>June Events / charities / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Music / Tourist Attractions Norfolk and Suffolk / Waveney Valley June 16, 2014
Beccles Festival continues its tradition of presenting the best of local and national talent side-by-side in its Classical Weekend, which gets underway on Friday 27th of this month.
It is the second of three themed weekends spread over the year, and will be launched with a delightful programme of 17th and 18th century music presented by soprano Julia Gooding, lutenist Paula Chateauneuf and harpist Frances Kelly. Julia, who was raised in Beccles and educated at the Sir John Leman High School, is now an established concert and oratorio performer in the UK and abroad. Like Paula, who is one of the most admired players in the world of early music, Julia has made a substantial number of recordings. Frances has also recorded, performed and broadcast with many leading early music ensembles and is well known as a leading exponent of early harps.
Saturday 28th sees the focus shift to an impressive range of up-and-coming local talent in concert for the Festival’s Waveney Young Musicians event. All performers, including soloists, ensembles and choirs, instrumentalists and singers are under 25, providing a fascinating opportunity to hear potential stars of the classical scene before they make it big.
The closing concert on Sunday 29th is a unique presentation of a 16th century Requiem, Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Officium Defunctorum, alongside Gabriel Fauré’s much-loved 19th century Requiem. The earlier work is performed by the Beccles-based choir Capella Antiqua which specializes in Renaissance music and is directed by Philip Thorby, another of the country’s leading figures in early music. The Fauré is sung by the Festival Chorus, local singers who have come together especially for this event and been expertly trained by Vetta Wise, the much-respected choral conductor, vocal teacher and choral workshop leader.
All concerts start at 7.30pm. Tickets and details of venue are available online at www.groupspaces.com/BecclesFestival or from Edge Computer Solutions, opposite St Michael’s tower. Under 18s are FREE for the Saturday concert. Hand bell group Dead Ringers will be ringing in Beccles town centre on the morning of Friday 20th June to raise money for the Festival’s community events.
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Beccles Farmers Market
