Summer Celebration Programme

Concert Programme Saturday 23rd June 2023

A joint celebration of 100 years of Weston Village Hall and Weston Music Society's 100th concert! 

An exciting programme showcasing the hugely talented musicians in our local area. Whether the performers have grown up locally or decided to make Hertfordshire their home, all are connected to the local community. Performances ranged from contemporary violin to Baroque flute to jazz. As well as some beautiful music, there were short interviews with each performer about their experiences growing up in the local area, and their careers so far.

Caroline Owen - Violin

Evocare Medley 

LiberTango 

Miserlou 

Hit the Road Jack 

Time to Say Goodbye 

Emma Halnan - Flute

J.S. Bach: Allemande from Partita in A minor, BWV 1013

Katherine Hoover: Kokopeli

David Matthews: Dance for Emma 

Adam Bungay and Oliver Nunn - 

Saxophone and Piano

Claude Debussy: Arabesque No.1, L.66, 

arr. Alto Sax and Piano. 

Burton Lane: Old Devil Moon, 

arr. Tenor Sax and Piano.

Interval- 20 minutes

Hannah Williams-Brown - Cello

J.S. Bach: Allemande from Cello Suite No.1 in G major, BVW1008.

Coleridge Taylor Perkinson: Calvary Ostinato fromLamentations, Black/Folk Song Suite for solo cello.

M. Marais: La Biscayenne, arr. from viola da gamba to cello.

Alastair Penman - Saxophone

Niccolò Paganini arr. Raaf Hekkema: Caprice No. 3.

Marius Neset arr. Alastair Penman: Swan Island.

Alastair Penman: Change is Coming

Gabriel Taylor, Lester Ridout and Lorenzo Morabito - 

Trumpet, Drums and Bass

Selection of Jazz Standards

Alastair Penman

Multi award-winning saxophonist Alastair Penman has studied at both the University of Cambridge and the Royal Northern College of Music, and is now living locally in Baldock. He leads the award-winning Borealis Saxophone Quartet, with whom he has given numerous live performances on BBC Radio 3, and has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra and Royal Ballet Sinfonia, as well as appearing at jazz festivals across Europe. 

With a strong interest in the fusion of live saxophone performance with electronic effects and enhancements, Alastair enjoys creating previously undiscovered sound-worlds. Come along to hear a variety of saxophone and electronic pieces and to hear him talk about his musical process, his new album 'Soar', and his connection to the local area in a live interview after his performance.

Emma Halnan

Emma first came to prominence as the woodwind category winner of BBC Young Musician 2010 and has since freelanced with some of the best orchestras in the UK, appearing as a concerto soloist with the London Mozart Players, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the Welsh Sinfonia.

Emma will be performing a brilliant variety of music, from Bach on a Baroque flute to a piece by composer David Matthews written expressly for her!

Emma grew up in Letchworth and now calls Hitchin her home. She will be chatting about her experiences growing up as a musician in the local area in a Q&A after her performance.

Caroline Owen

Caroline is a jazz and contemporary violin soloist whose performances have been called 'truly unique' and 'innovative'. She has played at some of the biggest arenas across the globe, has an extensive recording career, and has been featured on ITV, BBC Radio, and even performed on 'This Morning' with Sir Cliff Richard!

Caroline grew up in Hitchin, attending Hitchin Girls School. Come along to hear her play a selection of contemporary music, and to hear her talk about carving out an unusual career path in the classical music world.

Hannah Williams-Brown

Weston Village's very own Hannah Williams-Brown will be performing a selection of solo cello music. Hannah grew up in the village, attending Weston Primary School before getting a music scholarship to a school in Cambridge. From there she went on to the University of Edinburgh, winning multiple prizes for her performances and gaining a place at the Royal Northern College of Music for a master's degree. She has performed with the BBC Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and enjoys recording for albums and film soundtracks. You can hear her cello playing on Spotify! Come along to hear more about her career so far and her experiences growing up as a musician in the village.

Gabriel Taylor

Another of Weston Village's talented musicians, Gabriel grew up locally and attended Weston Primary School. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and orchestrator currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music. Gabriel will be performing on the trumpet, playing a selection of jazz music with his friends on bass and drums. He will be chatting about growing up in Weston, his family connections to music, and his career so far.

Adam Bungay and Oliver Nunn

Adam and Oliver are promising young local musicians currently studying together at Knights Templar and at Benslow Music. They enjoy performing a variety of jazz, blues and rock music on saxophone and piano, and this Saturday will be performing a selection of jazz and classical music.