Wootton Bassett Arts Festival proudly presents VOLPONE

By Miranda on March 31, 2012

On Friday 6th July at 4.00pm Wootton Bassett Arts Festival will be proud to present a Cinema screening of VOLPONE by Ben Johnson.

Volpone, a stage production on film

The performance was originally performed on stage at the Greenwich Theatre and filmed live. This means that it has all the atmosphere of theatre but on film. As this is the complete play the running time is 159 minutes.

This performance is open to all but is likely to appeal in particular to GCSE and A’Level students of English Literature and Drama.

VOLPONE will be shown at the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy’s 6th Form Lecture Theatre on a large screen as part of the new Community Cinema project.

All tickets are £3.00 and can be bought from the Post Office on Royal Wootton Bassett High Street or by calling Andrea Smith: 07973 149668 or Allison Bucknell: 07976 891377.

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Categories: Speech and Drama

Wootton Bassett Arts Festival Performers at Mayor’s Charity Dinner

By Miranda on March 31, 2012

Charity Dinner in Aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital

Mayor of Royal Wootton Bassett, Paul Heaphy, has asked Wootton Bassett Arts Festival to provide the entertainment at his Charity Dinner in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital on 15th April.

A range of performances are planned both musical and drama…more details to follow but in the meantime here’s a copy of the poster in case you would like to buy tickets…

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Categories: Music, Speech and Drama, Uncategorized

Church Organ Adjudicator – Dr John Henderson

By Miranda on February 10, 2012

Wootton Bassett Arts Festival is introducing a Church Organ section for the first time this year and we are thrilled to welcome Dr John Henderson, Honorary Librarian and archivist to the Royal School of Church Music. Find out more about him in his biography below:

John Henderson, probably Swindon’s only full-time musicologist, acts as Honorary Librarian and archivist to the Royal School of Church Music and is organist of Wroughton Parish Church.

The Organ at Wroughton Parish Church

A medical graduate of St. John’s College in Cambridge, he was formerly the senior partner of the GP practice in Fairford, Gloucestershire. He retired from the NHS in 1992 and lives in Old Town, Swindon. He describes himself as a ‘train-spotter cum hoarder’ of organ music and his personal library of 36,000 pieces of organ music supplies source material to many performers and recording companies world-wide. He was awarded the ARSCM in 1996 for his services to church music, is author of the prize-winning Directory of Composers for Organ 2005 and co-author of a recently published history of the Royal School of Church Music.

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Categories: Music

Speech and Drama Adjudicator – Susy Hague

By Miranda on February 9, 2012

The Wootton Bassett Arts Festival is proud to announce the appointment of Susy Hague as Adjudicator for 2012. If you are a keen Drama student you may have come across her before – she’s a LAMDA examiner of many years standing. Find out more about Susy in her biography below:

Susy was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father was Swiss, and her mother a British singer on BBC radio, hence she has a love of the Arts. Susy returned to Britain, aged 5, and was educated in London and Littlehampton, later studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in London, where she gained her Teaching Diploma with Honours.  She has taught all aspects of Speech and Drama over a number of years at numerous Schools and Colleges with pupils of all ages-from 4 to 100 years of age! She has also produced numerous School and Amateur productions, and adjudicated at various Festivals. She currently teaches at Portsmouth Grammar School, and is also a L.A.M.D.A. examiner.

Susy is married with two sons, and speaks French and Spanish. She was also a Beaver Scout leader for five years. She loves the theatre, travel, sport, and plays tennis.

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Categories: Speech and Drama

Classical Guitar Adjudicator – Helen Sanderson

By Miranda on February 9, 2012

The Wootton Bassett Arts Festival is very proud of its CLASSICAL GUITAR section. We make a point of appointing CLASSICAL GUITAR specialists who are renowned in their field. This year is no exception; Helen Sanderson, is Director of the World Youth Guitar Festival and Winchester Guitar Festival so we are very privileged to have her with us offering her valuable advice and feedback. Read more about Helen in her biography below:

Helen Sanderson

Helen Sanderson studied guitar at the Royal College of Music with Charles Ramirez, graduating with both the Madeline Walton prize for guitar and the prestigious Anthony Saltmarsh Bursary. Her active concert career has included concerts at major international guitar festivals and recitals at the Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Barbican Hall, the Academy of Arts (Berlin), the British Embassy in Vienna, Bath International Guitar Festival and Winchester Guitar Festival. In addition to her solo performances, Helen is a member of the Vida Guitar Quartet and is much in demand as an adjudicator, recording artist and accompanist for voice and guitar repertoire, working in partnerships with Mark Wilde (tenor) ‘Ancient Melodies’ (Docker Records), Susan Legg (mezzo-soprano), and countertenor James Bowman. Since its launch in 2007, Helen has been the Director of the World Youth Guitar Festival, a biennial residential festival for young classical guitarists aged 8-18 years old.

Helen studied at the Royal College of Music, London with Charles Ramirez and graduated as winner of the Madeline Walton Guitar Prize and Anthony Saltmarsh Bursary. She has been invited to perform at venues including the Purcell Room (London, Southbank Centre), the Academy of Arts (Berlin) and the Barbican Centre (London) and is regularly in demand as an adjudicator.

In addition to a teaching post at Downe House in Newbury and her private teaching practice, she is the director of the World Youth Guitar Festival and the Winchester Guitar Festival.

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Categories: Uncategorized

Music Adjudicator – Richard Haslam BEd ARCM

By Miranda on February 9, 2012

The Wootton Bassett Arts Festival is proud to announce the appointment of Richard Haslam as one of our Music Adjudicators for 2012. At the Wootton Bassett Arts Festival we only engage the best qualified and most experienced people in their field. Find out more about Richard in his biography below:

Richard studied at Sussex University for a degree in Education, specialising in Music and also at the Royal College of Music where he gained a Diploma in Pianoforte Teaching and a Distinction in Grade 8 singing.   Richard is currently Head of Performing Arts at Burgess Hill School for Girls where he teaches to A level as well as running a variety of extra-curricular activities including Chamber groups, Choirs and Orchestras. Richard teaches piano and singing to Diploma standard and is also a Moderator for GCSE Music, an examiner for A Level Music, an adjudicator for the British Federation of Festivals and recently has become a Mentor for Music for Youth.  Richard also examines for the ABRSM and has completed two overseas tours to Malaysia and one to Hong Kong.  He is an experienced accompanist, conductor and singer and works with a number of different groups in the community including Choral and Operatic Societies.  Richard also runs his own choir-“Cantemus”-who have raised over £300,000 for charity in the last twelve years.

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Categories: Music

Creative Writing Adjudicator – David Churchill

By Miranda on February 7, 2012

The Wootton Bassett Arts Festival is proud to announce the appointment of our Creative Writing Adjudicator for 2012, David Churchill. Several of David’s books can be bought for Kindle from Amazon. Simply follow the links embedded in his biography below:

David Churchill Biography

David’s first three novels, It, Us and the Others, The Silbury Triangle and Not my World were all published by Heineman in the seventies and eighties. They were teen-age sci/fi with a rural local setting. These were followed by A Focus for Writing, a source book for teachers and students interested in creative writing, also published by Heineman. Later came Fishing Forever, published by Merlin Unwin, a collection of stories about two boys and a girl who fish in our local waters and encounter ghosts, a truanting teacher and much more! This is soon to be issued as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. David taught English in several schools, particularly at Bradon Forest, Purton, where he was Head of English, becoming Senior Teacher, continuing teaching English to all levels which was always his greatest satisfaction. Voluntary creative writing work in Prospect Hospice, following his retirement from fulltime teaching,    saw the production of 13 magazines and two books of patients’ writing (Lifelines and Lifelines 2, published by ELSP Press). He worked with a number of creative writing groups locally and gave service at many school writing-week sessions in Wiltshire and other southern and eastern counties. Recently he has launched two new novels as e-books on Amazon Kindle (Dan and the Teacher Ghost and Nightmares in the Dreamhouse) and is preparing a third to be published later in the year. His poem – Walking with Jaci – was a winner in The Times “love poetry” competition on February the fourteenth, 2010.

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Categories: Creative Writing

PAM WEDGWOOD MASTERCLASS – 10th March 2012

By Miranda on January 23, 2012

The Wootton Bassett Arts Festival

proudly presents

Pam Wedgwood

Teaching tips & Masterclass

Saturday 10th March 2012

2pm Start at St Bartholomew’s Church, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wilts SN4 7AB

A teaching and performance session by Pam Wedgwood followed by a Masterclass. Please prepare any piece by Pam Wedgwood if you wish to participate in the Masterclass.

On Saturday 10th March Pam Wedgwood will hold a Masterclass where she will offer teaching tips covering both Piano and Instrumental works. Pam is very well known for her books used by many music learners. You may use her books yourself but if you would like to know more about her here is a little background:

Pam Wedgwood

Pam Wedgwood

Pam Wedgwood studied French Horn, Cello, Piano and Composition at the Trinity College of Music London. After graduating, she began a career as a professional horn player before taking up an appointment as a peripatetic instrumental music teacher in Surrey in the late 1970s. Pam began her long association with Faber Music in 1988 with the highly-acclaimed series Jazzin’ About, followed by the Up-Grade! series and the adult piano method It’s Never Too Late to Play Piano. She is recognised around the world as one the UK’s most prolific and successful composers of popular repertoire for young instrumentalists. Pam now concentrates on composing and workshops.

If you wish to take part, please download and complete the application form below:

Application Form

More about Pam Wedgwood from Faber Music

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Categories: Music, Uncategorized

Cally Foster – Speech & Drama Adjudicator 2012

By Miranda on January 17, 2012

Wootton Bassett Arts Festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Cally Foster as Speech and Drama Adjudicator on 10th and 11th November 2012. Here is her biography if you would like to know more about her background and qualifications…

CALLY FOSTER LLAM MSTSD

Since her first appearance in a festival at the age of five, Cally has remained committed to the Festival movement and has pursued a career as a Speech and Drama specialist.  She has been the Principal of her Buckinghamshire based Drama Studio for the past twenty years, combining that role with extensive travel in the U.K. Europe and overseas (including Japan, Singapore, Kuwait, The Emirates, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong) as an examiner for LAMDA.  Cally believes that performing in Festivals not only encourages an appreciation for the arts, but also improves the presentation and communication skills that are so important in today’s world.  As an adjudicator member of BIFF, Cally is delighted to have been invited to adjudicate at the Wootton Bassett Arts Festival in 2012.

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Categories: Speech and Drama

Creative Writing Results

By Miranda on November 29, 2011

Here is a list of the winners in the 2011 Creative Writing Competition. The Adjudication, to which all entrants were invited, was held on 12th November. It is well worth coming along to discuss your work with the Adjudicator, meet other writers and learn from their experiences.

Poetry 12 & under 15 years – Tensi Beautyman, 85

Poetry, 15 & under 19 – Julia Smith, 83

Sonnet, open to all ages – Alice Palmer-Ross, Commended

Short Story, 9 years & under – Liberty Shirnia, 76

Short Story, 10 & under 13 years – Niamh Taylor, 90

Short Story, 13 & under 15 years – Emma Bessent, 87

Short Story 19 & over – Tony Clark, 92

Report Writing, 11 & under – Orla Smith, 81

Journalism, 19 years & over – Jane Wade-Scarlet, 85

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Categories: Creative Writing, Results
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Syllabus

Download the WOOTTON BASSETT ARTS FESTIVAL SYLLABUS 2012 (covering both the June and November Festivals) HERE.