Download A Century of Sound Surrey Heath Music Festival Wed 9

A Century of Sound
Surrey Heath Music Festival
Wed 9th Sept to Wed 16th Sept 2015
Introduction
The concept of a Surrey Heath Music Festival was inspired by the ‘Music Makers’ exhibition at
Surrey Heath Museum held in the summer of 2013. The exhibition demonstrated the unique
musical heritage of the area and our eclectic musical associations; from military bands, jazz, to
opera, skiffle, rock and popular music. That heritage covers over ‘a century of sound’.
Surrey Heath Music Festival committee includes Camberley Theatre, Surrey Heath Museum, local
music professionals and Collectively Camberley. As well as involving the community and helping to
develop and nurture talent, the event will raise money for local charities. It will take place from
Wednesday 9th to Wednesday 16th of September 2015 and will focus on established artists as well
as showcasing up and coming talent through performances and workshops during both daytime
and evening events. It features musicians, dancers, wordsmiths and poets, swing-cats and blues
brothers, folkies and rockers, electronic wizards and DJs, choirs and orchestras.
We are proud to announce local entrepreneur and Artist Manager Chris Herbert as The Festival
Ambassador. Chris is founder of ‘ten10Management’, famed for creating the Spice Girls, formed
and managed boyband Five and is one of the fore-runners in commercial music management.
A special piece of music has been written for the festival by local songwriter and composer Steve
Sacre which will be played in The Mall during festival week as well as on the website and during the
Music Makers Revisited Exhibition at Surrey Heath Museum (5th Sept to 31st Oct).
History
Music has always been used to bring communities together during events and celebrations. With
the military associations of the area, there has always been a prolific number of military bands and
musicians. In the late 1800s Arthur Sullivan (Gilbert and Sullivan fame) came to live in this area as
a small boy when his father became Bandmaster at RMC Sandhurst. He returned again to the
area later in life. Ethel Smyth (Composer and Suffragette) moved to Frimhurst, Frimley as a small
child when her father was promoted to command the Royal Artillery based at Aldershot. Musical
societies developed in the late 1880s, e.g. Camberley Operatic Society and Choral Society.
Today we have The Savoy Singers, Surrey Heath Singers, Camberley Wind Orchestra and
various brass bands - Charles Church Camberley Band, Bisley Brass Band and The Bagshot
Band.
1950s Skiffle star, Chas McDevitt , grew up locally and still has strong attachments to the area. At
that time, the A30, which runs through our Borough was used by many Mods and Rockers
attending concerts at local venues such as Pantiles in Bagshot and the Agincourt in Camberley.
Bob Potter, local musical promoter and owner of Lakeside, Mytchett managed venues in
Camberley and Aldershot bringing an array of musical groups to the area – Eric Clapton and
Cream, The Who, the Beatles etc. Today professional musicians, songwriters and promoters are
attracted to the area because of its close proximity to London and the quality of life Surrey Heath
has to offer – names such as Brian May, Rick Wakeman (now moved away) and jazz musician
Andy Quin. Contemporary rock groups such as Reuben and Hundred Reasons are also from the
area. With the 1980s and the emergence of popular music, the band Bros all came from Surrey
Heath and attended Collingwood College. Musician and composer Peter Kirkley who wrote, ‘Pure
and Simple’ performed by ‘Hearsay’ is a local boy and shortly after the band ‘Five’ were created
they lived in a house in Camberley. More recently a member of the band Union J (XFactor 2012)
originates from the area.
Surrey Heath Arts Council has a long history of promoting and encouraging home grown musical
talent – Chloe Hanslip, international violinist grew up in the area and received funding from the
Council to help her study her craft.
Aims and Objectives
Our musical heritage is worth celebrating, developing and promoting via events such as this and
our aims and objectives are as follows;
•
•
•
•
•
•
To showcase the cultural heritage of the area
To celebrate the musical heritage of the area, past and present.
To involve local groups and societies, alongside professional musicians.
To be sustainable yearly event with a changing theme
To engage and involve the local community and be accessible to all age ranges and
abilities.
To bring different organisations together –SHBC, businesses, arts and music venues,
groups and societies, Surrey Heath Arts Council, local schools and colleges etc.