{"id":3221,"date":"2011-10-31T11:35:10","date_gmt":"2011-10-31T10:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=3221"},"modified":"2011-10-31T11:44:43","modified_gmt":"2011-10-31T10:44:43","slug":"gone-clubbing-scholars-at-the-canterbury-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2011\/10\/31\/gone-clubbing-scholars-at-the-canterbury-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Gone Clubbing: Scholars at the Canterbury Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another packed house last Friday greeted several of the University’s Music Scholars, in their annual lunchtime recital at the Festival Club, accompanied by Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Heart and Sole: Paris Noble and Sarah Davies display their concert footwear<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A rare opportunity to hear not one, but two tubas, with third-year Architecture student Chris Gray<\/strong>, accompanied by his teacher, Steve Wassall, giving a deft reading of a Bach Two-Part Invention and the Minuet and Ecossaise<\/em> from Catelinet’s ‘Suite in Miniature.’ Not only is Chris a member of the Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band and Chorus, he’s also President of the Music Society this year: as he said to me in rehearsal, ”It’s like I’m doing Music with some Architecture on the side.’ A busy man indeed…<\/p>\n

Soprano and second-year Drama student Paris Noble<\/strong> swept on-stage to portray three different damsels in distress: O mio babbino caro <\/em>from Puccini’s ‘Gianni Schicchi,’ Granados’ coquettish El majo discreto<\/em>, and finishing with Loewe’s dizzying I Could Have Danced All Night <\/em>from ‘My Fair Lady.’<\/p>\n

Second-year Historian, Kathryn Redgers<\/strong>, principal flautist with the Symphony Orchestra and section leader in Concert Band, then gave a dazzling reading of Chaminade’s Concertino<\/em>, the piece for which Chaminade is chiefly remembered; a child-prodigy, Chaminade once played some of her compositions to Bizet. Kathryn gave an accomplished performance, showing great skill in matching the challenge of the piece’s virtuosic demands, including a finely-crafted cadenza.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Top brass: Steve Wassall and Chris Gray<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Final-year English Literature student Sarah Davies<\/strong>, also in Orchestra and Concert Band and Treasurer of the Music Society this year, gave a suitably poised performance of the second movement of\u00a0 Saint-Sa\u00ebns’ neo-Classical Sonata for Clarinet and Piano<\/em>, followed by Gershwin’s jazzy Walkin’ the Dog<\/em>, which had a swggering,\u00a0 sassy swing.<\/p>\n

Chris and Steve then showed the tuba can be as fleet of foot as both the flute and clarinet, in the March and Fugue for two tubas<\/em> by the prolific Derek Bourgeois.<\/p>\n

To end the concert, Paris was joined by soprano Marina Ivanova<\/strong>, in her second year and reading Economics, for two operatic duets, the lyrical Flower Duet <\/em>from Delibes’ ‘Lakm\u00e9’ and the lulling barcarolle, Belle Nuit<\/em> from the ‘Tales of Hoffmann’ by Offenbach.<\/p>\n

As the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Keith Mander observed in his closing remarks, the University has a fine crop of musicians and a vibrant musical life, with the Music Scholars at the heart of all its music-making. With the new Marlowe Theatre having just opened<\/a>, and the\u00a0 Colyer-Fergusson centre for Music Performanc opening next year to house all the University’s music-making, together with the Turner Contemporary<\/a> gallery in Margate, it really is an exciting time for the cultural life of East Kent and the wider community.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sarah Davies and Kathryn Redgers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Congratulations to all the performers, and thanks to Sarah Passfield from the Festival team who made us all so welcome.<\/p>\n

\"Festival<\/a><\/p>\n