NNMF Winter Series at Wells Maltings
Sunday, November 5th at 3pm, Wells Maltings
ELIZABETH WATTS soprano
SIOBHAIN O'HIGGINS piano
A programme of opera and song by Mozart and his contemporaries
We welcome Norwich born Elizabeth Watts back to NNMF at Wells Maltings with pianist Siobhain O’Higgins. In a typically imaginative programme, Liz will combine arias from Mozart operas Cosi fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, Idomeneo and Le nozze di Figaro and two concert arias and Exultate Jubilate, with songs by Haydn, Viennese composer Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824), the Bath born Sir Thomas Linley (1759-1824) and Schubert, including An die Musik.
ELIZABETH WATTS soprano
Elizabeth Watts was born in Norwich where she was a chorister at Norwich Cathedral. She shot to international fame when she won the song prize at the 2007 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and later as winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award in 2016. Since then, she has sung all over the world in opera, concerts and recitals.
This summer she sang the role of Aspasia in Mozart’s Mitridate, re del ponto at Garsington Opera and The First Lady in Die Zauberflöte at the Edinburgh International Festival and gave a recital at the Bath Mozart Festival.
Future engagements include performances of Finzi’s Dies Natalis with the Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.
SIOBHAIN O’HIGGINS piano
Pianist and vocal coach Siobhain O’Higgins studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she won the Accompanist’s Prize during her two year period there. She ran the Opera Course at Birkbeck College, London for several years.
Tickets £23 BOOK HERE
Sunday, December 10th at 3pm, Wells Maltings
THE HEATH QUARTET
Sara Wolstenholme & Juliette Roos, violins
Gary Pomeroy, viola Christopher Murray, cello
Josef SUK Meditation
Joseph HAYDN String Quartet in B flat, Op.64 No.6
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Maurice RAVEL String Quartet
The Heath Quartet came together more than twenty years ago and has become one of the most established string quartets in the world today. In 2016 they won the Gramophone Chamber Award for their recording of the complete string quartets of Sir Michael Tippett, and in May 2013 became the first ensemble in fifteen years to win the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artists Award.
Recent highlights include the completion of two season residency at the Boulez Saal Berlin, their Barcelona debut in Palau de la Musica Catalana with soprano Carolyn Sampson, a Beethoven series at Bath Festival, debuts at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Saffron Hall and Cheltenham Festival, as well as returns to Handelsbeurs Ghent, Aldeburgh and Norfolk & Norwich festivals.
Sunday, January 14th at 3pm, Wells Maltings
MELVYN TAN piano
SIMON ROWLAND-JONES viola
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata in C minor, Op.111
Clara SCHUMANN Romances, Op.11
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Simon ROWLAND-JONES An Elegy for William Birtles
Franz SCHUBERT Arpeggione Sonata
Only five months since his recital at the 18th NNMF in August 2023 Melvyn Tan is back, and this time will be joined by Joint Festival Director, Simon Rowland-Jones, viola, for half of the programme. Two old friends who originally met at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 1967 in a programme that includes Beethoven's final piano sonata, Clara Schumann's beautiful Romances for piano, written while she was on tour in Paris in 1839, Simon's "An Elegy for William Birtles," first performed at NNMF in 2021 and Schubert's ever charming Sonate für Arpeggione.
Sunday, February 4th at 3pm, Wells Maltings
BASSO PROFONDO
LEVI ANDREASSEN and NATHAN PERRY double basses
ARCHIE BONHAM piano
A programme of music by composers from seven different countries given by two outstanding young double bass players and pianist Archie Bonham
Lowell LIEBERMANN Sonata for contrabass and piano, Op.24
Edvard GRIEG Lyric piece for solo piano
Gareth WOOD A movement from Duo for two double basses
Andrés MARTÍN Two tangos for two double basses
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Robert SCHUMANN Romance in F# Op.28 No.2, for solo piano
Vilmos MONTAG Sonata in E minor, for double bass and piano
Franz SCHUBERT Adagio from the Octet, transcribed for two double basses and piano
American bassist, Levi Andreassen, prize-winner in the recent International Society of Bassists’ Competition, held at the University of Michigan, recently graduated from the Yehudi Menuhin School, where he studied with Caroline Emery, and is now continuing his studies at the Royal College of Music as a Neville Wathen Scholar.
Born in London, Nathan Perry, also a prize-winner in the recent ISB Competition and graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School, is now continuing his studies with Caroline Emery at Royal College of Music, having been awarded an ABRSM Scholarship.
Archie Bonham is an Artist Diploma piano student at the Royal College of Music where he studies with Simon Lepper. Archie is supported by the Needley Family Scholarship. He grew up and went to school in Wells-Next-The-Sea.
Sunday, March 10th at 3pm, Wells Maltings
PADDINGTON TRIO
TUULIA HERO violin PATRICK MORIARTY cello STEPHANIE TANG piano
Ellen LINDQUIST “Shining though”
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op.67
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Franz SCHUBERT Piano Trio No.2 in E flat, D.929
Its members from Finland, Ireland and the USA, the Paddington Trio started their first adventure together at Paddington Station during the pandemic in 2020. Since then the trio has quickly emerged as a unique, versatile and enduring ensemble.
The Trio won first prize at the NEW FORMATS Project Prize 2022 in Graz, Austria, 2nd prize and the jury prize for the Best Interpretation of an Estonian Work at the 2021 Tallinn International Piano Chamber Music Competition, 1st prize at the Clara Schumann International Competition, 1st prize at the 70th Royal Over-Seas League Competition for Strings & Piano Ensemble and in April 2023 they won the prestigious Parkhouse Award in Wigmore Hall.
Having all studied individually at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the trio is currently in the Guildhall Artist Fellowship programme.
Next year's NNMF will take place
9 - 16 August 2024
