CLASSICS IN AUCKLAND CASTLE

Classics in the Castle is a summer season of Friday evening concerts, held in the beautiful surroundings of Auckland Castle. These concerts have brought to Bishop Auckland a good number of established artists of international renown. They have also provided a platform for many younger musicians in the earlier stages of their professional careers, drawing on the great wealth of musical talent, from home or overseas, that has been nurtured in the UK’s universities and music colleges. Our 2009 season started with a sell-out concert given by the theatrical baroque group Red Priest, so to avoid disappointment this year, buy your season tickets early! The season continued with a piano trio, a string quartet, and an unusual combination of classical mandolin and piano in the Stephens Devine Duo, which was very well received. A new piano work was premiered at our September concert by Robert Scamardella, and our excellent summer season was closed by the return of the very talented classical saxophonist, Amy Dickson. Our 2009 year came to end with a rousing Christmas concert given by the Crook and Weardale Choral Singers. Overall, a season which gives us a target to aim for this year. We often try to have concerts that bring some novelty to our season, and with this in mind, we begin with O Duo, who perform on a wide range of percussion instruments – hear many of your favourite classical tunes as you have never heard them before! Our May concert with Laura Lucas and Daniel Swain is a flute-piano combination, and while we have had the flute before, this has usually been in larger ensembles. Following the season’s trend for the unusual, instead of our solo piano slot, we have the Oskemen Piano Duo, a husband and wife team who have both given individual recitals in this area. Our July concert features the Badke String Quartet, one of the high-flying, up and coming quartets, and the summer season finishes in September with the Anton Stadler Trio (piano, viola and clarinet) made up of three of the top exponents of their respective instruments. We look forward to seeing old and new members for our 2010 season. Outside the summer series of concerts, the Society holds a special Christmas Concert each year, led by one of the several excellent choirs in the region. Festive fare is served during the interval. With the generous support of Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, tickets for children eight years and older and young people under 25 are free. Click for Ticket prices

Bishop Auckland Music Society is now in its 19th year. The Society is run entirely by volunteers. It receives no public funding and pays its way through ticket sales and the generous support of individuals and businesses. Help is always welcome.

Venue

As a venue for summer concerts, Auckland Castle provides an ideal location. While conveniently located just off the market place in Bishop Auckland, this historic building, which has parts dating back to the 1100s, is set in its own extensive grounds and deer park. There is parking for the concerts in the grounds. The concerts are held in the Throne Room, a beautifully proportioned hall and an ideal size for recitals and chamber music. Musicians have given high marks to the acoustics of the hall and to the Steinway piano (purchased new in 2002), as well as to the enthusiasm and friendliness of Bishop Auckland audiences! As the pianist Sarah Beth Briggs said after her last concert: “Definitely one of the best venue/piano combinations in the UK”. Auckland Castle

Directions