Joanna MacGregor has had to bow out of this year’s Ipswich School Festival of Music due to an accident.
Performing in her place on September 30 will be award-winning young pianist Erdem Misirlioglu who was born in town and educated at Northgate High School.
“We’re obviously disappointed Joanna MacGregor is unable to join us for this year’s Festival of Music and we wish her a speedy recovery. However, we’re delighted Erdem has agreed to step in at short notice with an exciting programme of music by a trio of romantic pianist-composers - Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. We are very much looking forward to hearing Erdem play as he makes his festival debut,” says artistic director Andrew Leach.
Misirlioglu was a prizewinner in the International Rachmaninov Competition for Young Pianists in 2006 and won the piano section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year contest in 2008. He was awarded the keyboard instrument prize in 2006 and the principal’s prize in 2008 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he is currently studying for his masters in performance.
A passionate chamber musician, he is also a member of Trio Isimsiz, a piano trio formed with friends at the Guildhall who recently featured on Radio 3’s In Tune programme.
Misirlioglu has taken part in masterclasses with distinguished pianists including Bernard Roberts, Peter Donohoe, Lang Lang, Paul Lewis and Stephen Kovacevich and has performed everywhere from the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Hall and St Martin in the Fields to St James’ Piccadilly, Snape Maltings, Cardiff Millennium Centre and Wigmore Hall.
Tickets already bought for the MacGregor recital will be valid for Misirlioglu concert if people would like to make a direct swap. For those who don’t, tickets can be exchanged for any other festival concert, subject to availability, or a full refund is available.
“The fourth festival, sponsored by Seven Telematics, promises to be another exciting week-long series of concerts for music-lovers in Suffolk,” adds Mr Leach.
“We’re delighted the Saturday afternoon performance of the Family Orchestral Concert has already sold out, with only a few tickets remaining for the 5pm concert, but there are plenty of other great concerts to choose from – opening act the British Paraorchestra, singer-songwriter Joe Stilgoe, vocal octet VOCES8 and the Big Band Bonanza.”
Playing at the festival are:
Thursday, September 26: The British Paraorchestra, 7.30pm, Great School.
Friday, September 27: Jazz Night with The Joe Stilgoe Trio, 7.30pm, Great School.
Saturday, September 28: Family Orchestral Concert with the Zootube Orchestra, 2pm and 5pm, Great School.
Sunday, September 29: Afternoon Tea with the Gainsborough Quartet, 3pm, Little School.
Sunday, September 29: Organ recital by Nick Freestone, 5.15pm, Chapel. Followed by Festival Evensong, 6.30pm, Chapel.
Monday, September 30: Piano recital by Erdem Misirlioglu, 7.30pm, Great School.
Tuesday, October 1: Lunchtime concert, Britten Sinfonietta and Wagner Siegfried Idyll, 1.10-1.50pm, St Mary-le-Tower Church, Ipswich.
Tuesday, October 1: VOCES8, 7.30pm, Great School.
Wednesday, October 2: Big Band Bonanza, Ipswich Musicians’ Union Big Band and Ipswich School Big Band, 7.30pm, Great School.
Ipswich School Festival of Music runs from Thursday, September 26, to Wednesday, October 2. Tickets are available from the Ipswich Regent Box Office, 01473 433100, www.ipswichregent.com. Full details of concerts and ticket prices are available at www.ipswichschoolfestival.org.uk. For more about The British Paraochestra click on the link above.
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