| Hi, you are logged in as , if you are not , please click hereYou are shopping as , if this is not your email, please click hereMusic DescriptionThe Chineke! Foundation was created in 2015 to provide outstanding career opportunities to established and up-and-coming Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe. Chineke!’s motto is: ‘Championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music’. The organisation aims to be a catalyst for change, realising existing diversity targets within the industry by increasing the representation of Black and ethnically diverse musicians in British and European orchestras. Chineke! is the brainchild of Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, who has this to say about the project: ‘My aim is to create a space where Black and ethnically diverse musicians can walk on stage and know that they belong, in every sense of the word. If even one Black and ethnically diverse child feels that their colour is getting in the way of their musical ambitions, then I hope to inspire them, give them a platform, and show them that music, of whatever kind, is for all people.’ PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED TICKETS:
Standard - £16
Students and 16 & under are FREE Memberships also available if you are interested in booking multiple concerts please contact [email protected]  DescriptionDOLPHY FUSED
Wednesday 16 November 2022 | 7:30pm
Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building, Keele University Sarah Watts – Bass Clarinet Sarah Watts will perform a transcription of Eric Dolphy’s own improvisation on Billie Holiday’s God Bless The Child and Mike Vaughan’s In Memoriam for bass clarinet and electronics. Dolphy was known to play transcriptions of music by J S Bach, so the programme will also feature Bach transcriptions, and two new works that fuse Dolphy and Bach together for bass clarinet and electronics by Miroslav Spasov and Sohrab Uduman.
Programme:
JS Bach: Suite No. 3 BWV1009
Miroslav Spasov: Eric and Johann, for bass clarinet and electronics
JS Bach: Suite No. 3 BWV1009
Sohrab Uduman: ...after it's in the air again... for bass clarinet and electronics
JS Bach: Suite No. 3 BWV1009
INTERVAL
JS Bach: Suite No. 1 BWV1007
Billie Holiday: God Bless The Child, Transcription of Eric Dolphy’s Improvisation, by David Ocker.
Mike Vaughan: In Memoriam for bass clarinet and electronics
JS Bach: Suite No. 1 BWV1007 TICKETS:
Standard - £16
Students and 16 & under are FREE Memberships also available if you are interested in booking multiple concerts please contact [email protected]  DescriptionDominic Ingham Quartet
Wednesday 19 October 2022 | 7:30pm
Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building, Keele University Dominic Ingham – Violin | Jonny Mansfield – Vibraphone | Miles Mindlin – Guitar | Will Sach – Double Bass | Jay Davis - Drums Parliamentary Jazz award nominee 2020 and Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition semi-finalist, Dominic has toured extensively across the UK with his quintet at venues/festivals such as Ronnie Scotts, Love Supreme, Barbican and EFG London Jazz Festival.
He is an accomplished and well-rounded musician, a powerful communicator and performer, a com-poser of captivating original music and a pioneering violinist.
In 2020, Dominic released his debut album ‘Role Models’ to critical acclaim. This self-released rec-ord features an arresting suite of lucidly crafted and characterful pieces and showcases Dominic’s distinctive and highly personalised style, rooted in his background of folk and classical music.
Dominic will be performing music from his upcoming E.P “Letters” alongside some of the most excit-ing emerging jazz stars in the UK - Jonny Mansfield on vibraphone, Miles Mindlin on guitar Will Sach on bass and Jay Davis on drums.
Dominic and his quintet are set to produce a sound that is as lyrically fresh as it is striking dynami-cally and rhythmically. TICKETS:
Standard - £16
Students and 16 & under are FREE Memberships also available if you are interested in booking multiple concerts please contact [email protected]  DescriptionHARRIET MACKENZIE AND CELONIATUS ENSEMBLE BY CANDLELIGHT. Wednesday 30 November 2022 | 7:30pm
Keele Univeristy Chapel Harriet Mackenzie - soloist/director | Matthew Denton - principle (2nd soloist in Corelli Christmas Concerto) | Eulalie Charland - violin | Michelle Fleming - principle 2nd | Will Harvey - violin | Eoin Schmidt-Martin - principle viola | James Flannery - viola | Urska Horvat - principle ‘cello | Thibault Blanchard-Dubois - ‘cello | Jonny Gee - bass | David Wright - harpsichord.
With special guest, composer, Deborah Pritchard.
Vivaldi's masterpiece 'The Four Seasons' is perfectly complemented by Deborah Pritchard's emotive violin concerto 'Wall of Water', written for Harriet Mackenzie and inspired by the tempestuous waves of Maggi Hambling's paintings. The birdsong and nature of Vivaldi's Four Seasons marries perfectly with Pritchard's dramatic musical sea-scape. The concert opens with Corelli's festive gem, the Christmas Concerto. Internationally acclaimed violinist Harriet Mackenzie - “Searing Intensity... A performance full of panache.... captivating” - directs the Celoniatus Ensemble - "...a freshness and dynamicism rarely experienced... The whole programme was delightful, brilliantly played with passion, breath-taking virtuosity, imagination and intelligence" - Amanda Cook, Amici Concert Series, Chichester Cathedral. Named after her 1730 Italian violin, Harriet Mackenzie founded the Celoniatus Ensemble 2016. She hand-plucked international prizewinners and young, established professionals to perform alongside her in an innovative chamber orchestra. The group's sold-out debut performance of Piazzolla/Desyanikov's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires at Trinity Laban London was highly acclaimed and has lead to exciting invitations at international festivals around the UK and Europe including performances at Salisbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral, the acclaimed 'TunedIn' Series in London and they have live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3's In Tune programme. The group has a wide ranging repertoire from innovative contemporary works that have been written for them to gems of the Baroque repertoire. Programme: Arcangelo Corelli - Christmas Concerto
Christopher Gunning - Refection, written for Harriet Mackenzie
Deborah Pritchard - Wall of Water violin concerto, written for Harriet Mackenzie, inspired by the paintings of Maggi Hambling
INTERVAL
Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Concertos for Violin, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4 TICKETS:
Standard - £16
Students and 16 & under are FREE Memberships also available if you are interested in booking multiple concerts please contact [email protected]  DescriptionSubscription Packages Are you planning on joining us for a few concerts this season? If so, you might want to consider one of the special subscription packages for brilliant savings on full ticket prices. Although you do not need to be a member to come along to any of the Wednesday evening concerts taking place between October 2022 and March 2023, you are able to make great savings by becoming a member. Subscription: Gold £90
This subscription gives you entry to all 9 Wednesday evening concerts throughout the season*, this will mean only £10 per concert - a saving of over £50! Any5 £60
Come along to any 5 Wednesday evening concerts between October 2021 and March 2022, a saving of £20! Student FREE!
An amazing offer for students. Entry to all Keele Concerts Society Wednesday evening concerts is now free for all students. (Subject to presentation of student card). Support: Become a Patron!
Patron £50
Patrons help the Keele Concerts Society to deliver a diverse and inspiring programme of concerts each year. Patrons also help us to continue enable students and young people to access our concerts at little or no cost, inspiring the next generation of audiences. In appreciation of your support, you will be recognised in ArtsKeele and Concerts brochures and at the Keele Concerts Society’s AGM. You and a guest will also receive an invite to the annual Patron’s Concert with complimentary drinks. Donate!
Any amount, small or large is hugely apreciated. 100% of your donation will go towards future programmes or educational/outreach project developed. Note: this will auto-fill to £20 but you can adjust this to the amount you would like to offer.  DescriptionMĒLA GUITAR QUARTET Wednesday 7 December 2022 | 7:30pm
Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building, Keele University Matthew Robinson | George Tarlton | Daniel Bovey | Jiva Housden “An exalted level of perfection” - Naxos.com This program traverses the ages with the Mēla guitar quartet’s scintillating arrangements of much-loved classical works and original compositions. The works by Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel, Glinka and Holst all look back to a previous age with their own artistic voice. Bacchanale by Saint-Saëns is biblical in its inspiration, depicting Samson being dragged into the temple of Baccus as the priests are dancing this frenzied, exotic dance. The Debussy Arabesques written in his early 20s are some of his first impressionistic works and are full of exoticism and beautiful filigree. The Ravel is a dreamy evocation of a Pavane (slow processional dance) that a little princess may have danced at the Spanish court in a previous age. Gustav Holst’s Fugal Overture reimagines the baroque form of the Fugue, in exciting, modernist way and the Glinka looks to the medieval fairytales of knights heroically rescuing princesses with the exuberant Ruslan and Ludmila Overture. The original works are colourful, dramatic explorations of the possibilities of four guitars.
My Clock is Broken! by British composer Laura Snowden was commissioned by the quartet in 2019 and explores the idea of trauma and acceptance, with an achingly beautiful ending reminiscent of Pink Floyd.
The title track from the quartet’s 2018 album is Pluck, Strum and Hammer and combines the music of Jimi Hendrix and G.F. Handel. Their houses are on Mayfair’s Brook Street, separated by a wall and 300 years, their music passes each other in the score like two good neighbours passing each other in the street.
Opals by the Australian composer Phillip Houghton is a mini masterwork, every movement of which depicts a different opal and its unique characteristic through the use of texture, colour and rhythmic layers. A musical tour-de-force!
The concert ends with a trio of Brazilian pieces full of lyricism, fun, and percussive virtuosity. TICKETS:
Standard - £16
Students and 16 & under are FREE Memberships also available if you are interested in booking multiple concerts please contact [email protected]  DescriptionNOSFERATU – AN EVENING OF SILENT FILM TO LIVE ORGAN
Wednesday 2 November 2022 | 7:30pm
Keele University Chapel, Keele University
Andy Quin – Organ & Piano 2022 brings the centenary of the most influential horror film of all time. In 1922 one film changed cinema and defined screen terror. 100 years later, it continues to haunt and terrify audiences. 2022 brings the centenary of the most influential horror film of all time. The turning point in the career of legendary director F.W. Murnau (Sunrise, The Last Laugh), the screen’s first, albeit unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (which itself celebrates its 125th Anniversary this year) features Max Schreck’s unforgettable performance as the vampire Count Orlok, the most chilling portrayal of cadaverous evil in film history. Although a court order to destroy the film was successfully brought by Stoker’s widow, some copies escaped, and subsequently gave the 20th century some of its defining images of supernatural terror and dread. A decades-long search for the best surviving material and a re-recording of the original score by Hans Erdmann now allows us to see the film exactly as it premiered 100 years ago. Remade by Werner Herzog in 1979 (and inspiring films as diverse as Abel Ferrara’s King of New York and The Addiction, and E. Elias Merhige’s Shadow of the Vampire), F. W. Murnau’s surreal 1922 cine-fable remains the original and landmark entry in the entire global tradition of “the horror film”. A towering masterpiece whose legacy is truly incalculable, Nosferatu remains as mesmerising – and haunting – as ever.
Organist Andy Quin has composed numerous TV and film tracks using both electronics and pipes as well as being broadcast on BBC The Organist Entertains and playing classical organ music. His classical training, vast experience of composing, arranging and conducting many of the major UK orchestras, working with the world’s finest musicians, a great knowledge of film and TV scoring coupled with years of experience of Jazz and improvisation give Andy a unique insight as a performer. He first started accompanying silent film at the age of 11 and has performed on some of the most well known organs in the UK. TICKETS:
Standard - £16
Students and 16 & under are FREE Memberships also available if you are interested in booking multiple concerts please contact [email protected]  DescriptionOrchestra for the Earth Wednesday 15 March 2022 | 7pm
Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building, Keele University Be transported to the world of breath-taking mountains, lush valleys and glittering turquoise lakes with this immersive Alpine-theme programme. Soloists from Orchestra for the Earth will play works by Mahler, Berg and Richard Strauss under epic film projections of the landscape that inspired this sensational music. The orchestra has a special relationship with the Alps, touring there every year to generate support for a new nature reserve in Austria and run outdoor musical projects with local children and musicians. The programme opens with Mahler's achingly beautiful Adagio from his unfinished Tenth Symphony, followed by Berg’s gorgeously romantic Seven Early Songs. The programme finishes with Strauss’s joyous Rosenkavalier Suite, packed full of timeless melodies and witty waltzes. Come for a chance to experience this great music up-close, in new versions for chamber ensemble that are as intimate as they are thrilling and virtuosic. The concert will be presented as part of Keele University Green Festival. There will be a short discussion as part of this event with academics from Keele who will consider the impact of the changing alpine landscape and climate change. TICKETS:
Standard £16
Student and 16 & Under FREE  DescriptionPiatti Quartet
Wednesday 25 January 2023 | 7:30pm
Westminster Theatre, Chancellors Building | Keele University Michael Trainor, violin | Rebecca Chan, violin | Tetsuumi Nagata, viola | Jessie Ann Richardson, cello
To commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, the Piatti Quartet, play quartets by two of the Terezín composers who perished in Auschwitz in 1944. The programme concludes with a work by Beethoven that featured in the ghetto’s remarkable cultural life. At Keele University we remember the impact of the holocaust and its impact on Czech life in particular at a small mining village called Lidice and one of our founders Sir Barnet Stross who spearheaded the campaign Lidice Shall Live with miners of Stoke-on-Trent to rebuild Lidice following its destruction.
The distinguished Piatti Quartet are widely renowned for their ‘acute sensitivity’ and their ‘lyrical warmth.’ The Piattis are famed for their diverse programming and for passionate interpretations across the spectrum of quartet writing, tailoring their performances with the violinists regularly swapping parts to bring out extra nuances and colours in every work.
“A signally impressive young ensemble” – The Sunday Times PROGRAMME:
Ullmann Quartet No 3 Op 46
Haas Quartet No 3
INTERVAL
Beethoven Quartet: String Quartet No.8, Op.59 No.2. Tickets:
Standard £16
Students and 16 & Under FREE  DescriptionStile Antico
Wednesday 22 February 2023 | 7:30pm
Keele University Chapel
England’s Nightingale
Stile Antico marks 400 years since the death of William Byrd by exploring the many faces of this extraordinary composer, amongst the greatest that England has ever produced. This programme weaves together the strands of Byrd’s complex life as both pillar of the Protestant musical establishment and faithful servant to the underground Catholic community. The audience encounters Byrd working loyally at the Chapel Royal, thrills to his anguished musical entreaties in support of his fellow Catholics, and savours the gentler music of his latter years.
Stile Antico is firmly established as one of the world’s most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Working without a conductor, its twelve members have thrilled audiences on four continents with their fresh, vibrant and moving performances of Renaissance polyphony.
PROGRAMME
William Byrd: Emendemus in Melius
‘A good egg’ – Byrd, the loyal subject
Byrd: This sweet and merry month a 6
Byrd: O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth
Byrd: Sing joyfully
Byrd: Nunc Dimittis from The Great Service
‘The caged bird’ – Byrd, the Catholic at court
Byrd: Vide Domine afflictionem
Byrd: Haec dies quam fecit Dominum
Byrd: Ne irascaris, Domine
‘A country nest’ – Byrd, the Essex Gentleman
Byrd: Retire my soul
Byrd: Ave verum corpus
Byrd: Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes
Byrd: Optimam partem elegit
Byrd: Factus est repente
Byrd: Agnus Dei from Mass for Four Voices
‘Under his wing’ – Byrd, the “much reverenced master”
Thomas Morley: Domine Dominus noster
Peter Philips: Ecce vicit Leo
Thomas Tomkins: Too much I once lamented
Byrd: Laudibus in sanctis
TICKETS
Standard £16
Students and 16 & Under FREE
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