The Arts Society is celebrating its Golden Jubilee with a lecture ‘Who Says? Can We Trust the Experts on Good and Bad Art?’ given by David Phillips. The lecture will be preceded by a Reception in the Jekyll Garden with drinks and canapés. A programme of music – from Baroque to Jazz – will be performed during the Reception by celebrated harpist Pervin Shahin. All are welcome.

Art critics and experts are often hilariously lampooned. David Phillips considers the bafflingly mysterious Polish Rider in the Frick Collection, New York, and the scrupulous scholarship involved over decades to settle just which paintings are genuine Rembrandts. World Leonardo authority, Martin Kemp, is utterly convinced he has discovered a new work by the master (but many specialists beg to differ) and a blazing dispute is underway (with millions of dollars at stake) about what is authentic, and what is not, in the work of  Andy Warhol. Sometimes experts may not have been acting in good faith – or are just plain bent.  Finally, Phillips asks, who is to say that Picasso is a greater artist than Edward Seago?

18.30 – 19.30 - Reception in the Jekyll Garden

19.30 – 20.30 - Lecture in the Amey Theatre

Tickets are £12.50 available from info@theartssocietyabingdon.org.uk

Kiss Me, Kate is a musical written by Samuel and Bella Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and the conflict on and off-stage between Fred Graham, the show's director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi. A secondary romance concerns Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill, who runs afoul of some gangsters. Includes show-stopping songs such as Always True To You In My Fashion, So In Love and Too Darn Hot.

A youth production of this fabulous musical complete with a 25piece orchestra playing Cole Porter's fantastic score!!

Known to millions as ‘The King of Waltz’, André Rieu is one of the world’s most popular music artists. His legendary annual Maastricht concert is the most eagerly anticipated cinema event of the year, last year setting new box office records in several countries.

Set against the stunning medieval backdrop of the town square in André’s Dutch hometown, the spectacular Maastricht concert features the maestro in his element, along with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra, sopranos, tenors and very special guests. André delivers an unforgettable musical experience full of humor, fun and emotion for all ages. This presentation of André Rieu’s 2018 Maastricht Concert in Cinemas features host Charlotte Hawkins, who conducts an interview with André Rieu the moment he steps off stage, exclusively for cinema audiences.

This summer it will be all about the world of love! Amore, my tribute to love is André’s tribute to love, the love for music and for both of his families : the small one, his wife and children - and the big one, the Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Take a front row seat and experience this spectacular musical event on the big screen. Enjoy backstage access, interviews with André and his special guests, musical favourites and much, much more, exclusive to cinema.

What if your first true love was someone you’d been told you must hate?

Set in a world very like our own, this Romeo and Juliet is about a generation of young people born into violence and ripped apart by the bitter divisions of their parents.

The most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion and an irresistible desire for change, but leads all too quickly to heartbreaking consequences.

For more information about the performance, please go to the RSC website.

Please note that this is an Encore Screening of the Live Performance on 18 July.

This production contains strobe lighting effects.

Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire) and Eric Kofi Abrefa (The Amen Corner) feature in the cast of this brand new production, directed by Carrie Cracknell (NT Live: The Deep Blue Sea) and broadcast live from the National Theatre to cinemas.

Wild and newly single, Julie throws a late night party. In the kitchen, Jean and Kristina clean up as the celebration heaves above them. Crossing the threshold, Julie initiates a power game with Jean – which rapidly descends into a savage fight for survival.

This new version of August Strinberg’s play Miss Julie, written by Polly Stenham, remains shocking and fiercely relevant in its new setting of contemporary London.

For more information about the performance, please go to the NT Live website.

This production has been given a 15 rating by BBFC.

Please note that Julie will contain strobe lighting.

Down on his luck in the suburbs, John Falstaff plans to hustle his way to a comfortable retirement by seducing the wives of two wealthy men. Unknown to him, it’s the women of Windsor who really pull the strings, orchestrating Falstaff’s comeuppance amidst a theatrical smorgasbord of petty rivalries, jealousies and over-inflated egos.

For more information about the performance, please go to the RSC website.

Inspired  by  a  true  story,  Everybody’s  Talking  About  Jamie  is  the  new  award-winning  five-star  hit  musical  for  today.  Jamie  New  is  sixteen  and  lives  on  a  council  estate  in  Sheffield.  Jamie  doesn͛t  quite  fit  in.  Jamie  is  terrified  about  the  future.  He  is  going  to  be  a  sensation.Supported  by  his  brilliant  loving  mum  and  surrounded  by  his  friends,  Jamie  overcomes  prejudice,  beats  the  bullies  and  steps  out  of  the  darkness,  into  the  spotlight.  Winner  of  3  WhatsOnStage  Awards  including  Best  New  Musical  and  nominated  for  5  Olivier  Awards,  Everybody’s  Talking  About  Jamie  was  filmed  live  at  the  Apollo  Theatre  in  London͛s  Shaftesbury  Avenue  especially  for  cinemas.

Calling all ocean lovers! The annual Ocean Film Festival is sweeping towards Abingdon with a brand new selection of the world’s most amazing ocean films, from both above and below the surface.

Brought to you by the team behind the Banff Film Festival UK Tour, this collection of short films celebrates divers, paddlers, surfers and oceanographers who live for the sea’s salt spray. Be wowed at the mind blowing marine life; exhilarated by the power of the waves, and inspired by the characters who dedicate their lives to answering the call of the ocean.

To book tickets, please visit the Ocean Film Festival website.

The inauguration of the new Steinway model D Concert Grand takes the place of the usual solo concert platform, which is preceded by the brief AGM of ASMS, Abingdon School Music Society, the parental group that supports the work of the music department by serving refreshments at concerts and raising funds for our many activities.

The story of the piano acquisition is an exciting one. It was purchased from London's South Bank Centre, where it had served the world's top pianists for some 14 years and chosen by none other than the great Mitsuko Uchida from the Steinway factory in Hamburg. The concert will be just 60 minutes duration and boys, music staff and the headmaster will be putting this amazing instrument through it's paces!

Admission is free - this is one not to be missed!

Broadcast live from London’s West End, see Ian McKellen’s ‘extraordinarily moving portrayal’ (Independent) of King Lear in cinemas.

Chichester Festival Theatre’s production received five-star reviews for its sell-out run, and transfers to the West End for a limited season. Jonathan Munby directs this ‘nuanced and powerful’ (The Times) contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tender, violent, moving and shocking play.

Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear sees two ageing fathers – one a King, one his courtier – reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power

struggle with bitter ends.

For more information about the performance, please go to the NT Live website.

Richard Parks spent thirteen years as a professional rugby player, representing Wales at international level, before his career was cut short by injury in 2009.  With no prospect of a return to rugby Richard has described how he struggled in “one of the darkest places I’d been to”.

Gradually – and with a bit of inspiration from Ranulph Fiennes - Richard began to find that adventure and exploration, and all the challenges that come with it, could offer him a new focus.  Richard is now a well-known TV presenter and sports ambassador having completed a range of endurance challenges around the world – from adventures close to home in his popular BBC series “Extreme Wales” to reaching all 7 Summits and both poles in just 7 months during his “737 Challenge”.

Join us as Richard takes us on his personal journey, from his challenging lows to the summits of peaks around the world.

To book tickets, please visit the Horizon Lectures website.

Mayerling is a classic of the Royal Ballet repertory, with its emotional depth, haunting imagery, and one of the most demanding roles ever created for a male dancer. Kenneth MacMillan choreographed a complex work around the psychologically tormented heir to the Habsburg Empire, Crown Prince Rudolf. From the ballet’s start, the glamour of the Austro-Hungarian court is contrasted with undercurrents of sexual and political intrigue that drive the story to its violent climax in a double suicide. The large cast allows for impressive ensembles in addition to the ballet’s many solos of distinctive character and pas de deux of disturbing eroticism. This ballet, bursting with intensity, madness and passion, proves that sometimes the truth is more scandalous than fiction.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

Wagner’s  Ring  cycle  is  one  of  the  greatest  works  of  all  opera.  Keith  Warner’s  production  is  conducted  by  Antonio  Pappano,  Music  Director  of  The  Royal  Opera,  and  this  final  revival  is  cast  with  an  outstanding  international  array  of  Wagnerian  specialist  singers.  The  full  cycle's  four  operas  journey  from  the  beginning  of  a  world  to  its  destruction,  with  gods,  heroes  and  monsters.  This  epic  myth  portrays  every  type  of  human  emotion  in  music  and  ideas  of  extraordinary  power.  The  Ring  is  always  a  special  event  in  the  operatic  calendar:  once  experienced,  never  forgotten.Die  Walküre  (The  Valkyrie)  is  the  second  opera  in  the  cycle,  and  features  several  of  the  Ring’s  musical  highlights  –  the  sparkling  Magic  Fire  Music  and  the  electrifying  Ride  of  the  Valkyries.  But  among  the  musical  fireworks  and  Norse  mythology,  at  the  centre  of  this  opera  are  the  unforgettable  characters  and  the  complex  entanglements  between  them,  including  twins  Siegmund  and  Sieglinde,  and  Wotan  and  his  Valkyrie  daughter,  Brünnhilde.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

Now in its fourth year, the senior solo competition pitches together the best of Abingdon's senior solo talent. Previous winners have been pianists, Leon Wu (2015) and Didier Delgorge (2016) and flautist, William Lam (2017).

This year's adjudicator is the newly appointed Director of Music at Our Lady's, Abingdon, Neil Farrow.

Saturday 3 November 2018 - Save the date

Tickets on sale from early September!

Details for this event can be found here.

Harry the Piano is one of the world's most gifted pianists and improvisors, frequently heard on the radio and travelling the world with his ability to improvise on pretty much any tune and in any musical style.

The Headmaster, Michael Windsor, won a music quiz at the Headmasters' Conference in Northern Ireland last autumn, his prize means that we have Harry the Piano with us. This amazing concert will be something of a fund-raiser for the Orchestral tour to Japan in June/July 2019.

Our second Solo Platform provides a new batch of our performers, ready to perform their latest pieces.

Admission is free.

The story of the apocalyptic final year of the Great War, as the British and German armies are tested like never before. A lecture by BBC historical advisor Gareth Howell, accompanied by a comprehensive ordnance display by collector Rick Stevens.

No age restriction, but recommended for ages 10+.

Our JCS, Joint Schools' Choral Society, comprises boys, girls, parents and staff from both Abingdon and the School of St Helen and St Katharine in a large choir and orchestra under the baton, this time, of SHSK Director of Music, Helena Rakowski. Helena has chosen Remembrance Sunday for this concert and, not surprisingly, the work chosen is the great Requiem by Mozart.

Marius  Petipa’s  fantasy,  set  in  legendary  India,  tells  the  tale  of  a  temple  dancer  and  the  prince  who  loves  her  but  marries  another.  The  famous,  moonlit  ‘white  act’  –  The  Kingdom  of  the  Shades  –  is  a  corps  de  ballet  highlight,  as  multiple  images  of  the  prince’s  lost  love  haunt  his  mind.  The  choreography  allows  two  opposing  ballerinas  to  shine,  while  a  bronze  idol  comes  vividly  to  life  in  a  stunning  solo.  Throughout,  the  melody  and  moods  of  Minkus’s  music  perfectly  match  the  fluidity  and  precision  of  the  classical  choreography  and  the  drama  of  the  storytelling.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House website.

"Lechery, lechery, still wars and lechery: nothing else holds fashion"

Troilus and Cressida swear they will always be true to one another. But in the seventh year of the siege of Troy their innocence is tested, and exposed to the savage corrupting influence of war, with tragic consequences.

Virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie collaborates with RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran to create a satirical futuristic vision of a world resounding with the rhythm of battle.

The Greek army is encamped under the walls of Troy and, at the point at which the play begins, the war has reached stalemate. The Greeks are quarrelling amongst themselves. Achilles, their greatest champion, refuses to fight and has withdrawn to his tent with his lover, Patroclus. Equally at odds with themselves, the Trojans are debating the value of continuing the war merely for the sake of keeping Helen.

Troilus is much distracted from these military concerns by his love for Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan who has defected to the Greek camp. The young lovers are eagerly assisted by Cressida's uncle Pandarus, who acts as their go-between. However, after only one night together they are parted when Cressida is sent to join her father in the Greek camp. Almost immediately she betrays Troilus with the Greek Diomedes and, discovering this, Troilus is plunged into despair. With the fall of Troy certain, Troilus vows revenge on Achilles.

For more information about the performance, please go to the RSC website.

Multi-award- winning drama The Madness of George III will be broadcast live to cinemas, in National Theatre Live’s first ever broadcast from Nottingham Playhouse.

Written by one of Britain’s best-loved playwrights Alan Bennett (The History Boys, The Lady in the Van), this epic play was also adapted into a BAFTA Award-winning film following its

premiere on stage in 1991. The cast of this new production includes Olivier Award-winners Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Wolf Hall, NT Live Coriolanus) in the title role, and Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, Upstairs Downstairs, After the Dance).

It’s 1786 and King George III is the most powerful man in the world. But his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic as he succumbs to fits of lunacy. With the King’s mind

unravelling at a dramatic pace, ambitious politicians and the scheming Prince of Wales threaten to undermine the power of the Crown, and expose the fine line between a King and a man.

For more information about the performance, please go to the NT Live website.

Half a dozen of our most gifted violinists will each be "taught" in a 20 minute lesson in front of a public audience. Always a fascinating insight into the learning process, and in the presence of Levon Chilingirian, one of the leading violinists of his generation - and friend of the school, this is a must for all string players and their parents.

The  Nutcracker  has  long  been  one  of  the  most  delightful  ways  to  discover  the  enchantment  of  ballet  –  and  makes  for  a  delicious  seasonal  treat  for  all  the  family.Tchaikovsky’s  much-loved  music  is  matched  to  a  magical  adventure  on  Christmas  Eve  for  Clara  and  her  Nutcracker  doll.  Their  journey  to  the  Land  of  Sweets  brings  with  it  some  of  the  most  familiar  of  all  ballet  moments,  such  as  the  Dance  of  the  Sugar  Plum  Fairy  and  the  Waltz  of  the  Flowers.  Peter  Wright’s  production  for  The  Royal  Ballet  keeps  true  to  the  spirit  of  this  Russian  ballet  classic,  with  period  details  and  dancing  snowflakes.  The  many  solo  roles  and  ensembles  put  the  world-class  skills  of  the  Company  to  the  fore  in  this  Christmas  classic.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

Our two Christmas Concerts constitute the musical highlight of the Michaelmas Term and bring together the best of Abingdon's larger ensembles in a programme which is repeated on consecutive nights.

All the senior bands, orchestras and choirs will be singing, including the entire First Year, in music of an often Christmas flavour. Come and join us for a celebration of musical talent at the end of term!

Broadcast live from the National Theatre, Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play Shakespeare’s famous fated couple in his great tragedy of politics, passion and power.

Caesar and his assassins are dead. General Mark Antony now rules alongside his fellow defenders of Rome. But at the fringes of a war-torn empire the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony have fallen fiercely in love. In a tragic fight between devotion and duty, obsession becomes a catalyst for war.

Director Simon Godwin returns to National Theatre Live screens with this hotly anticipated production, following broadcasts of Twelfth Night, Man and Superman and The Beaux’ Stratagem.

Please note: this is a 'Delayed Live Screening' originally broadcast on 6 December 2018.

For more information about the performance, please visit the NT Live website.

In  Tchaikovsky’s  intense  opera  of  obsession  and  the  supernatural,  Gherman  is  caught  between  the  woman  he  loves  and  a  destructive  fixation.  The  Queen  of  Spades is  based  on  a  short  story  by  Pushkin,  and  comes  to  the  Royal  Opera  House  in  a  new  production  that  has  already  garnered  five-star  reviews  in  Amsterdam.  The  production  is  set  in  1890,  the  year  of  the  opera’s  premiere.  In  his  study,  Tchaikovsky  imagines  the  opera  into  life  as  his  own  story,  its  characters  giving  voice  to  his  unfulfilled  desires.  Aleksandrs  Antonenko  and  Eva-Maria  Westbroek  head  the  cast  and  Royal  Opera  Chorus,  conducted  by  Antonio  Pappano,  Music  Director  of  The  Royal  Opera.  This  is  an  engrossing  portrayal  of  a  tortured  creative  artist  and  a  gripping  piece  of  gothic  storytelling.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

From  the  thrill  of  unexpected  romance  to  a  heartbreaking  reconciliation  that  comes  too  late  –  Verdi’s  La  traviata  is  one  of  the  most  popular  of  all  operas.  Alfredo  falls  in  love  in  with  the  courtesan  Violetta  in  glamorous  Paris  society,  but  underneath  the  surface  run  darker  undercurrents,  leading  to  a  tragic  ending.  The  opera’s  wealth  of  melodies  includes  the  famous  Brindisi  and  the  exuberant  ‘Sempre  libera’  –  both  showing  the  lyricism  of  Italian  opera  at  its  most  immediately  appealing.  Richard  Eyre’s  production  for  The  Royal  Opera  brings  out  all  the  emotional  colour,  from  the  giddy  discovery  of  love,  through  painful  confrontation  to  the  inevitable  conclusion.  Lavish  period  sets  and  costumes  enhance  the  reality  of  a  moving  story  based  on  true  life.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

I’m Not Running is an explosive new play by David Hare, premiering at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas.

Pauline Gibson has spent her life as a doctor, the inspiring leader of a local health campaign. When she crosses paths with her old boyfriend, a stalwart loyalist in Labour Party politics, she’s faced with an agonising decision.

What’s involved in sacrificing your private life and your piece of mind for something more than a single issue? Does she dare?

Hare was recently described by The Washington Post as ‘the premiere political dramatist writing in English’. His other work includes Pravda and Skylight, broadcast by National Theatre Live in 2014.

For more information about the performance, please visit the NT Live website.

Cervantes’s  story  of  the  bumbling  knight  Don  Quixote  has  inspired  countless  artistic  interpretations.  Marius  Petipa  choreographed  this  sparkling  ballet  about  the  encounters  of  the  man  from  La  Mancha  and  his  faithful  squire  Sancho  Panza.  At  its  heart  are  virtuoso  roles  for  the  lovers  Basilio  and  Kitri.  Carlos  Acosta  chose  this  joyful  classic  for  his  first  production  for  The  Royal  Ballet.  His  vibrant  staging  brings  together  the  whole  Company  in  such  roles  as  exuberant  villagers,  passionate  gypsies  and  even  fantasy  flowers.  The  story  follows  Don  Quixote’s  picaresque  journey  to  do  deeds  in  honour  of  his  imaginary  noble  lady,  Dulcinea.  Sunny,  charming,  funny  and  touching  –  Don  Quixote  is  a  ballet  as  full  of  uplifting  emotion  as  it  is  of  astonishing  ballet  technique.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

Leonora  falls  in  love  with  Don  Alvaro,  but  when  her  father  forbids  their  marriage,  a  fatal  accident  triggers  a  drama  of  obsession,  vengeance  and  tragedy.  Jonas  Kaufmannand  Anna  Netrebko  star  in  Verdi’s  epic  La  forza  del  destino  (The  Force  of  Destiny)  an  opera  which  demands  the  very  best  of  singers  for  its  powerful  music  and  the  fullest  theatrical  treatment  for  its  story  of  bitter  revenge  pursued  across  miles  and  years.  The  production  comes  to  The  Royal  Opera  in  a  sensational  staging  from  Amsterdam  packed  with  colour  and  action.  It  is  directed  by  Christof  Loy  and  conducted  by  Antonio  Pappano,  Music  Director  of  The  Royal  Opera.  

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

There  are  many  versions  of  the  story  of  Faust,  who  trades  his  soul  with  the  Devil  for  youth  and  power,  but  Gounod’s  opera  remains  one  of  the  most  constantly  enthralling.  Michael  Fabiano  stars  as  Faust,  with  Diana  Damrau  as  his  beloved  Marguerite  and  Erwin  Schrott  as  the  diabolical  Méphistophélès.  Virtuoso  leading  roles,  a  large  chorus,  sensational  sets,  ballet  and  an  ecstatic  finale  make  this  the  epitome  of  theatrical  spectacle  –  the  lavish  scale  of  French  grand  opera  is  wonderfully  in  evidence  in  this  production  by  David  McVicar,  set  in  1870s  Paris.  Above  all,  the  music  includes  several  of  popular  opera’s  most  recognizable  numbers,  performed  by  a  cast  of  great  international  singers  and  the  Royal  Opera  Chorus.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

The  contemporary  face  of  The  Royal  Ballet  is  shown  in  works  from  three  of  today’s  leading  choreographers.  Christopher  Wheeldon’s  Within  the  Golden  Hour  is  based  around  seven  couples  separating  and  intermingling,  to  music  by  Vivaldi  and  Bosso  and  lit  with  rich  colours  suggested  by  sunset.  Crystal  Pite’s  Flight  Pattern,  revived  for  the  first  time,  uses  a  large  dance  ensemble  and  Górecki’s  familiar  music  from  his  Symphony  of  Sorrowful  Songsfor  a  poignant  and  passionate  reflection  on  migration.  Between  them,  a  new  work  by  Sidi  Larbi  Cherkaoui,  created  on  The  Royal  Ballet  has  its  premiere  to  bring  the  contemporary  truly  up-to-date.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.

Shakespeare's enduring  love  story  is  known  the  world  over. Since  its  1965  premiere  with  The  Royal  Ballet,  Kenneth  MacMillan’s  Romeo  and  Juliet  has  become  a  modern  ballet  classic.  The  choreography  captures  the  emotions  of  the  young  couple  as  they  fall  in  love,  despite  the  barriers  that  finally  bring  about  the  story’s  tragic  end.  Each  revival  gives  opportunities  for  new  dancers  to  interpret  the  doomed  lovers.  The  whole  Company  brings  the  colour  and  action  of  Renaissance  Verona,  where  a  busy  market  all  too  quickly  bursts  into  sword  fighting,  and  a  family  feud  leads  to  tragedy  for  both  the  Montagues  and  Capulets.

For more information about this performance, please visit the Royal Opera House Live website.