Programme
6:30pm Doors open
7:00: Spotlight Concert
Music performed by talented young people from Sandbach
7:30 Intermission
Art Exhibition , Refreshments
8:00 Main Concert
Under the Greenwood Tree Thomas Arne
Sweet Bird from L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato George Frideric Handel
La flute invisible Saint-Saens
La Rossignol Leo Delibes
3 Irish Folk Songs John Corigliano
Fantasie for Flute and Piano Gabriel Faure
Four Songs for Voice and Piano R.Hageman
Do not go my love
Into the Silent Land
Charity
Miranda
A Piper Michael Head
The Pipes of Pan Are Calling Lionel Monckton
Soprano, Laurie Ashworth was born in Wigan, Lancashire. Laurie has established herself as a highly sought-after concert artist, specialising in oratorio, recital and recording, which she combines with a busy teaching career. Laurie commenced her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Caroline Crawshaw. She graduated with first class honors and was awarded the RNCM Gold Medal, the college’s highest accolade for performance. Awards from The Arts and Humanities Research Council and The Countess of Munster Musical Trust enabled Laurie to complete her Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Patricia Rozario and Janis Kelly, graduating with distinction.
In 2010 following an acclaimed performance of Jonathan Dove’s song Full Fathom Five, Laurie was awarded the Song Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards. In the same year she was a finalist and runner-up in BBC Radio 2’s The Kiri Prize; a nationwide search by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the BBC to find a new operatic star. Laurie has performed at all of the UK’s major venues, making her Wigmore Hall recital debut in 2014 and her BBC Proms debut at the Royal Albert Hall in 2012. She has appeared regularly in broadcasts for BBC Radio 2 and 3, and Songs of Praise,
in a variety of repertoire ranging from opera arias to musical theatre and wartime songs made famous by Dame Vera Lynn. Laurie features as the soprano soloist on the premiere recordings of Bob Chilcott’s Requiem (Hyperion Records) and St John Passion (Signum Records) and has worked extensively with Chilcott. As a session singer, Laurie has worked on the soundtracks of numerous films including ‘Pan’ and ‘How to Train your Dragon’ and she is regularly on the judging panel for the BBC Young Chorister of the Year Competition.
Sandbach resident, Fiona Colville (neè Slominska) is delighted to be performing at Sandbach Concert Series with good friends from her time at the Royal Northern College of Music. Having embarked on a busy portfolio career upon leaving the RNCM, Fiona has worked with most of the major orchestras throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, toured with the former Royal Harpist, Catrin Finch and the European Union Chamber Orchestra, and was a regular guest on the UK tours of Les Misérables, Mary Poppins and Oliver! Fiona has been a regular visitor to BBC National Orchestra of Wales as Guest Principal Piccolo. Highlights included performances at the BBC Proms (2022), Inside Classical for BBC4 and live performances on Radio 3. In addition, Fiona has adjudicated at the Cheshire East Young Musician of the Year, given workshops at The University of Newcastle and was recently invited to be a guest panel member for final recitals, at the University of Manchester. A permanent orchestral position has always been a career ambition and in 2023, following a successful trial period, Fiona was offered the position of Principal 2nd flute with the Orchestra of Opera North.
John Gough has enjoyed a busy and varied career as a versatile soloist, accompanist and chamber music player. Engagements have taken him throughout Great Britain and also to America,( including the Carnegie Hall, New York) , and Denmark where he gave live broadcasts on Danish Radio. He has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, London in addition to many BBC broadcasts including the first performances of piano music by Frank Bridge, along with the complete piano quartets of Dvorak, Faure and Brahms , broadcast ‘live’ on Radio 3. He has also been heard on Radio 2 and Classic fm. As soloist he has appeared with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic ‘Pops’ Orchestra and the Northern Chamber Orchestra. He has a love of playing chamber music and also accompanying many fine instrumentalists and singers, several of whom he has worked with for many years.