Yehudi Menuhin School Plays Reading – University of Reading
09 July 2004A group of the most gifted young musicians in the world will be performing in Reading on Sunday July 18th. Students from the Yehudi Menuhin School together with their Director of Music, Malcolm Singer, will be playing as part of the festival series related to the University's Summer School for music teachers. The concert takes place in the Great Hall of the University on London Road at 7.30 pm. The programme consists of a variety of pieces that allows a mixture of solo and orchestral performances. Two contrasting keyboard concertos by J. S. Bach will each have a different young soloist - the students have just performed both with Andras Schiff. Verity Thirkettle, a 15-year old harpist, will play the solo in Debussy's poetic Dance sacrée et dance profane for harp and string orchestra. The creative potential of the students will be represented by a new string quartet by the 18-year old Thai composer Prach Boondiskulchok. The concert will conclude with a work ideally suited to the generous acoustic of the Great Hall, Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis for sting quartet and two string orchestras. The whole school will assemble for this, and the sound of massed players of this level of ability in this beautiful venue promises to be absolutely stunning - an event not to be missed. Other events of the Summer School that are open to the public include a Masterclass with John Miller on brass playing, also in the Great Hall on Tuesday July 20th; and Masterclasses on Guitar with Stephen Goss and 'Simultaneous Learning' with Paul Harris in the Music Studios, Bulmershe Court, at 7.30 p.m. on Monday July 19th and Thursday July 22nd respectively. Details of all events and tickets are available from Daniela Brewis: 0118 378 8843) For further press details please contact Sue Rayner or Carol Derham on 0118 378 8004/5 Fax 0118 378 5431; e-mail s.j.rayner@reading.ac.uk c.a.derham@reading.ac.uk