The newly-formed Berwick Music Society has announced its inaugural 2024/2025 music season in the town with four concerts in September, November, February and May.
The society aims to celebrate the best regional, national and international classical and contemporary music performed by professional soloists and small ensembles over the coming years.
‘Berwick has been one of the few towns in the region without a music society; this has now changed! One of our ambitions is to support and showcase work by composers and performers in Northumberland and the Borders and to reach out to our local community to encourage more involvement in music,’ said Berwick Music Society Chair, Mike Worboys.
The concert series kicks off in September with award winning poet Jacob Sam-La Rose and violist Fiona Winning exploring innovative and exciting ways in which poetry and contemporary classical music can complement each other.
November sees Berwick-based Yvonne Barclay and Gordon Campbell showcase music and stories from their respective careers as internationally-renowned opera singer and trombonist respectively. The duo will feature song, opera and jazz, Robert Burns, Mozart and Duke Ellington.
Rising stars will be sparkling in February 2025’s third concert with the Gal Trio. The Edinburgh-based ensemble features Emma Cairns and Elinor Roderick on violin/fiddle and Serenna MacLellan on flute. Their repertoire spans contemporary, classical and folk music, featuring original arrangements, improvisation and extended techniques. They will perform works by Hans Gál, Ernst Spies, Valerie Coleman and traditional folk.
Finally, Berwick born and bred violinist Ross Hume completes the season in May 2025. Ross fell in love with the violin at the tender age of nine when taster sessions were offered to young people in schools in Berwick. Ross has played with the Scottish Concert Orchestra, the Guildhall Session Orchestra and worked with players from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé, London Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia and Royal Northern Sinfonia. His programme will include music by Beethoven and Wieniawski.
Full details for the concerts are as follows:
Fiona Winning & Jacob Sam-La Rose
Includes post-concert reception
7pm to 8pm, Monday, 23rd September 2024
St Andrew’s Church, Wallace Green, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Yvonne Barclay & Gordon Campbell
2pm to 3pm, Saturday, 16th November 2024
Berwick Parish Church, Parade, Berwick-upon-Tweed
The Gal Trio
2pm to 3pm, Saturday, 22nd February 2025
St Andrew’s Church, Wallace Green, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Ross Hume
2pm to 3pm, Saturday, 17th May 2025
St Andrew’s Church, Wallace Green, Berwick-upon-Tweed
All tickets are £10 per concert. £30 season tickets are available for all four concerts for the price of three.