ÿþ<!----------------------------------------------------> <!------To alter the colour scheme of the site:-------> <!----------------------------------------------------> <!---Change the color part of the things in brackets--> <!------in the lines beginning #top and #links--------> <!to Green, Red, Blue, Orange or Purple as necessary--> <!----------------------------------------------------> <!----------Then go to the next comment.--------------> <!----------------------------------------------------> <head><title>Beaconsfield Concerts</title> <meta name="description" content="Beaconsfield Concerts (formerly known as Beaconsfield Music Society) is a well established organisation, dedicated to promoting high quality live classical music performances by professional performers, in Buckinghamshire."> <meta name="keyword" content="concert, concerts, live music, buckinghampshire, bucks, beaconsfield, classical music, classical, Beaconsfield Concerts"> <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="8HK5cdnmG5RmZxXmi3UgAYOnnqVDtlmMc_wp-4TU6xs"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico"></head> <body><style> font.sf{display:none;} #top{top:0;left:8.555%;width:51.25%;height:50px;background-image:url('/BlueTop.jpg');background-repeat:no-repeat} #links {top:0;left:0;width:8.125%;height:500px;padding:5px;text-align:center;font-size:10px;background-image:url('/BlueDown.jpg');background-repeat:no-repeat} #left{left:150;top:60;width:92.5%;height:527px;overflow:auto;} #words{left:0%;top:0%;width:92.5%;height:527px;overflow:hidden;} #words2{left:0%;top:30;width:91.875%;height:517px;overflow:auto;padding:5;} #header{font-family:georgia;font-size:16px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:6;color:#f6ff00} #bottom{position:absolute;left:10px;top:575;width:92.5%;height:160px;overflow:hidden} #watermark{position:absolute;left:30%;top:60;height:527px;overflow:hidden;z-index:-1} body{font-family: verdana;font-size: 14px;color:#000000;overflow:hidden;background-color:#8ba4ff} b{color:#f6ff00;font-size: 11px;} a{text-decoration:none} .left { float: left; width: 125px; padding: 5px;text-align:center } .right { float: right; width: 125px; padding: 5px;text-align:center } .middle { padding: 5px; margin: 0px; text-align:center } </style> <!------------------------------------------------------------> <!---In the line beginning 'body', change the six-digit code--> <!----which follows 'background-color:#' to the following:----> <!------------------------------------------------------------> <!----------------------Green: CAFF8B-------------------------> <!-----------------------Red: FF8BAE--------------------------> <!-----------------------Blue: 8BA4FF-------------------------> <!----------------------Orange: FF9B8B------------------------> <!---------------------Purple: F18AFD-------------------------> <!------------------------------------------------------------> <!--------------Then go to the next comment.------------------> <!------------------------------------------------------------> <div id="top" style="position:absolute;"> <b style="font-size: 40px;"><u style="color:#f6ff00;">Beaconsfield Concerts</b></u> <img src="/BlueLogo.png" height="40"> </div> <!-----------------------------------------------------------> <!---------In the seperated part of the line above,----------> <!-------Change the color part of the thing in quotes--------> <!-----to Green, Red, Blue, Orange or Purple as necessary----> <!-----------------------------------------------------------> <!-----------------------Then save.--------------------------> <!-----------------------------------------------------------> <div id="watermark" style="position:absolute;"> <img src="/BlueLogo.png" height="527" style="opacity:0.2;filter:alpha(opacity=20)" ></div> <div id="left" style="position:absolute;"> <div id="words" style="position:absolute;"> <a name="first"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p style="text-indent:50px;"> <img src="/Piano_Flowers.jpg" height="200"><p> Beaconsfield Concerts (formerly known as Beaconsfield Music Society) is a well established organisation, dedicated to promoting high quality live classical music performances by professional performers, in Buckinghamshire.<p> We offer everything from vocal quartets to solo piano, from Bach to Bartok, from well-loved repertoire to less well known works, from world famous names to  ones to watch . We were delighted to see that one of our  ones to watch , Benjamin Grosvenor, who performed at our opening concert in 2006 aged 14, was seen by a much larger audience as he played for the opening night of the 2011 BBC Proms, the youngest soloist to do so and to highly favourable reviews.<p> Over the past few seasons we have been able to attract names such as Steven Isserlis, Emma Johnston, Guy Johnston, Freddy Kempf, Tasmin Little & Christopher Maltman.<p> Membership offers you five varied concerts a year or, if you can t attend all the concerts, there is the option of day membership.<p> Extensive programme notes are provided - these are free to patrons. Parking is easy.<p> A bonus is that we encourage artists to stay behind for a short while after the concert to enjoy a drink and chat with members of the audience. <p> <b style="color:#000000;"><font size="3">We are grateful to our sponsors:<ul> <li>Beaconsfield Old School Church Charity <li>Johnsons Honda ( Beaconsfield) <li>BP Collins <li>AJ Dunlop car servicing</ul> We also thank Savills (L&P) Ltd for setting up signboards for each concert.</b></font> </div> <br><br><br><br><p> <a name="second"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p> Membership is open to all by annual subscription and members are entitled to attend the concerts and the AGM/Soiree free of charge. Day membership is normally also available. The Society is a registered charity run by an elected committee who give their services voluntarily.<p> If you feel able to contribute a little more, and help to ensure the continued success of the Society, why not become a Patron? You would then enjoy free programmes and choice seating.<p> If you would like to become a member please print out the <a href="Membership Form.pdf" target="_blank"> Membership Form</a> page and send to the address shown on the form. Membership rates are:<p style="text-indent:0px;"> Member : £60<br> Student (under 21) : £15<br> Patron : £30 extra minimum.<p> For Membership enquiries call 01494 680275 For Day membership (for an individual concert) call 01494 678595 or go to Beacon Bookshop, Gregories Road, Beaconsfield . Tickets are priced at: £16 or £20 depending on concert (Students £5).<p> Look at some of our recent <a href=#third>reviews</a> of earlier concerts. </div> <br><br><br><br><p> <a name="third"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p> These are reviews of some of our recent concerts which appeared in the local Buckinghamshire press.<p> <i>Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Soloists,</i> November 24 2010.<p> Emer McDonough, principal flute; Suzanne Willison-Kawalec, principal harpist; Clio Gould, leader; Vicci Wardman, principal viola and Tim Gill, principal cello.<p> It was surely an unusual experience to hear a group of such talented musicians all at the top of their profession. The audience knew the name Willison for Suzanne¹s parents Sally and Peter are respectively chairman and honorary vice president of Beaconsfield Concerts. It was good to see Suzanne perform on her most impressive instrument at her old school. She and her colleagues are busy people with engagements worldwide.<p> Tim Gill introduced the programme which, apart from Mozart's Flute Quartet in D Major, consisted of five 20th century French composers: J.G. Ropartz, Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens and Jean Francaix. The blend of the five instruments had in itself a sound appropriate to these composers and the quintets which opened and closed the concert were written expressly for them.<p> Frances Chidell<p><br> Violinist <i>Tamsin Little</i> Oct 30 2009<p> <img src="/Tasmin_Little.jpg"><p> The Advertiser certainly did its readers a favour when it recommended virtuoso violinist Tasmin Little's Naked Violin performance on 24 October as one of its 'Five of the Best' outings this Autumn. This, the opening concert of Beaconsfield Concert's 2009"10 season, was an exceptional event by any standards, not least because Tasmin brought with her two priceless violins - her own Guadagnini of 1757 and the 'Regent' Stradivarius of 1708 - to discuss and demonstrate their very different qualities.<p> Performing solo on a 'catwalk' platform, Tasmin created an immediate sense of connection with the audience and encouraged them, between the pieces, to ask questions. She responded to the resulting barrage with bewitching wit, humour and insight.<p> One of Tasmin's passions, and a key part of her award-winning Naked Violin programme, is to bring live classical music to those who have either no interest or no opportunity to hear it. Earlier that day, she brought the same magical mix of music and conversation to a workshop for more than 50 patients, relatives and staff at the National Society for Epilepsy Centre at Chalfont St Peter. Her warmth, clarity and expressive playing held the residents entranced, and it was a very moving experience for all who attended.<p><br> <i>The Consort Trio</i><p> Mar 4 2009<p> Each prize-winning member of this Trio has a flourishing career combining solo, chamber and orchestral work, composition and teaching. With this wide horizon of music-making we could expect playing of a very high standard, and we got it. <p><br> <i>Freddy Kempf</i><p> <img src="/Freddy_Kempf.jpg"><p> Dec 11 2008 By Frances Chidell<p> From time to time Beaconsfield Concerts presents a world famous musician. The pianist Freddy Kempf is one of them. Before presenting him, Mrs Sally Willison (chairman), paid tribute to the memory of our locally-born conductor, Richard Hickox, CBE, President of Beaconsfield Concerts, who had died on November 23.<p> Freddy Kempf said he was dedicating the concert to him. He recalled that at the start of one concert conducted by him, they looked at each other questioningly for some moments and then had a quiet word. "The Emperor starts with a chord, won't you bring me in?" asked Freddy. "But we're not doing the Emperor, we're doing Beethoven's 4th," hissed Hickox.<p> For us, Freddy began with a seminal masterwork: Bach's Goldberg Variations, all 30 of them, which he's taking shortly to several leading concert halls. This is a testing work few professional pianists take on. It lasted an hour and showed off his stunning virtuosity.<p> I could hardly believe the man's energy, skill and musicality and began to realise we were in the presence of near genius. <p><br> <i>The Colours of Spain</i><p> Nov 7 2011 by Frances Chidell <p> `The Colours of Spain` was the title of this concert given by four experienced singers most capably accompanied on the piano by Joseph Middleton. They were Julia Sporsen, soprano; Clara Mouriz, mezzo-soprano; Joshua Ellicott, tenor, and Marcus Farnsworth, baritone. Each could be said to be at the top of their profession and we were lucky to hear them in Beaconsfield.<p> All the songs described romantic aspects of Spain, set to music written by 19th century German and French composers -- although the first group was by Joaquin Turina, a Spaniard. These were most dramatically sung by Clara Mouriz.<p> Joshua Ellicott had a strong, clear voice, shown so softly in the Brahms dream and double forte in Der Hildago, the defiant lover, by Schumann. Further highlights were Marcus Farnsworth's cameo of the life of a Toreador, and his impersonation of a jolly smuggler. Julia Sporsen's soprano was shown to advantage in Ravel's coloratura study without words.<p> Duets and quartets followed after the interval and we felt reassured us that the art of lieder singing, though rarely performed, is vitally alive. Beaconsfield High School pupils started what we hope will be a new tradition. On arrival we were played in by Emily Croft, (18), on saxophone accompanied by Alan Lewis, music master. After the interval, we were treated to Bach and Chopin by the gifted pianist Hannah Bennett (17). <p><br> <i>Pascal Roge</i><p> After a wonderful concert, we were delighted that Pascal Roge was happy to remain behind after his performance to talk to members of the audience and sign copies of his CDs.<p> <img src="/Roge_Signing1.jpg" width="300"><img src="/Roge_Signing2.jpg" width="300"> </div> <br><br><br><br><p> <a name="fourth"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p> <center><font size="4">17th March 2012<p> The Tippett Quartet</font><br></center></center> <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tr> <td><li>Dvorak: </td><td>String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 ( American ) </td></tr> <td><li>Gershwin: </td><td>Lullaby for String Quartet </td></tr> <td><li>Piazzolla: </td><td> Four for Tango </td></tr> <td><li>Herrmann: </td><td>Suite from  Psycho </td></tr> <td><li>Korngold: </td><td>String Quartet No. 3 Op. 34</table><p> Like their namesake, the Tippett Quartet draw inspiration from the past and future alike. They are committed to combining mainstream repertoire with contemporary work. <br> <center><img src="/Tippett.jpg" width="200"></center><p> </div> <br><br><br><br><p> <a name="fifth"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p> Concerts are held during the winter months on Saturday evenings at 7.45 pm, at Beaconsfield High School, Wattleton Road, Beaconsfield, HP9 1RR. Car parking is easy within the school site. For popular concerts off-road parking is freely available.<p><br> <img src="/Map.jpg" height="320"><br> We are also advertising on: <a href="http://www.wherecanwego.com" title="Britain's Events Guide" target="_blank">Where Can We Go.</a> </div> <br><br><br><br><p> <a name="sixth"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p> Our history is under construction and will be here. </div> <br><br><p> <a name="seventh"><div id="words2"></a><center></center><b style="color:#B10122; font-size:13px">Please press Ctrl+F5 to ensure that you have the most current version of the page!</b><p> <b>Update History</b><ul> <li>22nd March - Boxes redesigned to adapt to screen sizes. <li>31st March - Reviews shortened and pictures added. <li>28th April - Programme added. <li>12th May - Oct 11, Nov 11 & Feb 12 Programmes updated with artist info. <li>14th May - One artist picture added. <li>25th May - Reviews re-layed-out, pictures converted to png to add transparent background, violin picture added and logo moved to title. META tags also added. <li>26th May - Two artists added to the list of names we've attracted, and comments added. <li>6th June - Coding slightly rearranged to help get better search engine results. <li>7th June - Watermark added. <li>12th June - Sponsors added. <li>13th June - Google verification added. <li>3rd July - Improved Google results. <li>18th July - Made site live. <li>11th August - Updated Chethams details. <li>21st August - Updated Wedding Cake Recital details. <li>13th October - Updated Wedding Cake Recital details again. <li>26th October - Updated Wedding Cake Recital details again. <li>30th November - Removed Wedding Cake Recital and another past concert, added pictures of Pascal Roge signing CDs. <li>24th January - Removed outdated information. </div> <br><br> <center> </center> </div></div> <div id="bottom"><center></center> <center><p> <b>Disclaimer: Beaconsfield Concerts makes every endeavour to supply accurate information but does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information contained in the Home Page or any associated, referenced or linked pages.<br> Last updated: 24th January</b></center></div> <br><br> <div id="links" style="position:absolute;"><br><br><br><br> <a href="#first"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;">Home</b></a><br><br> <a href="#second"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;">Membership</b></a><br><br> <a href="#third"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;">Reviews</b></a><br><br> <a href="#fourth"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;">2011-2012 Season</b></a><br><br> <a href="#fifth"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;">How to Find Us</b></a><br><br> <a href="#sixth"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;">Our History</b></a><br><br> <a href="#seventh"><b style="color:#f6ff00;font-size: 14px;"></b></a><br><br> </div> </body>