Press Release - 20th January, 2006
Spring 2006 CONCERTS
2006 is the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth and to celebrate this prestigious event the Westbourne Orchestra has decided to include Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23 in the first series of the year to take place in March. The soloist is to be Queen’s award winning Japanese pianist Hiroaki Takenouchi
St Peter and St Paul Church
Ringwood |
Saturday 25th March – 7.30 pm |
Proceeds from this concert are to go to host church funds |
St. Ambrose Church,
West Cliff Road , Westbourne |
Friday 31st March – 7.30 pm |
Proceeds, after expenses, are in aid of the
Hahnemann House & Herbert Hospital League of Friends |
St Thomas Church
Ensbury Park |
Saturday 1st April – 7.30 pm |
Proceeds from are to go to the Boo Charity – deprived children of Kenya
(see – www.boo-charity.org). |
Other music to be included in all three concerts will be: -
Capriccio espagnol |
Rimsky – Korsakov |
Symphony No.5 in E minor |
Tchaikovsky |
Admission is by Programme List obtainable at the door at £5
or (£4 concession for students and senior citizens).
Accompanied children free
Souvenir programme also available price £1
The orchestra welcomes new players Details from Chairman - Tel: 01202 551360
Visit the WOS web site www.westbourne-orchestra.co.uk
About the soloist Hiroaki Takenouchi
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“… awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl by the Royal College of Music for his outstanding musical achievements”
In May 2005, HRH The Prince of Wales presented the Japanese-born pianist, Hiroaki Takenouchi with the Royal College of Music’s highest award, The Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl for his “outstanding musical achievements”. In 2004, he participated in the Mozarteum Sommerakademie in Salzburg, Austria, where he attended the class of Frank Wibaut. He received an award for his remarkable performance and an invitation to play in a concert at the Salzburg Festival.
He also made his South Bank Centre début with a solo recital supported by the Park Lane Group, and gave another début recital at the 2004 Cheltenham Music Festival. In March 2005, he played two recitals at Steinway Hall in London and at the Sala Maffeiana in Verona. Hiroaki gave a Fresh Series recital at Purcell Room on the 24th of November 2005 to great acclaim. |
Since coming to London, Hiroaki has studied piano with Yonty Solomon and Andrew Ball, composition with Edwin Roxburgh and fortepiano with David Ward at the Royal College of Music. During this time, he has appeared on numerous concert platforms including the Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Fairfield Halls, Bristol Queen Elizabeth Hall and Steinway Halls in London and Tokyo.
More recently his performances have taken him to Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Portugal, and throughout England. He has performed with a number of Orchestras, such as the Eastbourne Symphony (having won its 2001 Soloist Competition), the Tonbridge Philharmonic, the Aldworth Philharmonic, the Richmond, and the RCM Symphony (for a BBC Radio 3 broadcast). He also returns to Japan to give many performances each year.
He is also an active chamber musician and regularly collaborates with fellow musicians in a wide range of repertoire.
Hiroaki is grateful to Martin Musical Scholarship Trust, Myra Hess Trust, Tillett Trust, The Wall Trust, and the RCM for their generous support.
His CD recording of Jeremy Dale Roberts’ Oggetti- Ommagio a Morandi has recently been released. He is also booked to complete several new recording projects within the next season.
“Takenouchi is just the sort of champion the newest of new music needs: I’ll be eager to hear him again.” – The Times
“Precision of detail and fidelity to the text, mesmerizing to say the least” – L’Arena, Verona |
Charity set up in memory of Boo
A CHARITY to help disadvantaged children in Kenya has been set up in memory of Sarah Hicks. Sarah, who grew up in Wroughton, died from breast cancer in September 2002aged 36 but her friends and family say her spirit lives on. After the illness was diagnosed in 1998, Sarah who was nicknamed Boo travelled to Mexico and Nairobi seeking alternative treatments.
But, as was typical of her selfless attitude, she soon forgot about her own battle when she witnessed first hand the poverty African children face on a daily basis. Her husband Russell, who lives in Dorset, said: "Boo was well known and loved by many, and her spirit is being kept alive in many ways. One wish that she left was to help the children of Africa.
Boo Charity was created and her spirit lives on in a way which reflects her passion for others and complete selflessness." Russell, who met Boo just six weeks before she was diagnosed with cancer, said: "It was a huge shock to us all. We had hit it off so there was no way cancer would separate us."
Boo underwent a full mastectomy and reconstructive surgery at the Ridgeway Hospital, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In some ways the experience of being around such poverty in Africa helped Boo and myself cope," he said. "However you look at the situation we are lucky.
Boo commented on many occasions ‘at least I have had a good life whereas these people are lucky to live beyond 12 years old.”
Just when we thought we had a tough battle we witnessed poverty and deprivation, which was unnecessarily imposed on the youngest and most fragile human beings. Gangsters held us at gunpoint in Nairobi. They raided the clinic we were in and held all the staff and us hostage, until they left with our hire car. These experiences helped me through and I know they helped Boo, too."
A friend of Russell's studying at Bournemouth University suggested doing the MBA entrepreneurial project on setting up the charity. With the support of Business University the charity was established with the team involved winning prestigious business awards the prize money of £3600 was donated to the charity. Russell said: "The studies uncovered that many mainstream charities spend at least 50p in every £1 on administration. Our aim is to run at less than five per cent by payroll giving schemes."
Russell hopes to raise £50,000 each year, which will pay for 350 children to attend boarding school for a year. For more information call Russell on 01425 617511 or visit www.boo-charity.org
League of Friends of Hahnemann House and Herbert Hospital
Aims to provide excellent services for children and adults with Mental Health problems or Learning Disabilities. We are an Organisation that involves and listens to people and welcomes change and innovation. We will strive to respond to individual needs, respect dignity and involve Carers.
The League of Friends is a small group of sympathetic and selfless people who raise funds to provide supplementary care for patients such as short outings and possibly the occasional meal out to improve their lives and relieve the boredom of a long hospital stay.
The Westbourne Orchestral Society is greatly indebted to the officials and the p.c.c of St Ambrose Church and St Thomas’ Church for permitting their churches to be used as a concert venue to support the activities of these two worthy charities.
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