The legacy of a man whose dedication to music and philanthropy has left an indelible mark on the region’s cultural landscape will be honoured at a special concert at Saffron Hall next month.
Saffron Hall Trust and the Stradivari Trust will pay tribute to Nigel Brown OBE, who helped a young Nigel Kennedy to acquire his violin nearly 40 years ago, on Friday June 28 (7.30pm).
Brown, who held leadership roles in many charities and organisations across the region, went on to establish the Stradivari Trust, an organisation that has helped countless professional string players to acquire their own instruments.
He was Saffron Hall chair from 2013 to 2018, overseeing the successful opening of the venue, which is based at Saffron Walden County High School, and its subsequent growth.
The special concert will feature some of the many musicians that the Stradivari Trust has supported over the years and include performances two of Brahms’ timeless masterpieces: the emotionally resonant String Sextet No.1 and a selection of the spirited Hungarian Dances for Piano, played with four hands, highlighting the work’s rhythmic vitality.
Before that, the Audley End Road complex plays host to the Glenn Miller Orchestra on Sunday June 2 (4pm).
The style, sound and songs of the great American bandleader seem as popular today as they were in his 1940s heyday.
Duplicating the exact onstage forces devised by Miller and joined by two vocalists, veteran bandleader Ray McVay remains the devotee, champion and creative mastermind behind the project, adding new songs to the already vast library of hit numbers from the maestro’s library.
Ahead of recording Bach’s complete keyboard concertos, Britten Sinfonia and Mahan Esfahani, the harpsichord’s outstanding 21st-century champion, perform two of the most exciting in a concert on Saturday June 8 (7.30pm).
The show will also feature music by Bach’s cousin, Johann Bernhard, and a composer from the previous generation, Johann Rosenmüller.
On Saturday June 29 (7.30pm), Saffron Walden’s own Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra join forces to present an exciting Anglo-French programme.
They will open with Parry’s I was Glad, an anthem that will be familiar to all, and proceed with some extraordinary music, including Saint-Saëns’ charming Le Rouet d’Omphale, Foulds’ nostalgic music-picture April-England, Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater.
A busy month is rounded off by the pan-European Adelphi Quartet on Sunday June 30 (4pm).
The group, who won second prize and the Esterházy Foundation Prize at the prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, will perform a programme spanning Purcell (Fantasias in Four Parts), Haydn (String Quartet No. 19) and Britten (String Quartet No. 2).
For more information and to book tickets, visit www.saffronhall.com/whats-on or call the box office on 0845 548 7650.