Celebrating Age Collaboration

As news of the coronavirus and its implications swept across the country, many events and concerts were forced to make hasty closures or last-minute decisions as to whether to continue.

Thanks to the determination of Rebecca Seymour at Wiltshire Music Centre, and the talent and enthusiasm of musicians Julie Payne and Nicola Woodward, we were able to make our 'Music and Stories' event happen, despite a lack of audience.

Due to take place on Wednesday 18th March at Trowbridge Library, this was our second Wiltshire Rural Music collaboration with the Celebrating Age Wiltshire project, run by the Music Centre. Conceived as an event for older people to get together and enjoy stories, theatre, music and poetry, Celebrating Age is now into its second year and has been a huge success.

Luckily, the WMC had one free morning in the main theatre, including free use of its gorgeous Steinway piano, and they were able to film the entire event, to be put online very soon. Julie Payne (oboe and piano) and Nicola Woodward (flute, piccolo and piano) played everything from Faure to Vivaldi, Bach to Mozart, taking the viewer all a music journey across the globe. WRM Creative Director Gavin Osborn read the poetry and told a short-story, all to an entirely empty audience on a beautiful well-lit stage.

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Hopefully many more people will now get to experience this performance, as soon as it becomes available to stream online. We will post the link to that very shortly.

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Many thanks to Rebecca Seymour and the musicians for their time, expertise and talent. We look forward to working together again soon.

Watch the performance in full below: