A host of top quality professional musicians perform in the Benslow International Concert Series, bringing world-class performances to Hitchin and music lovers in the North Hertfordshire area. Many of the performers also teach on our music courses, so their concerts offer course participants an invaluable chance to hear their tutors playing live.
For more information about all of our concerts please telephone 01462 459446. Please look at the 'Latest News' page for updates and changes.
Benslow International Concert Series 2010
All concerts start at 8 pm unless otherwise stated. Bar opens 7.30 pm
MAGID EL-BUSHRA countertenor
CHRISTOPHER GOULD piano
Friday 22 January
Songs by Purcell, Ireland, Grainger, Britten, Debussy and Ravel
and the world premiere of Ronald Corp's The Music of Francis Thompson
DORIC QUARTET
Tuesday 23 February
Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op 50 No 1
Britten: String Quartet No 2 in C major, Op 36
Korngold: String Quartet No 1 in A major, Op 16
MAGGINI QUARTET
Friday 12 March
Britten Three Divertimenti
Bridge Three Idylls
Beethoven String Quartet in A Major, Op 18 no 5
Mendelssohn String Quartet in D, Op 44, no 1
MADELEINE MITCHELL violin
ANDREW BALL piano
Friday 19 March
Bridge: Morceau Caracteristique, Melodie
Prokofiev: Cinq Melodies, Op 35bis
James MacMillan: Kiss on Wood
Dvorak: Sonatine, Op 100
Copland: Nocturne
ALBERNI QUARTET
Friday 23 April
Beethoven: String Quartet in C minor, Op 18 No 4
Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, Op 59 No 2
Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op 135
HEATH QUARTET
Tuesday 8 June
Haydn: String Quartet in B minor, Op 64 No 2
Dutilleux: Ainsi la nuit
Beethoven: String Quartet in E flat, Op 127
A NIGHT OF JAZZ
Thursday 29 July
with Paul Eshelby and Friends
Improvisations and jazz standards by world class performers.
An annual highlight in an informal jazz club atmosphere.
PHILIPPA DAVIES flute
MARTIN OUTRAM viola
LUCY WAKEFORD harp
JAN WILLEM NELLEKE piano
Friday 6 August
Programme includes flute and piano sonatas, harp solos,
Naiades by William Alwyn and Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp.
DAVID CAMPBELL clarinet
MARGARET ARCHIBALD clarinet
IAN SCOTT clarinet
JOHN FLINDERS piano
Friday 3 September
Programme TBC
MAGGINI QUARTET
Tuesday 14 September
Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op 18 No 1
Malcolm Arnold: String Quartet No 2
Dvorak: String Quartet in E flat major, Op 51
COULL QUARTET
Friday 1 October
Ireland: String Quartet no 1 in D minor
Mozart: String Quartet in Eb K428
Schubert: String Quartet in D minor D810, "Death and the Maiden"
ALLEGRI QUARTET
Friday 5 November
Programme TBC
KATZENJAMMER piano duet
Friday 26 November
The hilarious and brilliant comedy piano duo offer their unique and infectiously irreverent take on all manner of musical material in this special pre-Christmas concert.
Saturday Study Afternoons
A new series of Study Afternoons, starting at 2pm and finishing at approx 4.15pm, given by world renowned experts and designed for anyone and everyone who likes music. Bar open afterwards.
RACHMANINOV AND RUSSIANNESS
with Geoffrey Norris
16 January
THE MUSICALS OF ALAN J LERNER AND FREDERICK LOEWE
with Dominic McHugh
20 February
CRITICAL LISTENING AND WRITING
with Stephen Pettitt
20 March
CHOPIN: A 200TH BIRTHDAY SEMINAR
with Roderick Swanston
17 April
BRITAIN - THE LAND WITHOUT MUSIC?
with Julian Williamson
15 May
SHOSTAKOVICH'S SYMPHONIC STRATEGIES
with Christopher Gayford
19 June
THE WEAPONS OF RHETORIC
with Judy Tarling
18 September
MUSIC OF THE SPHERES - COMPOSITION AND COSMOLOGY
with Timothy Blinko
16 October
NORDIC SONGLINES
with Hilary Finch
20 November
Booking details for Saturday Study Afternoons
Fee £10 (£5 for concurrent course participants). Bookable in advance or on the door.
FREE TICKET SCHEME AT BENSLOW MUSIC TRUST
The sponsors FREE entry to our Saturday Afternoon Seminars for 8 to 22 year olds. For more information please contact the box office.
Telephone 01462 459 446, e-mail info@benslow.org
Monday Afternoon Concerts 2010
A series of concerts organised by the Friends of Benslow Music Trust
A MUSICAL BANQUET WITH ADRIAN BOORMAN countertenor AND FRIENDS
11 January
AMY DE SYBEL piano
APRIL FREDRICK soprano
8 February
SOLLERTINSKY PIANO TRIO (Anya Birchall violin, Catherine Denton cello, Stephanie Warwick piano)
8 March
CLIFTON HUGHES piano
12 April
ROBIN WARD harp
10 May
ELISABETH HARAM flute and piano
14 June
THE CAMBRIDGE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
13 September
GEOFFREY PRATLEY AND ANNE APPLIN piano duo
11 October
TONY WOODWARD cello
8 November
MUSICIANS FROM THE PURCELL SCHOOL
13 December
All Friends' concerts begin at 3pm. Tickets £7 at the door only, including a home-made tea following the concert.
Friends of Benslow Music Trust is a Registered Charity, no 294033
Special Event
BENSLOW BAROQUE OPERA AT THE QUEEN MOTHER THEATRE, HITCHIN
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Presented by members of the Baroque Opera Course
Saturday 10 April (two performances)
For more information, please contact the box office.
Booking details for Benslow International Concert Series
All concerts start at 8pm unless specified otherwise. Bar opens at 7.30pm
Tickets £11/£8 concessions available in advance or on the door.
Box Office open weekdays from 09.00 to 17.00.
Telephone 01462 459 446, e-mail info@benslow.org
Booking by post
Please apply to
Benslow Music Trust,
Little Benslow Hills,
Benslow Lane,
Hitchin,
Hertfordshire
SG4 9RB
Please specify which concerts and the number of tickets you would like. Enclose your payment and an SAE if you want the tickets to be sent to you. Cheques should be made payable to 'Benslow Music Trust'.
Reserved tickets must be paid for and collected at least 10 minutes before the start of the concert, after which time they may be re-sold. We regret that tickets purchased in advance cannot be refunded. A limited number of tickets are available on the door.
FREE TICKET SCHEME AT BENSLOW MUSIC TRUST
The sponsors FREE tickets at Benslow for 8 to 22 year olds at Benslow (excludes Magid El-Bushram A Night Of Jazz and Katzenjammer).
For more information please contact the box office on the details above.
Are you on our mailing list? - if not, please ask to be added to our concert mailing list when you book your ticket and we can keep you up to date with our events.
By booking tickets you consent to having your details held on record. We shall not pass on your details to any third party.
Please note that all information is correct at the time of the latest update. However, there may be changes to advertised programmes and artists which are beyond our control.