ANOTHER packed week of events in the Bromsgrove Festival lies ahead with 14 shows and other events taking place between this Monday and next Sunday.
From Monday to July 29, there will be an exhibition entitled ‘Nature in Art’ by Lyn Sharp at Bromsgrove Library. It features a mix of pieces, including nature and animals, created in mixed media, watercolour and pastels. It is free to view during library opening times.
Also on Monday, UK Clog meets US Appalachian Step as Step on Board Dancers and Nancy Butterfly present a fine display of both styles at The Bowling Green Inn, Shaw Lane, Stoke Prior. This is free, it starts at 8pm and for more, search for ‘Step on Board Appalachian’ on Facebook, visit www.nancybutterfly.co.uk or call 0121 476 5938.
On Wednesday, July 5, Mendelssohn’s Octet will take centre stage in the latest in the Festive Classics series. Sinfonia Friends (from the Sinfonia of Birmingham) will play the brilliant Octet written by the composer when he was just 16. It takes place at midday at Avoncroft Museum’s Guesten Hall with lunch afterwards at 1pm. Tickets, including lunch and a glass of wine, are £16. They must be booked 48 hours in advance, online at www.bromsgrovefestival.co.uk or by calling 01527 874136. Concert only tickets are £8.50 on the door. Visit www.festiveclassics.co.uk for more on the series.
On Thursday, July 6, there will be an illustrated talk on Lord Austin and Longbridge at 7pm at St Chad’s Church in Rubery. It tells the story of Herbert Austin from his obscure beginnings in Buckinghamshire to becoming a leading motoring manufacturer in the 1930s. It also traces Longbridge’s wartime history. Tickets, at £3, are available online at www.bromsgrovefestival.co.uk or call 01905 822722 for more information.
At 7.30pm next Friday, July 7, Fi Glover will give a talk entitled An Evening with the Listening Project. The WORDS Extra event takes place with the award-winning radio and TV broadcaster at Artrix’s Studio. Tickets are £15 (£7.50 students). They are available at www.artrix.co.uk or by calling 01527 577330.
Also next Friday, at 7.30pm in the main auditorium at Artrix, Barry Cryer and Colin Sell will be entertaining their audience with songs, jokes and the amazing realisation that they are still here. Tickets are £22.50 and are also available from the Artrix website (above) or from the box office.
Next Saturday and Sunday, July 8 and 9, Avoncroft Arts Society will hold its annual exhibition. It is available to view between 10am and 4pm on both days and will feature paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, textiles, sugar crafts and photographs created by members of the society and its tutors. It is being held at Avoncroft Arts Centre, Redditch Road, Stoke Heath. Entry is free and visit avoncroftarts.org.uk or call 01527 833829 for more information.
From 10.30am to 4pm next Saturday, Bromsgrove Methodist Church will host Come and Sing! Ruth Henley, the conductor of Bromsgrove Community Choir invites singers of all ages and abilities to join together and sing together as a mass choir. No previous experience or audition is necessary. Tickets cost £5 for the whole day or £3 for half and participants should bring their own packed lunch. Email Mary Rowlands at [email protected] or call her on 01527 876293 to book places or email [email protected] or call Ruth on 01527 527022 for more details.
Bee Creative, a bee-themed craft event and stories for children aged three and over, takes place at 11am, midday, 1pm and 2pm next Saturday at Bromsgrove Library. The sessions which have been organised by TC from Make/Do Creative need to be booked. Admission is £1 per child and places can be booked in person at Bromsgrove Library or by calling 01905 822722.
At 2pm next Saturday there will be an illustrated talk by Hanbury Hall’s volunteer beekeeper Tim Vivian at Bromsgrove Library. 5,000 Years of Beekeeping will look at his experiences keeping bees and at how the practice has evolved from Egyptian times to the present day. Tickets are £3 and are available from the library.
An evening of music will take place on Bromsgrove High Street from 5pm to 7.30pm next Saturday. It is a free event.
At 7.30pm next Saturday, Redditch Orchestra will be performing a Last Night of the Proms at Artrix. The show will feature all the favourites, including the Overture to the Pirates of Penzance, Sea Songs and Rule Britannia, Pomp and Circumstance and Jerusalem. Tickets are £12 (£10 concessions) and accompanied children go free. They are available at www.artrix.co.uk or by calling 01527 577330.Recorders and Voices, the Heart of England Recorder Orchestra (HERO) will be at St John’s Church in Bromsgrove next Sunday. They will perform music from the 16th to the 21st centuries in various styles and on all sizes of recorders. It starts at 4pm, tickets are £8 (accompanied children free). Call 01527 527022 or visit the Bromsgrove Festival website to book.
An open air performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth by renowned theatre group Oddsocks Productions will take place at Avoncroft Museum at 6.30pm next Sunday, July 9. Tickets for the ‘musical brew of laughter and witchcraft’ are £16 for adults, £9 for children, £13 for concessions and £45 for families in advance. Available from www.oddsocks.co.uk/box-office On the door they are £18 for adults, £11 for children, £15 for concessions and £45 for families.
Go to www.bromsgrovefestival.co.uk for more information on the festival and its events.
