Category Archives: 1066 News

BILL HAYLEY’S LEGACY IS COMET’ING INTO WORTHING

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Gina Haley, the daughter of the Daddy of Rock and Roll, Bill Haley, is heading to the UK and to the lovely coastal Sussex town of Worthing this weekend.
On Saturday 29th February, the UK’s No.1 swing and jive band and Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists, The Jive Aces will be celebrating 10 years of their Big Jive All-Dayer at the Worthing Assembly Hall where Gina will be sharing the stage with the band.
The Jive Aces met Gina in Texas a couple of years ago during one of their bi-annual US tours when they were playing at a theatre in Dallas. Gina, who also sang in the local gospel choir, joined them onstage for a few songs and the rest is history. Not only has she inherited the talents of her late father who created a stir across the world when him and his “Rock Around the Clock’ hit the charts in 1955, but she is a talented and successful singer, songwriter and performer in her own right. She has a love for rhythm and blues and the very roots of the rock and roll that her father made famous. Gina will be performing a soul stirring set of 1950s roots music at the Big Jive in Worthing.
The Jive Aces, well known for trend setting, created the Big Jive at Lakeside in Frimley Green, Surrey, well known for televising the World Darts Championships that back in the day hosted the likes of  Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise, Frankie Vaughan and  Sammy Davis Jr, etc.
The event then moved to the lovely seaside town of Worthing at the Assembly Hall, a lovely room with a brand new sprung dance floor good enough to excite any Strictly fan and an absolute treat for those 12 hour straight marathon-style dancers who also want to look after their knees.
The band decided to launch the Big Jive after the huge success of their Summertime Swing festival and thus the winter based Big Jive All-Dayer was born to keep the dancer’s feet happy in the colder months!
Typically, the All-Dayer features 5 top vintage jive, swing and Rock and Roll bands, 3 DJs , vintage stalls and for those who need a break, Worthing has large range of shops, restaurants to suit your taste buds or even a stroll by the seaside or perhaps a traditional fish and chips or the food provided by the venue.
As well as Miss Haley, this year’s line-up is yet another fantastic one. It includes Stevie & The Shakedown, Sarah Mai & her Rhythm Riots featuring Cody Lee on piano, The Hadacol Hotshots Hillbilly Revue with special guests  Lew Lewis and Sharna Mae.
The Jive Aces will headline the event with Australian special guest singer, the glamourous Kara Lane and Lottie B on the low and rich sound of the baritone sax.
The DJs are Eight Beat Mac (Dave Fairbairn), Sing Out Si (Simon Stemp) and Swinging Rocking Daddy from the Netherlands. This hard rocking line-up will keep your feet busy on the dance-floor and if you fancy a fresh set of clothes, the stalls sell a variety of vintage gear for men and women.
This is a leap year, so the band is providing a “Cupid Corner” photo back drop where the ladies will be able to propose to the men and thus immortalize the moment with a selfie.
The event is known to sell out, so get your ticket ahead of time and enjoy the swingiest winter festival of the nation! Tickets available from www.worthingtheatres.co.uk

Brighton Dome Access Scheme Launches at Open Day

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Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival has launched a new service to assist visitors with disabilities and other access needs to make their experience at the venue easier and more enjoyable.

The Access Scheme enables customers who have additional requirements to book accessible seats, arrange for venue staff to assist them in advance of a show and ensure complimentary personal assistant tickets are allocated. Customers or carers can join the scheme by filling out a simple form, allowing Brighton Dome staff to register their needs and making bookings easier to complete. Visitors with hidden disabilities will also have the option to wear a Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard, which is a growing national scheme, as a discreet sign to front of house staff to offer extra assistance if it is needed.

Customers can sign up and find out more about the scheme at Brighton Dome’s Access Open Day on Sat 29 Feb, which will include free performances, talks and a backstage tour. There will also be a café takeover from Brighton based charity Team Domenica, who support people with learning disabilities into employment.

Brighton Dome developed the scheme in consultation with charity, Attitude is Everything which aims to improve Deaf and disabled people’s access to live performances.

Jacob Adams, Head of Research and Campaigns at Attitude is Everything said:

“Attitude is Everything welcomes the launch of Brighton Dome’s Access Scheme. The scheme provides efficient and person-centred customer service to Deaf and disabled people, enabling access requirements to be registered once without having to repeatedly submit evidence. It’s fantastic to see another major venue develop their offer, joining our flagship campaign to promote ticketing without barriers. This initiative benefits audiences but also staff tasked with ensuring the delivery of top-class customer service which enables audiences to access Brighton Dome’s full range of events.”

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival regularly programmes performances for adults and young people with a range of access needs in mind, including BSL interpretation and captioning, relaxed performances, touch tours, productions by disabled artists and a partnership with learning disability arts charity Carousel.

Christopher Wyer, Access Scheme member and Deaf Cultural Outreach Group (DeafCOG) volunteer said:

“I’ve certainly benefited from using Brighton Dome’s Access Scheme. I often have to repeatedly express my needs to ensure accessible service but this scheme is personalised so it makes you feel like you are being treated as a valued customer. It also allows venue staff to understand what I need when booking tickets or visiting the venue and makes access to information about BSL interpreted and captioned performances easier. DeafCOG are tremendously grateful for their effort in making the scheme a reality.”

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival added:

“By understanding our customer’s accessibility needs we can provide a much better experience for those who need extra help or support during a visit to our venues or Brighton Festival events. We want to make the arts as inclusive as possible so that everyone can participate without restrictions.”

Further information on how to join the scheme can be found online https://brightondome.org/access/ or telephone 01273 261541 and email: access@brightondome.org.

Access Open Day: Sat 29 Feb, 12 noon to 4pm, free admission

Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton BN1 1UE

Ida Haag at the Arts Forum

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A new exhibition opens at the Arts Forum on the Marina on 4th March and Brian Hick has been in contact with the Swedish Artist Ida Haag who is exhibiting her recent work.

Ida Haag’s art speaks of identity, illusion, magic and nudity. These motifs conceal strong dramatic emotions, often within deceptively endearing images. In order for her to survive in the “normal” world she applies special mechanisms and fictional characters that can be perceived as reality. Some of these personas are from her parallel world, Ismanien. These characters can be experienced in her art.

‘Ismanien is a fictional world that exists under ice. Ismaniens’ characters (or personas) started to appear in my life when I was a child. I saw first my different feelings in colours and later in figures that became part of my reality. They helped and advised me on a daily basis. They still do. ‘Manik’, the yellow character in my work is the crazy one, who is really much too excitable and does funny things. If I feel I am ‘Manik’, ‘Igur’ – who is the other red persona – can come to rescue me and to give me advice on how to cope. ‘Igur’ is cold, with no empathy at all, but is very nice as well. ‘Portvakten’ – who is the guardian of the gate – is the white persona that looks like a human bird. She can only see things in black or white. She is very focused on what is either in front or behind her, but misses all other details. She protects Ismanien all the time. ‘Blue Rabbit’ is the fighter, he is constantly falling down but manages to get up, again and again. He never gives up. Finally, ‘Vera’, who was human at the beginning but was kidnapped and taken to Ismanien where she turned into an ice butterfly, is an extraordinary persona. She has a huge amount of empathy and love. She is the main character in my book ‘Ismanien’. The book will be finished next year and I plan to publish it soon after.’

Ida has a BA degree in Fine Arts from the University of East London and in Sweden Image & Form from Mälardalens University, Photo & Image from Umeå University, Art & Design from Ålsta College and a background as a photographer and jewelry designer. Ida has mostly exhibited abroad including London, Paris and Bordeaux. She lives and works in Enköping, Sweden and in Bali, Indonesia where she also stays and work a few months a year.

‘Bali inspires me very much and I feel more ‘alive’ there than I do in Sweden. My studio is based in Ubud, an artist town with a very creative energy.’

Ida Haag’s studio has become her life. She feels she has no choice but to create. “My art is my survival” she says. To get control over her emotions she breaks them down and reconstructs them in her art, bit by bit, layer by layer.

The process of working towards a final result can sometimes take up to a year. Each layer has its own story and state of mind. In real life we cannot break down emotions but we are still trying to control them. “All the feelings we repress are always the ones that finally come up to the surface”, she says. “I know that my art raises many questions, and I like that. I do believe we see what we want to see. The majority of the visitors in the pass tell me that my art is very emotional. And for me that is the most important thing. People do not need to understand Ismanien but if the public feels what I am trying to express, I know that I have accomplished my goal as an artist.”

Her exhibition in St Leonards runs from 4 – 15 March at 36 Marina, Saint Leonards-on-sea TN38 0BU, and is open from 11.00am – 5.00pm

 

EXPERIENCED SINGERS WANTED!

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TO PERFORM GROUND-BREAKING NEW WORK WITH THE DISTINGUISHED LONDON MOZART PLAYERS
Celebrated composer Polo Piatti is looking for 20 committed singers to join the distinguished London Mozart Players performing the world-premiere of his deeply powerful and emotional multi-faith oratorio Libera Nos.  The new Choir will also be joined by members of the Hastings Sinfonia, five Soloists and a Children’s Choir.
Interested singers are required to attend all rehearsals taking place forth-nightly from Saturday 29th February onwards (1-3pm) at the Opus Theatre in Hastings (details below). The composer will be conducting the rehearsals while London maestro Derek Carden will conduct the premiere.
The composer is also looking for a confident 8-11 years old girl to sing the solo part of God in the oratorio. She should be able to perform on stage and under pressure. The organisers will be auditioning suitable candidates on Saturday 8th February at 2pm at the Opus Theatre.
If you are interested in being part of this very special project or require more details, please send an email to: opushastings@gmail.com or call 07725-163929.
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Background: ‘Libera Nos’ is believed to be the first ever multi-faith oratorio to be performed in the world. A truly monumental work that took over three years to be researched and finally completed was commissioned by the Musica Sacra organisation in Hastings and is based on the musical traditions and narrations of all major world religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Composer Polo Piatti said about the work: “The oratorio’s main objective is to convey a simple message: as long as people remain segregated from each other, the world will continue to be an unjust and unhappy place. Only by looking for common ground and universal similarities can we find understanding and contribute to a better life for all of us on this planet.”. As in all of Piatti’s works, the music is highly evocative, accessible and melodic. You can watch some video clips of the work’s 2015 soft-premiere online by searching Libera Nos Oratorio.
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Rehearsals will take place on Saturdays (1-3pm) on the following dates: 29th Feb, 14th and 28th March, 11th and 25th April, 9th and 23rd May. Full rehearsal is on Sat 6th June (2-5pm) and Dress Rehearsal and Premiere are both on Sat 13th June at 3pm and 7pm respectively.  The Opus Theatre’s address is: 24 Cambridge Road, Hastings TN34 1DJ.
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HASTINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA

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The Inaugural Hastings International Piano Festival has announced an exciting partnership with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) to launch their ambitious 2020 educational offer. In the lead up to the 2020 Piano Festival, Hastings Piano will host a series of inspirational workshops with NYJO Associates in three local secondary schools: Hastings Academy, Ark Alexandra and St Richards. This work has been made possible by the generous support of the Isabel Blackman Foundation. Each school will receive 3 visits from a group of NYJO practitioners who will work with children of varied musical ability, developing young musicians’ skills and musical confidence. At the end of the project the children from all three schools will join together for a massed rehearsal ahead of a concert/sharing session for other students. These workshops will address the fundamentals of jazz performance practise such as; feel, ensemble skills and improvisation. All young musicians will learn melodies by ear, explore harmonic possibilities and gain confidence improvising. This partnership marks the launch of an extensive range of Youth Engagement Opportunities that Hastings International Piano is offering alongside the inaugural Piano Festival. This includes free tickets to many of the festival concerts as well as a wide range of workshops, school visits and inspirational talks from the international artists. The 2020 Hastings International Piano Festival will take place from February 26th – 8th March 2020 at the White Rock Theatre and St Mary in the Castle, featuring some of the most celebrated artists including headliner Rufus Wainwright with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Jazz Queen Claire Martin with guest artist Liane Carroll, Oscar winning film composer Rachel Porter, Sam Smith’s song-writer and collaborator Reuben James with his 10 piece band, songwriter Guy Chambers, The Puppini Sisters with The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Actors Patricia Hodge and Alex Jennings with pianist Lucy Parham, BBC Young Musician of The Year Martin James Bartlett and film critic Mark Kermode and his band The Dodge Brothers. The Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition returns in 2021.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

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A cornucopia of classics from the Brighton Phil
Sunday 1 December, 2.45pm, Brighton Dome

Our second concert of the season takes place on Sunday 1 December with a beautiful programme of Vaughan Williams and Mozart, framed by two of Haydn’s deepest and most sonorous symphonies, La Passione and the Farewell Symphony.

We are delighted to welcome the Australian born conductor Natalie Murray-Beale to Brighton. Natalie, a BBC Performing Arts Fellow in 2015, was selected by Dallas Opera for their inaugural Institute for Women Conductors and is currently Creative Director of Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells.

She says: “I am so looking forward to performing with the Brighton Philharmonic at Brighton’s beautiful Dome. A great highlight is being joined by the wonderful soloist, violinist Tom Gould. He plays with such soul and creates the sweetest sound. This will be very special.

The Lark Ascending evokes something much deeper than simple, lyric bird song. Full of improvised calling, memory, nostalgia and a deep sentiment that is hard to express in words, it could be depicting human longing, the earth or a feeling of soaring high about the world. Like so many masterpieces, it will resonate uniquely with each person who hears it.

There is a beautiful line from the Meredith poem that inspired The Lark: ´Extends the world at wings and dome’. How perfect to be performing it here at Brighton Dome.”

Thomas Gould writes: “I am delighted to be making my debut with the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra with a piece very close to my heart, Vaughan Williams’s masterful requiem to an age of pre-war innocence, The Lark Ascending.” His 2015 recording of the piece garnered rave reviews – such as this from Gramophone Magazine “Gould soars aloft with effortless grace, tenderness and fragrant poetry.” Thomas has an unusually broad repertoire that includes many contemporary works and in addition to his many international solo appearances he is leader of the Britten Sinfonia, one of the world’s most celebrated un-conducted ensembles.  The title of Five Variants of “Dives and Lazarus” may not be familiar, but the music probably will be; this gem for strings and harp is based on folk tunes collected by Vaughan Williams in East Sussex, with glorious string writing in its sweeping melodies.

Another Classic FM favourite is Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, the German title meaning “a little serenade”, often rendered more literally, but less accurately, as “a little night music”. Written whilst Mozart was composing his opera Don Giovanni, this string serenade was actually not published until well after Mozart’s death.

The concert closes with Haydn’s Farewell Symphony, perhaps best-known because of the circumstances of its composition. Court composer Haydn, under pressure from his orchestra, was slyly appealing to their employer, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, to allow the court musicians to return home to their families after a particularly long season at his remote summer palace. In the final movement the players left the stage one by one, snuffing out their candles, until only two violins and the conductor remained. History records that the Prince took the hint and the court were allowed to return home the next day! 

 

Tickets £14.50-£42.50 (50% student/U18 discount) available from Brighton Dome Ticket Office, (01273) 709709, www.brightondome.org

 

Discounted parking (just £6 between 1 & 6pm) available at NCP Church Street car park.