After a summer packed with local festivals and concerts, welcome back to NADSA for our 73rd concert season. We open with a recital by internationally acclaimed pianist Peter Donohoe on Friday 20th September at the Courtenay Centre, Newton Abbot TQ12 2QA. During his career of over 40 years as a pianist Peter has worked with most of the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors and is one of the foremost pianists of our time. His recordings with EMI have won awards and recommendations from critics everywhere and with the Naxos label he has explored the British piano concerto repertoire.
Our concert features sonatas by Haydn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky and closes with Ravel’s Miroirs; a wide-ranging programme covering some 128 years of musical development. Read more about Peter here https://www.peter-donohoe.com/ and also at Peter Donohoe nadsa ticket where you can hear extracts from some of his recordings, see the programme in more detail and also book your tickets.
Doors open at 6.45pm so don’t be late for the 7.30 start: this is bound to be a popular evening! We are grateful to the C & M Pike Trust for their sponsorship which has allowed us to bring Peter Donohoe to Newton Abbot.
Tickets are priced at £18 on the door or £15 if bought in advance through the website. NADSA members gain a further reduction, paying only £12 each; a potential saving of £42 over the season of seven concerts. Considering that a year’s membership only costs £20 single or £30 for a couple, that’s still a substantial saving. And it gets better: as a member, you can buy a season subscription ticket for only £70! Astute readers will have realised that the earlier you join, the more you save… More information and application details can be found at nadsa Membership
To further whet your appetite, here is the programme for the rest of the season with all concerts taking place at the Courtenay Centre, 7.30pm unless otherwise indicated.
Friday 18th October Kosmos Violin, Viola & Accordion
Saturday 16th November * Ruisi String Quartet
Sunday 26th January 2020 $ SCAW Clarinet, Bass Clarinet & Piano
Sunday 23rd February $ A4BQ Brass Quartet
Friday 27th March Dina Duisen, Piano
Friday 24th April Jolente de Maeyer & Nikolaas Kende Violin & Piano
Friday 15th May Nicholas McCarthy Piano (Towersey Foundation Charity Concert)
* at Teignmouth Community College Performance Hall
$ at 3.00pm so no-one drives home in the dark!
Put these dates in your calendars or diaries and spread the news among your friends: even those who don’t at present see themselves as concert-goers might be tempted by what we offer here! There’ll be a newsletter to remind you a week or so before each one.
Looking at the wider scene next, advance notice from our friends at Torbay Symphony Orchestra who are having a weekend festival celebrating the Symphony Orchestra, 16-17th November at the Ariel Centre, KEVICC, Totnes. https://torbaysymphony.org/ has all the detail, but briefly, over the whole weekend the audience will be taken on a journey, showcasing the evolution of the orchestra from the 17th century to the present, and maybe even a peep into the future! With talks, masterclasses, open rehearsals and more, each night culminates in a spectacular concert with outstanding soloists. Early-bird tickets are available at a discount here: https://torbaysymphony.org/ with further offers to under-18s and full-time students.
Running from 13th to 15th September, if you’re brave enough to cross the Tamar there is a Guitarfest event at Cawsand Bay featuring NADSA favourite Craig Ogden, the Eden Stell guitar Duo and Alison Smith. Website www.cawsandbayguitarfest.co.uk will tell you more about the programme of events and concerts. The courses are now fully booked, but there are still concert tickets available.
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Trio of Flute, Viola and Harp are at Teignmoth Pavilions on Sunday 22nd September featuring the music of Debussy, Dubois, Leclair and Bax in a wonderful autumn concert. For more information go to https://bsolive.com/events/bso-trio/, and then on Thursday 26th the full orchestra are at the University Great Hall with Sibelius Finlandia, Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikpvsky’s 5th Symphony – see https://bsolive.com/events/elgars-masterpiece/
Some of you will be aware that Exeter Music Group (EMG) has now become Devon Philharmonic Orchestra: https://www.devonphilharmonicorchestra.co.uk/ Their next concert is on Saturday 2nd November, but more of that next time…
No more musical news this month, but on the visual arts front you’ll probably notice yellow and black arrows by the roadside for the next two weeks. They direct you to venues taking part in Devon Open Studios, a county-wide event when 250 talented artists and craftspeople in many different disciplines open their doors to welcome you into their studios to show how they work. Very often a small group will work together to demonstrate their skills. With136 venues – 44 in Teignbridge alone – take a look at the event brochure https://www.devonartistnetwork.co.uk/ and pop along to one near you: you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
That’s all for now; hope to see you at the Peter Donohoe concert.
That’s all for now,
Happy listening
JR