Newsletter 87 – Strings Attached

FAREWELL TO ANDREW COMBEN

After 16 years at the helm of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, Andrew will be stepping down as Chief Executive in September to take up the position of Chief Executive of Britten Pears Arts, encompassing both Snape Maltings and The Red House, the home Benjamin Britten shared with Peter Pears. For 14 of those years Andrew has been a passionate supporter of the Sunday morning coffee concerts – bringing to us over 13 seasons a whole range of ensembles from the well-established to the up and coming – and a keen advocate of Strings Attached. He leaves Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival not only with a magnificently restored Corn Exchange, home to the coffee concerts, but with the 2024/25 season in place. Strings Attached owes a great debt of gratitude to Andrew. We shall miss him but wish him well in his new role.

STRINGS ATTACHED 2024-2025

We are delighted to be able to send you details of the Strings Attached programme for 2024-2025. The season will offer a mixture of less familiar 20th century works, a new commission, as well as more familiar pieces from the classical repertoire.

29 September 2024 – Fibonacci Quartet

Haydn String Quartet Op.76 No.5 in D Major

Schulhoff 5 Pieces for String Quartet

Schubert String Quartet No.14 in D minor Death and the Maiden

20 October 2024 – Olivier Stankiewicz (oboe) and friends*

Martinu Quartet for oboe, violin, cello and piano H135

Poulenc Sonata for oboe and piano

Prokofiev Quintet Op.39 in G minor

24 November 2024 – Charlotte Spruit (violin) and friends*

N Matteis Passagio Rotto

J S Bach Sonata for violin and continuo in E minor BWV 1023

JP Von Westhoff Sonata for violin and continuo in A Major La Guerra

JS Bach / JG Pisendel Sonata for violin and continuo in C minor BWV 1024

N Matteis Selection from Ayers for the Violin

15 December 2024 – Atenea Quartet

Electra Perivolaris New commission

Haydn String Quartet in G Major Op.77 No.1

Bartok String Quartet No.3

19 January 2025 – Castalian Quartet

Schubert String Quartet No.13 in A minor D804 Rosamunde

Kùrtag 6 Moments Musicaux Op.44

Beethoven String Quartet Op.59 No.3 Razumovsky

16 February 2025 – Doric Quartet plus students from Mendelssohn on Mull Festival

Britten 3 Divertimenti

Berg Lyric Suite

Mendelssohn Octet in E flat Major Op.20

16 March 2025 – Aquinas Trio

Beethoven Piano Trio in E flat Major Op.1 No.1

Frank Martin Trio on Irish Folk Themes

Brahms Piano Trio No.2 in C Major Op.87

Tickets should go on sale in early July and we will let members know. We look forward to seeing you in the Autumn.

*For the October and November concerts we welcome players who come together to perform repertoire requiring instruments outside of the usual string quartet or trio.

MEMBERSHIP – renew or join now!
Did you know that your membership and donations enabled Strings Attached to add a seventh concert to last season’s programme, and will do so again for the coming season? As we accustom ourselves to the return to the Corn Exchange we are hoping to provide post concert receptions for members after the September, December and March concerts. Watch this space.

The membership year runs from 1 August to 31 July. The annual fee remains unchanged at £10 and membership is free for students. If you renew your membership now (or join for the first time) your £10 will take you through to July 2025. Just go to the Strings Attached website where you will find the online form
(https://www.stringsattachedmusic.org.uk/friends/) and information on making the payment. Please complete a form for each person.

OTHER LOCAL CONCERTS
23 June          Brighton Chamber Choir, St Paul’s Church, Brighton
27 June          Lewes Music Centre Summer Concert, Lewes
28 June          Chilingirian String Quartet, West Dean
30 June          Chamber Ensemble of London, Alfriston
6 July              Musicians of All Saints, Lewes
7 July              Lewes Festival of Song, Lewes
16-21 July       South Downs Music Festival, Alfriston
18 July            Ignas Maknickas (piano), Uckfield

Follow the links for complete listings of lunchtime concerts at the Chapel Royal and Unitarian Church in Brighton, early afternoon concerts at St Nicholas Church, Brighton and Music & Wine Evening Concerts at St Luke’s.

LOCAL PLAYERS DIRECTORY
The directory lists local amateur chamber musicians and is designed to help amateur chamber music players make contact with each other, be they string, piano or wind players. It is protected by a shared password. If you would like to gain access to it or make or amend an entry, please email Chris Darwin.

A specimen entry can be seen at https://www.stringsattachedmusic.org.uk/directoryintro/