MULTI award-winning Ukranian pianist, Slava Sidorenko, will open a brand new series of concerts for Absolute Classics featuring some of the world’s best classical musicians.
The Annan-based charity, which has become noted for bringing the highest quality classical artists to audiences in Dumfries and Galloway, begins its 2016-17 season with a quartet of recitals by Slava in Dumfries, Annan, Kirkcudbright and Thornhill from 15 to 18 September.
These concerts will herald the beginning of a seven-month season with events taking place at some of the region’s top venues, including the Crichton Memorial Church in Dumfries, the Cally Palace in Gatehouse, Broughton House in Kirkcudbright and the Buccleuch and Queensberry Arms Hotel in Thornhill.
October will present Pierre Rosefield award-winning cellist, Gemma Rosefield. November features three of the UK’s most distinguished musicians, the London Soloists Ensemble who comprise “one of the most distinguished British violinists of her generation”, Lorraine McAslan; a pianist of “great flair and virtuosity” John Lenehan; and internationally admired representative of the golden generation of Russian string players, cellist Karine Georgian.
For December, Steinway artist Simon Callaghan will perform a programme for piano and Opera Bohemia bring the glamour of the opera to the region with Tchaikovsky’s dramatic musical version of Eugene Onegin.
Taiwanese/Canadian pianist Grace Mo is internationally renowned for her combinations of technical wizardry with impressive attention to detail. She will be January’s star performer.
February sees the return to the region of the Aurea Quartet. This young and exciting quartet, comprising Abbey Hayward (cello), Christine Anderson (viola), Philip Brett (violin), Rosemary Attree (violin) are prize-winning graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
To finish off the season in March, the “Great British Hope”, flautist Kathryn Thomas will combine talents with cellist Tim, Sarah Jane Bradley on viola and John Lenehan, Piano, for a quartet of exciting concerts featuring music by Hummel, Prokofiev Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.
Absolute Classics director, Alex McQuiston, said: “Once again we are delighted to be delivering a top quality series of concerts to Dumfries and Galloway which features some of the most highly acclaimed classical artists on the international platform.
“We are committed to delivering the very best classical music experience possible to our audiences. In this way, we strive hard to achieve and maintain high standards of musicianship and venues and this is reflected in the number of new partnerships we have made over the past few years.
“We are fortunate enough to have secured a number of corporate partnerships with some of the region’s top venue managers as well as internationally-acclaimed piano company Blüthner which have placed some of their excellent pianos in the Buccleuch and Queensberry Arms Hotel in Thornhill, the Cally Palace in Gatehouse and the Crichton Memorial Church in Dumfries.
““The International Musicians Platform has taken a lot of work and would not have been possible without our dedicated audiences, partners, patrons and trustees as well as the generous support from our funders, such as the Holywood Trust, Creative Scotland, the Robertson Trust, the Hugh Fraser Foundation and the Dumfries and Galloway LEADER Programme 2014-2020.”
For the full list of concerts and venues and to buy tickets, visit www.absoluteclassics.co.uk
