A brand-new musical work rooted in the landscapes and stories of the New England region will have its world premiere as part of this year’s New England Bach Festival in Armidale this weekend.
The work, titled Historical Stories, will be performed on Sunday 4 May at 2.30pm at the Armidale Uniting Church and is the creation of local musician and educator Alana Blackburn, with music by composer Steve Thorneycroft. It combines text and music to offer a fresh take on the Baroque tradition while celebrating local voices.
“As part of this year’s New England Bach Festival we will be premiering a new musical work,” said Blackburn.
“The four texts are based on places and stories of our local New England Region and designed to connect with place and community. The words are beautiful, and Steve has done a magnificent job with the accompanying music – not to be missed!”
“Nestled within a program of Bach, performed by myself (recorders), Steve Thorneycroft (guitar), Camilla Tafra (baroque cello) and Sarah Lawrence (narrator), we mix the old with the new,” Blackburn added.
Four local writers – Steve Harris, Sarah Lawrence, Catherine Emerson and Katy Haselwood – contributed original texts to the project, each inspired by the people and places of the New England region.
The New England Bach Festival, now in its 12th edition, is on now and runs over four days, with a wide variety of events such as organ recitals, a dramatised Coffee Cantata, and performances by celebrated ensembles including The Marais Project and Elysian Fields.
Another highlight is the organ crawl, like a pub crawl but going to four churches with an organ recital in each church, beginning at the Uniting Church at 2.30pm Saturday. The crawl will hit the Uniting Church, St Paul’s, St Peter’s, St Mary and Joseph, and feature performances from Lena Schmalz, David Drury and Warwick Dunham.
Find more details about the Bach Festival including the full program on their website http://www.ne-bach-festival.com/
Book tickets for the Historical Stories performance here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1347097
Don’t miss any of the important stories from around the region. Subscribe to our email list.