The violin and piano recital will celebrate and highlight the work of female composers Grace Williams and Sally Beamish.
With the hope of ‘Inspiring Inclusion’ Welsh Violinist Sian Philipps and Swedish Pianist Per Rundberg will be playing compositions on the day by Grace and Sally together with a piece by Egon Wellesz commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death as well as the recognizable composition ‘The Lark Ascending’ by one time Sheringham resident Ralph Vaughan Williams that he wrote for the violinist Marie Hall. Wellesz and Vaughan Williams are connected by the fact that they both taught Grace Williams during their lifetimes.
The concert also has a theme of ‘From Shadow to Light: outsiders, living on the margins’. This is not only something that the featured composers felt during their lifetimes, but the title of a new CD release featuring Per and Sian, and something that she can relate to having been subjected to personal harassment, as well as online impersonation, and abuse. As a result, she has campaigned for the rights of women. This affected all areas of her life and work, but she used it as the starting point and inspiration for this project.
Central to the event will be a talk about the work of Norwich homelessness charity St Martins by CEO Dr Jan Sheldon, as well as pupils from Norwich School performing with Sian and Per and presenting a ‘Youth Voice’.
Pupils from Norwich School have contributed to the concert in a series of workshops with Sian where they have been exploring the theme of “Outsiders”. Pupils have been thinking about what it means to be an outsider and have put forth some very insightful views on what it may feel like to be homeless, seeking asylum or otherwise on the edges of society. Their words and musical performance have been recorded in a soundscape which will be played at the concert on the 8th March. The conceptual piece has been included in the concert in order to give a “youth voice” to the concert’s topic and the pupils, a mixture of musicians, singers and drama performers enjoyed being able to create something which is intended to provoke feelings of unease such as those felt by outsiders.
The lunchtime concert begins at 1 pm on Friday 8th March, tickets are £8, and people with concessions are urged to pay what they would like to pay. Tickets are also available in advance by contacting the Assembly house on 01603-626402