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Start 2025 with some swagger!

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As it approaches its tenth year, Music on the Levels announces another varied programme of Sunday afternoon concerts. It is maintaining its winning formula of making the concerts free to attend while raising money to cover costs by offering refreshments at modest charges, holding a raffle and accepting donations

The first concert of the year is with The Barnacle Buoys on Sunday 26 January 2025 in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP. Starting at 3 pm with refreshments served from 2.15 pm and reveals outline details of concerts for the rest of the year.

The Barnacle Buoys is a group of a cappella sea shanty singers based in North Somerset. It exists to enjoy their craft, entertain audiences and raise money for charities.  

‘In recent times we have consistently completed over 40 performances each year’, comments Clare Flay, the group’s organiser, ‘and this has been a significant contribution to the charities we support. Our main charities are CHSW and RNLI and over the past 12years since the group was established, we have raised thousands of pounds for them including may other charities. We have also organised shanty events on board the cherished MV Balmoral.

‘The Barnacle Buoys have known each other for many years before realising that they had something in common: the appreciation of shanty music.  After making the discovery the Buoys got together in February 2013 and shared a pint or two in the Old Inn, Clevedon and experimented with a few shanties.  The rest, as they say, is history . . .’

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.

Website: https://musiconthelevels.com/

The remaining concerts are as follows:Sunday  January

Sunday 23 February

Trio Paradis

Presenting ‘The Latin American Collection’.

Sunday 30 March

Rolling Harmony 

Glorious music rooted in English and American singing traditions.

Sunday 27 April

The Fitzwarren Trio

Well- known classical pieces and new compositions inspired by Somerset. 

Sunday 18 May

Steve Jinski- Folk Acoustic Guitar

This is lovely stuff. You can hear all the love that’s gone into it – Bob Harris Radio 2.

Sunday 29 June

Lutes and other instruments

Presented by Steve Graham with ravishing music.

Sunday 28 September

Jacquelyn Bevan and Oscar Tabor

Piano and virtuoso violin.

Sunday 26 October

Spirit of the Blues

Julia Titus recreates the songs of Bessie Smith.

Sunday 30 November

Kingsbury Band

The ever-popular forty-piece concert band.

JOYFUL NOVEMBER

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The final concert for 2024 is on Sunday 24 November 2024 at 3 pm in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP, with a performance by Joyful Spirit. Refreshments available from 2.15 pm.

‘We sing a range of music both accompanied and a capela with a broad gospel theme’, says choir representative, Marshall Clements, ‘Some of the songs we may sing could include: O Happy day, Dancing Queen, You love is lifting me higher, Son of a Preacher Man, Ain’t no Mountain high Eng, Hold on to the Rock, Feel the Spirit, Burning Love, Bridge over troubled Water. Lord I know I’ve Been changed, Mr Blue Sky, Hamba Lulu, Africa, Amazing Grace. I wish, Deep River. Walking on Sunshine. Let the River run.

Joyful Spirit is a community choir, made up of people over 18 and under 100 from all walks of life and backgrounds with different musical ability, based in Wrington. 

‘We are enthusiastically led by Alison Cooper White and her understanding of musical harmony makes the choir want to improve to reward her for all the work she puts in.’

The choir is supported by its band which is made up of Andrew Tyrell on Key board, Richard Fairs on Drums and Michael Gillett on Bass.

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.

There is limited parking on the road by the church but there is additional parking at Somerset Young Farmers on School Road TA7 0LN, map attached. Please do not park in Church Lane as this prevents resident access.

Further information

01278 699071/ f.challenger@icloud.com

. . AND REMINDERS OF LAST MONTH’S CONCERT

Sam on Bouzouki and vocals, Sarah on Bass and Mandolin and Alex on stomping fiddle. This was Arquebus.

Homepage
https://musiconthelevels.com

It’s Your Call with Voce

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The next free concert on Sunday 30 June 2024 in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP with Voce Chamber Choir. The concert starts at 3 pm, refreshments served from 2.15 pm.

Voce is a 16-piece auditioned choir led by Joe Beckhelling. Started in November 2021 with members from a variety of backgrounds including music graduates, and others for whom singing in such a small choir is a new venture. 

‘Our repertoire includes sacred and contemporary choral music, English madrigals, arrangements of popular music’, says Joe Beckhelling, ‘as well as performances of new compositions and arrangements written by members of the choir: There will be the debut performance of Your Call – have you ever phoned, been put on hold, and then told to use the website! The varied programme with John Bennet, Paul Mealor, Emile Sande, Steeleye Span, Sting and more will have something for everyone.  A concert not to be missed! 

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.

. . . and a reminder of our May concert with Dan Whitehouse:

A Shard Experience – A Night Of Glass (in the afternoon)

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Our next concert on Sunday 26 May 2024 in St Mary’s Church, Main Road, Westonzoyland, TA7 0EP features the first appearance at Music on the Levels of Dan Whitehouse who is touring nationally a programme entitled A Night Of Glass. 

‘Of course, for Music on the Levels we’d call it An Afternoon of Glass, says Dan. 

As usual, the concert starts at 3 pm, refreshments served from 2.15 pm. 

Over the past two years, acclaimed Black Country singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse has been in a transparently reflective mood with three albums all themed around the nature of glass. The Glass Age, Voices From The Cones and Reflections On The Glass Age.
Songs from these projects have now been gathered together for Night Of Glass, a simple but hypnotic live experience in which, variously behind a piano or on guitar Dan takes audience deep into the heart of glass in its myriad manifestations. His expressive style has a hint of Bowie here, a touch of Cohen there, and the performance is interspersed with narrative in his hearty Black Country voice.

Dan Whitehouse is recognised as one of the most individual voices in the field. Tom Robinson recently invited him to join him at an important gig at The Bolehall Manor in Tamworth.

‘My debut solo release was the balloon EP in 2009 and Tom Robinson was the first DJ to give it a spin on national radio’, comments Dan, ‘He went one step further and invited me to an immersion song writing retreat in rural Kent, an experience that shaped me and steered me towards the path I tread today.’

Along that path, Dan has received many favourable reviews. Here are a few:

Dan glides elegantly between propulsive guitar work and a refined pianistic sensibility that snatches intervals almost out of thin air, like glimpses of sunlight sparked off the facias of distant skyscrapers. MusoMuso

Gorgeous  . . Intriguing. The Guardian 

Dan has an outstanding singing voice, possesses a unique artistic vision and displays songwriting excellence. Chris Difford

Wonderful production and writing. Tom Robinson BBC 6 Music

Perhaps Mr Whitehouse’s greatest gift is his knack for writing seemingly simple songs that most listeners will be able to relate to. MAVERICK  

Subtle and delicate melodies. The Sunday Times 

Nothing short of beautiful – **** . RnR Magazine 

Devotees of inventive, imaginative music-making should enjoy the new offerings from the excellent Dan Whitehouse. Morning Star

For an album partly inspired by distance, barriers and locked-down-ness, people and connection ripple through The Glass Age. Arts Culture Mag 

… an earworm chorus hook that should send a luminous glow through Radio 2.  Mike Davies

A seven track meditation on the way human experience and connecting has changed through the medium of virtual communication.folking.com

Maybe one day social historians will document the cultural impacts of screens and instant communication. When they do this album should be mentioned as it sums up this Zeitgeist better than anything I’ve heard. FATEA

. . . like glimpses of sunlight sparked off the facias of distant skyscrapers. MusoMuso 

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.

Further information

https://musiconthelevels.com

dan-whitehouse.com 

And a reminder of our last concert. . . .

Sally Jenkins chatting after her wonderful harp recital.

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.