Join Chris Orton (Recorder) and Slava Sidorenko (Piano) as they explore the music and connections between pieces written for Dr. Carl Dolmetsch and Joseph Saxby for the series of concerts this duo gave at the Wigmore Hall between 1939 and 1989. All the pieces delve into the recorder’s natural, vocal beauty, and the combination with keyboard, performed on this occasion on piano.

Chris Orton, Recorder

Chris Orton is a well-known personality in the recorder world, performing and teaching across the globe. Chris performs repertoire from across the musical spectrum, from Sephardi medieval music to music with live electronics and free improvisation with dancers and theatre makers. He is a member of the Spanish recorder quartet, Windu, who perform music, theatre, and comedy from memory in theatres across Spain and Europe. Chris is professor of recorder at the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He won 1st Prize at the 2007 Moeck/SRP International Recorder Competition, and alongside his recorder playing, conducts the JRNCM Chamber Orchestra, is musical director of the National Youth Recorder Orchestras, and is a qualified teacher of Dalcroze Eurhythmics.

Slava Sidorenko, Piano

Recently described by Robert Beale for the Manchester Evening News as “a young pianist set to make a major impact”, Slava Sidorenko began his musical education at the age of five in Kharkov, Ukraine. In 2003 he was awarded an Associated Board (ABRSM) full scholarship to study with Norma Fisher at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he won many major awards including the coveted RNCM Gold Medal. His studies continued until 2010 on the first RNCM International Artist Diploma Course with the generous support of the Royal Northern College of Music, the Musicians Benevolent Fund’s MBF Music Education Award, the Philharmonia Orchestra Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, The Worshipful Company of Musicians and The Boise Foundation. Slava is a member of the keyboard faculty at Chetham’s School of Music.

Tonight’s concert is part of of the Dolmetsch Festival Centenary Celebration, a weekend of recorder workshops, talks and recitals celebrating the centenary and legacy of the Dolmetsch Early Music Festival.

The Dolmetsch Early Music Festival, also known as the Haslemere Festival, was founded in 1925 by Arnold Dolmetsch, Carl Dolmetsch’s father, who was largely responsible for the revival of the recorder, both as a serious concert instrument, and as an instrument which made early music accessible to amateur performers. He went on to promote the recorder as an instrument for teaching music in schools.