A new home in town for Music in Lanark's 2023 concert series

Music in Lanark will continue its 2022-23 concert series next month, in its new venue of Christ Church in Hope Street.
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After more than ten years at Robert Owen’s Music Room at the Institute in New Lanark, the series kicked off on December 9 when the the Cantabile Ensemble, a ladies’ chamber choir from Uddingston, took to the stage.

The series will continue on Thursday, February 16, with a wee departure from the norm.

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Chrissy Pritchard, Music in Lanark chairwoman, said: “We're delighted to welcome musicians from The Nevis Ensemble to Christ Church Hall to give two concerts designed especially for children from Lanark Primary schools.

The Nevis Ensemble will perform two concerts for Lanark primary pupils, before Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins and Longway Blue Grass Band come to town.The Nevis Ensemble will perform two concerts for Lanark primary pupils, before Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins and Longway Blue Grass Band come to town.
The Nevis Ensemble will perform two concerts for Lanark primary pupils, before Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins and Longway Blue Grass Band come to town.

Violinists Hannah Renton and Laetitia Pannetie, viola player Roberto Luque Schoham, cellist Peter Phelan and French horn player Lynn Henderson will perform music spanning four centuries and will also include the chance for the children to shape the performances and choose what they play!

“These concerts have been made possible thanks to a donation from the Dunard Fund and will be free but tickets are not available to the general public.”

Music in Lanark is also very grateful to Chamber Music Scotland and Creative Scotland for their financial support and the many local businesses which continue to support the programme.

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The normal series will resume on Thursday, February 23, when Italian pianist Emma Abbate and her pianist husband, Julian Perkins, will perform a duet programme entitled Across the Pond. It includes music by Beethoven, Schubert and Samuel Barber. It will also be the first concert to showcase Music in Lanark’s Kawai grand piano in its new setting.

Tim Kliphuis Trio will help raise funds for Music in Lanark.Tim Kliphuis Trio will help raise funds for Music in Lanark.
Tim Kliphuis Trio will help raise funds for Music in Lanark.

On Thursday, March 2, an old favourite of Music in Lanark – the Tim Kliphuis Trio – will be welcomed back as part of their Reunion Tour. Tim Kliphuis (violin), Nigel Clark (guitar) and Roy Percy (double bass) bring their trademark brand of high-octane gypsy jazz and classical mash-ups.

It will include material from their new album, The Five Elements – an ode to the Earth, it looks ahead to a hopeful future on our planet.

Chrissy said: “We’re very grateful to Tim and the trio for agreeing to do this gig as a fundraiser for us after a very difficult year.”

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On Friday, March 24, Longway Blue Grass Band will perform, featuring Bob Stevenson (guitar), Robin Wallace (banjo), Ian Bain (mandolin) and Dougie Cairns (bass). Longway, one of the UK’s top bluegrass bands, has played together for around 15 years, emerging from The Runaway String Band that formed in the 1980s. They have appeared at festivals and concerts and performed all over the UK.

The Yehudi Menuhin School Ensemble of 2023 will take to the stage on Thursday, May 6.

Chrissy added: “The talented young musicians of this world-renowned specialist have been visiting Lanark as part of their annual Scottish tour for a number of years.

“It is because of their piano teacher Ruth Nye we acquired our Kawai piano and it is named in her honour. We welcome back these remarkable youngsters for their first concert in our new venue for a programme of classical chamber music featuring a variety of combinations of piano and stringed instruments.”

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The series will end on Saturday, May 13, with a jazz evening with the Alan Benzie Trio. Multiple award-winning pianist/composer Alan Benzie is joined by long-term collaborators – and two of Europe’s finest young jazz musicians – Andrew Robb (bass) and Marton Juhasz (drums).

Tickets for each concert are priced £14 or £1 for those aged 18 and under and are available from www.sllcboxoffice.co.uk or www.musicin lanark.co.uk.

At home in town

Since 2000 Music in Lanark has been bringing exceptional talent to the people of Clydesdale.

From September through to March each year, the charitable group presents concerts showcasing a wide range of musical styles, from classical chamber music, opera and jazz to traditional Scottish.

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It also provides a platform for young musicians to perform at the beginning of each concert, thus enabling talent to flourish.

In July last year, a decade old arrangement between New Lanark and Music In Lanark to host concerts in the Musicians’ Room in the Institute came to an end.

Happily, Music in Lanark – and its incredible Kawai grand piano – was warmly welcomed by Canon Drew Sheridan at Christ Church in Hope Street, which is now the base for all concerts.