Saturday, 26 March 2011
Event Number: 61
Zimbe! Come Sing the Songs of Africa!
St Saviour’s Church, 7pm
£12 full/senior citizens, £6 concessions
The Zimbe! Singers
conducted by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange 
Vox Concordia
Call me Al Jazz Quintet
Children’s choir from Rydes Hill Prep School
Directed by Tessa Forbes
Zimbe! is a brilliant fusion of traditional African song and jazz - instantly likeable and fun to learn as well as to perform.
Composer Alexander L'Estrange has arranged the songs and jazz accompaniment into a work which forges links between adult choirs and massed children's choirs, placing singing at the heart of the community as it always has been in Africa. And, since jazz grew out of blues which itself sprang from the mouths of African people, what better accompaniment for these songs than a jazz quintet? Zimbe! is at times touching and moving, at other times funky and grooving and all of the time incredibly uplifting both for performers and audiences alike.
The composer says: “The songs I have chosen are all imbued with the spirit, energy and simplicity that is so typical of the African tradition. They are fun, moving and infectiously tuneful, easy to learn and impossible to forget.”
The concert will also feature Tippett’s beautiful Five Spirituals (from A Child of our Time) and a selection of gospel-inspired songs from the children’s choir.
We are delighted to acknowledge the financial support of our sponsor The Whitely Clinic, Guildford. Any profits from this performance will be donated to two children's charities: Disability Challengers, based in Guildford, and the Nyumbani children's home in Kenya.
www.zimbe.net
www.rydeshill.com
www.disabilty-challengers.org
www.nyumbani.org
www.thewhitleyclinic.co.uk
Event Number: 62
Paco Peña guitar
University of Surrey Hall, 7.30pm
£22 full/senior citizens, £12 concessions
"Mr Peña is a genuine virtuoso, capable of dazzling an audience with technical abilities beyond the frets of mortal man"
New York Times
The Festival closes with a flourish of flamenco, energetic rhythms and beautiful music. An unmissable opportunity to experience a rare solo performance from this legendary artist who has transformed perceptions of Spanish flamenco with his mesmerising and virtuosic performances. In recent years, he is usually seen with his ensemble of dancers, so we are delighted that Paco Pena has devised a solo programme for the Festival, although he has hinted that he might bring a special guest to join him.
Event sponsored by:
