Cheltenham Festivals blog

Cheltenham Festivals blog archives

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

1 week
2 days ago

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

http://www.vimeo.com/9852368

We’ve tagged this post with , , , , on Wednesday 3 March 2010.


Cheltenham Literature 2009 — a video round-up

3 months
3 weeks ago

The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival 2009: we went behind the scenes this year — take a look at what our guests thought of this year’s Festival!

Thanks from everyone at the Festivals to all those who came — we think it was a great success, and we hope that all who came took away something to think about.

YouTube Preview Image

We’ve tagged this post with , , on Friday 20 November 2009.


The Carte Noire Readers: for a more seductive coffee break!

5 months
3 weeks ago

The Cheltenham Literature Festival has teamed up with Carte Noire to get you in the festival spirit with an indulgent coffee break experience and a feast of literary delights.

carte-noire-readers

For an afternoon pick me up like no other, pour yourself a cup of your favourite Carte Noire coffee, sit back and relax and watch an exclusive reading by some of the country’s finest literary lovelies. Lose yourself in some of the world’s greatest literary love scenes, read to you by Dominic West, Dan Stevens and Greg Wise. Whether Persuasion gets your heart racing or Madame Bovary transports you to another world, watch the Carte Noire Readers now for a more seductive coffee break…

Join us throughout the Festival in The Times Café for a cup of Carte Noire whilst our guest readers take you on a live literary journey. Relax with Strictly Come Dancing and Holby City heartthrob Tom Chambers or star of the stage and screen Joseph Millson as they reveal favourite love scenes.

From D H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover to Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss and many more besides, indulge in your own perfect coffee moment.

watch the Carte Noire readers →
Choose a Carte Noire reader for a perfect coffee moment!

* Many of the Carte Noire Reader: Your Perfect Coffee Moment events are already sold out; keep checking back regularly for the latest ticket availability.

We’ve tagged this post with , , on Thursday 17 September 2009.


2009 NESTA Famelab showreels now online!

6 months
1 week ago

FameLab winner Tom Whyntie

Nesta FameLab is our exhilarating national competition to find new voices of science and engineering.

The showreels of all the NESTA FameLab 2009 finalists are now available to view on our YouTube Channel youtube.com/famelab. Here you can watch our ten fabulous finalists in action with clips of their regional auditions, their presentations in the UK final and interviews giving the story of their journey through the competition. If you want to find out more about the FameLabbers or contact them then visit the Hall of FameLab.

Whilst you’re enjoying yourself on the NESTA FameLab YouTube channel you can also watch footage from this year’s regional heats and UK final, Tom Whyntie’s winning presentation, 2009’s video auditions and all the videos from previous years of the competition.

And don’t forget to keep an eye on famelab.org for news of future FameLab competitions.

We’ve tagged this post with , , on Tuesday 1 September 2009.


Catch the John Wilson Orchestra’s amazing Prom on the BBC i-Player

7 months
1 week ago

John Wilson

If you didn’t attend the John Wilson Orchestra’s concert that opened the HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival, and if you weren’t able to catch their Prom in the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night, you still have a chance to hear and see this wonderful orchestra in action.

Music Festival Director Meurig Bowen was at the concert on Saturday night. ‘Having enjoyed so much their concert for us in Cheltenham on Friday 3 July, I just had to hear them again, and soon! Fortunately, I picked up some returns — this Prom had sold-out well in advance — and it really was one of the most unforgettable concerts I’ve ever experienced.’

The Prom performance was a ‘Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals’, featuring gorgeous, show-stopping music from The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, High Society, Gigi, Singin’ in the Rain and more.

‘The line-up of players that John got together for Cheltenham was pretty astonishing,’ Meurig continues: ‘Top-notch players from symphony orchestras and big bands around the country. But the Proms line-up was even-more richly endowed by the cream of British orchestral playing. With principal players from the country’s top orchestras populating the rank-and-file slots, it was the musical equivalent of a cricket world-eleven. Unbelievable playing. And the singing was wonderful too — from the sumptuous Sarah Fox and seasoned Sir Thomas Allen to cool crooning of Curtis Stigers and Seth MacFarlane. And the simply imcomparable Kim Criswell.’

BBC i-Player listen again →
view the broadcasts of this concert by BBC2 and Radio 3

…and read Edward Seckerson’s five star review in the Independent.

We’ve tagged this post with , , , , on Monday 3 August 2009.


‘Ashes Octet’ now viewable on Telegraph TV

7 months
1 week ago

Australian String Quartet and Barbirolli String Quartet

Featuring string quartets from England and Australia, the final concert at the Pittville Pump Room in the HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival was filmed by PlushMusic TV. The stunning performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet by the Australian String Quartet and Barbirolli String Quartet is now available for download via the Daily Telegraph website.

Accompanying this High Definition film of Mendelssohn’s teenage masterpiece is an article by Lyndon Jones, exploring the connections between music and cricket — from the Guardian’s celebrated music and cricket correspondent Neville Cardus to Murali and Mozart.

We’ve tagged this post with , , on Monday 3 August 2009.


A Music Festival preview — with Meurig Bowen

8 months
3 weeks ago

In this exclusive preview of the 2009 HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival, Festival Director Meurig Bowen guides you through the programme — and what events to look out for.

Don’t miss your chance to book these great concerts!

http://www.vimeo.com/5298007

Look out for…

We’ve tagged this post with , , , , , on Wednesday 24 June 2009.


Cheltenham Music Festival — a short film on Sky Arts

8 months
3 weeks ago

Sky Arts website

HSBC Cheltenham Music Festival is profiled in a short film on Sky Arts, our TV media partner in 2009. The film will be screened 20 times on Sky Arts during the end of June and throughout the Festival period.

Festival Director Meurig Bowen talks about the programme on location at the Pittville Pump Room and Town Hall. There are stunning shots of Cheltenham and the Cotswolds. And there are specially-filmed interviews and performance extracts from soprano Elizabeth Watts, singing Schubert, and the Endellion Quartet, performing Beethoven.

watch online on Sky Arts

To be screened on Sky Arts 2 HD on 3 July 10:50am, 5 July 10:50pm, and 6 July at 6:20pm.

We’ve tagged this post with , , on Monday 22 June 2009.


Cheltenham Science 2009 — a video round-up

8 months
3 weeks ago

The Times Cheltenham Science Festival 2009 — thanks from everyone at the Festivals to all those who came this year! We think it was a great success; and we hope that all who came took away something to think about.

Take a look at what our celebrity guests thought of this year’s Festival:

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Don’t miss next year’s Science Festival: 9–13 June 2010

Take a look at our other 2009 festivals too: Music is just around the corner (3–18 July), with Literature following close behind!

We’ve tagged this post with , , , , , , , on Thursday 18 June 2009.


Science in the sun — day 1 of the Science Festival

9 months
1 week ago

One of the impressive facts about The Times Cheltenham Science Festival is the number of school children that visit. This year’s festival is no exception, with more school visitors on the first day than any other year. Twenty-seven schools and a total of 1274 pupils visited the many different events, workshops and demonstrations on Wednesday.

http://www.vimeo.com/5001271

School groups have come from both near and far — walking distance and even Essex. Hounslow’s Heathlands School has been visiting for 3 years and had a very early start indeed to arrive in Cheltenham for their first event at 10am!

…continue reading →

We’ve tagged this post with , , , , , on Thursday 4 June 2009.