Sally takes flight

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Our next concert features a welcome return of renowned harpist and regular at Music on the Levels, Sally Jenkins, who will be presenting a programme entitled Flights of Fancy. 

‘I’ll be including music from many of the diverse harp traditions from Europe and beyond,’ says Sally.

Performing at Music on the Levels in 2022

She has appeared in many prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

As an experienced pedal and early triple harpist, she has also presented lecture-recitals on the history of the instrument including to the Royal Musicological Society. 

In developing her musical skills she has worked with some of the UK’s preeminent harpists including Jeanette Bevan in the Royal Ballet Orchestra, Meinir Heulyn from the Welsh National Opera Orchestra and Frances Kelly of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

The concert is on Sunday 28 April 2024 in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. It starts at 3 pm with refreshments served from 2.15 pm.

Arrangements for this concert

There is no need to book as the church’s capacity have never yet been exceeded. However, it should be noted that seats are available on a first come, first served basis. 

In order to help with the artists’ and other costs a raffle is held. In addition, donations are encouraged. It costs over £400 to put on a concert.

Rodney went down a storm . . .

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Over 100 people packed into St Mary’s on Sunday 24 March for Rock n’ Roll star Rodney Branigan. With his assortment of guitars- sometimes playing more than one at a time- and his humorous patter, he kept the audience entertained all afternoon.

Chatting after the concert . . .

. . . . and packing up to return home- to Frome (not Texas).

We’ve had to change the concert for 24 March

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Music on the Levels announces a change in its free concert on Sunday 24 March in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. 

Adam Piggott of Wildwood Jack is indisposed and unable to perform. However, Music on the Levels is pleased and privileged to have secured the ‘impossibly talented’ Rodney Branigan to appear at this concert.

The concert starts at 3 pm and refreshments are available at modest charge from 2.15 pm.

The Texas-born troubadour, Rodney Branigan, who learned to play in Austin, perform in Los Angeles, craft songs in Nashville, and put it all together in London has played all types of music in all types of venues in his storied career. His adventurous, boundary-breaking guitar playing (sometimes two at the same time) earning him the title “The Two Guitar Man” has led to performance invites across America, India, Africa, and Europe

In 2018 Rodney catches the attention of Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis who offers Rodney a headline spot at the Glastonbury Extravaganza (the very next day!) at Glastonbury Abbey. It is a double bill alongside Tom Odell. The response is immediate and Rodney lands a spot on the Glastonbury Festival Acoustic Stage. Rodney performs to a seam-splitting and fully crowded tent and the show goes down like a storm.

Rodney Branigan’s style is termed ‘full contact folk music’, Americana Folk Roots with virtuoso presentation, with a touch of clean comedy thrown in for good measure.

He has toured and collaborated with around 40 of the foremost performers in the field, including Billy Bragg, Stereo Phonics, and Tom Robinson, to name but a few.

In addition, he has appeared at well over 80 festivals in more than 15 countries around the world, including many in the UK and in his native USA.

Enthusiastic endorsements have followed Rodney’s musical progress, among them:

Rodney Branigan is one of the most amazing artists you will ever see. Not simply because he is unique, but rather because he is impossibly talented. Music Connection Magazine

Leave to cross France from end to end, because this is what we call a real discovery. A contemporary musician as innovative as the Boulez was in his time. Paris Moves

Every year there will be one or two artists that take the audience completely by surprise. This year Rodney Branigan was undoubtedly that artist, his name being mentioned in our feedback over and over again as peoples stand out act. John Marshall-Potter, FolkEast

‘Rodney is always very keen to perform in local, community venues and is especially looking forward to his first visit to Westonzoyland’, comments Lisa Nasta, Rodney’s representative. 

A member of Music on the Levels said, ‘We are thrilled that an artist of Rodney Branigan’s stature has agreed to play at our next concert.’

Daughters of the Muse

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The next concert concert is on Sunday 25 February 2024 in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. The concert starts at 3 pm and refreshments are available at modest charge from 2.15 pm.

Performing at this concert will be Trio Paradis, much appreciated at Music on the Levels many times over the past few years.

The programme is entitled Daughters of the Muse, to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, and will consist of music by women composers from over the centuries.

Trio Paradis consists of Jacquelyn Bevan, piano, Lisa Betteridge, violin, and Linda Stocks, cello. The performers will introduce the music with biographical details about the composers. 

‘We specialise in performing music by women composers,’ says Jacquelyn, ‘and this time we are presenting a varied programme of pieces with a spring-time theme, from 12th century Abbess Hildegard of Bingen to the 20th century, including works by Clara Schumann, Laura Netzel, Elfrida Andree, Helena Lopuska, Mel Bonis, Cecile Chaminade and Lili Boulanger, along with a rarely-performed Scherzo by Bath composer, Kate Loder.’ 

Cancelled: concert on Sunday 28 January

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With great regret, we have had to cancel the concert scheduled for 28 January- this coming Sunday. The reason is that members of the performing group have come down with Covid.

We have discussed all the options and reluctantly come to the decision that cancellation is the only one in the circumstances.

If you know of anyone intending to come not on our email list and likely not to see this, please let them know.