Thursday 18th February 2016

The Revd Dr Malcolm Brown, Director of the Mission and Public Affairs Division, Archbishops’ Council

From 11.40 am     Coffee in the Cathedral

12 noon    First session on the recent report chaired by Lady Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, thought to be not a satisfactory way forward for the CofE.

The speaker will summarise and critique ideas in the report.

1.00 pm    Informal lunch in the Cavendish Area of the Cathedral, and time to engage individually with the speaker.

1.30 pm    The second session will see Malcolm Brown outline suggestions for the church’s public ministry in the coming decade. How should we ‘do God’?

‘Doing God’ in public is perhaps the issue for the Church of England to face, in a context and a society which seems both to exclude mention of God, but also to value on occasion the church’s presence, ministry and intervention: a complex situation to reflect on.

RSVP to lucille@derbycathedral.org by 10th February. There is no charge for the day.

The work of Pinxton musician Graham Hall will take centre stage at Sinfonia Viva’s ‘Timeless Classics’ concert at Derby Cathedral on Wednesday March 2 with the premiere of orchestrations of two well-known pieces.

Graham is Sinfonia Viva’s Principal Timpanist and an accomplished arranger and orchestrator. He has created new versions of two of the greatest 20th century blockbusters of classical music – Mahler’s 1st Symphony and Ravel’s String Quartet.

They will be performed for the first time by the Orchestra at the evening concert under the baton of Sinfonia Viva’s Principal Conductor Duncan Ward.

Graham is one of the Orchestra’s original players when it started life as the East of England Orchestra 34 years ago.

Born in 1960, Graham studied at the Royal Academy of Music under the watchful eye of James Blades. On leaving London he taught for two years in his home city of Nottingham as a peripatetic percussion tutor before going freelance as a player in 1984.

Graham will, unfortunately, not be performing with Sinfonia Viva on March 2 having had a stroke 14 months ago.

Graham Hall added: “I was encouraged to develop my arranging work by Sinfonia Viva and my work has been featured in previous New Year’s Eve Gala Concerts at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall and at the Darley Park concerts."

“This has been by far my most ambitious piece of arranging work commissioned by Sinfonia Viva. I am looking forward to the performance and feedback from the players and audience alike."

“Since the stroke, my playing has moved onto the back burner but it has been a chance to re-orchestrate my life and increase my music preparation work."

Duncan Ward continued: “Our theme for the Derby concerts this year has been to showcase the many and varied talents within the Viva family.

“In January we highlighted soloists Adam Mackenzie and Emily Pailthorpe and I am delighted that Graham’s skills will come to the fore in the March concert with his two fantastic arrangements.

“With great sensitivity and flair, Graham has distilled Mahler’s epic symphonic forces down to an ensemble of just sixteen players – allowing us to revel in the chamber-music style counterpoint that drives this cosmically revelatory musical voyage.

“The ‘Hall magnifying glass’ is applied in the opposite direction for the Ravel.

“In this case he imagines the wider palette of sonic colours the French master may have employed had he composed this heavenly music not for string quartet but for one of every instrument in the orchestra.

“It is therefore a unique chance to hear a popular masterpiece in a distinctly new light.”

Tickets for the concert at Derby Cathedral on Wednesday March 2 starting at 7.30pm are £20 (£18 concessions) or £17 if previously booked alongside Sinfonia Viva’s January 2016 Derby Cathedral concert. Available from Derby LIVE, Tel: 01332 255800, online at www.derbylive.co.uk or in person at the Assembly Rooms box office.

Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102; 07951 945 665; sarah@jjpublicrelations.co.uk