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Sacconi Newsletter, Spring 2008

Dear Friends,

For us, the members of the Sacconi Quartet, the focal point of this year will be the launch of our very own festival, which we feel very privileged to be able to begin. It really wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for all of you who are generously supporting and encouraging us, so we’d like to sincerely thank you for helping us to realise this dream.

Set near the sea by the channel that links us to France – one of the festival programme’s inspirations – we are hoping to forge connections with people in an area that has in recent years been culturally under-nourished. We will be giving outreach concerts to neighbouring schools, centres for the elderly and for refugees, and Canterbury Prison, so that we can bring our festival to people who would otherwise be unable to attend.

 

We are hoping that the festival will have a really welcoming atmosphere and that all our friends and audience will feel involved and part of this new venture!

We will be performing a special launch concert on 16^th March at St Mary’s and St Eanswythe’s Church, Folkestone. We will be playing Wolf’s Italian Serenade, Haydn’s Quartet opus 54 no. 1 and Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with Grenville Hancox. You probably already know, or can guess by the surname, that Grenville is Ben’s father, who is actively supporting our festival with much gusto and dedication. Tickets can be purchased on the door – we hope you can join us. 

 

 

We are also putting on a Family Concert in The Glassworks, Folkestone, on Sunday 27^th April at 3pm. We’ve done many family workshops in collaboration with the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, and they always prove to be energetic and fun events, so please feel free to come along with children in tow!

 

As I’m sure you already know, the Sacconi Chamber Music Festival at Folkestone is taking place on 2^nd-4^th May (the first bank holiday weekend). Our new website www.sacconi.com/festival will be updated regularly with details of tickets, programme, locations etc.

 

If you are unable to attend the Sacconi Festival in Folkestone, we are playing in Music in May, St Ives, Cornwall, on 24^th-26^th May (the second bank holiday weekend). This is always brilliant fun, and if you like the look of the programme for our festival, we will be doing a similar one in St Ives.

 

We are collaborating with highly acclaimed contemporaries of ours, the Navarra Quartet, in a series of concerts throughout 2008-09.  We will be playing both of the Brahms Sextets and the much-loved Mendelssohn Octet. Please check our website for where you might be able to join us on this tour. We will be performing the Brahms Sextet in G and the Mendelssohn Octet, and the Navarra Quartet will play Haydn’s 33 no.5, in the Wigmore Hall on 6^th March, 7.30pm as part of the YCAT Chamber Festival.

 

  

Another new and exciting venture is our tour of some of the UK’s most beautiful cathedrals with the highly accomplished jazz trio, Acoustic Triangle. We will be forming 3 triangles of musicians: our quartet, Acoustic Triangle and violinists Charlotte Scott and Emma Parker, to play specially commissioned pieces by members of the trio. The test-run took place last year in Norwich Cathedral and it was a great success, so we hope that you may be interested in coming to see us in a cathedral near you! 

 

 

We are thrilled that Robin Holloway has composed his 2^nd String Quartet for us! We will give the work’s premieres in Madrid on 11^th June, alongside the three Haydn opus 54 quartets, and in Brancaster, Norfolk on 17^th June. Other performances of the Holloway include Ryedale Festival on 11^th July, Bollington Chamber Concerts on 20^th September and Egerton, Kent on 8^th November.

If you play in a string quartet and fancy coming on a summer music course to be coached by us, we will be tutoring at this year’s Musicfest in Aberystwyth, 26^th July – 2^nd August. The festival is directed by the clarinettist David Campbell, who is also Hannah’s uncle! www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk/musicfest.

This past week has been a good one for us, partly because of the amazing spring-like weather which has lifted our spirits, but also because of some really exciting concerts! Our Wigmore Hall lunchtime concert, and our Bridgewater Hall concert the next day were both very well attended and we were so happy to see so many of our friends and supporters there.

Thank you for all the generosity and encouragement that you continue to give to us. We hope you can join us on 16^th March in Folkestone for our launch concert, and we look forward to welcoming you to our Festival at Folkestone on 2^nd-4^th May.

 

With very best wishes, 

Ben, Hannah, Robin and Cara