Anthony Churchill, left, from the Ventnor Piano Fund with church warden, David Tamcken. Picture by Robin Crossley.
STAGE REVIEWA CONCERT to welcome Ventnor Piano Fund’s newly acquired Bluthner grand piano will be held at St Catherine’s Church, Ventnor, next month.
The piano fund was set up seven years ago in order to provide the south of the Island with a quality piano, which could be used by both youngsters and adults to develop their skills.
It will also be used to attract famous musicians to come and play on the south of the Island. The piano, which was made in 1911, has been used in important concerts throughout Europe, including Ghent, in Belgium, and Leipzig and Berlin, in Germany, and has been comprehensively restored.
Piano fund founder Anthony Churchill said: "We wanted to have a piano ideal for schools to use and for music teachers to encourage any aspiring pianists to allow them to improve."
Next month’s show will feature Sinfonietta conductor and top violinist Richard Studt, who will be playing his classic Stradivarius violin accompanied by Elizabeth Drury on saxophone and Tim Carey on piano.
The trio will play music by a number of great composers, including Chopin, Elgar, Purcell, Handel and Liszt.
Richard’s father owned the Gaiety at Ventnor and Richard began learning violin when he was just four years old.
He studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music and won the Bosie-Mendelssohn Scholarship, the Margorie Hewood Prize and the Recital Medal.
Richard’s famous Stradivarius is known as the Dolphus and the concert will be a rare chance to hear the instrument at close quarters.
Elizabeth Drury was a scholar at the Royal College of Music and studied saxophone and voice. In 2004, she performed as a finalist in the televised BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.
Tim has worked in the past with the London Symphony Orchestra and has recently formed a professional orchestra, the Chelmsford Sinfonietta in his home town.
The concert will be held on Saturday, February 11, and begins at 7pm. There will also be a wine bar and raffle.
Reporter: davidn@iwcpmail.co.uk