Programme to include:

– Beethoven Spring Sonata
– Vaughan Williams-The Lark Ascending
– Schumann Sonata no.3 in A minor
– Elgar-Chanson de Nuit & Chanson de Matin
– Tchaikovsky Valse-Scherzo

An evening of exquisite violin and piano from Sophie Rosa and Ian Buckle.

Sophie Rosa first garnered attention after winning the Second Prize and Audience Prize at the 2nd Manchester International Violin Competition 2011. She has performed across the UK as a recitalist in venues including the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Bridgewater Hall and has appeared as soloist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and Sinfonia Viva. Sophie has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and has released CDs on Champs Hill and EM Records labels to critical acclaim.

Sophie is leader of Sinfonia Viva and has made appearances as guest leader with orchestras throughout the UK, most recently with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. As a keen chamber musician, Sophie is a member of Pixels Ensemble and also performs with contemporary music ensemble, Psappha.

Sophie studied at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music with Wenzhou Li where she was a recipient of the RNCM Gold Medal and the Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal in recognition of her musical achievements. After completing her Masters Degree with Distinction, Sophie completed the RNCM International Artist Diploma in Solo Performance and furthered her studies in America with Midori Goto, Miriam Fried and Donald Weilerstein.

Sophie was kindly supported by several award foundations including the Philharmonia Orchestra Martin Music Scholarship, The Solti Foundation, The Hattori Foundation, The Stephen Bell Charitable Trust, The Bowerman Charitable Trust and Help Musicians UK.

Sophie plays on a Joseph Gagliano violin dated 1795 and a Claude Fonclause bow made available through the generous support of the Stradivari Trust.

www.sophierosa.com

Ian Buckle maintains a varied freelance career working as soloist, accompanist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist and teacher. He enjoys longstanding associations with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the John Wilson Orchestra, and has appeared with them as soloist on numerous occasions. He has also played concertos with the Royal Philharmonic, Opera North, Sinfonia Viva and the Manchester Concert Orchestra.

Date: Thursday 8th October 2020

Time: 2pm

Venue: St. John’s the Divine Church, Rastrick HD6 1HL

Ticket: £15

Ian is pianist and artistic director of Pixels Ensemble www.pixelsensemble.org. a collective of classical and contemporary chamber music players. He teaches piano at the Universities of Liverpool and Leeds and is an examiner with ABRSM. Current CD releases include transcriptions for cello and piano with Jonathan Aasgaard, a disc of the songs of Stephen Wilkinson The Sunlight on the Garden; and a recital of new works for clarinet and piano with former BBC Young Musician winner Mark Simpson.

His performance of Gershwin’s New York Rhapsody live at the Royal Albert Hall is featured on Warner Classics’ The Best of the John Wilson Orchestra, and he and regular duo-partner Richard Casey are soloists in Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals with the RLPO and Vasily Petrenko.

Sophie plays on a Joseph Gagliano violin dated 1795 and a Claude Fonclause bow made available through the generous support of the Stradivari Trust.

www.sophierosa.com

With an extraordinary career spanning over four decades, Martin Roscoe is unarguably one of the UK’s best loved pianists. His enduring popularity and the respect in which he is universally held are built on a deeply thoughtful musicianship and his easy rapport with audiences and fellow musicians alike.

With a repertoire of over 100 concertos performed or recorded, Martin continues to work regularly with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, having especially close links with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Northern Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has given over ninety performances. Other orchestral highlights have included BBC Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Martin also performs widely across Europe, Canada, Australia and the Far East, sharing the concert platform with eminent conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder and Christoph von Dohnányi.

Having made over 600 broadcasts, including seven BBC Prom appearances, Martin is one of the most regularly played pianists on BBC Radio 3. Martin has also made many commercial recordings for labels such as Hyperion, Chandos and Naxos. He has recorded the complete piano music of Nielsen and Szymanowski, as well as four discs in the Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series. For the Deux-Elles label, Martin has recorded the complete Beethoven piano sonatas, for which he received unanimous critical acclaim.

Teaching has always formed an important part of Martin’s life and the development of young talent helps him to constantly re-examine and re-evaluate his own playing. He is currently Professor of Piano at the Guildhall School of Music in London and has been awarded his Fellowship there.

“Commanding and warm-hearted… a delectable disc” (Gramophone) and “exuberant and expressive…brilliant technical precision” (BBC Music Magazine, 5 stars).

Date: Friday 9th October 2020

Time: 7:30pm

Venue: St. John’s The Divine Church, HD6 1HT

Ticket: £18

Join Martin Roscoe for this unique intimate concert in the beautiful setting of St Johns The Divine in Rastrick. Martin will be performing on our Arts for Brighouse 1890s Bechstein Grand Piano.

Programme to include:

– Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 ‘Pathétique’
– Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 31 in Ab major, Op. 110
– Beethoven Bagatelles, Op.126
– Beethoven Sonata No.23 in F minor for Piano, Op.57 ‘Appassionata’

Brighouse Resident, Barry Smith plays flute guitar and Irish style tin whistle. For his showcase Barry brings two excellent guitarists of different styles to accompany him and support a wide varied programme.

Barry writes songs and melodies; many with Yorkshire references. These include ‘The Days we Walked from Burnsall Bridge’, ‘The Ghost of Swinsty Hall’ & ‘Swaledale and the Wharfedale Jig’… to name but a few. He has performed both solo and with other musicians at many folk clubs and festivals in the Yorkshire area.

Quite respectful of his Irish roots, Barry particularly enjoys playing traditional Irish and Scottish tunes and some of these will be part of this intimate concert at the Smith Art Gallery at Brighouse Library. And of course Beatles material too!

www.barrysmithfolk.com
barrysmithfolkmusic@gmail.com
YouTube: New Barry Smith Folk

Date: Friday 9th October 2020

Time: 2pm

Venue: Brighouse Library, HD6 2AF

Ticket: £5

Call Me Dusty: A Play with Music by Derek Webb, performed by LYM Productions.

Dusty Springfield was without doubt the finest white soul singer of her era – for millions she was the definitive pop diva.

Her lifestyle was the stuff of legend and great drama. With her relentless quest for perfection and refusal to compromise, Dusty Springfield led a tortured life. Her stage persona – extravagant black mascara and back combed hair – was at odds with the quiet, shy convent girl, Mary O’Brien and her sexuality. The result was a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol-abuse and self-harm but despite all that she produced tremendous music, which still ranks as some of the finest of its kind.

Date: Saturday 10th October 2020

Time: 2:00pm

Venue: St. John’s The Divine Church Hall, HD6 1HT

Ticket: £10

It still remains one of the best kept secrets in show business that Dame Patricia Routledge – best known for her TV creations, not least Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances – trained not only as an actress but as a singer too, enjoying great success in musical theatre on both sides of the Atlantic. She won the coveted Tony Award for her performance in Darling of the Day on Broadway and an Olivier for Candide at the Old Vic.

In a fascinating encounter with the writer and broadcaster Edward Seckerson, Patricia discusses this little known aspect of her extraordinary career alongside some rare and treasured recordings.

Date: Saturday 10th October 2020

Time: 7:00pm

Venue: St. Martin’s Parish Church, HD6 1DH

Ticket: £22

‘I have just listened to your track, ‘Beryl’, with tears in my eyes! It’s beautiful and brilliant.’ Maxine Peake

Join O’Hooley & Tidow for their 10 year celebration concert on 2nd October at St Martins Church Brighouse, part of Brighouse Arts Festival 2020.

Much loved Yorkshire folk duo Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow have suddenly been propelled into newfound fame for penning the theme tune for Sally Wainwright’s hit BBC1/HBO drama ‘Gentleman Jack’ based on the life of Anne Lister, earning them global admiration, appearances on TV, Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and concerts that sell out months in advance.

Belinda and Heidi’s boundless songwriting has been described by The Guardian as ‘exceptional’ and The Independent as ‘defiant, robust, northern, poetical, political folk music for the times we live in.’ From an emotionally charged song about an elephant orphanage in Nairobi, to a joyous celebration of the Leeds cycling champion Beryl Burton, they explore, consider and connect subjects and stories in a distinctive, inventive and memorable way.

Having the originality and skill to invite comparison with the most celebrated harmony duos, from early Simon and Garfunkel to the iconic Kate and Anna McGarrigle, 6 Music’s Tom Robinson says ‘They sing together in the way families do. Normally, you only get that closeness in the voices with family bands like The Coppers or The Watersons.’

Date: Friday 2nd October 2020

Time: 7:30pm

Venue: St. Martin’s Parish Church, HD6 1DH

Ticket: £20

A MOJO MAGAZINE TOP 10 FOLK ALBUM

Nominated four times for BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ‘Best Duo’.

‘England’s answer to the McGarrigles.’ * * * * * The Guardian

‘Brave, beautiful and full of love.’ Martin Simpson

‘Insightful, determinedly left-field angles on the human experience.’
* * * * MOJO Folk Album of the Month

‘Have Belinda and Heidi done it again? Certainly.’
* * * * * R2

‘Dense, complex, beautifully performed.’
* * * * Songlines

ROGER DAVIES & HIS BAND IN CONCERT at the Brighouse Arts Festival 2020.

Roger is Brighouse’s most famous current musician. Roger Davies regularly features on BBC Radio and has sold out at Square Chapel Halifax, Victoria Theatre Halifax and recently toured alongside Fairport Convention with a full UK tour.

“When Roger walked on stage, it quickly became obvious why this self-styled ‘Yorkshire Songwriter’ commands such a strong following. His songs are a reflection of the world around us. His lyrics can be funny, as in ‘The Beerbelly Blues’, thought-provoking or, as in his tender ballad ‘Stephanie’, simply exquisite.” – Halifax Courier

“A celebration of life: expertly crafted songs” – Rock N’ Reel Magazine

Date: Thursday 8th October 2020

Time: 7:30pm

Venue: St. Martin’s Parish Church, HD6 1DH

Ticket: £12