Image:Central England Ensemble.pdf

[edit] Summary

Central England Ensemble The Central England Ensemble was established in 2001 by Anna Downes, shortly after she graduated with a music degree from Exeter University. Since its conception, one of the main objectives of the group has been to support the work of contemporary composers living in Birmingham and its surrounding areas. By doing so, it hopes to raise the profile of composers in the region and showcase their music throughout the wider community. The orchestra is also unique in that it gives recent music graduates and other talented performers who wish to work professionally, the opportunity to study new and exciting repertoire to a high standard.

Since its launch in October 2001, CEE has performed many exciting contemporary works. Performances of Andrew Downes' Symphony no 2, Centenary Firedances, Concerto for Native American Flute and Strings, String Quartet no. 1, Celtic Rhapsody, Songs of Autumn, his opera Far From the Madding Crowd and Concert Overture: Towards a New Age have been given. Other featured contemporary works by local composers have been In Thought and Mind by Nathan Rose, Fantasy on Dover Castle by David Fanshawe, Fanfare for Brass and Overture and Beginners by James Langley, Fanfare for Orchestra, and A Christmas Festival by David Bradbury, Michael Whitcroft's Rhapsody for Guitar and Strings, Gareth Jones' An Evening in Brum, William Southworth's UnderSide and Vortex, Scherzo by Louis Clark, The Owl and the Cuckoo by Guy Woolfenden, Culture Clash by Simon Lesley and Celebration : In Praise of Midland Youth by Stephen Williams.

Among it's other concert repertoire, CEE has given performances of Elgar's Enigma Variations, Sea Pictures and In The South, Holst's The Planet's Suite, Beethoven's Symphony no. 7, Brahms Symphony no 2, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no 2, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 1 and Serenade for Strings, Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, Symphony no 5 by Shostakovich, Der Rosenkavelier Suite, Death and Transfiguration and the Four Last Songs by Strauss, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Vaughan Williams' London Symphony, Wasps Overture and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, Prelude and Fugue to the Spitfire and Overture to Richard III by Walton. The Orchestra has also played several film scores such as ET, Star Wars and Schindlers List by John Williams, James Horner's Titanic and Howard Shore's Lord of The Rings in a concert called 'A Night At The Oscars'. In 2005 the orchestra gave a concert entitled 'Stars and Stripes' in which Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Candide Overture as well as Gershwin's An American in Paris were performed

In 2005 Central England Ensemble travelled to Bremen in Germany for its first European concert tour. Three concerts were given; in Bremen, Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven. In 2007 the orchestra visited Paris and performed in venues such as La Madeleine, the American Cathedral and the American Church. A concert Tour to Berlin is planned for 2009.

In addition to its regular season of concerts, CEE performs annually at Artsfest, has played with several choirs in the area, run a series of workshops with the West Mercia Probation Service and in 2005 and 2006 took part in an Education Project with 1000 primary school children in Symphony Hall. The string section of CEE gives an annual concert in St George's Church in Edgbaston which is conducted by Lee Armstrong, and chamber groups from the orchestra are also regularly hired for functions.

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