Pre-Fringe Grand Carnival (and our new badge!)

It is less than 3 months to the start of the next Buxton Festival and Fringe. Last Sunday it snowed heavily across the Peak District, today it almost feels like Spring. The notion of Summer may seem fanciful but let’s trust to forces more powerful and reliable than we are.
One of the last events of Fringe 2017 took place at Buxton’s United Reformed Church when Marianne Kelly and Heather Sargeson played a stunning piano duet recital. The URC piano is a Broadwood grand and dates back to 1899. The instrument is a fine one but was in need of refurbishment. Thanks to a generous grant from Bingham Trust the piano has now been completely restored and is back in the Church.
To celebrate this exciting development Marianne and Heather are returning to the URC on Saturday 14th April to give the first public performance on the restored piano. Their programme includes arrangements of Saint -Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves. The recital starts at 7.30pm and tickets will be available on the door (£10, £8 concessions, £5 children). It will surely be a happy and exciting occasion and we look forward to seeing many of you there. It will also be a first chance to collect your new Fringe badge!
Other events using the Broadwood are scheduled for later in the year and will be announced soon.
The 39th Buxton Festival Fringe begins on Wednesday July 4th. Already over 140 different events are listed on our website and we expect another 30 or so to be registered in the next 8 days when we reach our final deadline. Our three ‘managed’ venues - The Green Man Gallery, The Rotunda and Underground Venues  - have strong programmes announced already and will be finalising their schedules in the next week.
If you are looking to put on a show this July and have yet to negotiate a venue then we can tell you that the Rotunda currently has some weekday afternoon slots at very reasonable rates. If you are interested contact info@rotundatheatre.com soon.

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

Buxton International Festival - tickets on sale

Pianist Joanna MacGregor - playing in Buxton Festival, July 7th.

Sorry that we have neglected this blogging malarkey for a while. On the other hand no one has asked to see if we are still alive. So perhaps we aren't much missed?
There is a lot to catch up with and we'll do that in bits over the next day or two. Important news from the Buxton International Festival - tickets for the opera and music events are now on general sale and tickets are selling very quickly for some of the the recitals. Hurry to avoid disappointment. (If you wanted to hear Roderick Williams - well, unsurprisingly, his Schubert recital is sold out already).

It has also been announced that this Festival will be the seventh and last for Stephen Barlow as Artistic Director. That's a pretty good stint and he has helped bring some world class performers and productions to Buxton. In its press release the Festival said:
"2019 sees the 40th anniversary of the Festival, and new CEO Michael Williams is delighted to confirm that Stephen will conduct one of the Festival opera productions in this special anniversary year.

"Buxton International Festival Chairman Felicity Goodey said 'The Board of Buxton International Festival, the staff and I are incredibly grateful for the tireless work Stephen has undertaken to steer and support the Festival over the past 7 years. His imaginative artistic planning together with his remarkable skill and energy as a conductor will be sorely missed, but we wish him very well with his future plans.” 

Stephen Barlow commented “It has been my special pleasure and privilege to bring so many fine artists and ensembles to Buxton’s beautiful Opera House and surrounding venues, in a mix of the lesser and well known operatic and concert repertoire for a festival audience whose curiosity and enthusiasm has been truly gratifying. I shall miss enormously the exhilaration of the festival atmosphere and the scintillating immersion in Operas, Concerts and Books that enlivens the lovely spa town and wider region each summer, but look forward to returning as a visitor in whatever capacity. I wish the newly appointed Chief Executive every success in the next chapter of Buxton Festival’s development.”

As for our own Festival - we have 140 events lined-up already and there are still 10 days left to enter shows and guarantee being included in the printed programme. We'll be back tomorrow with a focus on the Fringe.

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe