Jesse Owens celebration day, 7pm, 6th July 2013
2013 marks the centenary of the birth of Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and who has been described as 'the greatest Olympian ever'. To commemorate the anniversary of this remarkable and inspiring athlete, the Ashley Wood Festival is proud to present the premiere of The Sharecropper's Son by local composer Michael Stimpson.
Abigail Kelly
Njabulo Madlala
Michael Stimpson
William Vann
As well as the premiere of The Sharecropper's Son, written by Michael Stimpson and based on his full-length opera, performed by Njabulo Madlala (baritone), Abigail Kelly (soprano), and William Vann (piano), the evening session also features a performance from leading poets Grace Nichols and John Agard, and authentic period jazz from the Ashley Wood Festival Dixieland Jazz Band.
Abigail Kelly (soprano) is currently performing with English Touring Opera. Previously, she has performed with British Youth Opera and as a featured artiste with Opera South Africa and the Johannesburg Philharmonia. She has also performed concert recitals in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Montserrat.
Njabulo Madlala (baritone) was born in South Africa and is winner of the 2010 Kathleen Ferrier competition. He has sung for Opera Holland Park, Dorset Opera, and has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, ROH2, and the Oxford Lieder Festival.
William Vann (piano) has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, the Aldeburgh Festival, St John's Smith Square, and the Sage Gateshead and has recently taken up the post of Director of Music at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Michael Stimpson (composer) has composed for some of the most distinguished artists in the classical music industry and had his work performed at the capital's most prestigious venues, as well as in the US, Italy, and Australia.
Grace Nichols (librettist) is an award-winning poet and novelist, whose debut collection, I is a Long-Memoried Woman, won the Commonwealth Book Prize.
John Agard (librettist) is a playwright, poet, short-story and children's writer. He has been a writer in residence at the South Bank and poet in residence at the BBC. He won the Paul Hamlyn Award for Poetry in 1997.
The Ashley Wood Festival Dixieland Jazz Band have delighted audiences at the festival every year since its inception. The members of the band have been playing dixieland jazz since the 1950s and have shared stages with musicians such as Kenny Ball, George Lewis, and Nat Gonella.
Buy tickets here.
The afternoon of the 6th July sees a performance of A Candle: Songs of Freedom, a major commission for Amnesty International, performed by local community choirs Palida and Steam Heat, as well as a performance by the Japan Women's Chorus, and further events to be announced shortly. Combined tickets for the entire day are available here.