Ansells Song Workshop Weekend, June-July 2012

As part of our Ansells Song Workshop Weekend we are promoting three concerts on the evenings of June 29 and 30, and the afternoon of July 1. The first, entitled All Creatures Great and Small, is a partly serious, partly hilarious safari through the animal kingdom in words and music, featuring the wonderful soprano Patricia Rozario, Stephen Varcoe (baritone) and Christina Lawrie (piano).

The second concert will be given by the chamber music ensemble The Fibonacci Sequence, who will be playing Mozart and Bach, and Poulenc’s highly entertaining Babar the Elephant, with Stephen Varcoe narrating.

The third concert on the Sunday afternoon will be given by the participants on our singing course. Prices are £14 for Friday, £10.50 for Saturday and £5 for Sunday, or £25 for all three.

Please email stephen@varcoe.com for bookings and further information.

Song Workshop at Ansells Farm, February 2012: “Old & New”

Saturday February 25th: This time the theme is ‘Old & New’, inspired by the turn of the year. Think of past pleasures and future adventures, dawn and dusk, birth and death – all sorts of beginnings and ends find expression in songs. Search out some interesting pieces and bring them along.

Also  A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY! Our 4th annual Ansells Summer Music Weekend will take place from Friday 29th June – Sunday 1st July. More details soon.

As always, contact us at stephen@varcoe.com for information or to apply.

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!