Concerts & events  calendar JUNE Tuesday 4th June  3.00pm & 7.30pm Cambridge Devised Theatre present Emily Wilding Davison: The one who threw herself under the horse In the centenary of her death at the Derby in June 1913, and in the church where her memorial service was held, this iconic but enigmatic suffragette's life is movingly portrayed by Elizabeth Crarer. Set in the context of the struggle for women to have the vote in the first half of the twentieth century, Emily resonates with questions that still challenge the world today: repression of public protest, democracy, militancy, torture, women's rights and self-sacrifice. Yet at the heart of this play is a real woman with her own hopes, frustrations, humour and beliefs. Written by Ros Connelly, devised and directed by Kath Burlinson, devised and acted by Elizabeth Crarer £12, £10 concessions Can be booked online at: http://www.ibookedit.com/iBookedITApp/whatsOnPerformanceU.action?CompanyRef=21630 or go to www.ibookedit.com            _______________________________________________________________ Thursday 6th June  6.30pm Nexus - One World Music Featuring Omar Puente - violin, Pat Thomas - piano, Elizabeth Ball-violin, Fumi Okiji - vocals and resident ensemble Soundcastle, performing works commemorating the centenary of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, who was struck by the King's horse at the Epsom Derby and whose memorial service was at St George's Bloomsbury on June 14th 1913  (see www.thewildingfestival.co.uk) Tickets £10 at the door/£8 advance booking/£6 concession For advance bookings email concerts@stgb.org.uk or phone St George’s Bloomsbury on 020 7242 1979 Presented in collaboration with The Jazz Warriors International  www.thejazzwarriors.com          _______________________________________________________________ June 7 - 16 inclusive THE WILDING FESTIVAL On the 14th June 1913, 6000 women dressed in white marched through the streets of London to pay their respects to Emily Wilding Davison at St George’s Church, Bloomsbury. This young woman lost her life in a dramatic act of protest when she placed herself in the path of the King’s horse to highlight the cause of women’s suffrage.   On the 100th anniversary of her momentous memorial service the doors of St George’s Bloomsbury will once again be opened in her name, for an eclectic and provocative programme of new art works and performances. We invite our audience to experience, consider and challenge the resonance of Emily’s legacy in our modern lives.   Curated by London based arts collective and St George’s Associate Artists Soundcastle, in partnership with the Museum of London and St George’s Bloomsbury, the festival will present dynamic and discursive new music, theatre, dance, arts performance, collaboration, discussion and intergenerational community engagement in this spectacular and immersive setting.   For more information and to sign on the the Wilding Festival mailing list go to http://thewildingfestival.co.uk/   Friday 7th June  6.30pm  Pre-Festival talk Diane Atkinson & Benjamin Alsop Diane Atkinson: Rise Up Women! Emily Wilding Davison and the Suffragette Campaign for the Vote Emily Wilding Davison's deathly dash at the Derby of 1913 guaranteed her a place in history, something she craved ever since giving up her position as a governess to become a militant campaigner for votes for women. Her protest, which was captured on a few jerky feet of silver nitrate film made her the most famous suffragette of all. Di Atkinson discusses the events surrounding her final protest in the context of the Suffragettes' militant campaign for the vote. Benjamin Alsop: The Suffragette Penny - Money and the Art of Communication This fascinating penny will be the basis for a talk which discusses not only the relationship between the suffragette movement and the British Museum but will place the coin in a context of two thousand years of history. The qualities that are inherent in money, its ability to reach large numbers of people over vast geographical areas, also make it perfect for the dissemination of political, satirical or even subversive messages free from the reaches of the authorities that created it. Image © The Trustees of the British Museum. Venue: Church, Bloomsbury Way Admission free, suggested donation £5           _______________________________________________________________ Saturday 8th June 6pm Pre-Festival talk Interview: Marina Warner in conversation with Bidisha Death in Plain Sight: Emily Wilding Davison, Modern Martyr Emily Wilding Davison's death 100 years ago marked a crucial turning in the cause of women's suffrage. Has the supreme sacrifice, such as Emily Wilding Davison made, become necessary for change to take place in the wider social and political sphere? Like most Catholics, Marina Warner was brought up on stories of female martyrs who defied all restrictions in acts of spectacular heroism. She will explore contemporary ideas of political sainthood in relation to Davison and others. Following Marina Warner's talk she will be interviewed by Bidisha about her own contribution to writing women back into history - especially as this year has seen the reissue by Oxford University Press of Warner's classic books on Joan of Arc and the Virgin Mary. Much of Marina Warner's work has focused on excavating remarkable women - and myths about legendary women - from history and examining their symbolic and cultural importance. This in-depth interview gives audience members a chance to understand the equally remarkable author behind such books. Presented in association with the London Review of Books. Venue: Church, Bloomsbury Way Admission free, suggested donation £5           _______________________________________________________________ EXHIBITION: Mirror of the Open Road Thursday June 13th  10am - 6pm Saturday June 15th  10am - 4pm Sunday June 16th  12pm - 5pm 28 artists from 8 countries respond to the themes of the festival via film, animation, illustration, print- making, ceramics, textiles, graphic design, sculpture, photography and fashion The name takes inspiration from Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road" which was placed in Emily Wilding Davison's coffin by her friend Mary Leigh.  This exhibition has been curated in collaboration with Akhila Krishnan (akhilakrishnan.com). Exhibitors: Aindri Chakraborty, Ana Minguez, Freya Pocklington, Jo Blaker, Jasper Cho, Geetika Alok, Fritha Lewin, Juliana Ong, Natalie Keymist, Nicola Mccartney, Priyanka Gaitonde Yann Le Bec, Kate Bellamy, Kelsang Dorjee Dongsar, Liron Kroll, Rachel Sim, Eleanor Taylor, Leena Kangaskoski, Aishwarya Arumbakkam, Aneeth Arora, Shreyas R. Krishnan, Deshna Mehta & Pavithra Dikshit, Ruchita Madhok & Aditya Palsule. Venue: Upper Vestry Hall (follow signs for the Exhibition) Admission free, suggested donation £5           _______________________________________________________________ THURSDAY 13th June 8pm Open Arts Cafe -  Soldiers in Petticoats Open Arts Café is a monthly themed arts evening giving artists from all mediums a chance to present new and original work.  It is coming to the festival on tour from it's usual home at the West London Synagogue.  Expect a wide variety of performances hosted by the delightful actress and singer Maya Levy. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £6 suggested donation (available on the door only).           _______________________________________________________________ FRIDAY 14th June 11am: Acoustic Architecture Schools Performance Children from local primary schools, St Albans and St Clement Danes, come together to perform a special piece of music they have written specially for the festival and the intriguing acoustics of St George's.  This is the culmination of a creative music project led by Soundcastle in the run up to the festival.  It is generously supported by the William Shelton Educational Charity. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: Free Entry 3.45pm:  Modern Legacies: Sage Dance Company, Acland Burghley School and the Museum of London 'Continue Creating' Project OPENING ADDRESS BY PHILLIPA BILTON, DESCENDENT OF EMILY WILDING DAVISON Stunning over 55’s ballet company, Sage, perform a new dance piece in collaboration with Year 8 and 9 students from Acland Burghley School. This project is has been led by former Royal Ballet soloist Simon Rice to mark exactly 100 years since the memorial service for Emily Davison was held at St Georges. The Museum of London runs regular creative sessions for adults based on their collections.  Over the past weeks this group have been working with Soundcastle to create a new piece of music inspired by the museum's considerable suffragette archive. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8 8pm:  'The Curators Forum' Festival curators Soundcastle, in collaboration with visual artists Somang Lee and Akhila Krishnan, present their artistic response to Emily Davison's legacy and the concepts that lie at the heart of the Wilding Festival. Join our voices and step into a world where sound, space and history combine to allow the building to take you on a musical journey of hope and determination. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8           _______________________________________________________________ SATURDAY 15th June 10.30am: Community Procession from Russell Square to St George's Take to the streets in reflection of the great dedication shown by 6000 suffragettes 100 years ago when they marched through the streets to pay their respects to Emily Wilding Davison.  This time, however, we come together to celebrate the Bloomsbury community who have made this festival a lively and dynamic arts extravganza. Venue: Begins in Russell Square Tickets: Free 12pm: Unveiling of Memorial Plaque A short ceremony to unveil a special mosaic community plaque made by local primary school children. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: Free Entry 1.30pm: Meridian Marimba Duo & Storyteller Jennifer Pearcy-Edwards Lured By The Moon Sometimes we must make sacrifices to become ourselves again. . .Combining Greek myth and British folklore, Meridian and Jennifer Pearcy-Edwards weave a tale of the seductive power of women, through enchanting live music and performance storytelling.  More info… Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8  1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm Most Curious Tours 'Deeds not words' - Women who changed the world.   A Most Curious Tour. Commissioned for the Wilding Festival and inspired by the ideals of Emily Wilding Davison, Most Curious Tours will be showing you around Bloomsbury and the surrounding area on the weekend of 15 and 16 June on an interactive walk.  Fusing performance, story telling, and material that we have dug from out of the deepest realms of the Suffragette archive and the British Museum.  You'll meet Emily Wilding Davison in the context of the historical, political and social struggle of women who have lived and worked in the area. Tours depart from the front West Courtyard of St George's Bloomsbury. Duration: 30-45 minutes. Tickets: £3 onsite 4pm: Festival talk - Hilary McCollum The Love of Comrades - Emily Wilding Davison and her Militant Friendships Over the course of her militant career between 1909 and 1913, Emily Wilding Davison undertook actions both on her own and with other women. Hilary McCollum will explore Emily's connections to militant suffragettes such as Mary Leigh, Lady Constance Lytton and Emmeline Pankhurst and will consider the development of feminist friendship as a context for militant action. It will look at how Emily's commitment to her friends and comrades influenced her protests, up to and including the Derby. Venue: Upper Vestry Hall, follow signs for the Exhibition Admission free, suggested donation £5 5pm: Voice Vocal Trio  - Megaphones for the Unheard "My voice is the voice of women who cannot sing." Gissoo Shakeri. Megaphones for the Unheard is centred around a poem, by the talented poet Jasmine Cooray, 'How a Caged Bird Sings'. The poem takes inspiration from female musical figures, such as the Iranian musician, poet and political activist, Gissoo Shakeri, German medieval abbess, Hildegard of Bingen, and Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie, and through the words this poem brings these women's experiences to life.  The project brings together this beautiful new poem by the captivating young poet through compositions by acclaimed British composers Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Helen Chadwick, Stevie Wishart, and Marcus Davidson.  Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8 6.30pm: Tam Lin (Physical Theatre) A physical telling of the ballad of Tam Lin "This wood it is my very own My father gave it to me I'll come and go, the young girl said, and ask no leave of thee." In a living, sneezing faerie forest. A woman who'll ask no leave Meets a horse who's really a man. Surely it'll never work? Venue: Upper Vestry Hall, Follow signs for the Exhibition Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8  8.30pm:  Suffragette Summer Party Explore the exhibition Mirror Of the Open Road with live music from Annalie Wilson, Joy To Filth Ratio and Evokateur.  Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £8 advance/£10 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8           _______________________________________________________________ SUNDAY 16th June 12.45pm:  Story telling Lightbox: Birdman Finds the Others Hannah Dunster - Flute, Somang Lee - Live Illustration, Fernando do Morais Machado - Guitar LightBox are a live performance, cross-arts trio specialising in the collaborative relationship between visual and sonic art.  In a new work commissioned for The Wilding Festival, LightBox will be exploring the ongoing story of 'Birdman'. Having already featured in their previous work, Birdman's character so far has recently found his own singing voice within an already noisy city. His next challenge is to face a wall of silence and barriers. Now that he has found the freedom to express himself, how can he find the freedom to be recognised in a hostile world? We follow Birdman on his quest to open the hearts and minds of those around him to the beauty of the unknown. ****** Death of a Suffragette Emily's Derby Day story is recreated from the reports of those who were there. Piecing together eyewitness statements from the Daily Mirror, the police, the horse's jockey, the friend she went to the races with, plus the aftermath - the reaction from the establishment and Emily Pankhurst, the memorial, as well as the heartbreaking letters that lay on the bedside cabinet next to Emily on her deathbed - the tale is revealed. TheSoundStory relays these historical few days with readings from documents of the day set to a live and haunting musical accompaniment from hang drum and violin. I Took on Hamleys The day Dr Laura Nelson walked into Hamleys, the world-famous toystore in central London, was the day her life changed. She noticed that girls' and boys' toys were displayed separately which, it seemed to her, would influence the choices of children and parents and hence their futures and aspirations. So she waged a crusade for change. It was a tough fight with Hamleys, and ended up in a world-wide media feeding frenzy as the press got wind of the battle. Dr Laura is in the storychair to tell the tale of how you change women's rights in the 21st century without a tragedy, with the accompaniment of music, sound effects and captivating drama. Ketan Kerai - Hang, Alice Barron - Violin, Dr Laura Nelson - Storyteller, Andrea Sangster - Storyteller Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8  2pm and 3pm Most Curious Tours 'Deeds not words' - Women who changed the world.   A Most Curious Tour. Tours depart from the front West Courtyard of St George's Bloomsbury. Duration: 30-45 minutes. Tickets: £3 onsite 2.30pm: Folie a Deux Femme & recorder quintet Consortium5 Folie a Deux Femme are passionate about performing new music. Charlotte Webber (clarinet and bass clarinet) and Fontane Liang (harpist) enjoy collaborating with new, cutting-edge composers and programming interesting concerts of newly written pieces.  Always  aiming to play a variety of interesting, beautiful, grotesque, lyrical and harmonious music, in this concert they perform new works by Hollie Harding and Jesse Bescoby for clarinet, harp and strings. Recorder quintet Consortium5 perform a dynamic set of new works by Roxanna Panufnik, Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian, Litha Efthymiou and Effy Efthmiou specially commissioned specially to mark this centenary alongside works from women writing in the Renaissance period including Rapheala Aleotta, Madalena Casulana and that most famous wife, Anne Boleyn.  This concert is generously supported by the PRSF Women Make Music scheme and the RVW Trust. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £8 advance/£10 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8  5.30pm: Troupe - I will go on adventuring Troupe deliver a narrative chamber concert about three free- living, contemporaneous women working at the turn of the twentieth century: Emily Davison, Virginia Woolf and Mata Hari, with music by Elgar, Cage, Prokofiev, Dominick Argento and Kodaly. The concert brings to life Emily Davison's game- changing hide out in the Houses of Parliament during the 1911 census; Virginia Woolf's reflections on her life and work in her final diary entries; and through Balinese dance and physical theatre the shifting identities of Mata Hari  - spy, dancer and original femme fatale. Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £4 advance/£5 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8 7.30pm: London Gay Men's Chorus Heroes The London Gay Men's Chorus close the festival with a celebration our heroes: The activists who blazed a trail, the icons who inspired us, the people close to us we admire and love and the many gay people who've quietly contributed to the world.  Be ready for a wonderful uplifting end to the weekend as this extraordinary choir raise the roof of St George's! Venue: Church, Entrance on Bloomsbury Way Tickets: £8 advance/£10 on the door Book advance tickets at http://t.co/eX6Bgozpq8           _______________________________________________________________ Saturday 22nd June  8.00pm Anglo-Chinese Junior College Alumni Choir Conductor: Mrs Valarie Wilson An Evening with Friends - London Formed in 1992, the Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) Alumni Choir has been an integral part of the college's choral heritage. The commitment shown by the Alumni Choir through the years is fuelled not only by the common love of singing, but also by the strong sense of camaraderie forged through cherished experiences and shared pride. Since 1995, the ACJC Alumni Choir has been a regular feature in the annual "An Evening with Friends" Concert and has regularly toured with the college choir on many overseas choral tours. The Alumni Choir has also been holding a Christmas Advent Concert yearly since 2008. In 2011, to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Founding of the family of the Anglo-Chinese Schools, the Alumni Choir embarked on its inaugural Europe Choral Tour to London, United Kingdom and Tampere, Finland. This concert will feature a variety of sacred works, and Asian and folk pieces. Two newly commissioned pieces (by Eran Dinur and Kelly Tang respectively) will also be performed at the concert. www.soundcastle.co.uk