
Little Gaddesden Music Club
Little Gaddesden Music Club, one of the oldest in this country, started in 1946 with recitals in private houses and in Ashridge College. Nowadays we usually meet in private houses in or near the village; we also use Little Gaddesden Church which allows for larger ensembles, provides more room for guests and has a good piano. We have also been able to hold concerts in the Village Hall in past years.
Membership is open to all and we operate by an annual subscription for a season, usually of five recitals. The season runs from October to May or early June. We allow members to bring a limited number of guests to attend those concerts where space allows, subject to checking beforehand. Members of the public are welcome to attend concerts in the Church or the Village Hall, where tickets are available at the door.
The concerts are on a Sunday evening, and start promptly at 5:15 pm, finishing around 7 pm after a brief interval. After the concerts we serve a glass of wine or fruit juice and have some nibbles – during this time members enjoy the opportunity to mix with the performers.
The use of private houses as venues means that the performers are usually a soloist or a duo, but we regularly have wind trios and string trios as well. We often have a solo piano recital in the programme, usually from the Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist Award scheme run by Making Music.
Duos can take many forms: the most common is one instrument accompanied by piano, but we also have other pairings such as harp with flute or with voice, violin & guitar, clarinet & violin and guitar duo.
As can be seen from the comments above, we encourage young musicians, typically soon after they have graduated from music college, occasionally while still studying. Their standard is extraordinarily high and some go on to distinguished careers. We have heard many star performers including: the cellist Sandy Baillie; the flamenco guitarist Paco Pena; pianists Viv McLean and Margaret Fingerhut; violinists Paul Barritt and Peter Fisher and the guitarist Craig Ogden. We are fortunate to be able to hear music played by young virtuosi in an intimate setting within a few miles of the village.
Contact
Ian Hamilton
07491 654415
music.club@littlegaddesden.org.uk
Little Gaddesden Music Club
Details of 2021/22 Season
Membership for the year: £50.00 per person. Additional Gift Aided donation welcome but optional.
All concerts start at 5:15pm prompt except for the 15 May concert, which is in Little Gaddesden Church at 6pm.
Date | Performer/ Instrument(s) | More details |
13 Mar 2022 | Sirius Chau (flute) & Kumi Matsuo (piano) | A multiple prize-winner, Sirius is kindly supported by Making Music’s Philip & Dorothy Green Young Artists scheme. ![]() |
3 Apr 2022 | Trio Volant, clarinet, oboe & bassoon | This wind trio last played for us in October 2018; I’m delighted to welcome them back. Works include pieces by Mozart, Francaix, Milhaud and Beethoven. triovolant.co.uk |
24 Apr 2022 | Elizabeth Bass Solo harp | Another multiple prize-winner, Elizabeth is also kindly supported by Making Music’s Philip & Dorothy Green Young Artists scheme.![]() |
15 May 2022 | Siân Dicker & Harriet Burns, sopranos and Krystal Tunnicliffe piano | Siân and Harriet have both won numerous competitions, including the Oxford Lieder Young Artist Platform www.siandicker.com www.harrietburns.com www.krystaltunnicliffe.com |
Programme for 15 May 2022 Concert
Little Gaddesden Church, 6:00pm
LG-Music-Club-15-May-2022-v2Click here to download the 15 May Concert Programme
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Header image credit: Joel Wyncott on Unsplash