Back for a third year, Shakespeare’s Globe bring The Bard’s sparkling comedy to the picturesque setting of the Pavilion Gardens.
Take one pair of estranged twins (both called Antipholous) and one pair of twin servants (both called Dromio), keep them in ignorance of each other and throw them into a city with a reputation for sorcery and you have the chief ingredients for theatrical chaos.
Fast-paced, hilarious and seemingly irreverent, the young William Shakespeare explores themes in this comedy that recur again and again in his later work; mistaken identity, coincidence and the importance of family.
Bring your own seat (low-backed, please) or rug. (Please note: if the weather is inclement, the show will either proceed (conditions allowing) outdoors, or will be moved to an alternative indoor venue. In either case, no refunds will be given.)

8 to 26 July 2009
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Fringe runs alongside Buxton Festival and offers a spectacular programme of theatre, comedy, dance, music, film, exhibitions, poetry, children’s events and street entertainment. One of the largest Fringes in England, it offers some 500 events including a free afternoon sampler at the Pavilion Gardens on 12 July. The Fringe is open to all with no selection or censorship. The Fringe is one of the Opera House’s closest partners (our year-round fringe seasons are programmed in association with the Festival Fringe) and we wish them every success for 2009.
For further details, click here.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
An original piece of theatre loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and queueing. This three-man show uses music, presentation and traditional theatre techniques to produce a lively, multi-faceted show. Hill House Collective are a Bristol-based group comprising artists, musicians, actors and writers. The HHC is a public organisation.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
When computer games are played for real the consequences can be terrifying, especially for those playing the game. Thinking they are inside a theme park adventure the children realize that they really are trapped in the Dark Angel game and face perilous adventures in a fight against their worst nightmares.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
An original piece of theatre loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and queueing. This three-man show uses music, presentation and traditional theatre techniques to produce a lively, multi-faceted show. Hill House Collective are a Bristol-based group comprising artists, musicians, actors and writers. The HHC is a public organisation.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Live contemporary dance piece Lost and Found tells a story of resilience, of love lost and found, and of finding a way out. Created by double award-winning choreographer Katie Green, whose previous works have been described as ‘meaningful, moving’, ‘compelling’, ‘tender and beautiful’ (Sanjoy Roy, Amy Johnson, Kate Larsen).

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
When computer games are played for real the consequences can be terrifying, especially for those playing the game. Thinking they are inside a theme park adventure the children realize that they really are trapped in the Dark Angel game and face perilous adventures in a fight against their worst nightmares.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A Private Word, from an unpublished story by Edwardian journalist Edwin Bennett, is a delightful Northern comedy. What does the disturbing letter really mean? A Visit from Miss Prothero, by peerless satirist Alan Bennett, draws back the curtain upon office intrigue, presentation clocks and budgerigars.

10 to 28 July 2009
Buxton is a unique festival – it produces its own fully-staged professional operas, drawing audiences and acclaim from all over the country.
The Festival also hosts a series of touring operas, offering the chance to see six different productions.
Its renowned relaxed and friendly atmosphere attracts both dedicated opera lovers and those new to the genre.
The Festival also features a showcase of high calibre classical concerts and recitals in intimate venues, featuring first-class performers, a series of morning talks by some of the finest minds in literature, politics and journalism and a new informal afternoon programme features exciting new authors in an intimate setting, with the opportunity for cream tea and a chat afterwards.
Festival for a fiver!
Under-30s can buy tickets for the best available seats at any Festival event for just £5! Tickets must be booked at the Opera House or by phone and proof of age must be presented on collection from the box office.
For further details, click here.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A walk around the centre of Buxton with two members of the Buxton Well Dressing Committee. The development and history of Buxton, its unique thermal waters and key personalities. Visit the Well Dressing at St Ann’s Well and learn how it is made with the designer.
Walk on Thursday 9 July sold out

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
An original piece of theatre loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and queueing. This three-man show uses music, presentation and traditional theatre techniques to produce a lively, multi-faceted show. Hill House Collective are a Bristol-based group comprising artists, musicians, actors and writers. The HHC is a public organisation.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Live contemporary dance piece Lost and Found tells a story of resilience, of love lost and found, and of finding a way out. Created by double award-winning choreographer Katie Green, whose previous works have been described as ‘meaningful, moving’, ‘compelling’, ‘tender and beautiful’ (Sanjoy Roy, Amy Johnson, Kate Larsen).

Buxton Festival 2009
An opera seria in a prologue and two acts
Poison, incest and revenge drive this powerful melodrama to its tragic conclusion.
Lucrezia Borgia, infamous noblewoman of the Renaissance, has outlived three husbands and is now married to the Duke of Ferrara.
After the Borgia’s palace is defaced by vandals, Lucrezia’s thirst for vengeance and murder sets in motion a tragic chain of events that eventually destroys her enemies and herself.
Following their award-winning success with Roberto Devereux, Stephen Medcalf and Andrew Greenwood reunite an outstanding team and cast led by the sensational Mary Plazas.

Lucrezia Borgia – Mary Plazas, Alfonso – David Soar, Gennaro – John Bellemer, Orsini – Miroslava Yordanova
with Donald Maxwell, Jonathan Best, Christopher Steele, Adrian Clarke, Mark Evans, Peter van Hulle, Colin Judson

Conductor – Andrew Greenwood, Director – Stephen Medcalf, Designer – Francis O’Connor, Lighting designer – John Bishop

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
When computer games are played for real the consequences can be terrifying, especially for those playing the game. Thinking they are inside a theme park adventure the children realize that they really are trapped in the Dark Angel game and face perilous adventures in a fight against their worst nightmares.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Did Judith, a young woman held on remand, murder her mother? She has remained silent for five months and it takes Alex, a psychiatrist specialising in mutism weeks to unlock her silence. What follows could never have been predicted. Freerange Theatre Company (2006 double winners with Mamet’s Oleanna) are back.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A Private Word, from an unpublished story by Edwardian journalist Edwin Bennett, is a delightful Northern comedy. What does the disturbing letter really mean? A Visit from Miss Prothero, by peerless satirist Alan Bennett, draws back the curtain upon office intrigue, presentation clocks and budgerigars.

Buxton Festival 09
The veteran broadcaster and journalist now turns to fiction with a big wonderful wartime novel about mothers and daughters, illicit lovers, heroism and betrayal.
In her talk Joan captures the danger and excitement of the period in her sweeping story of heroic deeds, painful separations, battles at sea and, above all, of the poignancy of longing and loss.

Buxton Festival 2009
The recently re-opened theatre in Chatsworth House is a miniature gem and the perfect venue for VOCES8, the international award-winning vocal octet.
The foremost young British a cappella group, they now perform throughout Europe and, this year in the USA and Kenya.
Founded by ex-choristers of Westminster Abbey, they sing a richly varied repertoire ranging from early polyphony to unique jazz and popular arrangements.

Ticket holders are welcome to enjoy the Garden until it closes at 6pm.
Please allow plenty of time if travelling from Buxton. We suggest leaving Buxton at 1pm as the Carnival closes some roads.

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
The animals of Manor Farm have revolted against their human masters; they dream of a world where all animals are equal. But soon discover some are more equal than others. Black Box Theatre School return to the Fringe with an adaptation of Orwell’s classic Animal Farm.

Buxton Festival 2009
with Phoenicia Johnson, Alexandra Tiffin, Matthew Moss and Robert-John Edwards.
Wyn Davies, taking time off from Véronique, presents an informal opera workshop with members of the Festival Company, asking the unvoiced question that’s often on an opera singer’s mind, with illustrations taken from popular opera repertoire.

1 hour

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
An original piece of theatre loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and queueing. This three-man show uses music, presentation and traditional theatre techniques to produce a lively, multi-faceted show. Hill House Collective are a Bristol-based group comprising artists, musicians, actors and writers. The HHC is a public organisation.

Buxton Festival 2009
As a young king Henry VIII was the perfect Renaissance monarch, speaking several languages and writing music and poetry for his Spanish Queen Catherine.
The acclaimed Sirinu performs songs and instrumental music from Henry’s court to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his coming to the throne.
His great enthusiasm and spirit of gaiety is captured by Sirinu, with their eclectic collection of period instruments including harp, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, viols, bagpipes and percussion.

Please allow plenty of time if travelling from Buxton. We suggest leaving Buxton at 1pm as the Carnival closes some roads.
For those wishing to travel by coach, return transport is provided from Buxton, leaving Poole’s Cavern at 1pm. Tickets (£6) must be booked in advance through the box office.

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival 2009
The recently re-opened theatre in Chatsworth House is a miniature gem and the perfect venue for VOCES8, the international award-winning vocal octet.
The foremost young British a cappella group, they now perform throughout Europe and, this year in the USA and Kenya.
Founded by ex-choristers of Westminster Abbey, they sing a richly varied repertoire ranging from early polyphony to unique jazz and popular arrangements.

Ticket holders are welcome to enjoy the Garden until it closes at 6pm.
Please allow plenty of time if travelling from Buxton. We suggest leaving Buxton at 1pm as the Carnival closes some roads.

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Did Judith, a young woman held on remand, murder her mother? She has remained silent for five months and it takes Alex, a psychiatrist specialising in mutism weeks to unlock her silence. What follows could never have been predicted. Freerange Theatre Company (2006 double winners with Mamet’s Oleanna) are back.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
The animals of Manor Farm have revolted against their human masters; they dream of a world where all animals are equal. But soon discover some are more equal than others. Black Box Theatre School return to the Fringe with an adaptation of Orwell’s classic Animal Farm.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
An original piece of theatre loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and queueing. This three-man show uses music, presentation and traditional theatre techniques to produce a lively, multi-faceted show. Hill House Collective are a Bristol-based group comprising artists, musicians, actors and writers. The HHC is a public organisation.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Live contemporary dance piece Lost and Found tells a story of resilience, of love lost and found, and of finding a way out. Created by double award-winning choreographer Katie Green, whose previous works have been described as ‘meaningful, moving’, ‘compelling’, ‘tender and beautiful’ (Sanjoy Roy, Amy Johnson, Kate Larsen).

Buxton Festival 2009
A comic opera in three acts
Messager’s sparkling Gallic operetta concerns Hélène, a noblewoman, who disguises herself as a worker in a florist’s shop, to teach her prospective fiancé, the playboy Vicomte Florestan, a lesson.
Naturally Florestan falls for the wealthy heiress in her lowly guise as love intervenes, until, aided by disguise, a picnic and much captivating music, we arrive at the dénouement.
Messager, a conductor and director at the Opéra-Comique, the Paris Opéra and the Royal Opera House, has the theatrical flair of a true man of the theatre.
Giles Havergal and Wyn Davies lead a strong cast including Buxton favourites Helen Williams, Yvonne Howard, Donald Maxwell and Mark Stone, with the sensational Victoria Joyce making her Festival debut in the title role.

Véronique / Hélène – Victoria Joyce, Agathe – Helen Williams, Estelle / Ermerance – Yvonne Howard, Florestan – Mark Stone, Coquenard – Donald Maxwell, Loustot – Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks, Seraphin – Owen Webb
Conductor – Wyn Davies, Director – Giles Havergal, Choreographer – Tim Claydon, Designer – Leslie Travers, Lighting designer – John Bishop

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
When computer games are played for real the consequences can be terrifying, especially for those playing the game. Thinking they are inside a theme park adventure the children realize that they really are trapped in the Dark Angel game and face perilous adventures in a fight against their worst nightmares.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
After winning Best Music Entry in 2008, the City of Manchester Opera are back, this time with La Traviata. The full concert version will be sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Did Judith, a young woman held on remand, murder her mother? She has remained silent for five months and it takes Alex, a psychiatrist specialising in mutism weeks to unlock her silence. What follows could never have been predicted. Freerange Theatre Company (2006 double winners with Mamet’s Oleanna) are back.

Kate won the Whitbread Book of the Year for her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, and has been an international bestselling author ever since.
Here she talks about her latest detective novel, When will there be good news?, hailed as one of the most piercingly insightful novels of the year.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A performance of his latest poetry. A rich mixture of free verse, ballads, sonnets, haiku, and rhyming poems. Descriptive, reflective, dramatic and comic. Some containing dialect from his latest publication, Words of the White Peak. His sixth consecutive year at the Buxton Fringe. Infectious, but not fatal!

Buxton Festival 2009
Few sounds are so evocative and haunting as that of the gamelan – an ensemble of percussion on which the traditional music of Java and Bali has been played for over a thousand years in both court and village ceremonies, accompanying shadow puppet plays, dance dramas and the equivalent of concerts.
Its unique sound has influenced several western composers, most famously Debussy. Alongside the large traditional repertoire is a growing body of new compositions.
Alongside the large traditional repertoire is a growing body of new compositions. This mixture of traditional and modern, Javanese and Western, is a special feature of Gamelan Sekar Petak’s concerts.

1 hour

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Launch of 2 new novels with Celtic themes: Pendragon: The Wizard’s Daughter & Hand of Glory. Readings, music, wine with author Dilys Gater; display of book covers by designer Christopher Jones.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Did Judith, a young woman held on remand, murder her mother? She has remained silent for five months and it takes Alex, a psychiatrist specialising in mutism weeks to unlock her silence. What follows could never have been predicted. Freerange Theatre Company (2006 double winners with Mamet’s Oleanna) are back.

A writer, broadcaster and journalist, Fiona lives in London with her partner Alistair Campbell and three children.
In her latest book, The Secret World of the Working Mother, she examines the facts and fictions about career mothers and stay-at-home mums. No one would question the right of girls to compete equally with their male peers until, that is, they have children.
Damned if they work, damned if they don’t and blamed for everything from unhealthy, unhappy children to anti-social behaviour and delinquency, her talk promises some lively discussion.

Buxton Festival 09
Mahler’s romantic song-cycle, here arranged for chamber ensemble, is the perfect vehicle for Ann Murray’s supremely lyrical voice.
Add the pungency of Stravinsky and the high spirits of the youthful Brahms and sinfonia ViVA has the perfect opportunity to showcase its vibrant and joyful playing directed from the violin by Benedict Holland.

Stravinsky – Suite: The Soldier’s Tale
Mahler, arr. Tarkmann – Kindertotenlieder
Brahms, arr. Boustead – Serenade no 1, opus 11

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival 09
Stand-up interactive poetry show for children (5-10 years) and ex-children. A groundbreaking poetry show written and performed by Radio 4’s Saturday Live poet Murray Lachlan Young, directed by Malachi Bogdanov.
Poetry, stand-up comedy, storytelling and a touch of panto – poetry can be fun, thought-provoking and occasionally quite cool! Expect a raucous, silly, scary, funny, poignant and enlightening performance of merriment and mayhem.

Buxton Festival 2009
An opera seria in three acts
The tensions of infatuated love, filial duty and the lust for power are explored in the youthful Mozart’s sensational success.
No other Mozart opera has so many different versions, sketches and fragments – by turn extraordinarily powerful, gloriously lyrical and thrillingly virtuosic.
Though the work was a sensational success – cries were heard from the gallery of ‘Viva il Maestrino!’ – the singers had initially been distrustful of the young composer, and forced him to jettison seven original settings.
For this exciting new production, the Classical Opera Company has reinstated this music, enabling Mozart’s initial ideas to be presented in their intended dramatic context for the first time.
Ian Page conducts his vibrant period-instrument orchestra, and the distinguished Martin Lloyd-Evans directs an acclaimed cast.
This eagerly-awaited production follows outstanding concert performances.

Aspasia – Allison Bell, Sifare – Kishani Jayasinghe, Farnace – Stephen Wallace, Mitridate – Mark Le Brocq, Arbate – Sigriour Osk Kristjansdottir, Ismene – Mary Nelson
Conductor – Ian Page, Director – Martin Lloyd-Evans, Production designer – Simon Corder

Everyone’s favourite granny looks at the pleasures and pitfalls of grandparenthood past and present, with an emphasis on passing on traditional skills, stories and jokes.
Known as Granny Jane to her five grandchildren, and as the ultimate Granny Guru to regular readers of her column in The Times, Jane is also the author of seven gardening books and holder of two Chelsea Flower Show medals.

Buxton Festival 09
Soojin Han – violin, Irina Botan – piano
Korean-born Soojin Han was the youngest ever top prize-winner at the Wieniawki International Violin Competition.
She has studied at Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music, and has already performed as soloist with the LSO, Tokyo Philharmonic, Korean Symphony and broadcast on Polish, Dutch and Korean radio.
Bach – Violin sonata no.2
Faure – Sonata no.1
Saint-Saëns/Ysaye – Caprice d’après l’étude en forme de valse

1 hour

Buxton Festival 09
Rosie spent over ten years working in television, her director credits include The South Bank Show and Grand Designs.
Currently head of development at Heyday films she has recently co-produced The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Is There Anybody There? In her début novel The Very Thought Of You, Rosie has produced a haunting story of love, loss and complicated loyalties, as seen through the eyes of an eight-year-old evacuee. In her talk she discusses the challenges of writing a love story.

Buxton Festival 09
Freddy Kempf has become one of today’s most important young artists, performing to sell-out audiences all over the world.
Two sets of variations make an intriguing contrast in his programme, from the largest of all Baroque keyboard pieces to Rachmaninov’s last original solo piano work.

Bach – Goldberg Variations
Rachmaninov – Variations on a theme of Corelli, opus 42
Chopin – Scherzo no.4, opus 54

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A chance to see and hear versatile and award-winning performer Richard Parry in a swashbuckling voyage on the high seas – a unique musical adventure, presenting once well-loved but neglected English Songs in a vibrant and delicious dramatic setting, especially created to widen the audience for these fantastic British songs.

Buxton Festival 2009
An opera in three acts
Opera Theatre Company returns to Buxton with a powerful production of Orlando, commemorating the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death.
Conflicting passions rage as Orlando struggles to balance his desperate love for Angelica with his duty as a soldier. When he realises that she already loves Medoro, Orlando’s battle between desire and duty drives him mad.
Handel creates the finest exploration of unrequited love in opera. Orlando’s emotional turmoil is matched by the agony of Medoro’s rejected lover Dorinda. Only Zoroastro escapes the torments of love and tries to lead Orlando towards sanity.
Full of wit, drama, unstoppable melody and dizzying vocal music, Orlando is directed by Annilese Miskimmon, after her success here with Bluebeard, Poppea and Figaro.

Zoroastro – Henry Waddington, Orlando – William Towers, Dorinda – Mhairi Lawson, Angelica – Sinead Campbell, Medoro – Andrew Radley
Conductor – Christian Curnyn, Director – Annilese Miskimmon, Designer – Simon Holdsworth, Lighting designer – Tina MacHugh

Buxton Festival 09
Kate is one of the UK’s finest and best known war correspondents, a familiar voice as presenter of Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent and a firm favourite on the Buxton stage.
Her latest book Into Danger is a fearless exploration of the furthest reaches of human capability. In her talk Kate examines the motivation behind the extraordinary men and women who regularly walk ‘into danger’.

The fame of Buxton as a spa derives from its unique thermal mineral water which emerges from springs at a constant temperature of 27.5°C.
This walk, led by Ken Smith, stays in the lower town and visits the sites of all the baths, pumps and pump rooms to tell the spa story from pre-Roman to Medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern times.

Buxton Festival 09
What happens when great music falls into the hands of talented idiots? You get the world’s most musically challenged string trio – pluck!
These three hilarious musicians compete, ridicule, argue and seduce their way from Bach to the Beatles.
Since winning the prestigious Tap Water Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, these crazy characters have astonished audiences from the UK to Asia with their unique combination of comedy and superb musicianship.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Suzi, a well known TV actress and ‘celebrity’ is starring in a top pantomime. Set in the wings of a theatre we follow Suzi’s ludicrous requests and constant wittering off stage in the direction of the long suffering stage manager. For further information please go to www.planetrabbit.co.uk.

Buxton Festival 09
Lydia tells the story of Britain’s first sex therapist, Dr Graham, proprietor of the Temple of Health and Hymen. His unconventional and flamboyant approach encapsulated the spectacular and erotic Zeitgeist of the late 18th century.
Graham’s infamous Celestial Bed used electricity, magnetism, mind-altering gases and musical automata to stimulate ecstasy and conception, aiming for nothing less than the sexual sublime.

Buxton Festival 09
Sell-out hits of recent Festivals, the off-beat septet from Opera North bring their own selection of music from Stage and Screen.
Their recipe starts with opera, of course, with pieces from Strauss’ Rosenkavalier, adds a little operetta from the evergreen Merry Widow and a touch of Offenbach, and stirs in a musical centre from Jerome Kern and George Gershwin, garnished with music from Chocolat. Piazzolla’s Libertango provides the perfect bittersweet finale.

1 hour 30 mins

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
‘The Life and Times of Gus Gascoigne, Trainspotter’: with his NHS spectacles, flask and beloved anorak, this loveable geek tells the story of his life, love, locos and the joys of spotting. Genuinely funny. For further information please go to www.planetrabbit.co.uk.

Buxton Festival 2009
An opera seria in a prologue and two acts
Poison, incest and revenge drive this powerful melodrama to its tragic conclusion.
Lucrezia Borgia, infamous noblewoman of the Renaissance, has outlived three husbands and is now married to the Duke of Ferrara.
After the Borgia’s palace is defaced by vandals, Lucrezia’s thirst for vengeance and murder sets in motion a tragic chain of events that eventually destroys her enemies and herself.
Following their award-winning success with Roberto Devereux, Stephen Medcalf and Andrew Greenwood reunite an outstanding team and cast led by the sensational Mary Plazas.

Lucrezia Borgia – Mary Plazas, Alfonso – David Soar, Gennaro – John Bellemer, Orsini – Miroslava Yordanova
with Donald Maxwell, Jonathan Best, Christopher Steele, Adrian Clarke, Mark Evans, Peter van Hulle, Colin Judson

Conductor – Andrew Greenwood, Director – Stephen Medcalf, Designer – Francis O’Connor, Lighting designer – John Bishop

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
The male voice choir sound by the superb local Tideswell Male Voice Choir.

Buxton Festival 09
Nina Virdee is a leading Indian classical vocalist, the easy elasticity of her voice creating, with tabla, harmonium and tanpura support, a spellbinding effect.
It’s this voice and charming onstage presence that confirm her as a performer of true depth and gravity. And she comes by royal appointment too.
As well as extensive concerts in India and Kenya, Nina has also sung for the Queen as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Expect another regal performance this evening.

1 hour

Buxton Festival 09
Lord Ashdown has led a life packed with drama and adventure.
Royal Marine Commando, member of the Special Boat Service, diplomat, Member of Parliament, leader of his party and most recently the international community’s High Representative in war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lord Ashdown now tells the full story from his autobiography, A Fortunate Life.

Buxton Festival 2009
Led by Alan Walker, this walk explores the industrial remains of lime burning in the 18th and 19th centuries on Grin Low and the area’s special fauna and flora, leading to Solomon’s Temple, said to have been built by Solomon Mycock in the 1890s to provide work for the locally unemployed.
The site is reputed to be an early Bronze Age burial site, where crouched burials and cremated human remains were found in the late 19th century.
Sitting atop a ridge at 1440 feet above sea level, it enjoys excellent views of the town and surrounding countryside.
Stout footwear and outdoor clothing recommended.

Buxton Festival 09
David Soar – bass-baritone
Michael Pollock – piano
David Soar is in great demand in this country and abroad on both opera and concert platform.
Here, taking time out from Lucrezia Borgia, he brings us some of Schubert’s greatest songs, an insight into Mussorgsky’s very different sound world and an attractive cycle of Shakespeare texts, dealing with love and the passing of time, set by one of the finest British composers of vocal music.

1 hour

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Joyce Grenfell’s famous nursery school sketches. Six separate comedy monologues of a primary school teacher addressing a classroom of 4 year olds, written by the legendary Joyce Grenfell in 1977. For further information please go to www.planetrabbit.co.uk.

Buxton Festival 09
The radio producer, journalist and author, grew up on a hill farm in South Wales. He was raised by his mother who had fallen in love with both the mountains and sheep farming.
Horatio describes the experience in his bestseller Running for the Hills. In his latest book, A Single Swallow, he tells of a journey between Cape Town and Wales following swallows on their northbound migration.
His talk will explain how and why swallows migrate, what it is like to go with them and prompt a discussion on migration, culture and frontiers.

Buxton Festival 09
The Australian String Quartet has had a major impact on the musical life of Australia and regularly visits Europe and beyond, winning major awards in international competitions in Cremona and Osaka.
They bring music from the noted Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe and help us celebrate the anniversaries of Mendelssohn and Haydn.

Haydn – Quartet, opus 76, no. 2
Sculthorpe – Quartet no. 8
Mendelssohn – Quartet, opus 44, no.1

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival 09
Two recitals by Edward Tambling (Christ Church College, Oxford) and Simon Thomas Jacobs (Clare College, Cambridge) on the four manual Hill organ in the glorious accoustic of St John’s Church.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Suzi, a well known TV actress and ‘celebrity’ is starring in a top pantomime. Set in the wings of a theatre we follow Suzi’s ludicrous requests and constant wittering off stage in the direction of the long suffering stage manager. For further information please go to www.planetrabbit.co.uk.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A promenade production of Don Taylor’s famous play, performed where the terrible events took place – the churchyard, the village street and the stocks – and featuring members of the local community.
In 1665, Plague came to the village of Eyam. Faced with the deaths of large numbers of villagers, but aware that the Plague could spread outside the village, the rector, William Mompesson, along with his predecessor, Stanley, took the terrible decision to close the village from the outside world, until the Plague had run its course.

Buxton Festival 2009
A comic opera in three acts
Messager’s sparkling Gallic operetta concerns Hélène, a noblewoman, who disguises herself as a worker in a florist’s shop, to teach her prospective fiancé, the playboy Vicomte Florestan, a lesson.
Naturally Florestan falls for the wealthy heiress in her lowly guise as love intervenes, until, aided by disguise, a picnic and much captivating music, we arrive at the dénouement.
Messager, a conductor and director at the Opéra-Comique, the Paris Opéra and the Royal Opera House, has the theatrical flair of a true man of the theatre.
Giles Havergal and Wyn Davies lead a strong cast including Buxton favourites Helen Williams, Yvonne Howard, Donald Maxwell and Mark Stone, with the sensational Victoria Joyce making her Festival debut in the title role.

Véronique / Hélène – Victoria Joyce, Agathe – Helen Williams, Estelle / Ermerance – Yvonne Howard, Florestan – Mark Stone, Coquenard – Donald Maxwell, Loustot – Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks, Seraphin – Owen Webb
Conductor – Wyn Davies, Director – Giles Havergal, Choreographer – Tim Claydon, Designer – Leslie Travers, Lighting designer – John Bishop

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A new Musical Comedy. Gods and mortals don’t always mix, especially when it comes to affairs of the heart. Vulcan tries to twist the fate of mortal lovers, Zeus is tempted to dabble and their respective wives are none too pleased! Comic chaos from multi-Fringe award winner Martin Beard.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Music of England and Europe for voice, lute, theorbo, baroque guitar, viol, recorder, harp, and harpsichord. Including music by Purcell (350th anniversary), Handel (250th anniversary), Eustache Du Caurro (400th anniversary), and Henry VIII (500th anniversary of accession).

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
‘The Life and Times of Gus Gascoigne, Trainspotter’: with his NHS spectacles, flask and beloved anorak, this loveable geek tells the story of his life, love, locos and the joys of spotting. Genuinely funny. For further information please go to www.planetrabbit.co.uk.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Camp, colourful – full of surprises. New cabaret from GlovesOff. Blends boots, beards – and fish-nets! With a song and a swagger, Patricia Hartshorne returns with this look at ‘male’, ‘female’, and the space in between. Who wears the trousers? Does it matter – or is it all absolute pants?

Buxton Festival 09
Marina is of Ukrainian origin, was born in a refugee camp in Germany during World War II, and now lives in Sheffield. Marina’s first novel, The Short History of Tractors in the Ukraine, became a publishing phenomenon, winning a clutch of prizes and remaining in the best seller lists for 16 weeks.
Her latest novel We Are All Made of Glue takes us from bondage to bonding, from Belarus to B&Q, via Hamburg, Highbury and Palestine, in the company of a dotty old lady with seven smelly cats and a secret.

Buxton Festival 09
Susan Gritton – soprano
Iain Burnside – piano
Susan Gritton, one of the country’s leading sopranos, trained as a botanist and has always had an interest in all things Darwinian. Celebrating his bicentenary, and the seminal Origin of Species, published 150 years ago, her programme explores Darwin’s life-long voyage through ideas of nature, music, language and sex, ranging from the sublime to the satirical numbers written as a popular response to his theories.
Her programme includes songs by Handel, Schubert, Wagner, Sullivan, Finzi and Darwin’s great nephew, Vaughan Williams to texts by Milton, Goethe, Gilbert, Tennyson and Hardy.

Buxton Festival 09
Gillian is a writer of fiction for children and young adults, with over 30 books in print. Her latest novel, Scum Bag, was published this year. Gill is also a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Salford.
A former teacher, she still spends plenty of time in schools, giving talks about her writing, conducting workshops and even teaching creative writing in other languages.
The workshop, lasting two hours, is suitable for any sort of writer at any stage in their writing career.

Buxton Festival 09
3pm performance sold out – extra performance added at 5pm
James is an award winning writer and former curator of paintings, drawings and prints at the National Maritime Museum. In his latest publication The Voyage of the Beagle – Darwin’s extraordinary adventure aboard FitzRoy’s famous survey ship, James reveals a remarkable series of seafaring stories.
He shares these and more in his lively slide-talk. Find out the real reasons why Charles Darwin sailed on the voyage of HMS Beagle, and why the captain of the ship, Robert FitzRoy was really returning to South American waters.

As a taster for the evening’s opera, enjoy Mendelssohn’s most famous chamber work, the miraculous Octet, performed by two leading quartets from England and Australia.
As the Second Test of the Ashes gets underway at Lords, we can expect a good deal more harmonious approach in Buxton. Kerry’s Variations gives us an antipodean appetiser.

Mozart – Quartet no. 22, K.589
Gordon Kerry – Variations
Mendelssohn – Octet, opus 20

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival 09
3pm performance sold out – extra performance added at 5pm
James is an award winning writer and former curator of paintings, drawings and prints at the National Maritime Museum. In his latest publication The Voyage of the Beagle – Darwin’s extraordinary adventure aboard FitzRoy’s famous survey ship, James reveals a remarkable series of seafaring stories.
He shares these and more in his lively slide-talk. Find out the real reasons why Charles Darwin sailed on the voyage of HMS Beagle, and why the captain of the ship, Robert FitzRoy was really returning to South American waters.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A promenade production of Don Taylor’s famous play, performed where the terrible events took place – the churchyard, the village street and the stocks – and featuring members of the local community.
In 1665, Plague came to the village of Eyam. Faced with the deaths of large numbers of villagers, but aware that the Plague could spread outside the village, the rector, William Mompesson, along with his predecessor, Stanley, took the terrible decision to close the village from the outside world, until the Plague had run its course.

Buxton Festival 2009
A comic opera in three acts
Put a real libretto in my hands and in a few moments it will be composed, for every day I long anew to write an opera.
These are Mendelssohn’s words, yet we know him only as a composer of instrumental music and oratorios.
So we offer the rare opportunity to hear one of his six operas, Camacho’s Wedding, in concert performance.
Written just weeks before the famous Octet, the imaginative comedy explores an episode from Don Quixote, recounting the star-crossed romance of Quiteria and Basilio – their improbable schemes pay off and love triumphs against ridiculous odds.
Andrew Greenwood leads a strong team drawn from the Festival company – a true Buxton event!

Don Quixote – Donald Maxwell, Sancho Panza – Jonathan Best, Quiteria – Victoria Joyce, Basilio -Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks, Camacho – Colin Judson, Carrasco – Adrian Clarke, Lucinde – Yvonne Howard, Vivaldo – Christopher Steele
Conductor – Andrew Greenwood, Production adviser – Michael Barry

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A new Musical Comedy. Gods and mortals don’t always mix, especially when it comes to affairs of the heart. Vulcan tries to twist the fate of mortal lovers, Zeus is tempted to dabble and their respective wives are none too pleased! Comic chaos from multi-Fringe award winner Martin Beard.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Camp, colourful – full of surprises. New cabaret from GlovesOff. Blends boots, beards – and fish-nets! With a song and a swagger, Patricia Hartshorne returns with this look at ‘male’, ‘female’, and the space in between. Who wears the trousers? Does it matter – or is it all absolute pants?

Buxton Festival 09
The Orwell Prize is Britain’s pre-eminent prize for political writing.
Since 1994, it has awarded two prizes each year for the book, and the journalism which comes closest to George Orwell’s ambition ‘to make political writing into an art’.
Matthew Parris, winner of the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2005, will chair a lively debate asking what makes a good political novel, how are they different from other novels and indeed, is it even possible to write good political fiction?
Proving that the answer to the last question is ‘yes’, will be panelists Marina Lewycka, Delia Jarrett-Macauley and two further authors from this year’s short list.

Buxton Festival 09
O Duo’s repertoire spans more than 300 years – a mix of popular classics and accessible contemporary music played on a huge array of percussion including two marimbas and vibraphone.
Playing from memory, Owen and Oliver’s performances are hugely popular as they communicate with immediacy and brilliance.
Their programme includes works by Bach, Chopin and Dave Brubeck, alongside Minoru Miki’s dazzlingly virtuosic Marimba Spiritual.

1 hour

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Granny’s attic is full of old junk … or is it? On a rainy day a curious child explores it. Discovering forgotten treasures including an interesting pair of shoes her imagination is sparked and she embarks on a magical journey told through original music, movement and more.

Buxton Festival 09
The ambition of the Orwell Book Prize is to reward, celebrate and promote work which helps nurture the discussion of politics and which contributes to the quality of public life.
Past book winners have included Robert Cooper, Fergal Keane, Peter Hennessy, Raja Shehadeh and Clive James. This year’s winner (announced in April) will be in conversation with David Blunkett MP, whose wealth of political experience will ensure an insightful and thought provoking interview.

Buxton Festival 09
A truly international ensemble drawn from Canada, Wales, Australia and New Zealand, the Barbirolli Quartet was recently selected as ‘Rising Stars’ taking them to Europe’s leading concert halls from Paris to Athens.
Brahms once claimed to have written and destroyed no fewer than 20 quartets before publishing opus 51. Not surprisingly, his romantic ambitions are magnificent fulfilled, and make a fine contrast to Britten’s work, written to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of Purcell.

Haydn – Quartet, opus 77 no. 1
Britten – Quartet no. 2, opus 36
Brahms – Quartet no. 1, opus 51

1 hour 40 mins

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A chance to see and hear versatile and award-winning performer Richard Parry in a swashbuckling voyage on the high seas – a unique musical adventure, presenting once well-loved but neglected English Songs in a vibrant and delicious dramatic setting, especially created to widen the audience for these fantastic British songs.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Fly cattle-class with divas Donna Wannabe and Katherine Withakay on a titanic journey across the globe on their way to their big break in Las Vegas! A show of hits from musicals and opera presented in ways you’d be hard pressed to imagine … www.myspace.com/operalarks

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A promenade production of Don Taylor’s famous play, performed where the terrible events took place – the churchyard, the village street and the stocks – and featuring members of the local community.
In 1665, Plague came to the village of Eyam. Faced with the deaths of large numbers of villagers, but aware that the Plague could spread outside the village, the rector, William Mompesson, along with his predecessor, Stanley, took the terrible decision to close the village from the outside world, until the Plague had run its course.

Buxton Festival 2009
A chamber opera in one act with prologue
In celebration of the 75th birthday of Master of the Queen’s Music (and Psappha patron) Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the award-winning music theatre ensemble presents a major new production of his chamber opera.
Part ghost story, part psychological drama, this chilling piece has received over 100 different productions worldwide since its première in 1980.
Based on the true story of three lighthouse keepers who mysteriously disappeared from their remote, wave-washed Scottish eyrie in 1900, it builds to a thrilling climax, with the composer’s expressive and individual musical voice, interspersed with Victorian ballad and hymns, creating a gripping, theatrical evening.

Sandy – James Oxley, Blazes – Damian Thantrey, Arthur – Jonathan Best
Conductor – Etienne Siebens, Director – Elaine Tyler-Hall, Designer – Aaron Marsden, Lighting designer – Marc Rosette

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A new Musical Comedy. Gods and mortals don’t always mix, especially when it comes to affairs of the heart. Vulcan tries to twist the fate of mortal lovers, Zeus is tempted to dabble and their respective wives are none too pleased! Comic chaos from multi-Fringe award winner Martin Beard.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Singing opera, oratorios, lieder, musicals, etc.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A stand-up comedian formulates his act whilst on a ‘weekend from hell’ in the Lake District with his mother and father. With his unique, incisive humour, Godber captures the awkwardness of a family with not just a generation gap but with a class divide as well.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Camp, colourful – full of surprises. New cabaret from GlovesOff. Blends boots, beards – and fish-nets! With a song and a swagger, Patricia Hartshorne returns with this look at ‘male’, ‘female’, and the space in between. Who wears the trousers? Does it matter – or is it all absolute pants?

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A Private Word, from an unpublished story by Edwardian journalist Edwin Bennett, is a delightful Northern comedy. What does the disturbing letter really mean? A Visit from Miss Prothero, by peerless satirist Alan Bennett, draws back the curtain upon office intrigue, presentation clocks and budgerigars.

Buxton Festival 09
Bulgarian singing is powerful and expressive, with a unique style based on fiery rhythms, unusual harmonies and a vocal technique that gives power to the voice and voice to the heart.
For over 20 years the Sofia Orthodox Choir has performed a rich repertoire of Byzantine and Orthodox music, liturgies, Gregorian chants and traditional Slav song, taking them across Europe and Japan for concerts, recordings and broadcasts.

1 hour

Buxton Festival 09
Cherie Blair was born and raised in Liverpool by two strong women – her mother and grandmother – and from humble beginnings went on to become an eminent QC specialising in women’s employment and human rights.
As the first Prime Minister’s wife to have a young family and serious career, Cherie Blair has lived the past ten years of her life under the spotlight.
In her revealing autobiography, Speaking for Myself, she writes frankly about her life both inside and outside No. 10. In her interview Cherie will discuss some of the privileges and challenges of her extraordinary life.

Buxton Festival 09
From the Opera House, Slopes and Pavilion Gardens to the Devonshire Royal Campus and the ambitious plans for the Crescent and Thermal Spa, Buxton’s rich architectural heritage is enjoying a new lease of life through a programme of heritage-led regeneration.
Conservation expert Richard Tuffrey leads a walk taking in all of these projects, and more, looking at their recent and past history and some of the issues surrounding their restoration.

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
A performance of his latest poetry. A rich mixture of free verse, ballads, sonnets, haiku, and rhyming poems. Descriptive, reflective, dramatic and comic. Some containing dialect from his latest publication, Words of the White Peak. His sixth consecutive year at the Buxton Fringe. Infectious, but not fatal!

Buxton Festival 09
With Helen Williams, Yvonne Howard, Donald Maxwell and Andrew Greenwood providing welcome relief.
It has amazed many, including the players, that Festival audiences have supported no fewer than 10 years of A Good Reed? So, taking affairs with their usual gravitas, they present here a ‘retrospective’ of their finest, well certainly their lowest, moments as they again plumb the depths of the woodwind section and breathe life into the bassoon and its lugubrious partner in crime, the contrabassoon. Not to be missed!

1 hour

Buxton Festival Fringe 09
Fly cattle-class with divas Donna Wannabe and Katherine Withakay on a titanic journey across the globe on their way to their big break in Las Vegas! A show of hits from musicals and opera presented in ways you’d be hard pressed to imagine … www.myspace.com/operalarks