24 Sep, 2010. Posted by: Nigel
Last year, an ambitious new opera came to St Albans, premiering in the Abbey, the opera told the little known story of Alban himself, the first English martyr. After a sell out run, Alban the Opera is travelling to London for four nights only in October this year before heading to the US in 2011. A community opera mixing top professionals with enthusiasts and amateurs, Alban was written deliberately to include a large adult chorus. There are still a few places available in the group chorus for the London performances – a fantastic chance to share the stage with the likes of top opera professionals Louise Mott and Philip Salmon in the beautiful environs of St Alban the Martyr in Holborn. The performances are from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd October and the time commitment for rehearsals is very reasonable.
Hazel Ireson, producer of Alban, said: “This really is a once in a lifetime’s experience – it is such an exciting project working with professionals with the highest artistic standards. The choruses are a vital part of the fast moving story and we’re really looking forward to welcoming new singers to be part of this fantastic event.”
The opera tells the story of Alban, a doctor and family man, living in Roman occupied Verulamium (later St Albans) when, one night, he is interrupted by a knock on his door. The decision Alban makes that fateful night begins a chain reaction ending in the destruction of a man and the heartbreak of his family. The dramatic and fast moving story is told using intimate scenes of family life interspersed with great crowd choruses in market places and court rooms, with the audience joining in at the climax of the opera.
Those who are interested in taking part are invited to visit www.albanopera.org.uk, email Hazel directly on admin@albanopera.org.uk or phone 01582 832312
Alban is performed nightly at 7.30pm at St Alban the Martyr, Brooke Street, London EC1N 7RD from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 October.
Tickets cost £16 and £8 for children under 16 and can be booked over the telephone on 0844 412 4317 or online at www.albanopera.org.uk .
Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Peacock Theatre, WC2.
If you were at the St Albans’ Market last saturday, you may have found yourself seduced by the tunes of one of the top musicians of the West End.
This gentleman, Andrew Hubbard, dressed in a tuxedo, was playing all-time favourites like Wind Beneath My Wings near Civic Square. The stalls were truly alive with the sound of music that day!
Curiousity overcame me so I googled this talented violin-player later and saw that he has performed with the West End orchestra on Phantom of the Opera and other musicals. Andrew has two albums out and performs on a regular basis (see
www.andrewhubbard.com for more information).
So, next time you are wandering around the market, keep your eyes and ears open because you never know who else might be around! I even met one of the Corrie stars (Natasha) outside the Maltings on the same afternoon!
When one door closes, another one opens; but not in the St Albans! In recent times, St Peters Street has witnessed so many closures and few openings.
However, Tescos has moved into the old Woolworth premises and Poundworld has opened up where Tescos used to be.
Despite my past attitudes to the quality of Pound stores, I must admit that this new one is fab!
The shelves are adorned by all sorts from sweets, party gear, DIY bits and halloween decorations to walking sticks and stationary. And all just for £1. Great for filling the kids’ party bags and letting kids go wild on their pocket money! The garden gnomes have got to be the best buy!
A St Albans bookclub have decided to take their friendship one step further; actually it will be a few thousand steps further!This bookclub have not just formed a great bond, but have taken steps to help those around them. Recently they did a public performance of the Haka warrior dance, at a farewell party, for a New Zealand member of their club. Now, they are about to undertake a 25 mile circular challenge, climbing the three highest peaks of Yorkshire. They aim to complete this within a 12 hour period. And is this for the sake of their health? No!
Stephen Barbour, bookclub member and organiser of the challenge explains,”‘We are raising money for a charity that supports people with a relatively unknown condition. Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurons. Degeneration of the motor neurons leads to weakness and wasting of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility to the limbs and difficulty with speech, swallowing and breathing. This is often a terminal disease affecting 2 people in 100,000.”
Stephen’s friend, Howard, is one of the unlucky two. Howard, a popular man in our St Albans community, is a terrific dad to three boys and husband to a supportive wife.
Stephen says “Life is just not fair, since his illness was diagnosed, he has continued to be very positive and do as much as he can with the boys and you will never hear him moan about his illness.”
Louise Coxon, communications manager at the Motor Neurone Disease Association, says:”We rely entirely on voluntary donations from the public to help support and care for people with MND and to fund ground-breaking research to find a cure for this cruel disease. We are committed to fighting MND and so we really value the passion and commitment of our supporters because every penny raised helps to make a real differance to the individuals and families affected by MND.”
The walk will take place on 4th September and the ‘boys’ would welcome your donations. Click on www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Barbour0 and follow instructions.
Information on MND is available on www.mndassociation.org
Just weeks after the celebration of their new Prayer Garden, the children of St John Fisher Catholic Primary School have enjoyed the opening of a new bike stand!
This flash new stand was officially opened on 25th June 2010. It takes up to 20 bikes and so far it has been very popular with a high bike occupancy!
As part of the Bike It scheme, the school will have ‘Wheelie Wednesdays’. Vitina Thwaites explains “Any child who cycles to school on a Wednesday is awarded a point. Points can then be exchanged for a range of Bike It prizes and children who earn the most points will be entered into a competition to win a T-Shirt and become part of the Bike It crew for the school.”
For the younger children who scooter to school, the staff are hoping to run competition to win a Bike It mascot.
The Bike It programme is a nationwide scheme and has been operating for 5 years. They state that children who cycle to school are more likely to be physically active than theirs peers and less likely to be obese or develop diabetes. Bike It also promotes road safety and helps reduce the numbers of cars on the road.
Last year, an ambitious new opera came to St Albans, premiering in the Abbey, the opera told the little known story of Alban himself, the first English martyr. After a sell out run, Alban the Opera is travelling to London for four nights only in October this year before heading to the US in 2011. A community opera mixing top professionals with enthusiasts and amateurs, Alban was written deliberately to include a large adult chorus. There are still a few places available in the group chorus for the London performances – a fantastic chance to share the stage with the likes of top opera professionals Louise Mott and Philip Salmon in the beautiful environs of St Alban the Martyr in Holborn. The performances are from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd October and the time commitment for rehearsals is very reasonable.
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