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The Easter Festival of Full Length Plays is already well underway at the Gaiety Theatre - Michael Lees joins us to talk about the the plays you can still catch over the next three evenings, with players traveling from as far as Hamburg to share their stories. Tickets are available at www.villagaiety.com
The Isle of Man Arts Council's Emma Callin tells us how you could play with the Hallé Orchestra during their visit this June! The world-famous orchestra, whose musical director is Sir Mark Elder CBE, will be in concert at the Villa Marina on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June.
The Hallé’s programme on the Saturday evening, from 7.30pm, will include works by Bizet, Ravel, Glinka, Falla and Rodrigo. Stephen Bell will conduct and Craig Ogden will be on guitar.
On the Sunday at 2.30pm, under the baton of Jonathon Heyward, the Heroes and Villains-themed programme will include items as varied as John Williams’ film scores and movements of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Rossini’s The William Tell Overture. The presenter will be Tom Redmond.
The Sunday concert will offer young people from the Island a unique opportunity to play and sing with an international symphony orchestra as part of the Come and Play with the Hallé initiative.
Maggie Richardson, who heads the Department of Education and Children’s Music Service, is preparing young people to take part in specially composed items alongside the Hallé’s professional musicians, with the fantastic chance to experience a rehearsal in the morning and live performance in the afternoon.
Tickets are on sale from Saturday 25th February via www.villagaiety.com or the ticket hotline on 01624 600555 from Saturday.
For information on getting involved with Come and Play with the Hallé, email iomartscouncil.dec@gov.im or ring 01624 694598.
And lastly we welcome our special guest, Barbara Dickson! Barbara's returns to the Isle of Man to play two sold-out concerts this weekend - tune in to hear stories behind the songs she'll be singing and 'The Hill' from her new EP Five Songs.
Barbara's music is available on iTunes and through her website www.barbaradickson.net
