New York pianist Simone Dinnerstein and Baritone Stephan Loges are to perform a benefit concert for the Marlborough Brandt Group (MBG) on Saturday, November 30.
Dr Nick Maurice, co-founder of the MBG, has long been associated with classical music in Marlborough, having organised the Brilliant Young Pianists series. To his delight, Simone Dinnerstein and Stephan Loges will be giving a benefit concert in aid of the MBG on Saturday, November 30, performing pieces by Bach and Schumann a few days before travelling to Vienna where they will present the same programme at the Konzerthaus.
American pianist Simone Dinnerstein came to prominence following her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Released in 2007, it ranked No. 1 on the US Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was included in ‘Best of 2007’ lists by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker. She has released three solo albums since then and was the bestselling instrumentalist of 2011 on the US Billboard Classical Chart.
Born in Dresden, the German bass-baritone Stephan Loges was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor before going on to study at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 1998, he was a winner at the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York and in 1999 won First Prize at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition, and has since been performing around the world with renowned choirs and orchestras including Munich Bach Choir, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Russian National Orchestra.
The MBG works in the Muslim community of Gunjur in The Gambia where currently 6 young people from St John’s School are learning about and contributing to life in that community as an integral part of their International Baccalaureate. At the same time young Gambians come to Marlborough to train and experience life in Wiltshire.
Since the Marlborough-Gunjur link group was founded twenty five years ago, the MGB has overseen the exchange of 1200 people between the two communities. four hundred young Gambians have been trained in Marlborough, thirteen open wells have been capped and provided with hand pumps, over 850 mosquito nets have been distributed to vulnerable villages in their fight against malaria, over one hundred Marlborough teachers have experience life and schooling in Gunjur and classrooms, an IT training centre and more have been built to help the local community. All money raised from the concert will go towards supporting the MBG’s work.
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The concert, An Evening with Bach and Schumann, will take place at: Memorial Hall, Marlborough College from 7.30pm on Saturday, November 30.
For tickets, contact Marlborough Box Office on: 01672 515068
Or visit: www.marlboroughboxoffice.co.uk
