IAA Town Lectures and Concerts 2024
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Concert 12th December
Kesgarve Singers Musical Director Ed Dewson..
The choir was formed more than 20 years ago with just 12 members (some of who
are still singing with us) and were known then as Kesgrave Community Choir.
Today we have more than 40 singers and our very talented MD, Ed Dewson,
who joined us in Jan 2023 teaches music that perhaps we’ve never sung before,
but still including classic/popular styles. Today we will be singing a festive
programme put together by Ed and sincerely hope you enjoy our singing.
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Town Lectures & Concerts 2024.
The annual series of popular lectures presents Ipswich, its history and cultural background
through the eyes of Suffolk-based speakers. Once again, the series incorporates
performances from local musicians presenting different styles of music through the ages.
Lectures & Concerts are presented at:
Museum St. Methodist Church, (entrance in Black Horse Lane), Ipswich IP1 2EF
Lectures and Concerts start at 1.00pm and end at 1.50pm. Doors open 12.30pm.
ADMISSION IS FREE with a retiring collection. Donations of at least £3.00 per person
are valued to maintain the series. Refreshments, served 12.30 – 12.55 are included.
Town Lectures & Concerts 2024 – programme
To view or download a pdf of the Lectures & Concerts programme click here
Lecture – 11th January
Me and My Cello – Music Through The Ages
Hattie Bennett.
Hattie Bennett has lived in Suffolk for over 40 years, performing in all manner of ensembles and theatrical situations. Her love of communication was the driving force behind the inception of the Music In Felixstowe series of concerts 20 years ago. During this time, she developed a passion for talking about her own and others’ musical lives, interpolated with excerpts on her cello. In considering the history of music she has picked out certain threads of interest, mostly related to Western music, with excerpts on the cello and some audience participation.
Concert – 8th February
Ipswich School
Musical Director: Mrs Bev Steensma.
Ipswich School has a thriving Music Department with many ensembles, including a Big Band, Chapel Choir, string quartets, brass ensembles and saxophone ensembles, as well as three orchestras. Today they are pleased to feature some of their top music students performing both solos and in chamber ensembles. Throughout the year, students are involved in concerts ranging from the school Young Musician of the Year competition to their annual Spring Concert at Snape Maltings. www.ipswich.school
Lecture – 14th March
Gainsborough’s House – Sudbury’s Hidden Treasure
Dr. Steven Parissien.
Dr Steven Parissien is Interim Director of Gainsborough’s House Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk. He is an architectural historian at Oxford University and a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. He has worked at the highest level in arts and education for over thirty years, including a decade as CEO of Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park in Warwickshire. Today he discusses the recent development of Gainsborough House Museum funded by a Lottery Grant, and looks at some of the gallery’s upcoming exhibitions. www.gainsborough.org
Concert – 11th April
Essentially Swing
Musical Director – Carol Goates.
From piccolo to trombone and from rags to rock ‘n’ roll Essentially Swing brings a unique sound to the music from around the great era of Swing. We will take you through a journey in time, with numbers such as Maple Leaf Rag, and great swing favourites including American Patrol and Sing Sing Sing to the early rock and roll era songs such as Rock Around The Clock. We may add in some Lady Gaga and Queen for contrast! You are in for some foot-tapping fun.
Lecture – 9th May
On Different Wavelengths- Life Behind The Microphone
Stephen Foster.
Ipswich-born radio presenter Stephen Foster looks back on his long and successful career, which began in the summer of 1977 and continues to this very day. After cutting his teeth at Hospital Radio Ipswich, Foz landed his dream job at Radio Orwell before spending 30 years at BBC Radio Suffolk. He is currently on Radio Caroline, Suffolk Sound and Hospital Radio Ipswich. Hear one of Suffolk’s best-known voices telling his story.
Concert – 13th June
Felixstowe Harmonies
Musical director: Chandra Grover.
Felixstowe Harmonies is a committed group of female singers from all walks of life who share a passion for singing and music. With over 35 singers, the choir offers a unique blend of voices in four part harmony and has sung its way through a whole host of songs from the light classical repertoire to rock and pop. Today their programme includes the music of Elgar, Ennio Morricone, Queen and the Carpenters. Felixstowe Harmonies is active in hosting fundraising concerts in aid of Felixstowe charities. Visit: www.felixstoweharmonies.co.uk
Lecture – 11th July
Ronnie Blythe (1922 – 2023)
Janet Dann.
At the end of his long life, Ronald Blythe described himself as ‘watchful, curious and gratefully amazed’. The eldest of six children in a family of agricultural labourers, he left school at 14 and began his ‘real education’. Advice to aspiring writers frequently comes as ‘write what you know’. He certainly did so with ‘Akenfield’, the 1969 chronicle of Suffolk rural life, but to define him by this one work is to do him a great disservice.
Concert – 8th August
The Ipswich Hospital Band – Wind Ensemble
Essentially Wind is one of three Ensembles in the IHB family of Bands. This group of around 12 musicians is available to play at smaller events and venues. Over the years they have played at weddings, private parties, yacht clubs, fetes, many retirement homes – especially at Christmastime, charity fund- raising events, Masonic events, RBL events, church services and many more. Their music is eclectic, ranging from classical and traditional music to modern, and music from film and theatre. www.ipswichhospitalband.org.uk
Lecture – 12th September
The Quilt as Art
Sara Impey.
Sara Impey is an award-winning quilt artist from Essex with work in many public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum. A former journalist, she stitches texts (which she writes herself) on to her quilts, enabling her to use the textile surface to comment on social or personal issues, sometimes with a dash of humour. Today Sarah shows examples of her work and discusses how other contemporary textile artists are using the techniques of quilt making to produce wall- hangings or three-dimensional artworks which transcend the traditional notion of the ‘quilt’ as a functional object.
Concert – 10th October
Wildflowers.
Denise Steward, Teresa Booth, Janet Galloway & Stella Day –
Wildflowers are an acoustic vocal and instrumental folk group. They all met at Stellar Acappella, Suffolk’s vibrant all- female acappella choir, where they persuaded each other it would be fun to sing together at a group social, and the rest is history. You can find them performing close harmonies with varied musical accompaniment at local folk nights. They have also entertained audiences at Ipswich Music Day and WAMfest.
Lecture – 14th November
The Honey Bee – A Superorganism
Jeremy Quinlan.
The Suffolk Beekeepers’ Association (SBKA) is the coordinating committee for six independent area beekeeping associations, with a membership of just over 1,000. Keeping honey bees is an intensely practical matter that can’t be learned from books, yet book learning and academic study underpin and illuminate understanding. Bee research is carried out world- wide and discoveries are published every week. It is “a creature, marvellous almost beyond imagining”. Jeremy Quinlan has been keeping bees since 1985. He is currently President of the SBKA and one of four Master Beekeepers in the county. www.suffolkbeekeepers.co.uk
Concert – 12th December
Kesgrave Singers
Musical Director, Ed Dewson.
The choir was formed more than 20 years ago with just 12 members (some of whom are still singing with us) and were known then as Kesgrave Community Choir. Today we have more than 40 singers and our very talented MD, Ed Dewson, who joined us in Jan 2023 teaches music that perhaps we’ve never sung before, but still including classic/popular styles. Today we will be singing a festive programme put together by Ed and sincerely hope you enjoy our singing.
Town Lectures and Concerts 2024
Museum Street Methodist Church (entrance in Black Horse Lane), Ipswich IP1 2EF
Lectures and Concerts start at 1.00pm and end at 1.50pm. Doors open 12.30pm.
ADMISSION IS FREE with retiring collection.
Donations of at least £3.00 per head are valued to maintain the series.
The Town Lectures and Concerts series is an IAA initiative,
co-ordinated by Chandra Grover and Sabine Sutton.
For further details email:townlecturesandconcerts@ipswich-arts.org.uk