Fantasia Orchestra: Christmas Night

Tue 14 December, 19:30

The strings of Fantasia Orchestra are joined by soloist Richard Hosford for a magical, candle-lit evening exploring the evocative theme of ‘Night’ this Christmas.

Bathe in the moonlight with Debussy’s iconic Clair de Lune, in the starlight of the Nativity with Warlock’s popular carol Bethlehem Down, and in the dappled nighttime forest of Schoenberg’s stunning Verklärte Nacht. Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto, a gem of the English repertoire, encompasses light and shade and is an inspiring force.

For one night only, the Orchestra will be joined by highly-acclaimed soloist and principal clarinet of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hosford. Hosford has worked with conductors including Claudio Abbado, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas and Oscar Schumsky.  Several of his recordings have been chosen as “First choice” by BBC Radio 3 ‘Record Review‘.

The candlelit stage at Grand Junction at St Mary Magdalene’s offers the perfect setting for this exploration of nighttime at Christmas. Conducted by Tom Fetherstonhaugh, described as ‘a spark to watch‘ by BBC Radio 3.

“The most directly emotional music to be experienced live post-lockdown.”

The Arts Desk

PROGRAMME:

Debussy: Clair de Lune (arranged for strings by Kime)

Finzi: Clarinet Concerto

Interval

Warlock: Bethlehem Down (arranged for strings by Lane)

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht

 

MUSICIANS:

Violins: Charlie Lovell-Jones, Hana Mizuta-Spencer and Anthony Poon

Violas: Kinga Wojdalska, Joseph Lowe and Georgia Russell

Cellos: Toby White, Silvestrs Kalinš and Tiago Anjinho

Double Bass: Richard English

Clarinet: Richard Hosford

Conductor: Tom Fetherstonhaugh

 

FANTASIA ORCHESTRA

Founded in 2016 by conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, the Fantasia Orchestra is formed by some of the country’s most exciting young musicians. The orchestra performs an eclectic range of music, breathing new life into old works and celebrating new ones.

Past performance highlights include Tasmin Little’s final concerto performances, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto with 2016 BBC Young Musician winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason at Wells Cathedral, Proms debut with Isata Kanneh-Mason at St Jude’s Festival in 2019 where they returned this year with Thomas Gould.

www.fantasiaorchestra.com



TOM FETHERSTONHAUGH

Described as ‘a spark to watch’ by BBC Radio 3, Tom is an acclaimed British conductor and the founder of the Fantasia Orchestra. His works include conducting concerts for the Ulster Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Piccadilly Sinfonia, Oxford University Sinfonietta, the orchestra of the Oxford Chamber Music Festival and Southbank Sinfonia.

As a treble, he has performed at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and features on film soundtracks including Prometheus, Life of Pi and Dark Shadows. Tom made his BBC Proms debut aged 13 as a soloist in Mahler’sDas Klagende Lied’ under Edward Gardner.

Date: 14 December 2021

Start Time: 19.30 (doors and bar open from 18.30)

Length: Approximately 2 hours including an interval.

Tickets: £30, £15 Concession (Student/Low Income/Children)

This event is on sale at full capacity. 

Venue: Grand Junction is a new multi-arts venue and community hub based at St Mary Magdalene Church. Our mission is to create and present an eclectic, collaborative programme of music, arts and performance for young people, families and adults.

Covid-19 Policy for this event 

In line with guidance from the UK Government, this performance is on sale at full capacity.

For the safety and enjoyment of our audiences and staff, Grand Junction will follow a number of Covid safety measures:

If you have tested positive for Covid-19 or are feeling unwell, and experiencing any of the symptoms of Covid-19 (in particular high temperature, cough, or sore throat), we ask you to stay at home and not travel to the event. Please contact us at info@grandjunction.org.uk to discuss a refund at the earliest opportunity.

From Friday 10 December the government requires face coverings to be worn in indoor venues. As such, we will require audience members over the age of 12 to wear face masks whilst in the building, unless exempt. This includes during the performance, unless you are eating or drinking. Staff and volunteers are also required to wear face masks.

The capacity of Grand Junction means that it is not required for visitors to show proof of vaccination or a negative test as a condition of entry. If this becomes a mandatory requirement for venues of our size, we will update the information on this page accordingly.

We invite all visitors to check in using the NHS Test and Trace app. Although no longer compulsory this will help keep everyone safe.

We encourage all visitors to take a lateral flow test on the day of their visit. Staff are also testing regularly.

Where possible, please observe social distancing while moving around the building.

Hand sanitiser stations are positioned around the building.

Careful consideration of entry and exit points to avoid crowding. We will check your ticket at the entrance to the venue to avoid queuing and crowds forming indoors.

Regular cleaning and regular ventilation of the space, to ensure a flow of clean air.

Click here to view Grand Junction’s full Covid-safety information. Please feel free to contact us at info@grandjunction.org.uk if you have any further questions.