Merchant Adventurers' Hall Archives

July 31, 2024August 13, 2024

York Trailblazers’ trail of unsung heroes opens tomorrow. Who features in tansy beetle sculptural form? Find out here UPDATED 5/8/2024

*Delma Tomlin in Tansy beetle sculptural form at Merchant Adventurers’ Hall,* *designed by HazardOne*

YORK Trailblazers, the city-wide sculpture trail celebrating York’s unsung heroes, launches on Yorkshire Day, August 1.

Organised by York Civic Trust and Make It York, the trail is co-curated with organisations, community groups, schools and universities with £249,999 funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Trailblazers project provides the opportunity to discover these lesser-known people who have made a difference to lives either locally or globally.

Members of the public and community groups nominated their trailblazers, whereupon a co-created final list of these stories was researched by partner organisations, highlighting each invaluable contribution.

To honour these remarkable individuals, artists worked with community groups to create the tansy beetle sculptures that represent them.

Why tansy beetles, you may well be asking. This beetle, an emblematic symbol of York, was chosen on account of its connection to the city, one of only two places where tansy beetles are found.

*Faith Gray’s sculpture, designed by Martha Beaumont, at Grays Court Hotel, Chapter House Street, York*

This vibrant and resilient beetle mirrors the spirit of the Trailblazers – each sculpture not only pays tribute to these changemakers but also brings their stories to life along the trail.

Andrew Morrison, chief executive officer of York Civic Trust, says: “The York Trailblazers project has revealed a fantastic range of people from York, many of whom we did not know of before. With Make It York, it has been fantastic to collaborate with so many local artists and communities. We hope that this is the first of many such celebrations.”

The sculpture trail has been designed to be as sustainable as possible. The materials used are recycled, repurposed or recyclable and the sculptures and the reused bases will be repurposed or recycled after the trail has ended.

Each sculpture has been produced by local artists and crafters working with local people to create “something unique and meaningful to them”. The choice of sustainable materials and artwork and the decoration of each sculpture has been developed by the partnership of artist and local community. This process of sustainable co-production is considered to be as important as the finished product.

Commissioned to create the beetle structure, Tom Springett Metalwork Creations drew on his experience of working in set construction, visual merchandising, architectural metalwork and art fabrication industries to create the metal works of art.

*Mary Ward’s sculpture for York Trailblazers, designed by Jen Dring, in the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre gardens. Picture: David Harrison*

Some of the sculpture artwork may exist only for a few weeks but the beetle structure itself and an accessible digital record of the artwork will continue to celebrate York’s Trailblazers.

Seventeen sculptures will be placed throughout the city, each one reflecting a different trailblazer, designed to capture the legacy of these inspirational people,.

Among them will be The Luddites,a sculpture created collaboratively by a small group of people affected by homelessness with the Good Organisation. Rather than celebrate an individual ‘trailblazer,’ it serves to commemorate 64 Luddites who were tried in the court in York in 1813.

The Luddites were a group of early 19th-century workers who protested against the introduction of machinery that they believed threatened their jobs. The movement began in the textile industry, where mechanised looms and knitting frames were replacing traditional hand-weaving methods, leading to job losses and reduced wages for skilled workers.

Although the Luddite movement did not stop the process of industrialisation, it highlighted the social and economic challenges faced by workers during a period of unprecedented change, and many of their underlying concerns still resonate today with the rapid rise of AI and digital technology.

*W H Auden’s sculpture, designed by Navigators Art and Performance, at West Offices, Station Rise, York*

The Luddites sculpture at the Eye of York is designed by theatre and performance design graduate Alex Gray, an aspiring theatre designer now working as a stagehand at the Darlington Hippodrome.

The Delma Tomlin sculpture was researched by the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and National Centre for Early Music. Dr Delma Tomlin MBE is a living trailblazer, who came to York in 1984 to administer the York Festival Mystery Plays and loved the city far too much to ever leave.

She championed the move to return the York Mystery Plays to the city streets and served as chief executive officer of the Millennium production in York Minster.

As the founder of the National Centre for Early Music, based in the medieval church of St Margaret’s in Walmgate, Delma has been a pivotal figure in music making, focusing her energies on supporting young professional musicians locally, nationally and internationally and flying the flag for York whenever possible.

A member of the York Merchant Adventurers Company, in 2022 Delma became the first woman to become Governor since the company’s inauguration more than 650 years ago in 1357. She does not plan to be the last.

The Delma Tomlin sculpture, sited at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, is designed by HazardOne, recognised by the Guardian as one of the top five female graffiti artists in the UK and named among the top 25 female street artists worldwide in the Huffington Post.

*Alex Gray’s sculpture for The Luddites at the Eye of York*

The York Young Carers sculpture, at the Principal York hotel, was researched by unpaid young adult carers aged 16-25 from the York Carers Centre, who worked with artist Zoe Phillips to represent unpaid carers in York, including both identified and hidden carers.

The group reflected that carers share similar experiences and circumstances, but have unique stories in their own right, and decided that it would be difficult to find one trailblazer to represent them all.

They felt the sculpture would be impactful if it enabled carers to recognise themselves as trailblazers for the roles they hold, sacrifices they make and difficulties they go through for the love of the person they care for.

They said the sculpture design “should be not what it appears – with lots going on underneath”. The group was struck by the grace of the tansy beetle’s exterior, along with the power and resilience of the driving legs and inner workings underneath the shell. They felt this was the perfect metaphor for a carer.

The York Young Carers’ sculpture designer, Zoe Phillips, is an inclusive mixed media artist who explores our connections with objects and the narratives they hold.

*Gemma Wood’s tansy beetle mural on show at THOR’S Orangery, Parliament Street*

Reflecting on her journey, Zoe says: “Working with the young adult carers group has been important to me both personally and professionally. Finding a way to share the identity and voice of this incredible group of individuals, for whom time and space for themselves may be sparse but they find a way to draw connections and share how important community is, was key.

“The beetle exposes all the hidden workings, those background details that are often overlooked or taken for granted but are so important to the running of things. With huge thanks to all those who shared their thoughts and experiences with me, you really are one-of-a-kind trailblazers!”

The trail will run from August 1 to September 30, opening on Yorkshire Day, whose celebrations, activities and events in the city will include a Yorkshire-themed market on Parliament Street.

Sarah Loftus, managing director of Make It York, says: “York Trailblazers is an inspiring tribute to the pioneers whose courage and vision paved the way for our community’s future. This project not only celebrates their legacy but also creatively highlights the humble tansy beetle, reflecting York’s ongoing commitment to its conservation in the city.”

Full details can be found at visityork.org/york-trailblazers, including Meet The Trailblazers and Meet The Artist. You can download the trail map and a cycle trail for exploring the trail by bike and learn how to minimisie your environmental footprint by using public transport.

*Zoe Phillips’s sculpture for York Young Carers at the Principal York hotel*

Did you know?

KNOWN as “the Jewel of York”, the endangered tansy beetle has been chosen as the emblem of the York Trailblazers project to reflect its special status as a York resident with its riverside habitat on the banks of the River Ouse.

The 17 sculpures

The Luddites

Location: Eye of York

Researched by: The Good Organisation.

Designed by: Alex Gray.

Rather than celebrate an individual ‘trailblazer,’ this sculpture serves to commemorate 64 Luddites who were tried in the court in York in 1813. This sculpture was collaboratively created by a small group of people affected by homelessness with the Good Organisation.

Coppergate Woman

Location: August 1 to 6: Parliament Street; August 6 onwards, Coppergate Walk

Researched by: University of York, Archaeology Department

Designed by: Sarah Schiewe

The Viking Age sometimes comes across as a world of rich and powerful men: kings, chieftains and raiders. This makes The Coppergate Woman, known affectionately by the research team and artists as Vigdis, an important Trailblazer: she tells us about her life as a migrant woman living with disabilities in York 1,000 years ago.

Delma Tomlin

Location: Merchant Adventurers’ Hall

Researched by: Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and National Centre for Early Music, York

Designed by: HazardOne

Dr Delma Tomlin MBE is a living trailblazer. As the founder of the National Centre for Early Music, based in the medieval church of St Margaret’s in Walmgate, Delma has been a pivotal figure in music making – focusing her energies on supporting young professional musicians locally, nationally and internationally – and flying the flag for York whenever possible.

John Chesterman and Stuart Feather

Location: Spurriergate

Researched by: Queer Arts

Designed by: Jade Blood

John Chesterman and Stuart Feather, both from York, were instrumental in the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), organisers of the first ever Pride march in 1972.

Anne Lister

Location: Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate

Researched by: York University and Churches Conservation Trust

Designed by: Shannon Reed

Anne Lister’s (1791-1840) life and diaries have blazed a trail for the LGBTQIA+ community today, helping people understand their history and embrace their identity.

Faith Gray

Location: Grays Court Hotel, Chapter House Street

Nominated by: York St John University

Designed by: Martha Beaumont

Faith Gray (1751-1826), born in York, dedicated her life to improving the conditions of girls and women in York. Her legacy of compassion and social progress endured beyond her death, paving the way for future generations of women reformers.

Mary Kitson Clark

Location: York Museum Gardens

Researched by: Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Designed by: Sian Ellis

Mary Kitson Clark (1905-2005) was one of the first female archaeologists to be recognised in a professional capacity in the UK for her significant contributions to the study and conservation of York’s archaeological heritage.

WH Auden

Location: West Offices, Station Rise

Researched and designed by: Navigators Art and Performance

Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was born in Bootham, York. Informed by science and engineering, his fascination with the world and its workings was expressed in a myriad of poetic forms, earning him the title “the Picasso of modern poetry”.

York Young Carers

Location: Principal York, Station Road

Researched by: York Young Carers

Designed by: Zoe Phillips – By Deckle and Hide

Unpaid young adult carers aged 16-25, from the York Carers Centre, worked with artist Zoe Phillips to represent unpaid carers in York, including both identified and hidden carers.

Mary Ward

Location: Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, Blossom Street

Researched by: All Saints School and Bar Convent

Designed by: Jen Dring

Mary Ward (1585-1645) was a visionary Yorkshire woman who revolutionised education for girls in England. Despite societal and religious restrictions, Mary dedicated her life to providing equal education opportunities for girls, believing “there is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things.”

Ivory Bangle Lady

Location: York Railway Station, Station Road

Researched by: University of York Archaeology Department

Designed by: York Anti-Racist Collective

The woman who has become known as the ‘Ivory Bangle Lady’ was buried at Sycamore Terrace, York, in the second half of the fourth century CE. As a trailblazer, the Lady has marked an important path in showing that ethnic and religious diversity and immigration is written in York’s history from its very beginning.

Annie Coultate

Location: Fishergate Primary School, Escrick Street

Researched by: Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington Local History Society

Designed by: Christine Joplin

Annie Coultate (1856 -1931), a dedicated suffragette, was instrumental in the women’s suffrage movement in York.

*Anne Lister sculpture designer Shannon Reed.* Part-time artist, full-time biology undergraduate, in York. Focuses on wildlife, paying particular attention to threatened native UK species. Her artwork is multi-media, ranging from pointillism portraits of endangered animals to oil paintings on recycled wood. Designed and decorated two wooden ducks for the University of York’s Long Boi-ology Art Trail to raise awareness of the threat that avian influenza and flooding poses to UK wildlife

Mary Tuke

Location: St Lawrence Parish Church, Lawrence Street

Researched by: Hempland Primary School

Designed by: Heather Dawe and Sarah Jackson

Mary Tuke was a pioneering woman who displayed remarkable ambition, resilience and courage. In 1725, as a Quaker in her thirties who had lost her family, Mary opened a grocer’s shop in Walmgate, York, defying societal norms.

Roma and Geoff

Location: Millennium Bridge Park, Hospital Fields Road

Researched by: The Tansy Beetle Action Group

Designed by: Cathy Simpson

The Tansy Beetle Action Group (TBAG) was established in 2008 by Geoff and Roma Oxford (University of York), following the designation of the rare and beautiful Tansy beetle as a UK conservation priority.

*Mary Kitson Clark’s sculpture, designed by Sian Ellis, in York Museum Gardens*

June Hargreaves

Location: Rowntree Park

Researched by: Herstory. York and Make Space for Girls

Designed by: Emma Feneley

The way historic cities such as York protected their heritage was transformed in the mid-1960s by a new law on ‘Conservation Areas’. This was the idea of June Hargreaves, a young York town planner, who became York’s senior planning officer in 1961.

Michael Rowntree

Location: Homestead Park, Water End

Researched by: The Rowntree Society

Designed by: Natalie McKeown

Michael Rowntree (1919-2007), from the globally renowned York confectionery family, held senior roles in Oxfam and was chairman from 1971 to 1977, during a time when the charity delivered its biggest ever aid package and set up the country’s first textile recycling plant.

Rosie Wall

Location: Sanderson Community House, Bramham Road, Acomb

Researched by: The Place at Sanderson Community House

Designed by: Leo Morey

Rosie Wall has dedicated herself to the Chapelfields community. She was instrumental in developing the Sanderson Court Community House (now The Place), and Crossroads, a safe space for young people, addressing significant anti-social behaviour in the area.

York Trailblazers: the back story

*Geoff Oxford: Trailblazer, environmentalist and founder of the Tansy Beetle Action Group at the August 1 launch*

FULL details at York Trailblazers Hub page: visityork.org/york-trailblazers

YORK Trailblazers, the new city-wide sculpture trail, launched on August 1, kicking off the Yorkshire Day celebrations in York.

The sculpture trail celebrates York’s unsung heroes. Centred around the tansy beetle, each sculpture has a different design to capture the legacy of these inspirational people who have made a difference to people’s lives.

At the launch celebrations at THOR’s Orangery, artists and trailblazers gathered to enjoy the first day of the trail alongsidethe featured sculptures, Coppergate Woman.

*Richard Kitchen, co-founder of Navigators Art and Performance, discussing York Trailblazer WH Auden at Thursday’s launch*

Coppergate Woman depicts the life of a migrant woman living with disabilities in York 1,000 years ago. This sculpture will be on Parliament Street until August 6, then moving to Coppergate Centre, where she lay until she was discovered by archaeologists from the York Archaeological Trust in the late-1970s.

Discovered in a shallow pit by the river Foss, the remains of this unknown woman are displayed in a glass case in Jorvik Viking Centre. Her story was brought to life in Maureen Lennon’s play The Coppergate Woman, staged as a community production by York Theatre Royal from July 30 to August 7 2022.

A special mural was painted for the launch day by Gemma Wood. This will stay in place on THOR’S exterior until August 18.

*Gemma Wood painting her tansy beetle mural at THOR’S Orangery on Thursday*

Tansy Beetle facts:

The River Ouse has the largest population of tansy beetles in the UK, found on a 30km stretch of the river.

The iridescent green leaf-beetle, approximately 10 mm in length, has a smaller population at Woodwalton Fen, Cambridgeshire, where it was re-discovered in 2014.

Tansy beetles rarely fly; they find new food plants and habitats by walking. Finding a breeding partner is made more difficult by this resticted mobility. Most active in April and May, then August and September.

The tansy beetle is named after the Tansy plant, whose reduction in number has led to the beetle’s declining population too.

As an endangered species, tansy beetles are being monitored and bred in captivity to ensure that the populations do not disappear.

Trailblazers project facts:

National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant: £249,999.

More than 40 community groups have been involved.

*York Trailblazer Rosie Wall’s tansy beetle sculpture, designed by Leo Morey, at Sanderson Community House, Bramham Road, Acomb*

More than 1,000 schoolchildren participated in school workshops.

£30,000 of community grants were awarded to 23 York groups.

More than 150 workshops have been delivered.

39 York Trailblazers have been researched and celebrated.

17 Tansy Beetle Trailblazer Sculptures have been created.

What has the £249,999 support from the National Lottery Heritage delivered?

A COMMUNITY workshop programme to allow local communities and residents to research and uncover new trailblazers for York.

A community grants programme to enable heritage organisations, voluntary and community groups to contribute to the project, especially those groups who have not accessed heritage activities before.

A digital arts project to help celebrate York’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.

A heritage trail around the city working with artists and communities, inspired by York’s lesser-known heritage stories.

A school workshop programme and resource packs providing opportunities for young people to learn more about their heritage and, in particular, the trailblazers that form the sculpture trail.

Sustainability

THE sculpture trail has been designed to be as sustainable as possible. The materials used are recycled, repurposed or recyclable and the sculptures and the reused bases will be repurposed or recycled after the trail has ended.

The choice of sustainable materials and artwork and the decoration of each sculpture has been developed by the partnership of artist and community. This process of sustainable co-production is as important as the finished product.

Tansy Beetle metalwork

COMMISSIONED to create the beetle structure, Tom Springett, Metalwork Creations drew on his experience of working in set construction, visual merchandising, architectural metalwork and art fabrication industries, to create these metal works.

Before the York Trailblazers metal works, a Tansy Beetle mural took shape in York…

*ATM’s mural of a tansy beetle in Queen Street, York*

STREET artist ATM, known for his depiction of endangered species, painted his mural of a tansy beetle on a brick wall on Queen Street, York, in 2019. Capturing the insect’s shimmering green hue, it is a bejewelled highlight of the walk from Micklegate to York Railway Station.

July 13, 2024July 13, 2024

More Things To Do in York and beyond when going for gold in pursuit of entertainment and enlightenment. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 29, from The Press, York

*Shed Seven: Playing sold-out concerts in York Museum Gardens on July 19 and 20*

SHED Seven’s 30th anniversary open-air gigs top Charles Hutchinson’s bill. Roman emperors, Ryedale musicians, Brazilian sambas and theatrical Fools look promising too.

York festival of the week: Futuresound presents Live At York Museum Gardens, Jack Savoretti, July 18; Shed Seven, July 19 and 20

ONLY 100 tickets are still available for Anglo-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti’s opening concert of the inaugural Live At York Museum Gardens festival at the 4,000-capacity York Museum Gardens, when the support acts will be Northern Irish folk-blues troubadour Foy Vance, York singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich and fast-rising Halifax act Ellur.

Both of Shed Seven’s home-city 30th anniversary gigs have sold out. Expect a different set list each night, special guests and a school choir, plus support slots for The Libertines’ Peter Doherty, The Lottery Winners and York band Serotones next Friday and Doherty, Brooke Combe and Apollo Junction next Saturday. Sugababes’ festival-closing concert on July 21 was cancelled in April. Box office: seetickets.com/event/jack-savoretti/york-museum-gardens/2929799.

*Jack Savoretti: Opening the inaugural Live At York Museum Gardens festival on Thursday*

Tribute show of the week: The Illegal Eagles, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm

IN their 24th year on the road, The Illegal Eagles return with a new production rooted as ever in the greatest hits of the American West Coast country rock band, from Hotel California to Desperado, Life In The Fast Lane to Lyin’ Eyes.

The latest line-up features former Blow Monkeys drummer Tony Kiley, Trevor Newnham, from Dr Hook, on vocals and bass, Greg Webb, vocals and guitars, Mike Baker, vocals, guitars and keys, and Garreth Hicklin, likewise. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

*Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron: Artist in residence at 2024 Ryedale Festival*

Classical festival of the week: Ryedale Festival, running until July 28

THIS summer’s Ryedale Festival features 58 performances in 35 beautiful and historic locations, with performers ranging from Felix Klieser, a horn player born without arms, to trail-blazing Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang, mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron to violinist Stella Chen, the Van Baerle Piano Trio to Rachel Podger on her Troubadour Trail.

Taking part too will be Royal Wedding cellistSheku Kanneh-Mason, Georgian pianist Giorgi Gigashvili, Brazilian guitar pioneer Plinio Fernandes, choral groups The Marian Consort and Tenebrae, actress and classical music enthusiast Dame Sheila Hancock, jazz singer Claire Martin and Northumbrian folk group The Unthanks. For the full programme and ticket details, head to: ryedalefestival.com.

*Mary Beard: Revealing the truths and lies behind the emperors of Rome at Grand Opera House, York*

History lesson of the week: Mary Beard: Emperor Of Rome, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 7.30pm

CLASSICIST scholar, debunking historian and television presenter Mary Beard shines the spotlight on Roman emperors, from the well-known Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to the almost-unknown Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE).

Venturing beyond the hype of politics, power and succession, she will uncover the facts and fiction of these rulers, assessing what they did and why and how we came to have such a lurid view of them. Audience questions will be taken. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

*Maria Gray in the role of The Acrobat in Around The World In 80 Days-ish at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick*

Theatrical return of the week: Around The World In 80 Days-ish, York Theatre Royal, July 18 to August 3

PREMIERED on York playing fields in 2021, revived in a touring co-production with Tilted Wig that opened at the Theatre Royal in February 2023, creative director Juliet Forster’s circus-themed adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel returns under a new title with a new cast.

Join a raggle-taggle band of circus performers as they embark on their most daring feat yet: to perform the fictitious story of Phileas Fogg and his thrilling race across the globe. But wait? Who is this intrepid American travel writer, Nellie Bly, biting at his heels? Will an actual, real-life woman win this race? Cue a carnival of delights with tricks, flicks and brand-new bits. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

*Katie Leckey: Alternating the roles of Ben and Gus with Jack Mackay in Griffonage Theatre’s The Dumb Waiter*

*Jack Mackay: Alternating the roles of Ben and Gus with Katie Leckey in Griffonage Theatre’s The Dumb Waiter*

Fringe show of the week: Griffonage Theatre in The Dumb Waiter, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, July 18 to 20, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

YORK company Griffonage Theatre follow up February’s debut production of Patrick Hamilton’s Rope with Harold Pinter’s 1957 one-act play The Dumb Waiter, directed and designed by Wilf Tomlinson.

Two hitmen, Ben and Gus, are waiting in a basement room for their assignment, but why is a dumbwaiter in there, when the basement does not appear to be in a restaurant? To make matters worse, the loo won’t flush, the kettle won’t boil, and the two men are increasingly at odds with each other. Unique to this production, actors Jack Mackay and Katie Leckey will alternate the roles of Ben and Gus at each performance. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

*Four go into three: Cast members James Aldred, Peter Long, Lucy Chamberlain and Charlotte Horner of The Three Inch Fools*

Open-air theatre at the double: The Three Inch Fools in The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII, Scampston Hall, Scampston, near Malton, July 20; Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York, July 23 and Helmsley Walled Garden, August 6; The Comedy Of Errors, Helmsley Walled Garden, July 19, all at 7pm

THE Three Inch Fools, brothers James and Stephen Hyde’s specialists in fast-paced storytelling and uproarious music-making, head to Scampston, York and Helmsley with their rowdy reimagining of the story of the troublesome Tudor king in The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII as he strives to navigate his way through courtly life, while fighting the French again, re-writing religious law and clocking up six wives.

The Play That Goes Wrong’s Sean Turner directs the Fools’ innovative take on Shakespeare’s shortest, wildest farce The Comedy Of Errors, with its tale of long-lost twins, misunderstandings and messy mishaps. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk.

*Barbara Marten, York actor, oil on canvas, by Steve Huison, on show at Pyramid Gallery*

Exhibition of the week: Steve Huison, Portraits, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until August 31

THE Full Monty actor and artist Steve Huison is exhibiting 12 studies of colleagues in the acting profession, musicians who have inspired him, an adventurous Greenland chef and a famous Swiss clown.

On show are portraits of fellow actors Paul Barber, Arnold Oceng, Barbara Marten, Will Snape, Clarence Smith and Joe Duttine, musicians Abdullah Ibrahim, Quentin Rawlings and Flora Hibberd, counsellor and therapist Dr Tanya Frances, chef Mike Keen and Grock the Clown. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

July 10, 2024July 17, 2024

What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond as classical festival opens. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 24, from Gazette & Herald

*Mezzo-soprano* *Fleur Barron: Residency at Ryedale Festival. Picture: Victoria Cadisch*

RYEDALE Festival tops the bill for Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations. A tribute to tribute acts, Grimm tales, Roman emperors, Brazilian sambas and theatrical Fools look promising too.

Festival of the week: Ryedale Festival, July 12 to 28

THIS summer’s Ryedale Festival features 58 performances in 35 beautiful and historic locations, with performers ranging from Felix Klieser, a horn player born without arms, to trail-blazing Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang, mezz-soprano Fleur Barron to violinist Stella Chen, the Van Baerle Piano Trio to Troubadour Trail host Rachel Podger.

Re-Bjorn each show: Sarah-Louise Young in I Am Your Tribute at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

Fringe show of the week: Sarah-Louise Young, I Am Your Tribute, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

AFTER An Evening Without Kate Bush, the Julie Andrews-focused Julie Madly Deeply and The Silent Treatment, Sarah-Louise Young returns to Theatre@41 with her Edinburgh Fringe-bound new show, I Am Your Tribute.

In her “most ambitiously interactive performance yet”, she invites you to help her create the ultimate tribute to an act of your choosing. Along the way she will teach you the tricks of the trade, share her greatest hits and uncover the occasionally darker side of living in someone’s else’s shadow. Expect music, wigs and wonderment. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

*Happily ever after: Rowntree Players cast members in Grimm Tales*

Fairy tales of the week: Rowntree Players in Grimm Tales, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm

AMI Carter directs Rowntree Players in Carol Ann Duffy’s adaptation of Grimm Tales, dramatised by Tim Supple, with Chris Meadley in the role of the Narrator.

The cast of 15 takes a journey through a selection of delightfully bizarre stories from the Brothers Grimm collection to reveal their true origins and to discover that the path to a happy ending can, indeed, be a little grim. Box office: 01904 501395 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

*Mary Beard: Roman emperors, the truth and the lies, at Grand Opera House, York*

History lesson of the week: Mary Beard: Emperor Of Rome, Grand Opera House, York, Saturday, 7.30pm

Venturing beyond the hype of politics, power and succession and into the heart of the palace corridors, she will uncover the facts and fiction of these rulers, asking what they did and why, and how we came to have such a lurid view of them. Themes of autocracy, corruption and conspiracy will be explored and audience questions will be taken. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

*Andrew Methven: Playing a Lazy Sunday Session at Milton Rooms, Malton*

Afternoon entertainment: Lazy Sunday Sessions, Andrew Methven & Joseph Wing, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 3pm

HEADLINER Andrew Metheven, from Bradford, pens lo-fi folk songs about births, hills, decay and daydreams and too many about birds, as heard on his June 2024 debut album, Sister Winter, available via Bandcamp. Singer and guitarist Joseph Wing, from Malton band Penny Fleck, will be the support act. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

*Madness: Welcome to the House Of Fun at Scarborough Open Air Theatre*

Coastal gig of the week: Madness, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates 6pm

MADNESS, the Nutty Boys of Camden Town, return to the North Yorkshire great outdoors for Suggs and co to roll out such ska-flavoured music-hall hits as Our House, One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers, It Must Be Love, House Of Fun, Michael Caine, Wings Of A Dove, Night Boat To Cairo, My Girl, Driving In My Car, Tomorrow’s Just Another Day and Embarrassment. Standing tickets are still available at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/madness.

*Fernando Maynart: Showcasing new album at Helmsley Arts Centre*

Brazilian sambas of the week: Fernando Maynart, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

BRAZILIAN singer, composer, guitarist and percussionist Fernando Maynart introduces his new album, TranSambas, showcasing the different rhythmic nuances of samba rooted in Africa via the West African slave trade and the Afro-Brazilian religion.

Maynart, whose set also features songs by Brazilian maestro Dorival Caymmi, will be accompanied by Brazilian flautist Daniel Allain and drummer/percussionist Denilson Oliveira, plus Ryedale multi-instrumentalist David Key. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

*Four go into three: James Aldred, Peter Long, Lucy Chamberlain and Charlotte Horner of The Three Inch Fools*

July 8, 2024July 8, 2024

The Three Inch Fools take to North Yorkshire outdoors with The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII and The Comedy Of Errors

OPEN-AIR theatre specialists The Three Inch Fools will head to Scampston Hall, Scampston, near Malton, on July 20 with their rowdy reimagining of the story of a troublesome Tudor king, The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII.

Further North Yorkshire performances will follow at Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York, on July 23, and Helmsley Walled Garden on August 6.

Founded in Cumbria in 2015 by the Hyde brothers, producer James and writer, composer and director Stephen, the company combines fast-paced storytelling with uproarious music-making as their modus operandi for their contemporary spin on the traditional touring troupe.

The Secret Diary finds a young Henry VIII attempting to navigate his way through courtly life on a tour that will visit heritage sites with Tudor links to transport audiences back in time, albeit with a different take on history than the one told by the great houses.

Stephen Hyde’s new work provides an “essential guide” to how to keep your head in the Tudor Court when unexpectedly thrust into the limelight, as Henry navigates the ups and downs of courtly life, all while fighting the French (again) and re-writing religious law. Cue a madcap take on Britain’s most epic monarch and those infamous wives.

Operating from their rehearsal residency at the National Trust property of Eastbury Manor House in Banbury, the Fools are touring 80 venues this summer with two shows, the second being their innovative twist on Shakespeare’s shortest, wildest farce, The Comedy Of Errors, with its tale of long-lost twins, misunderstandings and messy mishaps.

Directed by The Play That Goes Wrong’s Sean Turner, The Comedy Of Errors will play Helmsley Walled Garden on July 19.

In the Three Inch Fools cast will be James Aldred, Lucy Chamberlain, Charlotte Horner and Pete Long, while the production team includes fight director and choreographer Marcello Marascalchi, movement director Claire Parry and costume & props designer Aoife Hills.

The Three Inch Fools in The Secret Diary Of Henry VIII, Scampston Hall & Walled Gardens, Scampston, near Malton, July 20; Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York, July 23, and Helmsley Arts Centre, August 6, all at 7pm. The Comedy Of Errors, Helmsley Walled Garden, July 19, 7pm. Gates open at 6pm. Age guidance: 6+. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk.

March 26, 2024March 27, 2024

Ashley Karrell’s digital portrait of Merchant Adventurers’ Hall’s first woman governor, Dr Delma Tomlin, goes on show at Easter

*Photographer Ashley Karrell with his portrait of Dr Delma Tomlin, first woman governor of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall in York*. *Picture: Ashley Karrell*

THE Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, in York, is celebrating its first woman governor with a specially commissioned photo portrait of Dr Delma Tomlin MBE.

She was appointed to the role in 2022, becoming the first female incumbent since the hall’s foundation in 1357.

Dr Tomlin is the founder and long-standing artistic director of the National Centre for Early Music, at St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, and the director of York Early Music Festival, York Early Music Christmas Festival and Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival.

Oil paintings of past governors are on display around the hall, in Fossgate, and from this Easter they will be joined by the new digital portrait by Ashley Karrell in the Great Hall.

In a move away from traditional oil painting to the 21^st century digital age, the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall commissioned Karrell, an award-winning director, producer, photographer and artist, to create the highly original work.

Already he had made his mark in Yorkshire as the first black portrait photographer to be commissioned for the permanent collection at the stately home of Harewood House, working on the Missing Portraits series that features Leeds West Indian Carnival founder Arthur France MBE and actor David Harewood OBE.

Karrell also made the hybrid film #BlackBoyJoyGone, nominated at the 2023 Grierson Awards, and the multi-award-winning dance theatre film Displaced.

Dr Tomlin said: “It was such an honour to take up the role of the first female governor of this venerable organisation, which has a 660-year history. To reflect this new direction, we decided to take a different approach to commemorate the occasion and commissioned the award-winning Ashley Karrell to work with us. We hope that visitors will be as excited as we are by this historic photo portrait.”

*Ashley Kerrall’s digital photographic portrait of Dr Delma Tomlin. Copyright: Ashley Karrell*

Karrell said: “I’m truly grateful to Dr Delma Tomlin and the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall for the opportunity of creating this significant portrait. My art is captivated by stories about human experiences, the exploration of community and social engagement.

“This image is one of one; what we created speaks of history, representation, celebration and triumph. To be a small part of the 660-year history of this institution gives me joy and I hope the audience will feel strength and humility within the eyes of our first female governor. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your story.”

The Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York’s oldest medieval building, continues to engage audiences with an innovative approach, attracting visitors from all over the world. The hall is home to many collections, including silver, furniture and paintings, which provide a glimpse into its rich history. It also remains the everyday base for the 160 members of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York.

This Easter’s unveiling of the photo portrait coincides with the launch of a free digital museum guide through the arts and culture app Bloomberg Connects. The app gives access to expertly curated content and guides to more than 350 museums, galleries, sculpture parks, gardens, and other cultural spaces.

Over the past few years, the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall has reached wider audiences with exhibitions and has increased its digital offer. Visitor numbers continue to go from strength to strength, as illustrated by the Two Rivers interactive exhibition attracting a big audience with its revelations of the fascinating history and importance of the city’s rivers.

Lauren Marshall, the hall’s museum director, said: “We’re very excited about our new digital guide, which we hope will make the visitor experience at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall even more enjoyable.

“We’ve been delighted by the ever-increasing interest in this amazing medieval building, one of the most stunning in the UK, and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors from York and beyond in the months to come.”

Dr Delma Tomlin, DUniv, MBE: the back story

FOUNDER and artistic director of the National Centre for Early Music, at St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, promoting music from the 13th to the 18th centuries.

Director of York Early Music Festival, York Early Music Christmas Festival and Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival.

Acknowledged expert in the promotion of the medieval York Mystery Plays.

In 2000, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of York for her work in the city. In 2008, she received an MBE for Services to the Arts in Yorkshire & Humberside. In 2018, she was appointed Cultural Champion for York. In 2020, she was elected an Honorary Freeman of the City of York.

Ashley Karrell: the back story

AWARD-WINNING director, producer, photographer and artist with more than two decades of experience. His work includes films, television, visual art, theatre productions and commercial and experimental video across the UK and beyond.

Captivated by stories of human experiences, the exploration of community and social engagement.

Known for his hybrid film #BlackBoyJoyGone, nominated at 2023 Grierson Awards; multi-award-winning dance theatre film Displaced; feature film and documentary of Geraldine Connorʼs stage masterpiece Carnival Messiah, winner of Peopleʼs Choice Award for Best Documentary at Trinidad Film Festival.

First black portrait photographer commissioned for permanent collection at Harewood House, near Leeds, photographing Missing Portraits series, featuring Leeds West Indian Carnival founder Arthur France MBE and actor David Harewood OBE

2022-24 marks the release of eight new short films, touring theatre shows and photography projects.

For more information, go to: www.AshleyKarrell.com. Social media links: Instagram – @ashleykarrell; Facebook – @ashleykarrell; X/Twitter – @ashleykarrell

July 15, 2023July 15, 2023

REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on Helen Charlston & Toby Carr and Marian & Rose Consorts at York Early Music Festival

*Helen Charlston: “A voice like no other”*

York Early Music Festival: Helen Charlston & Toby Carr, Undercroft, Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York, July 10; The Marian Consort & Rose Consort of Viols, National Centre for Early Music, York, July 11

THERE is something special about a late-night recital, especially when the lights are low. The low-ceilinged Undercroft, with the audience in darkness and the performers dimly back-lit, was just the ticket for a spot of drama.

With the trusty theorbo of Toby Carr for support, Helen Charlston brought her considerable voice to bear on battle-hardened heroines.

Hers is no ordinary mezzo, as in soprano without the high notes. She has a considerable range, both high and low, but her tone is smoothly focused throughout, without sign of gear changing. Add to that a flair for diction which adds conviction to her theatricality, and you have a voice like no other. This was an exciting evening.

She opened and closed with Purcell. His most successful song in Bonduca (Boadicea as imagined by John Fletcher), O Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom, neatly captured the heroine’s inner conflict, and An Evening Hymn spoke of bold spiritual confidence.

She also evinced a special feel for the music of17th-century Italian Barbara Strozzi, a singer herself. The bitter-sweet pain of L’Heraclito Amoroso and the marvellously Italianate decorations in La Travagliata (The Tormented Woman) were meat and drink to Charlston’s skill.

She took her programme title, Battle Cry, from an eponymous work by Owain Park setting poetry by Georgia Way, which she premiered in 2021. It pictures intimate reactions to four ‘abandoned’ women: a lament for Boadicea, the solitude of Philomela, a prayer to Sappho and love-regret for Marietta.

Here she showed an uncommon affinity for the words, in vocal lines that were grateful even when occasionally flowery. Carr’s underpinnings were invaluable; as so often elsewhere, his rhythmic awareness added colour to the ebb and flow of passion. Its harmonies were modern but its aura evoked a much earlier era.

The highlight of the programme was the nobility in Charlston’s approach to Monteverdi’s Lamento d’Arianna, which allowed us to discern a steely centre to the heroine’s emotional roller-coaster. Her dramatic style suggested that she must soon have a future on the operatic stage.

Carr was with her every step of the way. Indeed, it would have been good to hear more from him alone than the three brief solos we were allowed. Either way, they made a powerful duo.

*The Marian Consort*, *represented by six voices at the NCEM* *on July 11*

THE following lunchtime saw the combination of two consorts, the Rose Consort of Viols, which harks back to this festival’s origins, and the Marian Consort (of six voices). Byrd At Elizabeth’s Court celebrated the great man’s high-wire act as a Roman Catholic under a Protestant ruler.

It also allowed anthems normally heard with organ accompaniment to be experienced with the intimate richness of viols.

At its heart lay Byrd’s carol anthem Lullaby, My Sweet Little Baby, which features the Virgin Mary’s gentle retort to the Massacre of the Innocents.

Responding to a new commission from the consorts to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of Byrd’s death, Juta Pranulytė sensitively chose the same text to reflect the number of children born into war, cruelty and oppression in our own day.

Pranulytė’s smooth vocal lines moved in mainly close harmony over viols required at times to produce trills and portamentos. The soprano opened at the top of her range and needed to negotiate several high semi-tonal shifts.

The atmosphere thus conjured was elegiac, combining comfort with tears, in a style reminiscent of Byrd’s own musical misgivings about the plight of Roman Catholics under Elizabeth. Apart from its prologue, which was diffuse, this was a canny piece of writing that fell easily on the ear.

Several verse anthems surrounded this centrepiece. The higher-voiced soloists mainly needed to enunciate more clearly, but choral blend was exquisite. Byrd’s rare setting of Italian, the Ariosto poem La Verginella, was delicately treated by the soprano Caroline Halls.

Other highlights included the madrigal-style Come To Me Grief, For Ever, sung unaccompanied, and a gorgeous Amen to close the New Year carol O God That Guides The Cheerful Sun. The Tallis motet O Sacrum Convivium, sung from the back of the hall, was an apt reminder of Byrd’s important mentor and (later) close colleague.

The Roses offered several pieces on their own, including a five-part Tallis fantasia reconstructed by John Milsom and Byrd’s voluntary for Lady Nevell, infused with snappy figurations. His variation-packed Browning was typical of the ensemble’s smooth dexterity.

Review by Martin Dreyer