Cheltenham Festivals blog

Science brochure online — FIVE reasons to become a member

3 days
1 hour ago

There are still a few days to go before events go on sale, but you can enjoy a sneak preview and view the brochure online.

  • Priority booking from 22–28 March
  • Save 20% at your choice of ten science events
  • Members-only session at the Discover Zone — escape the crowds
  • Members’ book group with Robert Winston
  • Over 100 inspiring events including Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Solar System, Bill Bryson’s 350 years of the Royal Society and Heston Blumenthal’s Sweet Shop

Save at Jazz, Music and Literature too

Membership starts from £15 and is available for individuals, couples and families, find out more and join today (terms and conditions apply).

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Science Festival — become a member and be first to book

1 week
4 days ago

Members can book from 22 March

Cheltenham Festivals members get to book their science festival tickets a whole week in advance and save 20% on their choice of ten events at June’s science festival. Five days packed with exciting experiments, inspiring intrigue and spectacular science, more on membership/join online.

Tickets for the UK’s leading science festival go on sale exclusively to Cheltenham Festivals members on Monday 22 – Sunday 28 March, as we prepare to welcome the country’s leading thinkers and personalities to a feast of debate and delight.

Heston Blumenthal and Brian Cox

Cheltenham Festivals Members will be the first to hear the full decadence themed line-up, led by our two Guest Directors, Fat Duck proprietor and culinary alchemist Heston Blumenthal and Brian Cox, presenter of BBC Two’s fantastic new show, Wonders of the Solar System.

Members will also have the opportunity to book for a very special Members’ Book Club with festival favourite Robert Winston and take part in a lively discussion of his latest book Bad Ideas?, uncovering the fascinating stories behind our inventions, and debating with the author whether they’re a blessing or a curse.

Priority booking and discounts

Membership starts from just £15, and members enjoy priority booking, savings and exclusive events at the Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals throughout 2010.

  • be the first to know who’s coming
  • book ahead to sell out events
  • save £££s at every festival

Join the Membership Scheme by Thursday, 18 March to guarantee your early copy of The Times Cheltenham Science Festival 2010 brochure and be the first to book.

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Job opportunity — Jazz Festival Development Manager

2 weeks
3 days ago

Salary: £32,000–£35,000 per annum, depending on experience

Cheltenham Festivals are among the leading cultural events in the country. You are a highly motivated, entrepreneurial and persuasive person who has a passion for achieving growth and expansion based on your own creative ideas. You will work closely with the Executive and Artistic Directors in developing the internationally renowned Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

You will have a track-record of raising substantial funds, or meeting sales targets, and be able to prioritise and manage a complex workload. You will demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain corporate or individual partnerships at a senior level as well as having the sensitivity to form a powerful partnership with the artistic teams. An ability to think strategically is of paramount importance.

A strong interest in a wide variety of music is essential.

For an application pack please email Helena Bibby or call 01242 775196.

Closing date: Friday 19th March 2010
Interview date: Interviews in Cheltenham on Wednesday 31st March 2010

Working towards equal opportunities | charity no: 251765

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Congratulations to Thérèse DeSouza, winner of Gloucestershire Young Musician, performing at HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival in July

2 weeks
3 days ago

From Meurig Bowen
Music Festival Director

Listen to the winning performance on BBC Gloucestershire.

More about the HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival 2–17 July.

The negative noise out there about young people and classical music is hard to avoid. There was the story recently about how a Derbyshire school successfully uses Mozart as the soundtrack to after-school detentions — behaviour rates have improved hugely apparently, such is the deterrent factor. And there’s all the stuff about dumbing-down, lack of classical fibre in the GCSE music curriculum, and indifference to attendance of live concerts.

Attending the finals of Gloucestershire Young Musician at the Pittville Pump Room is a great antidote to all this. Last night, we heard five instrumentalists — three violinists, a guitarist and a tuba player — each playing 15 minute recitals of great accomplishment. Aged between 16–20, their polished, confident performances were clearly the result of 100s of hours of hard practice. It takes raw courage to stand up there, in front of 250 people, and put yourself on the line like that, and they all deserve our admiration.

This was a good old fashioned competition. No hysterical audience interaction. No humiliating jibes from a showboating jury. Just a simple parade of talent and accomplishment, and one winner (though the jury did wish to highly commend the tuba player Andy McDade, whose engaging stage persona led to a stunning performance of ‘Fnugg’ by Oystein Oaadsvik — great name!)

The winner was Thérèse DeSouza. She’s leader of the Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra, and studies at Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham. Pate’s is clearly a music hothouse: last year’s winner, pianist Jonathan McNaught, and the 2009 Keith Nutland Award winner, Rosie Breckon, are fellow Patesians too (if that’s the name). Thérèse played some solo Bach, and respectively soulful and sparkling music by Bloch and Wieniawski. She has a lovely tone, great intonation, and a full emotional involvement with the music.

Thérèse’s win means she’s going to be particularly busy in July. She was already lined up to play the violin solo in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade with the Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra at their HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival concert on Tuesday 13 July. She will now give a solo recital — shared with pianist Rosie Breckon — on Friday 16 July, and gives a concerto appearance with GYO during ‘Youth Makes Music’ at Cheltenham Town Hall. Apparently Thérèse wants to be a Vet — so she’ll have a bit of school work to fit in too…

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Get ready for Science for Schools — watch what happened when science.tv came to the Science Festival…

2 weeks
5 days ago

… and get set for 2010, view the Science for Schools 2010 brochure online.

http://www.vimeo.com/9852368

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Dave Holland and Pepe Habichuela at Cheltenham — Tony Dudley Evans, Artistic Director writes…

2 weeks
6 days ago

From Tony Dudley-Evans
Jazz Festival Artistic Director

There are two concerts at this year’s Barclays Cheltenham Jazz Festival that I am particularly looking forward to hearing. One is the Cuong Vu Trio gig on Sunday 2nd May which I wrote about in my last post. The other one is Dave Holland and Pepe Habichuela, the collaboration between the bass player Dave Holland and the Spanish flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela and some of Pepe’s flamenco family.

…continue reading →

We’ve tagged this post with , on Monday 1 March 2010.


Jazz events on sale!

4 weeks ago

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Special event package — a meal at The Daffodil restaurant and a ticket for Paloma Faith…

1 month ago

Looking to see the fantastic Paloma Faith perform with the Guy Barker Orchestra? Don’t want to go on an empty stomach?

Barclays Cheltenham Jazz Festival has partnered with The Daffodil to offer a great value meal and ticket package. Enjoy a pre-performance meal (glass of champagne, a two course dinner and coffee) at The Daffodil and then head to Cheltenham Town Hall for the amazing Paloma Faith. The meal starts at 6pm (seated by 5.45pm) and is available at a cost of £30 plus a top price concert ticket, total price £60. For this special package please contact The Daffodil directly on 01242 700055 — quoting Jazz Festival offer.

More information about the event: Paloma Faith with The Guy Barker Orchestra.

We’ve tagged this post with , , on Thursday 18 February 2010.


Get ready for the Science for Schools programme

1 month ago

Booking opens for our brilliant and innovative Science for Schools programme on Wednesday 10 March at 8.30am. This year’s programme, which can be viewed online from Wednesday 3 March, is better than ever, featuring:

  • our very popular day packages for Key Stage 3, which include an event, an extended hands-on workshop and a guaranteed slot in the Discover Zone
  • the equally popular mini-packages for Key Stage 1 comprising a science story session plus a special Discover Zone slot — no big kids allowed!
  • Young Scientists Day 11 June — a whole day of fantastic hands-on science for gifted and talented Key Stage 2 pupils and their teachers, hosted by Cheltenham College Junior School
  • three days of great events, stimulating workshops and all the buzz of one of the world’s best Science Festivals. Events start at just £4, with free tickets for accompanying teachers, so why not plan a visit?

Education Partner

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Jazz tickets now on sale… save £££s and book first with Membership

1 month ago

Every event at the Barclays Cheltenham Jazz Festival — from show stopping vocalists to jazz legends, from blues and world to the cutting edge — is now on sale, exclusively to Members.

Tickets are already selling fast, and if you want to be sure to guarantee your seats before they sell out and save 20% on your choice of five events too, you’ll need to become a Member.

Membership starts from just £15 for a year’s Festivals, and includes priority booking and generous discounts at the Science, Music and Literature Festivals 2010 as well as the chance to enjoy the very best in British and International Jazz at the forthcoming Jazz Festival.

Members’ priority booking runs until Sunday 21 February. Book your tickets ahead of the rest and save £££s: call the box office on 0844 576 8970.

Members’ favourites

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