Forthcoming Fiends' Events:

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL EVENTS ADVERTISED MUST BE BOOKED BY POST AND INCLUDE YOUR REMITTANCE.


Opera Study Day including lunch SOLD OUT
Lee Wood Hotel, Buxton
Thursday, 24 April, 10.30am – 4.30pm
Buxton Festival has a long history of performing rarely staged operas and this usually means that many of our audiences will be seeing them for the first time. To help discover more about the background to this year’s repertoire we are delighted to offer members the opportunity to attend an Opera Study Day in Buxton. We also hope to repeat this Study Day in London, probably in June.

The speakers will offer an invaluable introduction, aiming to enhance your enjoyment at the Festival. In the past couple of years these study days have sold out and we highly recommend you book early to secure a place. Tickets £40 including lunch and coffee.

You may wish to extend your stay for:

Anna Bolena (Donizetti) with pre-opera drinks reception SOLD OUT
Old Hall Hotel & Opera House
Thursday, 24 April at 7.30pm
Extend your day in Buxton or just join us for the opera! We have reserved the best seats in the Opera House and organised a drinks reception at the Old Hall Hotel from 6.30pm. Tickets £35

Just Wyn SOLD OUT
Hassop Hall, near Bakewell
Wednesday, 30 April at 6pm
Wyn last performed to the Friends to great acclaim in 2003. Five years on we are delighted that he returns to perform his celebrated one-man show, Just Wyn, which he recently performed for the Friends of New Zealand Opera. This special Spring Gala evening including a 3-course dinner will be at the historic Hassop Hall, set in its beautiful grounds and stunning Derbyshire countryside. Tickets £50 A limited number of bedrooms are available for guests wishing to stay the night, call Hassop Hall direct for further details – 01629 640488.

Summer Luncheon SOLD OUT
Warslow Hall, Warslow, near Buxton
Sunday, 1 June at 12.30pm
By kind invitation of Mr Roger Pegg there will be a Summer Luncheon in aid of the Festival at the delightful Warslow Hall. The Hall was built by Sir George Crewe of Calke Abbey as a summer residence in 1828-1830. The grounds have been undergoing careful restoration during the past seven years and make this a wonderful venue for our Summer Luncheon. Directions will be sent to those who book. Tickets £20 each

Opera Study in London
National Opera Studio, Wandsworth
Saturday, 14 June, 2pm – 6pm

Following the requests from a number of our supporters in the south of England we are delighted to announce that an Opera Study event has now been organised. Speakers have been organised including the Festival’s Artistic Director, Andrew Greenwood, to give talks on the three main Festival productions: The Poacher, Samson and the English Triple Bill. We hope this event will be of interest to those wishing to find out more about these operas before your visit to Buxton.
Tickets £20. Please note that lunch is not included for this event.

Summer Supper & Booth Street West Jazz Band
Chatsworth, near Bakewell
Thursday, 26 June at 6.30pm
(Garden open from 5pm to our Guests)

Thomas Taylor / piano
Jack Davies / trumpet
Jon Ormston / drums
James Cummings / saxophone
Sarah Buckley / bass
Stephanie Jennings-Adams / vocals

Following notification of this event in our last newsletter we now have over 100 members attending this special event and still have some tickets to sell for those of you who would like to join us.

This event is a wonderful opportunity for you and your friends to join us for this very special summer’s evening event at Chatsworth. This will be a less formal occasion to those we have held at Chatsworth in the past, but is sure to be no less enjoyable. To start the evening, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire are kindly allowing us to have exclusive access to the Garden from 5pm, to stroll at leisure through their magical 105 acre garden with its famous waterworks and sculptures before we start with our Drinks Reception in the Rose Garden from 6.30pm. As the visiting public depart, the Garden becomes a tranquil haven of serenity at this time of day. Guests attending the event can decide to come early to view the Garden or arrive later in the evening for the start of the drinks reception – the decision is yours.

The main part of the evening will be held in the Old Stable Block, where we will be entertained with music from Booth Street West, from the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music, whilst we dine alfresco with a Summer Supper in the Courtyard. As always, the demand for tickets is expected to be high for this popular venue, so early booking is recommended. As there will be more space to accommodate members at this event, we would be delighted to welcome your friends. We will provide coach travel from Buxton to this event, subject to sufficient interest. Tickets £45; Coach from Buxton £5.

Friends’ Post Opera Reception
Saturday, 12 July at approx. 9.45pm
Old Hall Hotel, Buxton
Meet your Committee and other Festival Friends for a glass of wine in relaxed surroundings at the Old Hall Hotel with an opportunity to meet the cast from the evening’s opera. Donation of £5 per person.

Friends’ Lunch
Tuesday, 22 July, 12 noon
Old Hall Hotel, Buxton

This will be the first Friends’ Lunch during a Festival we have planned and hope that members attending the Festival on this date will join us for a convivial 2-course lunch. The lunch has been timed to allow members to attend the literary talk in the morning. We expect demand for this event to be high so would recommend early booking. Both the Festival and Friends’ Chairman, Dame Janet Smith and Louise Potter will be present and we hope to persuade a special guest with a Festival connection to join us. Lunch £20

Cressbrook Hall Recital and Buffet Supper
Cressbrook, near Buxton
Sunday, 28 September 2008, 6pm
Always a popular location with our members, Cressbrook Hall is the perfect venue for our recital and supper evenings. Set in a magnificent landscape, the Hall occupies a magnificent location, overlooking a natural limestone gorge created by the River Wye. Following the hugely successful events held at Cressbrook in the past couple of years we are delighted to be invited back to by Mrs Hull-Bailey.

The programme, yet to be finalised, will start with a glass of wine (or soft drink) followed by a recital and supper. Tickets £

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