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8th Summer Music at Ansells Weekend, June 2016

The 8th Summer Music at Ansells Weekend June 24th-26th 2016 – workshops, concerts, food and fun. All eight participants’ places are already filled, but we keep a waiting list, so please enquire if you’re interested.

8th Summer Music at Ansells Weekend, 2016
June 24th-26th 2016

Singer Stephen Varcoe and his wife Melinda have been running extremely successful Song Workshop Days at Ansells Farm, Alphamstone for thirteen years. And this summer for the eighth time they’re presenting a whole weekend of musical delights, in conjunction with workshops for solo singers, all taking place in the barn at Ansells.

The weekend begins with “Saints & Sinners – or does the devil really have all the best tunes?” at 8pm on Friday June 24th, a programme in songs and words exploring all sorts of delights sacred and profane, with baritone Stephen Varcoe, pianist Christina Lawrie &, to our great delight, a return visit from actor Andy Harrison who was such a brilliant success last year. Programmes for this are available from Ansells at £14.00, to include a glass of wine.

Why not bring a picnic and enjoy it in the garden before the concert, from 6pm?

On Saturday June 25th, also at 8pm, we welcome once again the fantastic Fibonnacci Sequence, the renowned chamber ensemble, with music for violin,cello and piano. Programmes are on sale from Ansells at £14.00, to include a glass of wine.

Again, any concert-goers who want to enjoy a picnic beforehand are welcome, from 6pm.

Lastly, the informal concert by course participants will be on Sunday June 26th at 3pm. This is a chance for each of our course participants to perform the songs on which they’ve been working with Stephen, accompanied by pianist Susi Morrow. Tea and plenty of homemade cakes (which are the real reason for the popularity of our workshops!) are included in the admission cost of £5.

This promises to be a really special weekend, and space is limited, so book your seats for these musical treats as soon as possible; and for those who choose to come to all three, we offer a special price of £28, a saving of £5.00!

Contact: Stephen and Melinda Varcoe

stephen@varcoe.com

Ansells Farm
Alphamstone
Bures
Suffolk
CO8 5HN

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2014 Summer Music Weekend a success

Ansells 6th Summer Music Weekend June 27th-29th 2014

Once again our annual festival of words and music was a marvellous success. We had a brilliant evening on Friday 27th when husband and wife actors John Woodvine & Lynn Farleigh joined Stephen Varcoe for the delightful programme ‘The Best Years of our Lives?’ Songs ranging from Schubert to Sting, and the unforgettable transformation of venerable actor into uncouth teenager for Martin Newell’s poem ‘I wanna be a Goth’ were just some of the highlights.

Saturday evening saw a welcome return by international chamber ensemble The Fibonacci Sequence, for this occasion morphing into a piano, horn and oboe trio. Wonderful musicianship and exuberant, joyful music-making of the highest quality!

Sunday afternoon found our group of singers presenting their short programme of songs on which they had worked with Stephen – and as always, there were lots of cakes for tea!
We missed the showers by the skin of our teeth all weekend, and from the feedback we’ve received the consensus is that it was our best festival yet.

Next year’s festival will be from Friday 26th – Sunday 28th June, so put it in your diary now!

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Ansells Summer Music Weekend 2014

In conjunction with our annual Workshop for Singers Weekend, two fantastic concerts with world-renowned artists plus a relaxed tea-concert to hear what our students have achieved during the weekend workshop:

Friday 27th June 8pm THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES? A celebration of childhood and youth in songs & words with Stephen Varcoe (baritone), distinguished actors Lynn Farleigh & John Woodvine (readers) & Christina Lawrie (piano)

Saturday 28th June 8pm THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE, internationally acclaimed chamber ensemble with Stephen Varcoe, music for oboe, horn, voice & piano by Saint-Saens, Schumann, Dukas, Berlioz, Schubert and more.

Audience welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy the garden from 6pm before concerts

Sunday 29th June 3pm INFORMAL CONCERT by singers on the course, plus tea and homemade cakes.

Friday concert 8pm £13 incl. glass of wine

Saturday concert £13 incl. glass of wine

Sunday concert 3pm £5 incl tea and cakes

BOOK ALL THREE FOR ONLY£26.50, a saving of £4.50!

Tel: 01787 269570 or

email svarcoe1@googlemail.com

to reserve seats. Programmes on the door.

Limited space so hurry!

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Annual Music at Ansells Weekend 2013 a great success!

Our annual music festival has acquired quite a following since we started it in 2009, and the 28th-30th of June saw our 5th Summer Weekend take place here at Ansells. This year we were delighted to welcome eminent actor Julian Glover, who joined Stephen Varcoe at the opening concert on Friday night – songs, poetry and readings about The Sea, with everything from dramatic shipwrecks to end-of-the-pier shows covered along the way. On Saturday night Crispian Steele-Perkins, one of the finest baroque trumpeters in the world, presented a fascinating and sometimes very amusing programme of music and stories about the trumpet and its history, demonstrating on a few of his dozens of instruments just why he has been at the top of his profession for so long. And as usual on Sunday our eight resident singing students gave an entertaining teatime recital of songs they’d prepared with Stephen during the course of the weekend sessions – a great way to round off another splendid weekend.

Next year’s festival will take place from Fri 27th-Sun 29th June – more details next spring, but put it in your diaries now!

ALIM3346

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5th Summer Music at Ansells Weekend, 2013

June 28th-30th 2013

Singer Stephen Varcoe and his wife Melinda have been running extremely successful Song Workshop Days at Ansells Farm, Alphamstone for ten years. And this summer for the fifth time they’re presenting a whole weekend of musical delights, in conjunction with workshops for solo singers, all taking place in the barn at Ansells.

The weekend begins with “Full Fathom Five” at 8pm on Friday June 28th, a celebration of the sea in songs and words, with baritone Stephen Varcoe & distinguished actor Julian Glover and pianist Christina Lawrie. Programmes for this are available from Ansells at £13.00, to include a glass of wine.

Why not bring a picnic and enjoy it in the garden before the concert, from 6pm?

On Saturday night June 29th, also at 8pm, we welcome world-famous trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins with accompanist Leslie Pearson, and his hugely entertaining show “The Trumpet shall Sound”. Tales about the trumpet’s history and Crispian’s eventful career as an international musician, lots of music, plus surprise contributions from Stephen Varcoe, mean this is going to be an evening full of fun! Programmes are on sale from Ansells at £13.00, to include a glass of wine.

Again, any concert-goers who want to enjoy a picnic beforehand are welcome, from 6pm.

Lastly, the informal concert by course participants will be on Sunday June 30th at 3pm. This is a chance for each of our course participants to perform the songs on which they’ve been working with Stephen, accompanied by pianist Susi Morrow, and their choices will reflect the seaside spirit of the weekend. Tea and plenty of homemade cakes (which are the real reason for the popularity of our workshops!) are included in the admission cost of £5.

This promises to be a really special weekend, and space is limited, so book your seats for these musical treats as soon as possible; and for those who choose to come to all three, we offer a special price of £26.50, a saving of £4.50!

Contact: Stephen and Melinda Varcoe

Ansells Farm
Alphamstone
Bures
Suffolk
CO8 5HN

Tel: 01787 269570
Email stephen@varcoe.com.

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Music at Ansells Weekend June 29th – July 1st 2012

Our 4th annual music weekend was the other major national event of this summer, taking place as it did between the Jubilee celebrations and The Olympics! Friday night’s opening concert saw Stephen Varcoe and the marvellous soprano Patricia Rozario, with pianist Christina Lawrie, presenting a sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant programme of words and music ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

Then on Saturday world-renowned chamber ensemble The Fibonacci Sequence played music by Mozart and Bach, ending with Poulenc’s enchanting ‘Babar the Elephant’ narrated by Stephen Varcoe, for many the highlight of the entire weekend. Sunday afternoon’s tea concert, given by the singers participating in the daily workshops, rounded off another wonderful, intense musical experience; the sun shone for us, as it always seems to do, despite the dismal weather this summer, and all agreed it had been a tremendous few days.

Plans are already afoot for next year’s Music at Ansells weekend, which will take place from Friday 28th- Sunday 30th June 2013. Put the date in your diary, and watch for more information nearer the time.”

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Celebrating Grainger 2011

Stephen will be appearing in The Harmonious Songsmith, a part of the “Celebrating Grainger 2011” series from 17th-20th February 2011 at Kings Place, London.

50 years after his death, the virtuoso pianist and composer Percy Grainger (1882-1961) is emerging as one of the most revolutionary cultural figures of the 20th century. Come and discover the joy of his music and some of its background in more than 120 works – a spectacular four days you will not forget.
Penelope Thwaites, Artistic Director

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Ansells Music Weekend with Stephen & Melinda Varcoe July 2nd – 4th 2010

“… your weekends really are the most perfect experiences”…

A quote from one of the letters we received after this, our second annual festival, voted even better than last year’s by participants and audiences. Once again the weather gods were soothed by the prospect of mellifluous music into behaving impeccably, and the sunshine and warmth enhanced our theme of Travel, Holidays and Adventures. Eight students of singing spent all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, in intensive masterclasses with Stephen and accompanist Susi Morrow; then in the evening everyone relaxed, and members of the public joined us to enjoy picnics in the summery garden before two wonderful concerts, given by distinguished guest musicians.

Friday night’s concert, a complete sell-out, was a wonderful treat. Renowned actress Prunella Scales joined Stephen in a programme entitled ‘Travelling Hopefully’, an anthology of words and music from exotic travellers’ tales to hilarious holiday experiences, with songs to match.

‘Travelling Hopefully’, with Prunella Scales, Stephen Varcoe and accompanist Christina Lawrie

On Saturday, brilliant young husband and wife duo Marcus Barcham-Stevens and Christina Lawrie took us (and their violin and piano) round Europe on a musical adventure, and Stephen joined Marcus as narrator for a performance of Alan Ridout’s delightful ‘Ferdinand the Bull’.

The final concert on Sunday afternoon saw our eight singing-workshop participants presenting a varied programme of songs to an enthusiastic audience, followed by tea and homemade cakes in the garden.

Singing workshop participants and musicians

It’s clear that we’ve started a new Alphamstone tradition, and we’re already planning for next year’s festival, when we hope to equal (or even exceed?) this year’s triumph – dates to be announced later!

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Concert: Desert Island Songs

St Peter’s, Sudbury
Sunday, October 25 2009
7.30 pm

Desert Island Songs

an Entertaining Collection
of Personal Favourites
sung by
Stephen Varcoe
with
Christina Lawrie
at the piano

Aided, Abetted and Compèred by
Andrew Phillips

Tickets £10 reserved, £8 unreserved
available from Compact Music, Sudbury,
or, with SAE, from
Roger Green, 62 Friars Street, Sudbury,
CO10 2AG