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"Fantastic place - great atmosphere"
Roberta Inness
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Sun 8 June 7pm (6pm reception)
Champagne and Strawberries Summer Bradenstoke concert with Emma Kirkby
‘Honey from the Hive’ with the world-renowned soprano, Emma Kirkby and lute-player Anthony Rooley promises a beautiful, champagne-fizzed summer evening of songs, airs and dances from the Elizabethan Royal Court by John Dowland.
No two performers have done more to bring alive the music of the Elizabethan Period. Emma Kirkby paints vivid musical pictures alongside Anthony Rooley's skillful technique.
Following last year’s sold-out Bradenstoke concert with John Williams, Emma Kirkby invites you to join her in the stunning surrounds and hall of St Donats Castle, for this summer’s concert that is now a highlight in the Vale’s summer calendar. For Emma, the music continues to fascinate, "it speaks of anguish, delight and ineffable beauty, allowing the singer freedom to embody thoughts and emotions which listeners have recognized and shared ever since!”
Emma Kirkby is one the world's most renowned early music specialists. In 1999 she was voted Artist of the Year by Classic FM Radio and in 2000 she received the Order of the British Empire. In 2007, BBC Music Magazine placed her amongst “The 20 greatest sopranos” ever whilst she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Supported by the Mousetrap Settlement Trust
Tickets £20, £19 concession (includes champagne and strawberries reception)
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Tues 17 June 3pm
Cafe Concert
with an ensemble of highly talented musicians of tomorrow from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
These hugely popular matinee concerts go from strength to strength as more and more of you are joining us for lovely afternoons with your friends in the relaxed music café atmosphere of the beautiful Glassroom (and occasionally in the theatre when we are bursting at the seams!)
It’s easy to see why – concerts of classical, jazz and popular favourites, free tea and cake and stunning coastal views!
Tickets: £4.00 includes tea and cake (St Donats Arts Centre Angels 10% off)
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Tues 8 July 9.45am - 2.15pm
Film Education Day
Introducing Shakespeare with the BBC Shakespeare series: The Animated Tales.
Film Study Day KS2
This introduction to Shakespeare features the award-winning BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales of Romeo and Juliet and Julius Ceasar.
The study day includes a screening of two of the films from the series. A workshop then contextualizes Shakespeare’s life in Elizabethan England and assists in developing the students’ understanding of setting and characterisation by introducing Shakespeare’s plays, his words and their influence on the English language.
Places are limited to 60 spaces. Please bring packed lunches.
Tickets £3.50 per student, teachers free
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Tues 15 July 3pm
Cafe Concert with Rory Russell
These hugely popular matinee concerts go from strength to strength as more and more of you are joining us for lovely afternoons with your friends in the relaxed music café atmosphere of the beautiful Glassroom (and occasionally in the theatre when we are bursting at the seams!)
It’s easy to see why – concerts of classical, jazz and popular favourites, free tea and cake and stunning coastal views!
Rory (an Atlantic College graduate) graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with a 1st in 2007. Having won numerous competitions including the John Fussell Trust Fund Competition at the Swansea Festival, Rory has established himself as a leading young classical guitarist and chamber musician.
“Rory Russell is a name to remember.” Classical Guitar Magazine
Tickets: £4.00 includes tea and cake (St Donats Arts Centre Angels 10% off)
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Sun 24, Mon 25 August at 6.30pm
Shakespeare’s Globe Touring presents
The Winter’s Tale
St Donat’s Arts Centre is thrilled to welcome Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, with its unique style of open-air performance to Wales for the very first time.
These exclusive performances will be staged on the beautiful Renaissance lawns set against the gloriously dramatic backdrop of St Donats Castle that sits majestically overlooking the sea.
Part family drama, part fairytale, Globe director John Dove breathes passionate life into Shakespeare’s magical story of jealousy, love and redemption after his hit production of the play in 2005.
The lawns will be open beforehand so pack your sun cream and enjoy a pre-performance picnic while live musicians play music from Shakespeare’s time – a perfect summer outing and a definite date for your summer calendar.
Shakespeare's Globe is one of the most prestigious arts organisations in the uk. It was founded by the pioneering American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker who was disappointed not to find a memorial to one of the world’s greatest playwrights on the site of the original Globe.
Last year, the company staged its first ever open-air tour to resounding applause and St Donats Arts Centre is proud to bring the ineffable Globe spirit to Wales for the first time as part of its national and European tour. Be sure to book early – tickets will sell-out!
Supported by the Mousetrap Settlement Trust
Tickets £15 concessions £14
“fast-paced, stripped-back, engaging … terrific company spirit … charm and humour …lovely” The Independent
“Bold and clever” The Sunday Herald
Tours on the Bank Holiday Monday are part of St Donats Castle Open Day – call (01446) 799000.
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12,13,14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25 Aug 2.30pm, 3.30pm
(plus extra tour on 25 Aug at 1.30pm)
Guided tours of St Donats Castle and Renaissance Gardens
Fancy taking a peek inside one of the oldest continually-inhabited castles visited by Celtic Kings, Romans, Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and John F Kennedy?
Once a year only, St Donats Castle opens all its doors to the public – and what a sight beholds the visitor! Antique ceilings, facades, a moat and portcullis, dungeons – in short over 800 years of history and the remains of an ancient lineage lying in medieval tombs in a tiny stone church.
The story of this castle and gardens is rich and colourful indeed - from ghosts wailing on stormy nights, executed pirates, an incanting witch called Mallt-y-Nos, Edward and Mrs Simpson and more recently the story of fantastic riches and Hollywood romance when the castle was bought by a man who loved it – the American millionaire, William Randolph Hearst.
Tours begin and end at the St Donats Arts Centre’s café, which will be open for tea and cakes.
Tickets: £4.50 (adults) £2.50 (children)
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Sat 27 September 7.30pm
The unique Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Michael Palin calls them "The Best of British"; The Independent describes them as simply "the best musical entertainment in the country; HRH Princess Anne and Sir Paul McCartney are huge fans – these black tie dressed, perfectly polished musicians command the stage with their musical absurdity, tongue-in-cheek audience banter, merciless puns, wry humour and astonishing musical virtuosity.
With regularly sold-out shows and 10 albums, they are seen and heard across the globe. They have become Britain’s most popular cult ensemble with an enormous number of TV and radio appearances including:
ITV’s This Morning, Radio 4’s Loose Ends, Front Row and Start the Week, Radio 3’s In Tune, Never Mind The Buzzcock’s Christmas Special, Jools Holland's Hootenanny as well as performances at The Royal Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, The Barbican, the BBC Electric Proms, Ronnie Scots, Edinburgh Castle, Olympia and tours of USA, Sweden, Germany and Japan.
Kill for a ticket!
"Most people have to die before they become immortal. These ukulele superstars have no such worries." New Musical Express
"Iconoclastic. Unabashed genre crashing antics. Nothing is spoof proof" Sunday Times
“absolute mastery of strum, pluck and twang ensured the sheer joy and beauty of the music was never lost in the comedy” The Independent
This concert will be performed in Bradenstoke Hall in St Donats Castle.
Tickets £20 (£19 concessions)
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Sat 6 – Fri 12 September
Vale of Glamorgan Festival of Music 2008
The Vale of Glamorgan Festival, the annual celebration of the work of living composers, takes place in stunning venues in and around the Vale. This year's focus is Polish music, in particular the work of Henryk Górecki, the internationally acclaimed Pole who celebrates his 75th birthday this year. Events include beautifully atmospheric programmes by the Silesian String Quartet and the Polish Radio Choir, and performances in our own Bradenstoke Hall on Sunday 7 and Friday 12 September.
For full details of this year's programme: www.valeofglamorganfestival.org or the Festival Office on 01550 721565.
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Sat 4 October 8pm
Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle
Iconic artist Jacqui McShee’s beautiful crystal-clear vocals set the standard for female British folk and the band was legendary on the folk-rock scene with virtuoso guitarists John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox.
Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle features saxophonist Jerry Underwood, guitarist Alan Thompson, percussionist Conway and Spencer Cozens on keyboards. The first album, About Thyme featured Ralph McTell, Albert Lee, Mike Mainieri and John Martyn. It reached the top of fROOTS British folk chart and the new line-up continues to receive fantastic reviews:
"McShee's new group pulls off non-traditional arrangements with grace and style" Dirty Linen
"McShee used to sound so fragile you feared she'd break - now she has an earthiness in her voice that gives her performance much more passion." fROOTS
Tickets £18, £16
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Sat 8 November 7.30pm
Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes
Show of Hands are one of the strongest current forces in acoustic music and England’s most popular roots duo.
They’ve sold-out the Royal Albert Hall, been nominated for Best Duo and Best Original Song at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, headlined festivals from Glastonbury to Cambridge and been invited to support Peter Gabriel at the Eden Project.
An alchemist couldn’t have come up with a more potent, magical mix than that of Phil Beer, who can “play nearly every stringed instrument known to man” (The Scotsman) and the inspired Steve Knightley, described by Mike Harding at BBC Radio 2’s 2007 Folk Awards as “one of England’s greatest singer songwriters”.
“One of the great English bands” Peter Gabriel
“A great live band - catch them if you can.” Johnnie Walker, BBC Radio 2
“Wonderful music” Jools Holland
Tickets £17, £16
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