The Swinging Sixties

St. Nicholas Church Preservation Trust are presenting a one off re-union of well remembered local groups on Saturday 14th August, 7.30-10.30 p.m. at St. Nicholas Parish Church.  Performing are: Marsden and the MB3, The Strangers, Rick-o-Shea and the Ramblers, The Sidewinders and others. 

There will be a licenced bar, hog roast and tickets are only £5.  Tickets from Ruth’s Bar, Greyfriars; Priory Centre; St. John’s Head, North Quay; Neil at Hair for Men, Broad Row; Brahams, Market Row; from Paul Davies, 01493 843647 or at the door.  Proceeds will go towards the fabric and organ of the church, with all those involved giving their time for the cause!  For further information about the Preservation Trust, and other events, click here.

Lunchtime Recitals, St. Nicholas Parish Church

This year’s schedule of  lunchtime recitals at St. Nicholas Parish Church is as follows:

30th June           John Stephens (organ)

7th July             Terri-Ann Rutter (piano), Briony Roper (piano)

14th July            St. Nicholas Handbell Team with John Stephens

21st July            Craft Fayre (no recital)

28th July            Mike Webb (organ)

4th August          John Farmer (organ and piano)

11th August        Matthew Bond (organ)

18th August        Craft Fayre (no recital)

25th August        David Ballard (organ)

1st Sept.             John Stephens (organ)

The recitals commence at 12.30 p.m. and last for approximately 45 mins. Admission is FREE, though a donation will be welcome in aid of the Organ Fund. Light refreshments are available from the visitor’s Centre but visitors are encouraged to bring their lunch – what better way to spend your lunch hour!  For more information visit www.stnicholas-gy.org.uk

Milestones Jazz Club, Lowestoft, July 4

Admission – £7 / £6 (concession).

Great Yarmouth Beer and Cider Festival

This year’s festival, which takes place at the Priory Centre, near St.Nicholas Church, is not to be missed.  Apart from the tempting selection of 120 beers and ciders to choose from, there is live entertainment in the evenings:

Thursday 27th May, Tosh, folk singer and songwriter will be performing during the evening session 17.00-23.00 hrs. admission £3

Friday, 28th May, Lorebreakers, Irish Folk Rock,  performing in the evening, admission £4

Saturday, 29th May, Pete Kiwi Keegan, skiffle,  performing in the evening, admission £4

Sunday, 30th May, Eastern Straynotes, jazz,  performing in the evening, admission £3

Daytime sessions are from 11.00-15.00 hrs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, admission £2 except Saturday when admission is £3.

The festival is organised by Blackfriars Brewery and the Town Centre Partnership.  Snacks will be available throughout from the Priory Cafe.   Click  here for the Great Yarmouth Beer and Cider Festival website.

Great Yarmouth Spring Festival 2010, St. Nicholas Parish Church

The St. Nicholas Parish Church Preservation Trust has organised a Spring Festival to raise funds for the £750,000 repair to the organ and the tower pinnacles.  Donations are always welcome and can be  made on-line to www.sncpt.co.uk

Gardener’s Question Time and Demonstration of Flower Arranging: Wednesday 12th May, 6.00 p.m. for 6.30-9.30 p.m. Tickets £10 includes buffet (£5 for college and Priory students).  Venue: St. Nicholas Church. Bar available. Tickets available from the Priory Centre, Mon-Fri 9.00 -17.00 hrs or from Paul Davies 01493 843647.

Lecture by General Sir Richard Dannatt, GCB, CBE, MC: “A Look Back, A Look Forward.  Reflections on 40 Years a Soldier” Friday, 14th May, 7.30 p.m., tickets £10. Venue: Masonic Royal Assembly Rooms, Albert Square. Bar available. Tickets available from the Priory Centre, Mon-Fri 9.00-17.oo hrs or from Paul Davies, 01493 843647.

Saturday 15th May, 10.00-16.00 hrs, admission free. Venue: St. Nicholas Church: Tower open 10.00-14.00 hrs, exhibiton of prints and maps of Great Yarmouth, display of Church silverware, organ recital by John Stephens 12.30 -13.30 hrs. Guided tour of the church and its history, 14.00-15.00 hrs.

Full Choral Evensong using the 1662 Prayer Book: Sunday 16th May 6.30 p.m., no ticket required.  Venue: St. Nicholas Church

Take Three Cooks: Cooking demonstration sponsored by the Imperial Hotel.  Tickets £25 includes lunch.  Venue: The Imperial Hotel, 01493 842000 (limited to 80 people).

Great Yarmouth Choral Society

Rehearsals have started for the Society’s next concert, Faure’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria.  The Society meets on Monday evenings, 7.30 p.m., at Oriel High School, Gorleston.  New members are always welcome – contact Jane Freeman on 01493 843816 or simply turn up on the night.

Czech National Symphony Orchestra at the Hippodrome

If you have missed any of the International Concert Series at the Hippodrome, here is chance to catch up on that very great pleasure.  Great Yarmouth is incredibly fortunate to be able to host the wonderful orchestras that have contributed to this series organised by SeaChange Arts.  It is a visual as well as oral feast to attend these superb performances in such a unique and atmospheric setting.

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra will be performing at the Hippodrome on Thursdsay 4th February.  The programme includes Smetana, Bruch and Dvorak (Symphony No.9, the New World Symphony).   Libor Pešek and Petr Altrichter are conducting.

Tickets are extraordinarily reasonable for this great event – £6 children and £12 up to £28 adults – and are still available from the Hippodrome on 01493 844172 or online here.

Showtime Academy Stage School

Included in The Showtime Academy’s schedule for 2010 is a presentation of This is It, a special tribute concert to Michael Jackson, and Sunday Night Live at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End.

The Showtime Academy runs classes  at Great Yarmouth High School for 7-17 yr olds in song, dance and drama, tutored by Shelley Twoes, Jared Thompson and Tony Story. The classes are held over 3 terms a year of 13 weeks each on Saturdays, 11.00 am to 2.00 p.m. FREE TRIAL CLASSES are offered.

The Academy presents up to three productions a year, plus opportunities to participate in charity shows and special events.  For further information go to the Showtime Academy website by clicking here.

Gorleston St. Andrew’s Competitive Festival

Now enjoying its 40th year, the Gorleston St. Andrew’s Competitive Festival has become renowned for its friendly atmosphere.  It is run by volunteers and is a registered charity, affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech.

The festival, which takes place at St. Andrew’s Church Chapter House on Church Road in Gorleston, provides a platform for performance of the Arts for amateurs of all ages and abilities.  Classes include instrumentalists, singers, choirs, orchestras and ensembles, speech, drama and compostition.

The dates for this year’s festival are 8th-20th March 2010 and the closing date for entries is January 31st.  Syllabus and entry forms are provided on the website or by phone to 01493 601740, also available at libraries and Allen’s Music Shop.

This year the festival is also celebrating  the 10th anniversary of the Gorleston Millenium Manuscript Poetry Reading Classes with a reading of selected poems from the manuscript.  There will also be  a Folk Workshop and Ceilidh on 12th March 2010, guided by Laura Cannell.

To vew the Gorleston St. Andrew’s Competitive Festival website Click here

Choral Ambition – New fund for choirs

Choral Ambition is a brand new scheme run by the BBC Performing Arts Fund in association with Making Music to provide funding for choirs across the UK.
The fund is for adult or youth choirs of any genre. The maximum grant is £5,000, the minimum is £500. The grant can be used for commissioning new music, training anddevelopment, masterclasses, workshops and projects to attract new members
Deadline: 30 October 2009
To find out more visit www.bbc.co.uk/performingartsfund/choral_ambition