as performers Tables – up to four people, same level as performers Standing – behind tables and seats, same level as performers Mezzanine – restricted view from mezzanine level (first floor)
This year’s composer-in-residence is the young, multi-award winning Bulgarian Dobrinka Tabakova who creates what the Washington Times described as “exciting, deeply-moving” music. If that wasn’t enough, we also have 12 free concerts – daytime gigs by the best new young musicians, playing great family-friendly music across our spaces and Storyhouse’s Young Leaders will take over the building with a day-long programme of events. Finally, there’s also a chance for you all to get involved in the music-making at our joyous Big Storyhouse Jam-along party. Get ready for a summer of music made for you in your house. Clark Rundell, Chester Music Festival director Alex Clifton, artistic director, Storyhouse
Manchester Camerata, conductor Matthew Weites, Chester Music Festival, 2016
The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £30 - Standing £10 - Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
Kitchen Prom Saturday 20 July
Relax and enjoy a concert of well-known classics, performed by the festival’s own Ensemble Deva in this informal Kitchen Prom. Mozart’s ebullient Overture to the Marriage of Figaro is packed with juicy tunes, meanwhile there’s a chance to enjoy a double bill of Dvorak as we pair his elegiac Cello Concerto – played here by stellar soloist Hannah Roberts – and his most famous and enduring work, his Symphony No 9 ‘From the New World’. Savour the Czech composer’s expansive themes saturated with folk melodies and the spirit of African-American spirituals. And keep your ears peeled for the pastoral idyll that Ridley Scott turned in to the soundtrack for what has been voted Britain’s favourite advert. The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £30 - Standing £10 - Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
Kitchen Prom, 2019
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Ensemble Deva and Chester Festival Chorus
Recital: Ian Buckle and Sophie Rosa
Sunday 21 July
Monday 22 July
Ensemble Deva, led by violinist Callum Smart, and the Chester Festival Chorus join forces in a one off concert that celebrates the powerful emotions music can inspire.
Pianist Ian Buckle and violinist Sophie Rosa present a programme of pieces that span 400 years of music-making.
Dobrinka Tabakova in Conversation
Henryk Górecki’s ethereal Totus Tuus, composed to celebrate Pope John Paul II’s pilgrimage to Poland in 1987, sits alongside two very different pieces by festival composer-in-residence Dobrinka Tabakova.
Sunday 21 July
Such Different Paths sees a string septet weaving an intricate musical tapestry, while Centuries of Meditations marries harp, strings, piano and chorus into a dreamily radiant, heart-swelling whole.
Join the festival’s new composer-in-residence Dobrinka Tabakova as she chats with festival director Clark Rundell about her life and music. Tabakova can be heard throughout the festival including ahead of a concert by Ensemble Deva and Chester Festival Chorus in which the Bulgarian-born composer’s work is performed alongside pieces by fellow East Europeans Henryk Gorecki and Arvo Part.
There are also contrasting works from two stellar female voices from across the generations – 18th Century French composer Hélène de Montgeroult, and festival composerin-residence Dobrinka Tabakova. Buckle performs regularly as a recitalist as well as with leading orchestras like the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and its contemporary music wing Ensemble 10/10, while Rosa has a busy career appearing as recitalist, with ensembles and orchestras, and at festivals across the UK.
Finally, Estonian Arvo Part brings his trademark ‘tintinnabuli’ (bell) style to his luminous Te Deum, a choral work jam-packed with glistening crescendos and spinetingling vocal harmonies. Storyhouse Stage - 8pm £24 / £10
Sophie Rosa, Kitchen Prom, Storyhouse, 2018
The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £24 - Standing £10 - Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
Martin Roscoe Solo Recital Wednesday 24 July
Cheshire-raised international piano star Martin Roscoe brings a treasure chest of classical jewels to Storyhouse this summer.
Meanwhile her Through the Cold Smoke can be heard in a recital for piano and violin by Ian Buckle and Sophie Rosa that also features work by Schubert – one of Tabakova’s particular passions.
Mozart’s Fantasy in D minor has been described as ‘an intriguing sound puzzle’, while Schubert’s two short but startlingly sweet Impromptus ooze with luscious lyrical romanticism. Beethoven’s Pathétique
As for Tabakova herself, she has said: “I enjoy music which moves me, so I hope I can give that back to the musicians and the audience.” Storyhouse Stage - 7pm
FREE!
From Arcangelo Corelli’s Baroque Sonata in F to contemporary Austrian composer Beat Furrer’s spare and spectral 1993 composition Lied, via Schubert and Brahms.
Chester Festival Chorus, 2015
Sonata is also deeply romantic - as well as tempestuous – and if you recognise the achingly tender second movement it could be because Billy Joel borrowed it for his song This Night. Then, after the interval, prepare to be charmed by Debussy’s captivating Children’s Corner and swept away through a series of Chopin melodies which
show why after 40 years, Roscoe remains one of the most versatile virtuosos playing today. The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £24 Standing £10 Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
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Café Spice Thursday 25 July
Indie-folk adventuresses Café Spice bring their memorable vocal sound to Storyhouse in an evening of live music. Georgia Gage, Niamh Feeney and Eleanor Lang weave three-part honeyed harmony in to songs of life’s stories and adventures. The quirky, guitar-wielding Manchester-based indie-folk trio was born over a love of singing in harmony, beautiful songs – and plain naan and sausage rolls on a wet and windy night in a curry house in Glasgow called...Café Spice. The Kitchen - 8pm
FREE!
Julian Joseph Trio Friday 26 July
Sit back and enjoy the laid-back sound of the Julian Joseph Trio in Storyhouse’s Kitchen. Described as one of Duke Ellington’s ‘natural-born heirs’, Joseph is an acclaimed British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster who has spent a 35year career championing jazz across the UK and beyond. It’s a dedication that was rewarded last year when he was made an OBE for his services to music. Joseph will be joined in this very special festival event by Mark Hodgson on double bass and Jerry Brown on drums. The Kitchen - 8.30pm Table (up to four) £96 Seated £24 Standing £10 Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
When I Was Young:
John Helliwell, Andy Scott and the Ensemble Deva String Quartet Saturday 27 July Celebrate the 75th year of Supertramp superstar John Helliwell in this world premiere of When I Was Young. Helliwell’s distinctive saxophone and clarinet tones have become part of the soundtrack for millions of lives through hits like Dreamer, Breakfast in America and The Logical Song. When I was Young features specially written and arranged music from British Composer Award-winner and saxophone virtuoso Andy Scott. Joining Helliwell on stage will be long-time collaborator John Ellis - a wizard on the Hammond organ, and Ensemble Deva, led by Rakhi Singh. Beautiful and soulful melodies merge with a multidimensional sound-world as folk tunes, jazz and pop standards are re-imagined and elevated to an inspiring level from these world-class musicians, led by the legendary man himself. Storyhouse Stage - 8pm £24 / £10
Young Takeover Sunday 28 July
Music, dance, workshops, films and storytelling will come together in an exhilarating line-up curated by and aimed at 14 to 25-year-olds – although all ages are welcome! The award-winning Young Storyhouse team is made up of young people keen to develop their skills in programming, scheduling and event management. Rock and indie groups, cover bands, jazz musicians, singers, musical theatre performers, street and contemporary dancers and spoken word artists will all showcase their talents. This free festival event will show why the future is in safe hands. Throughout Storyhouse Various times Free see storyhouse.com for more info
FREE! Family Friendly
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Abel Selaocoe Cello Monday 29 July
Growing up in a South African township, classical instruments were in short supply – and the young Abel Selaocoe often had to practice his bowing technique with a broom. His dedication led to a scholarship at the country’s prestigious St John’s College, and then to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Now the award-winning rising star, who plays with a fizzing energy, is bringing a taste of Africa to Chester with an intimate recital of solo work which will include new African-inspired pieces he has composed himself, alongside Bach’s technically demanding Cello Suite No.4 in E major and Lamentatio by contemporary Italian composer Giovanni Sollima. The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £24 Standing £10 Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
Family Friendly Abel Selaocoe, Storyhouse, 2018
Company Carpi: The Stumbling Block Tuesday 30 July
Poetry and percussion combine in this new dance theatre piece with live music. Company Carpi presents the tight and rigorous work based on the poetry cycle The Stumbling Block by acclaimed poet, author and sculptor Brian Catling.
The stage is set for two drummers and two dancers, along with multiple voices “on tape”, all exploring how to overcome personal, societal, emotional, psychological and all manner of other stumbling blocks.
Conducted by composer and producer Gary Lloyd and choreographed by Bettina Carpi. Garret Theatre - 8pm £12.50
festival at a glance Date - Time
Event
Location
Sun 23 Jun - 8pm
Summer Serenade
The Kitchen
Price £30
£5
Date - Time
Event
Location
Sun 28 Jul - All day
Young Takeover
Everywhere in Storyhouse
Mon 29 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Mon 29 Jul - 8pm
Abel Selaocoe
The Kitchen
Tue 30 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Tue 30 Jul - 8pm
The Stumbling Block
Garret Theatre
Wed 31 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Wed 31 Jul - 8pm
Gwilym Simcock, Rob
Storyhouse Stage
£10 Sun 30 Jun - 5.30pm
Glyndebourne Opera Cendrillon
Storyhouse Stage
£19.50 / £14.50
Sun 14 Jul - 7pm
Glyndebourne Opera Il Barbiere de Siviglia
Storyhouse Stage
£19.50 / £14.50
Sat 20 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Sat 20 Jul - 8pm
Kitchen Prom
The Kitchen
Sun 21 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
£30 £10
£5
The Kitchen
Dobrinka Tabakova in Conversation
Storyhouse Stage
Mon 22 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Mon 22 Jul - 8pm
Ian Buckle and Sophie Rosa
The Kitchen
£24 £10
£5
Wed 24 Jul - 8pm
Martin Roscoe
The Kitchen
£24 £10
£5
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Thu 25 Jul - 8pm
Café Spice
The Kitchen
Fri 26 Jul - 8.30pm
Julian Joseph Trio
The Kitchen
Sat 27 Jul - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Sat 27 Jul - 8pm
When I Was Young
Storyhouse Stage
£24 £10
£5
£12.50
£12.50
Buckland and the Ensemble
Sun 21 Jul - 7pm
Thu 25 Jul - 12.30pm
Price
Deva String Quartet
£96 £24
£24 / £10
£10 £5
Thu 1 Aug - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Thu 1 Aug - 8pm
Hannah Roberts Callum Smart
The Kitchen
Fri 2 Aug - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Fri 2 Aug - 8pm
Gwilym Simcock and the Storyhouse Big Band
Storyhouse Stage
Sat 3 Aug - 12.30pm
Lunchtime Concert
The Kitchen
Sat 3 Aug - 12.30pm
Caffé Venezia
The Kitchen
Sun 4 Aug - 2pm
The Big Storyhouse Jam-Along
The Kitchen
Sun 4 Aug - 5.30pm
Glyndebourne Opera Die Zauberflote
Storyhouse Stage
£24
£5
£10
£24 / £10
£96 £24
£19.50 / £14.50
£10 £5
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Gwilym Simcock, Rob Buckland and the Ensemble Deva String Quartet Wednesday 31 July
Sit back and enjoy an evening of original compositions and arrangements of classical music, all with a French feel. Expect melodies that move you in an intimate setting. Debussy’s charming Children’s Corner suite will be inventively reimagined to give it a
fresh and improvised feel in the concert led by Gwilym Simcock and Rob Buckland. Since then the Mercury Music Prize-nominated composer and jazz pianist has forged a boundaryblurring career in both the jazz and classical worlds, moving effortlessly between the two. He and
internationally-acclaimed saxophonist and composer Rob Buckland, hailed as one of the most distinctive and versatile saxophonists of his generation, will be joined by a string quartet led by Sammy Singh. The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £24 - Standing £10 Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
Ensemble Deva, 2018
Recital: Hannah Roberts and Callum Smart Thursday 1 August
Two of the most exciting talents of their generation come together in one unmissable recital. Cellist Hannah Roberts. BBC Young Musician of the Year finalist and principal cellist of Manchester Camerata. Meanwhile Callum Smart was just 13 when he won the strings category of the 2010 BBC Young Musicians
Gwilym Simcock and the Storyhouse Big Band Friday 2 August
Competition. He went on to become the top European prize-winner at the Menuhin Competition. This recital programme includes Bach’s demanding B minor Partita for solo violin, Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu’s harmonically sprightly and lyrical Duo for Violin and Cello No. 2, and work by Kodály.
The Kitchen - 8pm Seated £24 Standing £10 Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
The Storyhouse Big Band made its debut at last year’s festival when it was joined by John Helliwell playing arrangements of Supertramp’s singalong hits. For 2019 the programme promises an evening of arrangements of muchloved classic tunes from the Great American Songbook, along with
exciting contemporary compositions by Gwilym Simcock, Andy Scott and fellow big band performers. Simcock is currently composer-in-residence with the NDR Big Band in Hamburg, for whom he has composed a new Sawgrass Suite. He and awardwinning tenor saxophonist and composer Andy Scott
will be joined by some of the finest musicians in the North West. Big band, big sounds, great energy and great fun guaranteed. Storyhouse Stage - 8pm £24 / £10
Family Friendly
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Caffé Venezia Saturday 3 August It’s become a firm favourite with festivalgoers, and this year Caffé Venezia takes place in an actual café here at Storyhouse.
Artful Playground, Storyhouse, 2018
The Big Storyhouse Jam-Along Sunday 4 August We’re jammin’… and we hope you like jammin’ too. Whether you’re seven years old and you’ve just got your first violin or you’re a grown up with an instrument sitting gathering dust on top of the wardrobe, whether you wield a magic flute, wave a mean maraca, or if all you have is your very enthusiastic voice – we want you to join us in making music. There will be details of what we’re playing on the website ahead of time so you can practice. But no minimum skill level is required, and EVERYONE is welcome. Let’s fill the Kitchen with Chester-made melody! The Kitchen - 2pm
FREE!
Family Friendly
Find a table and enjoy some delicious food and drink, surrounded by the kind of sumptuous music you would hear in a Venetian coffee house - if it were taken over by worldclass musicians who were determined to entertain that is. With a programme devised in the rehearsal room, this annual treat is always full of wonderful surprises. This year there’s also a hint of the Argentinian milonga as Ensemble Deva takes the form of a traditional tango quintet of guitar, violin, bass, piano, and accordion. Expect the toe-tapping tang of vibrant tango music as well as personal favourites from the musicians’ repertoires.
FREE Lunchtime Concerts Throughout July and August Storyhouse will present a programme of lunchtime concerts completely free of charge. 12 family-friendly concerts will be performed across Storyhouse’s spaces by the best new young musicians. Whether it’s over lunch, whilst browsing books or simply relaxing in the library, there’s a chance to listen to some fabulous free music. The Kitchen - 12.30pm
July Saturday 20 Sunday 21 Monday 22 Thursday 25 Saturday 27 Sunday 28 Monday 29 Tuesday 30 Wednesday 31
Saluti! The Kitchen - 8pm Table (up to four) £96 Seated £24 Standing £10 - Mezzanine (restricted view) £5
August Thursday 1 Friday 2 Saturday 3
FREE! Family Friendly
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Glyndebourne Opera Glyndeboune comes to Chester this summer as Storyhouse screens a series of operas from the world-famous festival.
broadcast – some of them live – direct from the acclaimed Sussex opera house as part of its exciting 2019 season.
Three enchanting new productions will be
For our live streamed Glyndebourne events,
we will be bringing the outdoors in. Join us for our ‘indoor garden party’ with pop-up stalls with Pimms and fizz offers, plus complimentary canapes served during the interval.
Cendrillon
Massenet’s sensuous, Belle Epoque Cinderella combines enchanting love story with broad, burlesque
Sunday 14 July
Rossini’s classic and opera’s favourite comedy comes to Chester to delight our opera audience. Annabel Arden’s stylish, surreal production embraces the opera’s commedia dell’arte origins ad celebrates the wit and exhilarating musical
invention of the composer’s triumphant score with its wealth of famous melodies.
enlists the help of cunning barber Figaro to help him outwit Bartolo.
The beautiful Rosina is kept all but prisoner by her guardian Dr Bartolo, who secretly hopes to marry his wealthy ward. But when Count Almaviva falls in love with Rosina from afar, he
A comic battle of wills ensues, but will love or greed be triumphant?
light. Follow the adventures of Prince Tamino and the bird-catcher Papageno as they try to rescue the beautiful kidnapped Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night. Composed just months before his death, Mozart’s final stage work is a heady blend of knock-about
comedy and contemplative beauty – an enchanting combination that reimagines opera for the Age of Enlightenment.
Recorded live in 2016 Cinema - 7pm £19.50 / £14.50
Die Zauberflote
Sunday 30 June
Marry the world’s bestloved fairytale and one of the world’s greatest opera companies and you have an unmissable musical treat.
Il Barbiere de Siviglia
Sunday 4 August comedy, and harks back to Charles Perrault’s original story in all its richness and ambiguity. Expect lavish orchestral textures and glittering vocal melodies in a production conducted by the exuberant John Wilson and starring a cast of Glyndebourne favourites.
Storyhouse Theatre 5.30pm (streamed live) £19.50 / £14.50
Mozart’s magical musical masterpiece is celebrated in the first new production of the opera at Glyndebourne for more than a decade. True love conquers all in a colourful fairytale that pits the forces of darkness against truth, goodness and
Storyhouse Theatre 5.30pm (streamed live) £19.50 / £14.50
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How to book
Getting here
Online storyhouse.com
Travelling by car You can find us on Hunter Street in Chester city centre, CH1 2AR (near to the Town Hall and Chester Cathedral). Many of the surrounding areas of the building are pedestrianised with narrow streets.
01244 409113 #1 (ÂŁ2.50 transaction fee) In person Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR Each ticket is subject to a ÂŁ1.50 booking fee (except when booking in Storyhouse)
Access The whole building, including the library, theatre, cinema and studio, is accessible via lift, with wheelchair access to all areas. Find out more at storyhouse.com
The nearest car parks to Storyhouse are: Market car park, CH1 2BB Delamere Street car park, CH2 2AY Travelling by bus There are lots of bus routes that journey into Chester city centre and we are just down the road from the Chester Bus Exchange. Travelling by rail Chester Railway Station has great links to Cheshire, Wales and Merseyside and is approximately a 20 minute walk away from our front doors. Travelling by bike If you fancy getting fit and plan to cycle to Storyhouse, there are multiple cycle racks just outside the main entrance.
book now storyhouse.com @StoryhouseLive
Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR 01244 409 113 produced by
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