Music at Lunchtime is celebrating 800 events
ROCHDALE’S weekly Music at Lunchtime at St Mary’s in the Baum celebrated its 800th concert since taking over from the council, on March 22.
The event featured renowned Scottish harpist Elinor Nicholson, who spent six years at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and gave performances of classical harp music and also of the clàrsach (Celtic folk harp).
The rest of the month provided a varied weekly programme, with a bumper crop of both young and seasoned professionals in high calibre vocal and instrumental performances.
On March 1, it was a joy to hear promising voices emerging from the RNCM.
Jessica Hope, a gifted fourth year soprano, quickly engaged her audience, similarly, baritone Samuel Jackson, now studying for a masters and adding opera roles to his extensive choral experience.
They were accompanied by Simon Passmore and they sang Mozart arias, songs by Finzi, Quilter, Schubert and Wolf and finished with a Broadway set from My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and Carousel.
On March 8, flautist Jennifer Dyson, who graduated from both Manchester University and the RNCM, performed.
She is now freelance and recently returned from outreach work in Kenya.
Her distinctive solo tone rang out beautifully in the superb acoustics at St Mary’s in a programme of haunting and evocative French music.
The accompanist was once again Simon Passmore, himself a graduate of the RNCM and not only a prizewinning pianist but also a notable organist, currently director of music at St Ann’s, Manchester, following in the footsteps of his mentor, the late Canon Ronald Frost.
On March 15, Lancashire soprano April Elizabeth Grime took to the stage. She trained at Bangor University and is now making her mark as a concert and opera singer, as seen in her programme of opera arias, concert and theatre songs.
Pianist Jonathan Ellis accompanied her and also contributed a Liszt transcription which turned the quartet from Rigoletto into a piano concerto.
To close the month, soprano Suzanne Mather made a welcome return as a veteran of Music at Lunchtime concerts for more than 30 years in its various locations.
Her accompanist was pianist Ruth Dixon, who recently retired as head of music at Oldham Hulme Grammar School.
Rochdale’s Music at Lunchtime is held every Wednesday, 12.30pm to 1.30pm at St Mary’s in the Baum.