Bristol Ensemble

Imogen - Short Film Premiere
2024-05-19 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | The Cube Multiplex, Dove Street South [off top-left of King Square], Bristol, BS2 8JD
Kevin Figes presents Imogen, a folk-horror short film premiere, plus Q&A session, live music and other shorts.
Directed Kevin Figes, 2023, UK, English, 30mins, Cert: 18 (TBA). Soundtrack recorded by the Bristol Ensemble.
Set in the 1970s, the storyline revolves around Imogen, a traveler returning home to see her mother, who discovers her uncle waiting for her instead. As the plot unfolds, Imogen begins to encounter peculiar events within the house, whilst having a strange encounter with the green man in the woods… Is she dreaming?
Director Kevin Figes is best known in the music world as an improvising sax/flute player and composer. His music has attracted the comments ‘A kaleidoscopic blizzard’ (Jazzwise) and ‘A true original at work’ (sussex jazz). Now Figes turns his attention to his other great love, folk horror and giallo films of the 1970’s. The original soundtrack music is beautifully recorded and played by many of Bristol’s finest musicians. Plus a Q&A session with Figes, lead actor Francesca Way and cinematographer/editor Gaz Williams. Plus live improvised music by special mystery guest stars! Plus other experimental short films and music promos. Presented in loving memory of Jon Beedell.
Tickets £5. Doors open at 6pm, film and performances at 7pm.

Preludes Music 15th Anniversary Concert
2024-05-23 12:30 - 14:10 | St Mary Redcliffe Church, Colston Parade, BS1 6RA
A concert performed by children from all over the city who are part of Bristol Ensemble’s award-winning Preludes Music project, together with professional singers from The Fitzhardinge Consort. The audience will include friends and families of the children, and supporters and funders of the project, including the Lord Mayor and High Sheriff, Richard Pendlebury.

Gavin Bryars Double Bill: Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet
2024-05-24 19:00 - 20:00 | 1904 Arts Club, The Red Lodge, Park Row, Bristol, BS1 5LJ, United Kingdom
Bristol Ensemble performs The Sinking of the Titanic by British minimalist composer Gavin Bryars. The work was inspired by the story that the band on the RMS Titanic continued to perform as the ship sank in 1912 and imagines how the music performed by the band would reverberate through the water some time after they ceased performing. Composed between 1969 and 1972, the work is now considered one of the classics of British classical experimental music.
It was first recorded in 1975 when it became the first release on Brian Eno’s Obscure Records. The programme includes Bryars’ arrangement of the religious song Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet which he heard in London in 1971 whilst working on a film about people living rough in the area around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo Station. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song – sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads – and one, who in fact did not drink, sang the song Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.
The programme includes the world premiere of Marcus Davidson’s Felefantasi, a work inspired by the Norwegian Fele, the way it’s played (technique wise) and the music written for it.
Tickets £20 for adults, £15 for students in full time education and under 25 year olds are available online.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Candlelight
2024-05-25 19:30 - 21:30 | Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1JZ, United Kingdom
Roger Huckle – director / violin soloist
Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Ludovico Einaudi Primavera, Petricor, Devenire, I Giorni
Max Richter On the Nature of Daylight
Astor Piazzolla Summer.
The evocative and atmospheric nature-inspired music of Einaudi and Vaughan Williams come together in this stunning Spring concert. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is one of the best-loved pieces of classical music, managing to capture the character of the Italian countryside through a year as the landscape and nature changes with the seasons.
The natural world is also beautifully depicted by the works of Ludovico Einaudi as he takes us through Spring, the evocative Petricor (smell of rain), and I Giorni – ‘In the Days, Our Life’. Max Richter’s hauntingly beautiful On the Nature of Daylight and Astor Piazzolla’s pulsating tango Summer conclude a fascinating emotional and uplifting programme of music.
The Blakehay Theatre will be transformed with 300 candles adorning the stage.
Tickets £20 available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk

Preludes Music
2024-06-04 08:00 - 15:00, 2024-07-02 08:00 - 2025-07-02 15:00, 2024-09-03 08:00 - 2025-09-03 15:00
Preludes Music, the education arm of the Bristol Ensemble, continues its work in areas of Bristol that are experiencing high levels of economic disadvantage and aims to put music at the heart of every child’s education. By doing so we improve confidence, co-ordination, speech and language and benefit all other areas of their learning.
Preludes Music has been running successfully since 2009 in several schools areas of Bristol. It is the most extensive project of its type in the country and grew from discussions between Roger Huckle of the Bristol Ensemble, Professor Leslie Bunt of the University of the West of England and James Wetz a former Head Teacher.
Find out more at www.bristolensemble.com/preludes

Handel by Candlelight
2024-06-05 19:30 - 21:30 | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
Bristol Ensemble
Fitzhardinge Consort
Arrival of Queen of Sheba
Selected movements from Music for the Royal Fireworks
Three movements from Messiah
Zadok the Priest
Dixit Dominus
Bristol Ensemble teams up with Fitzhardinge Consort for a special celebration of Handel’s choral music in the gorgeous candlelit ambience of St George’s.
Tickets £10 to £27, available online, by phone on 0117 929 4929, and over the counter at St George’s Bristol.

Henleaze Concert Society: Music for a Blue Planet
2024-06-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Trinity-Henleaze URC, Waterford Road, Bristol, BS9 4BT, United Kingdom
Schubert Trout Quintet
George Fenton Music from the BBC Blue Planet TV series: Main Theme; Blue Whale; Frozen Oceans; Sardine Run; Coral Wonders; Surfing Snails
In collaboration with the Festival of Nature, the Bristol Ensemble takes you on a breathtaking musical exploration of our beautiful planet with music from the BBC series Blue Planet by George Fenton together with Schubert’s enduringly popular Trout Quintet. Written by the young composer at just 22 years of age, it has a freshness and serenity that has engaged players and audiences for nearly 200 years.
Pre-concert talk with Steve Clarke begins at 6.45pm. Doors open at 6.15pm for the talk and at 7.15pm for the concert only.
Individual concert prices
Tickets for Henleaze Concert Society members £15
Tickets for non members £18
Under 25 year olds £5
The ticket price includes a programme and interval drink.
How to book
Book tickets online now at Eventbrite
Tickets are available from Henleaze Post Office.
You can also book by sending a cheque payable to Henleaze Concert Society, covering note and SAE to 2 Saville Mews, Kingsdown Parade, Bristol BS6 5UL
Tickets are available on the door from 6.15pm.
Season Tickets and Annual Society Membership
Season tickets are only £85 including Society Membership and admission to all six concerts from September to July. Alternatively, becoming a member of Henleaze Concert Society for £12 entitles you to book tickets for individual concerts at the members’ discounted rate. Season tickets and membership are available to buy by post by returning the Ticket Order Form with your payment and a stamped addressed envelope.

Tea-Time Concert
2024-06-09 15:00 - 16:00 | Christ Church, Newmarket Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0DQ, United Kingdom
Schubert Trout Quintet
The Bristol Ensemble performs Schubert’s enduringly popular Trout Quintet. Written by the young composer at just 22 years of age, it has a freshness and serenity that has engaged players and audiences for nearly 200 years.
Tea and home made cakes served at 4pm.
Tickets £15 (£13 for those on low incomes), available online from Eventbrite or on the door. Under 18s free of charge.

School concerts
2024-06-13, 2024-06-18, 2024-06-19, 2024-07-01
Bristol Ensemble performs in local schools in Bristol and Swindon, bringing the magic of live music into young people’s lives

Concert at Bishopsmead Lodge care home
2024-06-25 14:30 - 15:30 | Bishopmead Lodge care home, Vicarage Road, Bishopsworth, Bristol, BS13 8ES
A concert for the residents of Bishopmead Lodge care home given by the professional musicians of the Bristol Ensemble.

Bristol Choral Society: Hymnus Paradisi
2024-06-29 19:30 - 21:30 | Bristol Beacon, Trenchard Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR, United Kingdom
Vaughan Williams Serenade for Music
Finzi Dies Natalis
Howells Hymnus Paradisi
Bristol Choral Society
Hannover Oratorienchor
Hilary Campbell conductor
Tickets £15 to £30 for adults, £5 for under 18s, available from Bristol Beacon box office

MiniBeats - Wonderful Woodwind!
2024-06-30 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-06-30 12:30 - 13:30 | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
Join Presenter Laura Tanner and our fantastic MiniBeats players for a fun and interactive introduction to the wind family of instruments, and to some of the wonderful music written and arranged for flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon!
Presented by St George’s Bristol in association with Bristol Ensemble
Tickets £8 (children and adults); 4-for-3 family ticket available. Book online at www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/whats-on/minibeats-wonderful-woodwind, by phone on 0117 929 4929 or over the counter at St George’s Bristol.
10.30am show – concert most suitable for under 5s
12.30pm show – concert most suitable for 4 – 8 year olds
Ages are guidelines only; both concerts are relaxed performances where everyone is welcome!
A BSL Interpreter will be signing at both performances
Event takes place on the floor of the auditorium with limited tickets available.
Running time: 45 minutes
Also join us on the same day for MiniMakers sessions in the Glass Studio – join Robyn after the MiniBeats show to get creative and let your imagination run wild!
MiniMakers times: 11.30am – 12.30pm; 1.30pm – 2.30pm
FREE to MiniBeats ticket holders

Lesley Garrett and Bristol Ensemble – Live in the Meadows
2024-07-06 19:00 - 22:30 | The Meadows, Iron Acton, Park Street, Iron Acton, United Kingdom
Lesley Garrett CBE – the UK’s best known soprano performs live with the Bristol Ensemble in the delightful setting of Iron Acton meadows in aid of Action Aid.
Advance bookings only – no tickets will be available on the gate. Please note all tickets are subject to a non-refundable booking fee (£2.50 adults, £1.00 children, no fee for infant tickets).
Gates open from 6pm. Performance starts at 7pm and finishes with fireworks at 10.30pm.
All Acton Aid events are organised and run by volunteers. All surplus money generated is used by Acton Aid CIC for charitable purposes. The organisers will also be collecting for The Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity – The Grand Appeal.

If Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor
2024-08-23 19:00 - 21:45, 2024-08-27 19:00 - 21:45, 2024-08-29 19:00 - 21:45, 2024-08-31 19:00 - 21:45 | Belcombe Court, Belcombe Road, Bradford-on-Avon, BA15 1LZ, United Kingdom
Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor
Director Thomas Guthrie
Conductor Oliver Gooch
Designer Ruth Paton
With the Bristol Ensemble and If Opera chorus
Orchestral reduction supplied by Pocket Publications
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor
First performed 26th September 1835 at Teatro di San Carlo, Naples
Madly in love…
One of the most revered of 19th century operas, Lucia di Lammermoor follows the fortunes of Lucia (Lucy Ashton) sister of the Lord of Lammermoor, and the enmity they have for the Ravenswood family. Lucia is in love with Edgardo of the Ravenswoods, but her brother Enrico, has other plans for her matrimony.
The opera is a gothic thriller, complete with ghostly apparitions, duels and acts of revenge. But it has become most famous for the elongated, so-called ‘mad scene’ in which Lucia, having murdered her imposed husband Arturo, embarks on one of the most challenging and thrilling arias in the entire repertoire, ‘Il dolce suono’.
To project the power of this opera and Donizetti’s beautiful music to full advantage, we have reconfigured the seating so that the audience surrounds the stage and the opera is directed as an ‘in the round’ performance. This creates real proximity with the performance and an immersive experience for this most thrilling of dramas, particularly for the front row seats surrounding the stage.
With a stellar cast directed by Thomas Guthrie, an innovative and award-winning British director, and conducted by Oliver Gooch, Lucia di Lammermoor is the magnificent centrepiece of the If Opera 2024 season.
Tickets
£20.00 – £115.00 Members
£20.00 – £120.00 Non-members
Tickets on sale now at Bath Box Office online or by phone on 01225 463 362
Children aged 12+ are welcome & under 18s go free (limited availability, please enquire at Bath Box Office)
No dogs are permitted, except for assistance dogs

If Opera: Die Fledermaus
2024-08-24 19:00 - 21:45, 2024-08-28 19:00 - 21:45, 2024-08-30 19:00 - 21:15 | Belcombe Court, Belcombe Road, Bradford-on-Avon, BA15 1LZ, United Kingdom
Johann Strauss II Die Fledermaus
Libretto by Richard Genée and Karl Haffner
Conductor Thomas Blunt
Director/Narrator Simon Butteriss
With the Bristol Ensemble and If Opera chorus
Orchestral reduction supplied by Pocket Publications
Sung in English with surtitles
First performed 5th April 1874 at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna
A farcical story fizzing with disguises…
In the repertoire of opera houses throughout Europe, certain operettas have lost none of their sparkle. Chief among them is Johann Strauss’s effervescent Die Fledermaus, with its seemingly endless parade of gorgeous melodies and stirring waltzes. The opera is a whirlwind of romantic ruses, false identities, practical jokes, infidelities, confusions and Champagne.
This is a Fledermaus with a difference. In this specially staged and costumed performance, comic genius Simon Butteriss replaces the operetta’s original spoken dialogue with a racy and pacy narration that follows every twist and turn of this ludicrous tale. Witty, clever and with knowing nods to the present day, it is delivered with Butteriss’ customary flamboyance and panache. This unique presentation is “in short, the perfect blend of Viennese Schlagobers and English salt” (The Times) and not to be missed!
Tickets
£20.00 – £95.00 Members
£20.00 – £100.00 Non-members
Tickets on sale now at Bath Box Office online or by phone on 01225 463 362
Children aged 7+ are welcome & under 18’s go free (limited availability, please enquire at Bath Box Office)
No dogs are permitted, except for assistance dogs

If Opera: Little Red Riding Hood
2024-08-25 14:00 - 14:45, 2024-08-25 16:30 - 17:15 | Belcombe Court, Belcombe Road, Bradford-on-Avon, BA15 1LZ, United Kingdom
Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood
Music by Paul Patterson
Text adapted from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes by Donald Sturrock
Wolves aren’t always as clever as they think they are…
Little Red Riding Hood, from Roald Dahl’s wicked Revolting Rhymes, is brought to life in this sparkling musical adaptation by composer Paul Patterson. Join the Bristol Ensemble’s wind quintet and piano on a magical narrated journey through the Enchanted Forest with our heroine, Little Red Riding Hood, and one slightly dim wolf, whose dastardly deeds are thwarted at every turn by a cast of quirky characters.
Although ideal for 4- to 11-year-olds, it is also a sharply funny and inspiring treat for adults too. Soprano and vocal animateur Lynsey Docherty narrates this hilarious twist on the fairy-tale classic. It’s a short burst of pure magic that never fails to entertain, and a wonderful way to introduce budding musicians to the instruments of the orchestra.
Bring a picnic to enjoy before the show, treat yourself to an ice cream from Garbanzo’s and go on your own fairy tale adventure as you explore the secret pathways, hidden grotto and landscaped lawns of Belcombe Court’s glorious gardens, which are rarely open to the public.
There will be two performances of Little Red Riding Hood, the second will be BSL interpreted and a relaxed performance.
At this performance, we welcome people who will benefit from a more relaxed theatre environment, including those with hearing impairments who require British Sign Language interpretation.
Tickets
£11 – £19
Tickets available from Bath Box Office online or by phone on 01225 463 362.
Sunday 25 August
Performance 1:
12.45pm Gardens open for picnics and exploring
2pm Performance starts
Performance 2 (BSL interpreted and relaxed performance):
3.15pm Gardens open for picnics and exploring
4.30pm Performance starts
Approximate running time: 45 minutes
Most suitable for ages 4-11 years old
Children under 3 go free when sharing a seat
No dogs are permitted, except for assistance dogs

Vivaldi Four Seasons by candlelight
2024-09-13 19:30 - 22:00 | St John’s Church, Church Street, Frome, BA11 1PL
Vivaldi String Concerto in A
Bach Air on the G String
Pachelbel Canon
Boccherini Musica Notturna delle Strade di Madrid
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Come and join us in the beautiful St John’s Church, Frome to enjoy a wonderful evening of baroque music in the atmospheric setting of a candlelit church. Principals from the Bristol Ensemble, Bristol’s own professional ensemble, will perform some of our most loved baroque gems, culminating in the magnificent Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
Ticket includes a glass of wine and a taste of cheese in the interval.

Vivaldi Four Seasons by candlelight
2024-09-25 19:30 - 22:00 | St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Hele Lane, South Petherton, TA13 5DQ
Vivaldi String Concerto in A
Bach Air on the G String
Pachelbel Canon
Boccherini Musica Notturna delle Strade di Madrid
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Come and join us in the beautiful St Peter & St Paul’s church in South Petherton to enjoy a wonderful evening of baroque music. Principals from the Bristol Ensemble, Bristol’s own professional ensemble, will perform some of our most loved baroque gems, culminating in the magnificent ‘Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi.
Proudly presented by the Benefice of South Petherton and Breathe Music.
Ticket includes a glass of wine and a taste of cheese in the interval, generously sponsored by The Bloom Wine Company and A&J Winter Family Butchers.
There will be a paid bar available before the concert.
Doors open at 6:45 pm.
Please let us know if you have special access requirements, a guide dog or if you will be accompanied by a carer.
Tickets £15 to £30, available online from Breathe Music.
