Our opening concert of the season in September, with the Consone Quartet, is becoming a distant but lovely memory. Since then the quartet members have held a residency in Ambronay, France through the Eeemerging Scheme, played at the Brighton Early Music Festival and in November they joined the Hanover Band Chamber Ensemble in a concert at the Stationer's Hall, London for a St Ceciliatide concert. Tomorrow they will play Haydn and Mendelssohn in the Auditorium of the Orchestre National de Lyon in France. Travel further afield is on the agenda for 2018: a return to Ambronay in March/April for a residency and recording and then later in April, to Bolivia to give three recitals in the Misiones de Chiquitos Festival: Concepción, San Xavier and Santa Cruz.
Ashley Fripp, who gave us our wonderful October concert, has since played solo recitals at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon and at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Edgbaston. In December he recorded for Willowhayne Records and will begin his 2018 performances with a solo lunchtime recital at the Church of St Lawrence Jewry, London.
Christopher Underwood and Michael Hancock gave their first recital for what was then the North Cumbria Recital Club in 1977. We missed a trick there in not inviting them to sing for us in 2017; we could have had a fortieth anniversary concert! We look forward to welcoming our audience to hear another vintage performance on the 25th January, 2018.
In February we will have a solo piano recital given by local pianist Leah Nicholson and the Lugovkina, Walentin, McLean Trio (flute/violin/piano) in March (full programme details on our concerts page).
We send our best wishes to all the musicians who have played for us in 2017 and all our audience members.