A summer evening recital by local organists Alison Howell and Claire Hobbs at St John the Baptist, Keynsham. Bring your own alcoholic/non alcoholic drinks and light refreshments for the interval. Members with guests welcome. Retiring collection in support of the event. Programme
Easily accessible by road, bus, and train with adequate parking near by. The town has various eating possibilities within walking distance. Nearest parking at BANES car park: 1 The Park, BS31 2BL
Programme:
Claire Hobbs
Offertoire from Messe pour les couvents
François Couperin (1668-1733)
Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713 – 1780)
Valet will ich dir geben (BWV 736)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude and fugue in G (BWV 541)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Interval 20 minutes
BYO drinks and light refreshments to socialise inside or outside of the church
Alison Howell
Fiesta
Emma Lou Diemer (1927-)
From “O Antiphon Sequence” (2018)
O Radix Jesse O Rex Gentium
Cecilia McDowall (1951-)
Toccata and Fugue in F major BWV540
JS Bach (1685-1750)
Variations on Amazing Grace
Denis Bedard (1950-)
Claire Hobbs Growing up in Cambridge, Claire took organ lessons with David Hill before taking a music degree, as organ scholar at St John’s College, Oxford. She continued her performance study at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she was organ scholar at Manchester Cathedral, and subsequently at the Geneva Conservatoire in Switzerland, completing her studies with a Prix de Virtuosité and the Prix Otto Barblan for Performance. Claire has held positions as Organist of Holy Trinity, Geneva, Assistant Organist at Bristol Cathedral and Organist at Clifton Cathedral in Bristol. Throughout her career she took lessons with François Delor in Geneva and Nicolas Kynaston here in the UK. As an organ teacher, Claire taught on many courses for young organists for the Incorporated Association of Organists and the Royal School of Church Music.
After many years of playing, which included recitals in the UK, Switzerland, South Africa and New Zealand, Claire retrained as a music therapist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Over the last 20 years, she has worked as a therapist in the NHS in mental health and learning disability, and for Hertfordshire with wide range of client groups. Claire has maintained a musical life as an ABRSM examiner, running projects for the “Sing Up!” programme and teaching the piano, in which she also holds teaching diplomas.
Now based in back in Bristol, Claire divides her time between music therapy (for MusicSpace), playing, examining and teaching.
Alison Howell studied with Dr. Peter Hurford at the Royal Academy of Music and graduated with BMus (London). In 1985 she won the Open Class, the Recital Award and the Michael James Scholarship in the West of England Organ Festival Competition held in Bath Abbey. Following a post-graduate year Alison was awarded scholarships by The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, The Tillett Trust and The Worshipful Company of Musicians to continue her studies with Jacques van Oortmerssen at the Sweelinck Conservatoire in Amsterdam and with David Sanger in London. In 1987 Alison gained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists and won the prestigious Coventry Cathedral Recital Award for outstanding performance of the pieces. At this time Alison became a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on piano, passing with distinction.
Alison is based in Bristol where she works as a freelance musician. She is currently the accompanist for Cheltenham Choral Society, the University of the West of England Singers and Bristol Cabot Choir, has played for choral days with David Willcocks, John Rutter and Bob Chilcott and has accompanied Dame Felicity Lott in concert. Alison is organist of St John the Baptist Church, Keynsham and, with the choir there, has made numerous recordings and accompanied on tours and cathedral visits. As a recitalist Alison has played in many cathedrals, concert halls and churches. She is a member of the recently formed Society of Women Organists and stands on the committee as “Ideas Officer”. She was author of the idea behind “Woman Composer Sunday”, an annual event, held on the nearest Sunday to International Women’s Day, to promote organ and liturgical music by women composers.