CHRIST CHURCH, ESHER

LUNCHTIME CONCERT

The Argento Trio

Nicola Wydenbach SOPRANO

Helen Pierce CLARINET

Elspeth Wilkes PIANO

Wednesday 19 February 2014 at 1.10 pm

(Admission free, retiring collection)

PROGRAMME

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (Shepherd on the Rock, 1828) [12’]

Louis Spohr (1784-1850) Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.103 [23']

George Gershwin (1838-1937) Lorelei [3'] Summertime [3'] Bess, You is My Woman Now [2']

THE ARGENTO TRIO

The Argento Trio was formed in 2009. Recent London engagements have included performances at St George-in-the-East, St Olave's Church in the City and the Mandeville Place series in the West End.

Nicola Wydenbach Nicola is a graduate of the Royal College of Music. Supported by a scholarship from Diva Opera, she completed her Graduate Diploma and is continuing her studies with Marie McLaughlin. Her operatic experience includes Micaela in with Lakeland Opera, a role she has also covered for Opera de Baugé in France, the roles of Newspaper Seller and Russian Mother in Britten’s Death

in Venice at the Aldeburgh and Bregenz Festivals, Giannetta in Donizetti’s Elixir of Love for Opera South, and Juno in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld for Kentish Opera. Nicola has recently worked with in their award winning production of Britten’s Peter Grimes, as well as Puccini’s Tosca and Turandot and Bizet’s Pearl Fishers. Oratorio work has included the Brahms conducted by Sir and Mendelssohn's Elijah for Bridgwater Choral Society.

Helen Pierce After graduating from Goldsmiths, Helen studied under Keith Puddy and Nick Bucknall at Trinity College of Music, achieving a Master’s Degree with distinction. In 2001 she was awarded the Wilfred Hambleton prize for clarinet and went on to study with Roland Diry (Ensemble Modern) in Germany and with Hans Deinzer in Italy. Helen has worked with Ensemble Modern, touring with them to Brussels, Cologne and Frankfurt. In Germany, she played with Darmstadt’s Staatstheater Opera and worked on a project with the Frankfurt Schauspiel. Helen also recorded a CD of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps for the Frankfurt Musik Hochschule label. In the field of chamber music, Helen plays with the Quartet Clariphonics, who were selected for the Park Lane Group Young Artist Series in 2008/9 and were also semi-finalists in the Royal Overseas League Competition.

Elspeth Wilkes Elspeth is in much demand as a pianist, accompanist and repetiteur. As a pianist, she has performed at many venues including Hackney Empire, St John’s Smith Square, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, St James Piccadilly, Southwark Cathedral and St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. She has also worked with The Royal Ballet, BBC Wales, Royal Shakespeare Company and Southbank Sinfonia and been an official accompanist at festivals in Oxford, Bath, Lincolnshire and Essex. As a repetiteur/musical director/chorus master, Elspeth has worked with many companies including Opera Up Close, Riverside Opera, Co-Opera Company, Merry Opera and Opera de Baugé, playing continuo in several of their productions. She also works as an accompanist with London Oriana Choir, Barnes Choir and Thurrock Choral Society. Whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music, Elspeth won the Scott Huxley Accompaniment prize and the Elena Gerhardt Lieder prize, and has participated in masterclasses with distinguished musicians including Robert Tear, Barbara Bonney, Ingrid Surgenor and Malcolm Martineau.

FUTURE LUNCHTIME CONCERTS third Wednesday of the month

(light lunch from 12.45 pm; concert, 1.10 to 1.50 pm)

Mar 19 Tormead Showcase – music scholars from Tormead School, Guildford (violin, flute, piano duet and more!) May 21 Robert Smith, organ & Ruth Stockdale, flute Jun 18 Patrick Sale, piano solo Jul 16 DeNote Winds: Music from the French Revolution Sep 17 Judith Spencer, marimba Oct 15 Trio Lavolta (piano, violin & cello) Nov 19 Music for two pianos

ADVANCE NOTICE MUSIC IN THE TOWER 2014 Tue 15 April at 8 pm, repeated Wed 16 April at 1pm & 8 pm Bartosz Glowacki, classical accordion Now in its fifth year, Music in the Tower is a special experience not to be missed. Our atmospheric Tower Room will host the young Polish accordionist Bartosz Glowacki, who back in 2009 won his country’s equivalent of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. His programme, specially chosen for Holy Week, will include Scarlatti, Tchaikovsky and some 20th century repertoire inspired in turn by the ruins of Dresden and the novels of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

For further information, contact the Parish Office (01372) 462282 or email: [email protected]