The St. Petersburg String Quartet was founded in 1985 by graduates of the Leningrad Conservatory. The group were originally called the Leningrad String Quartet until the city was renamed in 1991.
The City of London Sinfonia are an English chamber orchestra who perform chamber orchestra and ensemble repertoire from the Baroque period to the present day. The orchestra’s performance at Hall for Cornwall on the 30th of April 2009 was conducted by Conrad Van Alphen and featured the violinist So-Ock Kim.
The English Chamber Orchestra has its roots in the Goldsbrough Orchestra which was founded in 1948. It has also been heralded as ‘the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world.’ Its name changed to the English Chamber Orchestra in 1960 and since then has remained under the artistic direction of Quintin Ballardie, who was a member of the original group. The orchestra’s performance at Hall for Cornwall on the 17th of September 2009 was directed by Stephen Gonley and featured the piano soloist Daniel de Borah.
John Lill is a British classical pianist who has performed at Hall for Cornwall on several occassions, including on the 29th of October, 2009. John’s repertoire includes more than 70 concertos and he is acclaimed as a leading interpreter of Beethoven.
Jack’s Cows was a public art project by Hall for Cornwall where life size cow sculptures appeared all over the county in the summer of 2009. The cows were available to sponsor at a cost of £1,000 and provided an advertisement oppurtunity for local businesses. The sponsors then chose an artist to decorate their cow before deciding on a design and an area to display it. Jack’s Udderly Fantastic Cow Finder then ran as an initiative for members of the public to follow a trail and view the cows at their various display locations.
Spider’s Web is Agatha Christie’s second most successful play, having ran for 744 performances in London’s West End since its debut in 1954. The play follows the events that unfold in aftermath of a murder which takes place in the drawing room of a diplomat’s wife. The play was staged by Bill Kenwright at Hall for Cornwall between the 7th and 12th of September, 2009.
The London Mozart Players are a British chamber orchestra who were founded in 1949 by Harry Blech. It is the longest-established chamber orchestra in the U.K. and their performances and recordings focus largely on the core repertoire from the Classical Era.
The Czech Symphony Orchestra was founded in Prague in 1993 by Jan Hasenöhrl and Zdeněk Košler. Košler became the orchestra’s first chief conductor and held the post until 1996. The orchestra’s performance at Hall for Cornwall on the 18th of September 2010 featured violinist Jakub Junek play Mendelssohn’s violin concerto in e minor.
The Cornish Guardian described Hall for Cornwall’s 2010 pantomine run of sleeping beauty as ‘a real beauty.’ The production, which was staged between the 10th of December and 3rd of January, was directed by Stewart Nicholls and written by Ian Adams. It featured Richard Alan as the dame, Julie Hobbs as Carabosse, John Rawnsley and Valerie Cutko as the king and queen, Cornwall’s own Kate Edney as Sleeping Beauty and Mary Woodvine as the Good Fairy.
Written by Richard Harris in 1984, Stepping Out is a play that follows eight attendees of the same weekly tap dancing class in a dingy North London church hall. The original production of Stepping Out premiered in 1984 at Leatherhead Theatre. It was then produced for the first time in 1985 in London’s West End, where it received the Evening Standard Comedy of the Year Award before going on to make it’s Broadway debut. The 2010 UK tour was the 25th anniversary production of the play and featured Brian Capron as Geoffrey and Anita Harris as Vera. The tour ran at Hall for Cornwall between the 26th and 31st of July.