The Music Partnership Recorder Festival will this month mark 25 years since it began.
The popular festival which will take place on 21 and 22 March at 12.30pm at the Victoria Hall in Hanley will this year see 1500 young people from 42 schools across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford and Wrekin take part.
To celebrate the milestone professional recorder player, Anna Davies, will be returning to the city as a guest performer and will be playing on her Elody – an electric recorder. She first played in the Recorder Festival at the age of five and has been involved ever since.
Anna, now 28 said: “The Recorder Festival is the most special concert that I take part in as it’s what got me going in my playing from such a young age and has given me so many incredible experiences, which led me to becoming the guest soloist at the Recorder Festival myself.
“One of my most memorable moments was performing a duet with Piers Adams, a British recorder player, when I was much younger and being so honoured that he’d allowed me to do that and for the music service to give me that opportunity and playing alongside my mum on the piano.
“This year I will be playing a more classical selection as well as a medley of pieces from ‘Matilda the Musical’ and ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen on her Elody. This will give children the opportunity to recognise some pieces that I’m playing and allow them to sing along.”
Councillor Janine Bridges, cabinet member for education and economy said: “The Recorder Festival is an important milestone in celebrating recorder playing across the area as well as giving young people the opportunity to perform in a prestigious venue.
“Music festivals offer unique opportunities for young people to actively engage with music in a healthy social setting with other like-minded individuals. It is also good for confidence building and a fun experience learning and playing an instrument.”
This comes as several music festivals are taking place this month in Stoke-on-Trent. Other concerts held around the city include the City Voices in Concert organised by City Music Service where hundreds of talented singers take to the stage on 21 March at 6:45pm. Hundreds of talented singers will also take to the stage for The MusicShare Concert on 22 March at 6.45pm.The MusicShare concert is organised by The Music Partnership and MusicShare (Lichfield Cathedral School) and will include massed singers from Secondary schools across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. MusicShare is an award-winning singing outreach programme (winner of the Times Educational Supplement Independent-State School Partnership Award 2019) that works with local primary, secondary and special schools to encourage children to sing. It is a partnership between Lichfield Cathedral School, Lichfield Cathedral and The Music Partnership. Since it began in 2003, more than 15,000 pupils across the Lichfield diocese have benefitted from this unique programme.
For all events, tickets are available direct from the Box Office or online through ATG. For more information on the City Music Service or either event, contact 01782 234423.
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