Didsbury Coffee Concerts
The Didsbury Coffee Concerts take place in Emmanuel Church on Saturday mornings between the end of September and the beginning of July. Forthcoming events are listed below.
There are about twenty concerts every two weeks or so during the season. Admission is free but there is a retiring collection in aid of refurbishment at St James’ and Emmanuel, and the RNCM Awards Fund.
Concerts begin at 11.00 am and normally finish at about 12.30 pm. Coffee and croissants are sold during the interval. The ground coffee, specially blended for these concerts, is simply unbeatable.
The concerts, which began in January 1987, feature performers who are current students of the RNCM or those who are alumni of the College: there are also appearances by other musicians who have no direct link with the RNCM.
The Emmanuel Prize, established in 1997, is awarded annually, on the basis of audience nomination, to a student who has performed during the season.
The Emmanuel Bursary provides financial support for students at the RNCM who, as yet, may not have appeared at a Coffee Concert.
Saturday 26th November at 11.00am
Athenean Ensemble
Leader Brigid Hemmingway
Conductor Nicholas Simpson
Helen Clinton oboe
Eleanor Garside soprano
Daria Bitsiuk piano
Clementi Symphony no. 1 in D
Wagner Siegfried Idyll
Martinú Oboe concerto
Mozart Concert aria “Ch’io mi scordi di te”
Arias from Le nozze di Figaro
Saturday 10th December at 11.00am
Bing Xiang violin
Accompanist to be announced
Programme to be confirmed
Bing Xiang was born in China but began learning the violin a few years after his family relocated to Australia. Before coming to study at the RNCM, he was finalist in several national competitions and was the holder of several prestigious scholarships. He recently won the 2011 RNCM Concerto Competition as a result of which he will be performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra in the College Concert Hall on Friday 16th December.