East Budleigh Peacemaker Festival
The Festival is proud to be collaborating with the Peacemaker Festival, to be held in East Budleigh from 15th to 17th May.
This three-day event is being organised jointly by All Saints Church Easy Budleigh, the Roger Conant Group, and the East Budleigh History Society. The Festival honours local lad Roger Conant born in East Budleigh in 1592 and the 400th anniversary of his founding the city of Salem, Massachusetts, USA in 1626. The Peacemaker Flag featuring the iconic Dove of Peace will fly over All Saints Church.
Roger Conant is known as a peacemaker, who resolved a potentially bloody dispute over a fishing stage in New England. As the first governor of what is now Salem, he continued his peace-making between rival factions and established good relations with the indigenous population. We hope that you will agree that his activities provide a very appropriate message for today.
On the evening of 16th May we have contributed to the Peacemaker Festival by arranging a formal peace-themed concert. Tickets for the concert may be booked here. www.ticketsource.com/peacemaker-festival
We will be delighted to welcome Oliver Manning, an exceptional classical guitarist who has previously performed with us. He will be performing a varied programme including Spanish favourites by Villa-Lobos and Moreno Torroba, as well as “Nocturnal” by Benjamin Britten. This was composed for guitarist Julian Bream, and is one of the most influential works of the 20th Century for classical guitar. The event will also include an address by the Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Mike Harrison.
The Festival organisers interviewed Oliver and here are some highlights:
At what age did you start playing the guitar?
I started studying guitar when I was nine years old in primary school. A letter was sent home from my school offering instrumental lessons, and I remember asking my mum for guitar lessons because it just seemed fun at the time! At thirteen I started taking guitar lessons at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on Saturdays. Not long after, I started studying with Manus Noble at RWCMD and I fell in love with the guitar. I was never a child prodigy, but after my studies with Manus, I developed a passion for the guitar that never left me! I’m 25 now, and often return to this source of inspiration and passion!
Why did you choose the guitar?
When I was younger, I loved The Beatles (especially their red album!) and choosing the guitar seemed a fitting way to play along with their songs! As I developed and expanded into classical guitar, I saw another side to the instrument that intrigued me in a different way. I’ve always loved the solitary nature of the classical guitar, and the colourful qualities that can be coaxed out of the instrument to tell a story through music. After choosing the guitar, I was inspired by certain performers or teachers to continue to learn. I saw Gary Ryan perform a jaw-droppingly flawless concert at a guitar festival whilst I was an undergraduate student, and I made it my mission to move to London to study under him for my master’s degree at the Royal College of Music. I was lucky enough to be selected by John Williams to receive a scholarship from the Julian Bream Trust to fund my studies in London! From there I performed at Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, and in Ischia for the William Walton Foundation to name a few!
What/who is your favourite music/composer?
I always find this question difficult to answer as I don’t have one favourite, although I have always loved Debussy’s piano music! During my studies, I found a real love for contemporary music. I often enjoy the process of searching for the meaning or narrative within this type of music, as it is sometimes concealed or even open to interpretation as a performer or listener like in Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar. I love to step inside a piece of music and explore what the composer was trying to express or communicate – It almost feels like the famous scene from one of my favourite films ‘Mary Poppins’, when Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews step into the chalk drawing!
Sometimes contemporary music can leave me in a bit of a pickle though! As a student, I fell in love with Alberto Ginastera’s Sonata for Guitar and performed it live a fair bit before frightening myself with one too many violent whacks to my instrument!
What do you like to do when not playing music?
When I’m not playing music, I’m usually always thinking about music and how I can help bring new opportunities to up and coming musicians at my home in Wales. I recently started my own concert series called Whitchurch Classical in a small village in Cardiff where I grew up. It’s important to me to give back to the community that supported me, and hopefully inspire more people to enjoy live music and maybe even learn an instrument themselves! Aside from this, I have a strong sweet tooth and have spent too much time reviewing different chocolate milk drinks – maybe I’ll find a new top contender in East Budleigh!
The weekend also includes a “Roger Conant Supper” with an American-style menu on Friday evening 15th May, a historic walk around East Budleigh led by the Otter Valley Association on Saturday morning, and a Village Music Concert featuring local musicians followed by Afternoon Tea on Sunday Afternoon 17th May.
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