World-class musicians and actors will be descending on Merton for the Wimbledon Music Festival from 20-29 November. The festival is set to attract up to two thousand music lovers to this corner of South West London.
Merton has struck a chord with American virtuoso violinist Jack Glatzer – well-known on the stages of the Sydney Opera House, London’s South Bank and the Centre Colon in Madrid. He will be taking composers such as Bach and Paganini out of the formal concert setting and onto the streets for everyone to enjoy for free. Flying in especially days before the festival kicks off, Jack – fiddle and bow to the ready – will take his extraordinary music to the borough’s five town centres – Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Mitcham, Colliers Wood and Morden.
Merton Council is funding the festival to the tune of £1500 to bring live music on to the streets right across the borough. Jack will be at secret public locations serenading commuters with the sweet sounds of some of the most beautiful music ever written.
The festival itself opens with a gala concert in which some of the world’s most acclaimed string players combine with the majestic organ at Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon. West-end star Timothy West will be taking the part of George Bernard Shaw – the music critic – on Saturday 21 November at the Great Hall in Wimbledon’s Kings College School. Jazz takes centre stage on Friday 27 at Saint Cecilia’s Music School in Southfields. The festival rounds off to the sound of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
Merton Council cabinet member for environment and leisure services Councillor David Simpson said: ‘This festival promises to delight all who come to listen and watch the performances. We are honoured to have a top class performer like Jack Glatzer taking music out to the people, some of whom might not necessarily have thought classical music is for them. It’s exciting to be giving people the opportunity to experience this type of music and find out what it’s all about.
‘Most people know Merton for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships but we also have a wealth of cultural riches for people from all over the world to come and enjoy.’
Violinist Jack Glatzer said: ‘This is a wonderful festival showcasing the best music has to offer. I am particularly looking forward to getting out there into the streets of Merton and letting my violin speak to people so they can hear the beauty of classical music. Many are turned off it because they think it’s stuffy, but really it can make you want to dance, and feel good all day. It is something to enjoy.’
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
A list of the times and locations where Jack Glatzer will be playing is available on request.
For information on concerts and venues: http://www.wimbledonmusicfestival.co.uk
Programme:
Friday Nov 20th * Sacred Heart Church 7.30
Gala Opening Concert
Raphael Wallfisch cello, Rivka Golani viola,
David Gammie, organ
Dante Quartet – Krysia Osostowicz, Giles Francis violins,
Judith Busbridge viola, Bernard Gregor-Smith cello
Saturday Nov 21st Wimbledon College Theatre 2.30
‘Corno Di Bassetto’
Timothy West plays George Bernard Shaw as a music critic
Saturday Nov 21st * Great Hall, Kings College School 7.30
Nikolai Demidenko piano
Sunday Nov 22nd * Southside House 6.30 for 7.00
St. Cecilia’s Day special event, including food and wine
Raphael Wallfisch cello
Monday Nov 23rd * Wimbledon Synagogue 7.30
An evening of Klezmer
Lucie Skeaping and the Burning Bush
Tuesday Nov 24th * St John’s Spencer Hill 8.00
Christopher Maltman baritone;
Julius Drake piano
Wednesday Nov 25th * St John’s Spencer Hill 8.00
Rivka Golani viola, PIERS LANE piano
Thursday Nov 26th * St. John’s Spencer Hill 8.00
Masterworks for the French horn
Richard Watkins horn,
Jack Glatzer violin, Piers Lane piano
Friday Nov 27th * All Saints Church Putney Common 7.30
Dante Quartet Krysia Osostowicz, Giles Francis violins,
Judith Busbridge viola, Bernard Gregor-Smith cello
Andrew Marriner clarinet
Friday Nov 27th * Saint Cecilia’s Music School, Southfields 8.30pm
Tony Kinsey All Star Jazz Orchestra
Saturday Nov 28th * Southside House 3.30
(including tea and cakes)
The Magic of the Bow
Jack Glatzer violin, Maggie Cole harpsichord
Saturday Nov 28th * Sacred Heart Church 8.00
Gala Finale
Dante Quartet:
Krysia Osostowicz, Giles Francis violins,
Judith Busbridge viola, Bernard Gregor-Smith cello
Andrew Marriner clarinet,
Richard Watkins horn
With bassoon and double bass [TBA]
Sunday Nov 29th * Southside House 6.00 for 6.30
Festival Coda, harpsichord special event, with wine and food.
Part One:
JS Bach: The Goldberg Variations;
Maggie Cole harpsichord.
Part Two:
‘Violet’
A dramatic telling of the extraordinary life of harpsichordist Violet Gordon Woodhouse.
Maggie Cole harpsichord
Harriet Walter and Henry Goodman
Jack Glatzer regularly makes concert tours around the world. He has played on every continent and in over fifty countries. He has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues such as the National Arts Centre, Ottawa, the Sydney Opera House, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the Centre Colon in Madrid, the Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon and the South Bank, London. He has appeared in many music festivals, including Prades, Menton, Stresa, Estoril and Edinburgh.