The Bardi Wind Soloists directed by David Calow performed at the Museum and Art Gallery after the AGM of Leicester’s oldest society, The Literary and Philosophical Society on Monday 23rd April 2018. The winds and horns of the Symphony Orchestra performed music by Elgar, Dvorák, Carl Davis, Järnefelt and Sullivan. Society President Sir Kent Woods introduced the players and gave thanks at the end of the concert.
For our March Concert the Bardi took a large and enthusiastic audience to Broadway and the West End with
a superb collection of Showstoppers from Carousel, South Pacific, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mack and Mabel, Anything Goes, Man of La Mancha, Cats, West Side Story, The King and I, My Fair Lady and of course The Sound of Music! The concert was conducted by Claus Efland with compere Colin Blackler and soloists Soprano Elise Fairley and Baritone Andrew Randall.
Tamsin Waley-Cohen
The Bardi Symphony Orchestra got 2018 off to a Classical start on Sunday February 4th at De Montfort Hall with a well attended concert featuring Mozart, Beethoven and Sibelius. The concert started with the ever-popular overture to The Magic Flute by Mozart and then we welcomed back soloist Tamsin Waley-Cohen who gave a superb performance of the Violin Concerto by Jean Sibelius. The second half saw the Orchestra give a brilliant rendition of the revolutionary third symphony by Beethoven – the ‘Eroica’.
The Bardi Wind Orchestra gave their annual “A Christmas Festival” concert on Saturday December 16th 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Church on Regent Road, Leicester.
The annual Christmas Festival Concert has become one of the highlights of the Bardi concert season and this year the concert was again conducted by Music Director David Calow with seasonal readings by John Florance. Colin Blackler was our compère and we welcomed back Nicky Bingham as our soprano soloist.
A nearly 200-strong audience heard festive favourites including Sleigh Ride, Christmas Festival, In The Bleak Mid-winter, Walking in the Air, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle bells, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a symphonic suite from the Disney block-buster Frozen. All joined in with the sing-a -long finale of White Christmas and Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody!
The Bardi were delighted to take part in Leicestershire Chorale’s 40th Anniversary concert.
The Orchestra played at De Montfort Hall alongside the Chorale in a performance of the Verdi Requiem and Walton’s Coronation Te Deum on Sunday 19th November at 3pm.
The Walton was conducted by Paul McCreesh and the Verdi by the Choral’s Music Director Tom Williams.
BBC Young Musician 2014 Piano Finalist Isata Kanneh-Mason made her second appearance with the Bardi Symphony Orchestra at the first concert of the 2017/18 Season on Sunday 8th October at Leicester’s De Montfort Hall. Isata played Schumann’s romantic Piano Concerto and the concert featured the “Carnival Overture” by Dvorák and only the second ever performance at De Montfort Hall of the 5th Symphony by Vaughan Williams.
Let’s celebrate! 25 years of the Bardi Wind Orchestra, 100 years of the Lions Clubs and 30 years of the MNDA Leicestershire and Rutland Branch was celebrated at the Gala Concert at De Montfort Hall on Sunday 11th June.
The concert was another joint venture by the Bardi Wind Orchestra and the Oadby & Wigston Lions Club. The chosen charity this year is the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Leicestershire and Rutland Branch.
The concert was a celebration of Disney favourites and other well known movie music and was conducted by David Calow with Soprano Jenny Saunders and Tenor David Morris. The compere was Martin Ballard from BBC Radio Leicester.
This year’s Bardi Young Musician is clarinettist Sam Abbott. He played Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto at the afternoon concert on Sunday 9th July at Fraser Noble Hall, London Road Leicester.
With guest Conductor Paul Hilliam, the concert also included Fauré’s Pavane and Schubert’s Symphony No.3 ‘Rhenish’ in E-flat.
