Ryedale Young and Live!

Helmsley Arts Centre Studio Bar - Friday 22 January 2010

Ryedale Live is launching a new series of performance evenings at Helmsley Arts Centre, specifically aimed at teenagers within the area. Called “Ryedale Young and Live!”, they are designed to give young singers, songwriters and musicians of all levels the opportunity to perform to an attentive audience, but in a relaxed and non-threatening environment.

The first of the series is scheduled for Friday 22^nd January from 7.30pm and will take place in the Studio Bar. To support the evening there will be performances by two of the region’s most talented youngsters, Amaya and Alastair James.

Commenting on this new development for Ryedale Live! Rob Davies said: “We have felt for some time that there is little or no opportunity for Ryedale’s talented youngsters to perform, other than at school or in their bedrooms! This will allow them to sing or play 2 or 3 songs amongst their peer group and thus to raise their bar a little and gain valuable performance experience. We have been using Helmsley Arts Centre for quite sometime now for our Ryedale Live! Songwriters Circle concerts and we felt that the Studio Bar is the perfect location for this exciting new series.”

If you would like to participate in this or any future evening, please send your details to mail@ryedalelive.co.uk or call Rob Davies on 01653 690503.

Good news for the Helmsley Folk Weekend

The Arts Centre Management has regular meetings to discuss how the programmes we present have been going and what we can learn from experience about what to do next.

Recently we shone the spotlight on our (for us) ambitious weekend of folk music in September. We had three nights of events and two whole days' worth of music in the Centre, the town square, the Town Hall and in various local pubs.

For those who came, the weekend was a great success. There was an exciting "buzz" in the air, they said. But, alas, not enough people came and we lost £2,200. And we had no sponsors to help us out. Not good news. So should we give up on an event we've been developing over the past three years?

The answer is a resounding "NO!"

OK, so we've been a bit over ambitious. And there's no doubt the recession is biting us and our customers harder. But the good news is that a couple of people, very experienced in the world of folk events, has offered to help us build the event more solidly in the future.

The Management of the Arts Centre voted unanimously to learn from the experience and get on with organising next year's Weekend of Folk. Which is also a firm endorsement of all the hard work our Deputy Director, Jean Kershaw, has put into organising this event for the past three years. Thank you, Jean.

And a big "thank you" for all those supportive comments we've received from people who enjoyed the weekend this year.....

From Kate Bramley : "The success of the folk weekend in previous years has proved that there is an interest in the music, and the huge amount of local support from musicians and other organisers shows their partner commitment to slowly growing an annual folk event in Helmsley The theatre and town have such a great potential as a host venue and our focus for the future is to make sure the theatre is at the hub of the action, drawing people in to the venue across the weekend for session and concerts as well as general 'bonhomie'."

From Linda Hencher:
"The ceilidh was much enjoyed by all those who attended and everyone was keen to dance. The Town Hall is a really good venue for it. The selection of dances was good and the Jellybeans band was easy to dance to and had an excellent caller. The simple pie and pea supper worked well."

From Richard Abrahall:

"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Folk Festival, although you must be a little disappointed at the turnout to some of the daytime events.

I went to nearly everything and it was so intimate we got to know each other quite well by the Sunday evening concert.

I do hope that you can do it again next year, but thanks for doing so this autumn."

From Ray Padgett:

"Very many thanks for all your work at Helmsley this year. as organiser. It is not easy getting these things up and running. I wouldn’t bother too much about the ‘fringe’ pub events – use the Arts Centre and use the café bar all to maximum to create revenue and as a stage for musicians and a singaround area………lots of potential here."

From Christine Bishop – Acorn Morris Dancers:

"I would like to say what a good dance spot you gave us as part of the folk weekend (courtesy of RDC!) This spot allowed us to dance properly and safely and also gave the spectators a better view."

A special evening of music

Susan Allen from Cawton sent us this:

I am writing to say how much I enjoyed the violin and piano recital on 17th October at the Helmsley Arts Centre (see picture left). It was a very special evening and I think many in the audience felt as I did, that we were privileged to be there.

Once again I drove home thinking how extremely fortunate we are to have music of such quality on our doorstep. It helps to make Helmsley and the wider area such a very special place to live in.

I am looking forward to the Cello and Piano Recital in November and to Michael Lunts as Rachmaninov (see picture right) in A Meeting of Minds. Many thanks to the Arts Centre for providing so many wonderful evenings.

Current Exhibition: Chris Ware

Chris Ware has a secret. The country's only professional Artist in Residence on a heritage railway sometimes deserts the precision of railway art for the world of flowing colour without a train in sight. Loved landscapes describing, in watercolour, emotion and form are, for this Kirkbymoorside painter, 'Along Different Lines'.

Come and see Chris at the Arts Centre every Sunday working on his 'Turner' painting - for more details watch the video.

Tue 27 Oct - Fri 20 Nov - Helmsley Arts Centre, North Yorkshire