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| Doing my best to blend in with King James 3rd of Denmark |
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| Magnificent piano painted by Burne-Jones |
Surrounded by stunning works of art is a great way to play the guitar yet these things were not even the main story. They were there because they had become covered in hundreds of years of grime. The master restorers of the Bush and Berry Restoration Studio, which is housed in a converted workhouse chapel, had restored them to the glowing condition you see here and soon they will return to their stately homes in renewed splendour.
So they were just a backdrop as I warmed up and prepared myself for the evening's concert; because upon the walls of the church hung an even more astounding exhibition of works by the artist
Rachel Hemming-Bray
Rachel has spent two years drawing and painting the restorers at work. The results are extraordinary and a great crowd of people thronged the exhibition during the day. Her pictures were selling like hot cakes. The exhibition closed for the day at 5.00 pm and then the space was transformed into a concert hall. It was packed by the time I emerged from behind the Earl of Oxford's piano. My programme varied somewhat from the one I posted on my programmes page. I will update the details shortly. It was a most inspiring and hospitable atmosphere to give a concert in and I felt honoured to be playing there and sharing the spotlight with such a distinguished artist.
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| I'm still behind the piano at this point - being introduced |
Time to be frantic again. Practising like crazy; yes. Scurrying to get publicity approved before the deadline; yes. Looking forward to getting back to Edinburgh; definitely. So here is a preview of this year's poster... or Purple Jon as it is known.
