It's official - I'm going to Adelaide!

The Adelaide Fringe to be precise.

You can't argue with black and white. There I am listed in the Adelaide Fringe Programme 2014. I've always said it would be nice to miss out some of the dank dark chilly days of the British early Spring and have sunshine instead. Suddenly the arrangements need making.

 We need to see about accommodation and car hire and flights and visas and check the passport is not going to be out of date come the day...
I'm practising with great focus and determination so as to do Adelaide proud. I'm practising another from Vincent Lindsey-Clark's Fiesta Americana, called Vuelo de la Mariposa - a gorgeous piece with delicate cascades of harmonics and some quite fiendish arpeggios. Hence the Australian butterflies. (The one on the right has a cool name - the Ulysses butterfly).
I shall be appearing for one performance in each of five different venues across the two weekends of the Fringe. My first venue, on February 28th, is a quite extraordinary place in its own right - the Migration Museum at 82 Kintore Avenue. After that I drive to Auburn in the Clare Valley (a famous wine region - hurrah) to perform at HATS Courthouse Cultural Centre on March 1st - a great chance to see more of the area and quite possibly sample some wine! Mind you there might not be time. The next day I'm on at Trinity Sessions in Clarence Park so it's a drive back to Adelaide. Then we have a week to do some sightseeing before it's time to drive to McLaren Vale - another famous wine growing region! The venue there, on March 7th, is The Singing Gallery. Then back to Adelaide and the final show, on March 9th,  which is in the State Dining Room at Ayers House which is like a big National Trust place and the oldest such building in South Australia. It is all very exciting and I can't wait.

 

Halloween Classical Guitar at Southampton's Medieval Wool House

pre-show rehearsal - Halloween at The Wool House

Pumpkins, witches and wine were all in evidence last night  and the wonderful people at the Wool House even made cups of tea and coffee for those who preferred, once the audience began arriving. And what a great audience it was - lots of friends came along and also lots of new people plus one surprise...

Also in the audience that night...

 

 ...I am still coming to terms with finding out, at the interval, that sitting in the audience was Vincent Lindsay-Clark. I am pretty much speechless with the honour of it. I found out he was  there when he came up to me in the interval. I had already played Salsa Roja', the



Interval time, jolly audience - spectacular building

 
                                                                                                                                               
third movement of his extraordinary and brilliant  Suite,  Fiesta Americana, commissioned from Vincent by world famous Paraguayan guitarist, Berta Rojas. (Berta gave it its world premiere in Whitchurch back in February - a night, and a concert, to remember!) and I have been working hard at the piece ever since. It was very well received in Edinburgh but by constantly practising I have got into it even more since then. Vincent kindly said that I had made a good job of it and even more kindly, he acknowledged that it is a tricky piece to play. I am very pleased to have received his encouragement, expressed with such wit and such an acute appreciation. Playing the classical guitar is frightening at the best of times and I am always aware of being close to some kind of edge when I am playing so it was only right that such an extra frisson should have happened on Halloween. And on behalf of the audience and of myself I would like to say a huge THANK YOU! to Element Arts and The Wool House Project for making last night such a magical evening. If you missed it, you can hear a bit of the concert HERE


A big thank you to the impressive people at Element Arts for creating such a lovely venue.

 

 

 

Autumn in Edinburgh - Guitar and Squash

Thistle Street, Edinburgh

Super audience on Friday night at the Waverley Sports Club for my concert. The room is lovely, with one wall a panoramic window overlooking the tennis courts. There are comfy sofas and with the curtains pulled and snazzy lighting effects it make a brilliant venue. Thank you to Dave Ferguson for organising it, to the great volunteers who dispensed pizza during the interval and after, and to that lovely audience for coming  and making it such a convivial and rewarding occasion. Someone requested Recuerdos del L'Alhambra as an encore (which is not a piece I was expecting to play) and I am pleased with how that went. It is the piece I use as a barometer of how I'm progressing with my levels of technique and control, so to me it has connotations of 'a test'. It is  interesting to be asked to perform it - I found that unexpected things had happened to the way I play it. There's a big difference to how you play when you are practising - even when you try to do a 'test performance' - and how you play when an audience is listening. I had a wonderful time. I wish I'd thought to organise a photo or two to share but I didn't.
The squash is slightly more tragic however. I have pulled a muscle or twisted a ligament or whatever and the calf pain from that means I haven't been able to play until today. Today I am going to have a go (if the team needs me) so wish me luck. (Good luck, me). I am sure that the pleasant evening I spent last night out and about in Edinburgh will have helped!

Classical Guitar at Waverley Sports Club on October 4th

I am delighted to be travelling north again - back to Edinburgh. Those two favourite activities of mine - playing the guitar and playing squash have somehow combined and I shall be performing at the Waverley Sports Club and also playing for their team at Edinburgh Sports Club Octoberfest - Their annual international squash & social tournament.

Details of the concert are there on the left - note the inclusion of pizza!

The Ruskin Ensemble rides again

News of a concert in Bursledon by the wonderful Ruskin Ensemble - oh, wait a minute - I can't say that, I'm IN the Ruskin Ensemble...

But it's true all the same, there really is a concert in Bursledon by The Ruskin Ensemble. It is at the Greyladyes Arts Foundation on 27th September. The event is 'All True Love' - an Evening of Romantic Music Poetry and Prose. The performers are  Jane Gomm, violin; Jo Easthope, cello and me on guitar. We play music by Vivaldi, Paganini, Beethoven, Schubert, Granados; and, from the contemporary repertoire; pieces by Paul Lewis and Gordon Carr. Gordon Carr's piece is 'True Love' as in the event title, and it was commissioned by The Ruskin Ensemble and premiered a few years ago at the Brighton Festival. Here is the show described on the official Ruskin Ensemble website: All True Love: Passionate, stimulating, intimate. Romantic music, poetry & prose for violin, guitar and 'cello .  

Readings from D.H. Lawrence, Laurie Lee, Byron, Blake and Burns... with Music by Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert and Granados. Two works by British composers: Gordon Carr's, 'All True Love', which ingeniously entwines great love poetry with music, and, 'Trois Serenades', by Paul Lewis, complete this unforgettable evening.

I'm really looking forward to it and meanwhile having fun rehearsing the music. There's nothing like playing as part of an ensemble and it is very invigorating. I have never been to the Greyladyes Arts Centre before. It used to be a monastery I believe (so someone told me).

 

Classical Guitar, Ullapool and the BenignTwittershpere

It's so near to the end of the Edinburgh Fringe now; only three more shows after today and crucial that I keep my strength up. One thing that keeps me inspired is how fantastic the audiences are and here is another -  Twitter, bless it's heart.  Here are some lovely tweets that people have shared about my show:

Nick Bush ‏16 Aug @Jonathan_Prag lovely guitar recital today. Great programme and good to see modern Brit composers included #EdFringe

Carolyn Anona Scott ‏Spent lunch break today listening to @Jonathan_Prag at C Too venue by castle! Only 3 shows left - great show, don't miss it!

Suzanne Ross7 Aug Classical guitarist @Jonathan_Prag is playing at the #EdFringe from today until 26 Aug. http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/event/254751-classical-guitar-jonathan-prag/ …

So -  Ullapool... the  name makes me want to set off without delay. (If only it was that easy!).  Here's why I'm thinking about it:-

3 movements of the 'America' suite by Matthew Sear

Here I am (this is Fringe venue 4, the little church of St Columba's by the Castle, on Johnson Terrace, Edinburgh), playing the first three movements of Matthew Sear's 'America': 1. Fanfare, 2. Scherzo and 3. Freeway.

Half way through The Edinburgh Fringe - what shall I do on my day off?

I can hardly believe I've just done 12 consecutive days performing. The audiences have been lovely so far - keen, knowledgeable, appreciative and jolly and the sun has been shining too. Thank you to my C Too stewards and technicians for smoothing my path here at Fringe venue 4. The venue has theatre lighting this year and it brightens up the space and really shows off its elegant architecture. My friend whose camera also does videos has done a short clip or two from a  respectful distance (so these are a bit quiet) and I've met some new people also.


The Carlevaro attracts curiosity as usual and one enthusiastic audience member came up to tell me that the guitar was so interesting  I ought to do a little speech about it - '...even lose one of your pieces,' she said, 'maybe the Satie?' 'Oh NOT the Satie!' came the shocked tones of  a young man standing nearby. C Too has a secret garden tucked away behind the venue where they serve delicious hot food and cold beers and I frequently get waylaid there by my audiences after the show so people do have an opportunity to find out about the guitar. Plus I have to get out of the space the minute I finish, to make way for Umdumo Wesizwe, the wonderful choir from Zimbabwe, who are on straight after me. So what shall I do tomorrow? I have one whole day off. Hmm... I think I might well cycle in to the sports club, play squash, watch a bit of the athletics on the big screen (hurrah for Christine Ohuruogu!!), have a nice pint and then cycle back to my 'home' here in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Fringe, here I come

I've sellotaped tidy versions of the music together and sorted out the running order and even printed programmes - and now I'm trying to cram everything into the car ready for the drive north. I've put the programme on the programme page so if you'd like to see what I'll be playing, click on the tab at the top of the page. What have I forgotten... ? Nothing, I hope. The leaflets and posters are sorted, the rehearsal slot is sorted, I don't have a tech run... (I don't have any tech, even, -  my act is  low maintenance). I always feel so excited by the prospect of Edinburgh. If you're going to be up there too, come and see the show. I've been looking at all the things that are on and choosing what to go and see and this one's a definite: Mixed Doubles with the wonderful Rose Robinson at Just The Tonic at The Caves - which is a very cool venue. It's apparently really funny. My must-see show however is Inspector Norse by LipService Theatre; the inimitable and unique and sidesplittingly funny, Sue Ryding and Maggie Fox at Assembly George Square.  Music-wise there are lots of amazing people to choose from. The awesome guitarist Claude Bourbon is on at The Acoustic Music Centre and if they're not sold out I'm hoping to go and see him. Likewise the amazing Antonio Forcione and his band who are on at Assembly George Square. Now - I must get back to my packing!

Pizza slices, cold beers, brownies, lemon drizzle cake and chilled rosé - the perfect classical guitar concert!

The scene at Wimborne St Giles as the concert draws to a close. The wine bottles are empty now; I've come back on for my encore and outside the midsummer evening is glowing. See that plate covered with foil? There were some homemade pizza slices left after the interval and people were stocking up with extra pieces to take home. I confess that there are two such plates in my dressing room (the back kitchen); one with pizza and the other with cake. It was a truly delightful concert experience. Allowing people to bring their own wine and beer is an inspired idea and selling delicious homemade snacks in the interval makes it into a real party. What a great place. That spectacular tapestry you can see on the wall behind me depicts the village, including the cows, black Labradors and hens. You see a bit more detail in the shot below.

 

Jonathan Prag at the Edinburgh Fringe - Tickets now on sale

Great excitement - word has come that tickets have gone on sale for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Buy Tickets to Jonathan Prag Classical Guitar

Classical Guitar and bananas in Otley and Halifax

The acoustic at Otley Courthouse Theatre is just right. It actually was a courthouse and there is a

dressing room, Square Chapel Theatre

sweet spot on stage which is exactly where the judge used to sit. Glen, my expert technician, showed me and it was extraordinary - if I moved my chair a few inches back  the difference was amazing. There were some nice photos done of me playing during the concert (and also of me pretending to be locked up - playing my guitar in one of the police cells, three of which have been preserved upstairs).
In Halifax the Square Chapel is very impressive in size and has a lofty wide space flooded with light from enormous windows. It's a beautiful building and one of the only square chapels ever built. I needed my amp in there but I didn't turn it up to 11. The sound was really warm and just a bit of amplification was all it needed. Great audiences in both venues and lovely house managers and teams of stewards and technicians. I wish I still had the photos. This phone picture of me tuning up just before going on is the only one I've got though because the camera bag was nicked out of the car in literally one minute - the minute before we went back out to the car to get it after we'd brought most of the stuff in. They bashed the passenger window in and took the camera and my bananas.

We had been going to stay the night after the gig and were planning to get a curry first at Ziggy's Spice House, which is the best Indian restaurant in Halifax apparently. But with no passenger window and only the car to keep the stuff in we had to drive home instead. As there were no bananas to sustain us we had to eat Big Macs and chips and wrap our heads up to combat the very blustery draught. Never mind - there's always next year. And we'd had a superb curry in Red Pepper - a lovely place in Otley, so we'll live.

Gigs in Yorkshire

I'm off to Yorkshire. First I have a gig to do on the South coast tomorrow and then I aim to drive part of the way to Otley and stop over somewhere halfway up, Northampton-ish let's say, have a good sleep and a nice big breakfast on Friday morning

The guitar is ready

and finish the drive on Friday so I can arrive in good condition. The guitar is all ready - I put new strings on a few days ago and they are well played in now.
Otley looks like a beautiful town and Otley Courthouse theatre, where I'll be performing, looks awesome. We're lucky to have friends in the area so will be driving to their house after the gig - after the highly necessary curry that is. I don't think I can drive all the way to Otley, perform a concert and then not go out and have a curry.  I've been investigating local breweries in that area too...  there is the vital question of which local brews to sample.

Sampling the local brews is pretty much an obligation I think

I've got Saturday off - during which I will get the chance to see my friends and maybe do a bit of ale sampling and as it's the Holmefirth  festival of Folk I'll be visiting that. I'll definitely be going to hear Michael J Tinker playing at 4.30 pm - I am just assuming I'll be able to find him -  I'm not sure where it is but he's on at The Red Deer. The Gerry McNeice Band is on as well - And on Sunday I'll still be there and if you're in the area come and listen to Sarah Horn and James Cudworth - great musicians -  performing outside Hervey's, from around 2pm. I've just got time to sample some ale (modest pre-gig amount) and hear some music before it's off to my own gig - to play some Bartok and Bach and flamenco and Villa Lobos and all the rest of my programme in Halifax.
I'm performing there at Square Chapel Arts Centre and I notice that just above me in the what's on list is what looks like a very nice beer festival which I will have missed. Ah well - I'm sure I shall have had some very good local brews by then.

Back to King's Lynn and the 2013 Festival Fringe



Brilliant statue not far from my venue in King's Lynn

The King's Lynn Festival brochure is out now and the online version has gone live also. I’m listed in  ‘events, walks and tours’ and am honoured to share the list with some delightful things e.g. the poetically named walk: Algarkirk to Whaplode by way of Bicker & Pinchbeck. There are some lovely things on: - As You Like It in the courtyard at Holkham Hall, for example and tea dances and musical coffee mornings. Scroll down the list and you will find me between the Boughton Jazz Picnic and the West End Wendies! See picture below of me playing last year in this gorgeous church.
Tickets for this year are already selling well I’m delighted to hear. The Box office number is 02380 560945 if you want to book your tickets in advance or you can just turn up and get your ticket on the door. Do visit the Festival website to browse, but in case you didn't have time my programme entry says:

Jonathan Prag Classical Guitar, All Saints Church, King’s Lynn

 21 July 3pm £7 (£5.00 concessions)

Back following 2012’s Festival success in King’s Lynn. Superb playing includes Lauro, Barrios, Satie. ‘…gripping performance...held the entire audience’s rapt attention.’ (Lothian Life)

Organised by All Saints Church.

All Saints Church King's Lynn

A gig at St Mary's Stadium

I played at St Mary's Stadium last night - the first time I've ever been to it. I was playing the guitar I hasten to add and this was a grand function and nothing to do with football. Barry Cryer was there. He came up to me at the end and said how much he had enjoyed listening to me play. In today's  Guardian Simon Hoggart, reporting on the annual Oldie of the Year lunch in his Simon Hoggart's Week column says the same thing - 'Barry Cryer was there...' and then goes on to say that Barry is hard of hearing. Hmm. On balance I am still pleased.

This is the Ted Bates statue outside.

Happy New Year!

The evil lemon of doom

I hope 2013 will be a contented and productive year for you all. I would like the same for myself but there is a delay - partly self inflicted. Foolishly I chose to slice a lemon by resting it on the edge of the sink (I know... I know...) and I sliced my finger right where the pressure goes whenever I have to hold down many many chords. And then, after actually commenting to someone on how pleased I was with the current condition of my right thumb nail I caught it in the badminton net (guitarists have to play raquet sports as everyone knows) and two thirds of it snapped off. But never mind. I am sure that once I have got clear of January and it's physical inconveniences I shall be fine.
Exciting things are coming up - it's my concert at South Hill Park Arts Centre on February 8th and meanwhile I am busy putting together the programme for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe which, if all goes to plan, will get its preview at the King's Lynn Festival in July. I had a very successful concert there last year and am looking forward to returning to play again. It was a most rewarding experience and of course it is a lovely area to visit in any case.
Also - astonishingly - I am currently at number 1 in the local Reverbnation classical charts. Thank you to all the people who have liked /fanned/visited my pages or commented.