Sounds in the Park

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Calderstones Park Garden Theatre stage will burst into life during summer 2021, as The Reader presents Sounds in the Park – a series of open-air concerts in collaboration with Early Music as Education.

The very special series of events will feature live classical music performances, including a comic opera, 17th and 18th century chamber music selected in response to Book I of William Wordsworth’s The Prelude and a sacred music production based on the oldest written story on earth, The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Each musical performance has been chosen in response to texts from The Reader Bookshelf, an annual programme of carefully curated great literature which, this year, is based on the theme of ‘Walking The Earth’.

Sounds in the Park programme

Sunday 20 June, 3pm & Thursday 24 June, 7pm

The Early Music Youth Orchestra performing Stabat Mater by Emanuele Rincón d’Astorga, featuring performances from Julia Smith, Luke Freeney, Robin Datta, Armand Rabot, Alberto Sanna.

Sunday 1 August, 3pm

17th & 18th century chamber music performed by The Wondering Fiddlers – Marino Capulli, Elizabeth Elliott, Donatella Paiano, Alberto Sanna.

Thursday 5 August, 7pm & Friday 6 August, 7pm

La Serva Padrona (The Maid as Mistress) – a comic opera by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, featuring performances from Angelina Dorlin-Barlow, Armand Rabot, Early Music Youth Orchestra, Alberto Sanna. Directed by Harriet Feeny and Françoise Lecomte.

The Garden Theatre in Calderstones Park was added to the 19th Century Mansion in the 1940s, as part of the ‘Holidays at Home’ scheme, which took place during World War II. The theatre opens onto the Mansion’s Gardens – an arena where people once sat in deckchairs to watch outdoor performances.

Much like people did in the 40s, for all of The Reader’s outdoor performances you’ll need to bring your own picnic blanket or chair. For the daytime performances, you can order picnics to enjoy while you watch.

No matter what the weather the show will go on so be prepared and wrap up warm.

To book, visit The Reader website.