Talkestra
Talkestra concerts are different.
They don’t just play the music - they talk about it.
And they don’t just talk about it - they take it apart to show you how it works and put it back together to show you how it sounds. Talkestra concerts combine a uniquely friendly and unstuffy atmosphere with top quality performances.
Talkestra was formed by Steve Dummer in 1998 with the help of a National Lottery ‘Arts for Everyone’ grant with particular regard to the needs of the reluctant concert goer. It has made a real impact in attracting new audiences to the concert hall but has also proved to be of enormous interest to the regular concert goer as well. In the last year they have played at the Arundel, Brighton Fringe and Adur Festivals as well concerts elsewhere in Sussex and given a number of workshops to schools in the area.
Recent performances have included a programme for the Eye-Music exhibition at the award winning Pallant House Gallery, Chichester centring around Pierrot Lunaire by Schoenberg with the pianist Julian Jacobson as reciter, a programme of 21st century music inspired by popular culture for the Soundwaves Festival in Brighton (including British premieres of music by Derek Bermel and Matthew Hindson) and returns to the Arundel Festival (with clarinettist David Campbell in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto) and Adur Arts Live. Dates in 2008 include a return to the Soundwaves Festival, a collaboration with Piers Adams exploring modern recorder concertos and a third year presenting new work by the composers of New Music Brighton.
They are also in increasing demand for education work especially composition workshops for GCSE and A level students.
More information about some of our past concerts and audience/promoters comments about them will be posted shortly.
Steve Dummer - conductor/director
Steve originally trained as a clarinettist under the late, great Jack Brymer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and subsequently conducting, studying at the Royal College of Music under Christopher Adey and Edwin Roxburgh and attending master-classes at Dartington International Summer School with the French conductor and contemporary music specialist Diego Masson who described him as “one of the best young conductors I have ever met”.
As well as his work with Talkestra, he works in Britain and around the world as a conductor, clarinettist and educator. He is director of the wind band course at Dartington International Summer School and regularly conducts concerts there with both amateurs and professionals including a collaboration with Harrison Birtwistle on a programme of his music with Concillium , concertos with David Campbell, Nona Liddell, Andrew Ball, Gerard McChrystal amongst others and some Pro-Am spectaculars including a late night, open air performance of Beethoven’s Battle Symphony with fireworks. He is also a conductor for the European Youth Summer Music Summer School giving the British premiere of Matthew Hindson’s ‘RPM’ in 2003.
Other groups he has conducted include Composers Ensemble, Jena Philharmonic Orchestra (world premiere of ‘Nomade’ by German clarinettist Michael Riessler), Trinity College of Music Music Theatre Group, Essential Opera, Connecticut Comic Opera Company, Concillium, Bravo Productions - Dubai (performances of Hansel and Gretel), Elmhirst Ensemble, Oxford University Chamber Orchestra, Southampton University Symphony Orchestra, Clifton Camerata, the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra and in May 2005, for Opera Up Close, the British premiere of Milhaud’s Medeé. He regularly works with student and community groups including Aylesbury Choral Society (1993-2002), Horsham Symphony Orchestra (2006 - ) and guest conductor and wind coach for Brighton Youth Orchestra which included performances around UK and tours to Hong Kong, Germany and France. He is a regular collaborator with New Music Brighton, the largest composers collective in the UK giving many first performances as a conductor and player and he is musical director of the newly formed COMA Sussex (Contemporary Music making for Amateurs) which recently played in the new Brighton Library to an audience of 250 as part of the Brighton Live Festival.
As a clarinettist, Steve still gives regular concerts throughout the UK and in Europe including recitals at Dartington International Summer School and the Chapel Royal, Brighton. In the last year he has given the world premiere of Peter Copley’s Clarinet Sonata and the British premieres of ‘Nintendo Music’ by Australian composer Matthew Hindson (with a CD release to follow later this year) and Mulatash Stomp by American composer Derek Bermel. He was a member of Juan Martin’s Flamenco Group featuring on the much admired CD ‘Musica Alhambra’ and is a founder member of the zany jazz band Itchy Feet. His clarinet and saxophone playing has recently been featured on Channel 4’s Modern Toss in the great sketch ‘Swing News‘ with music written by regular Talkestra member Dominic Nunns. As a composer and arranger, he has had music played throughout the country including orchestral and ensemble scores, big band charts, a film score for the Brighton Live Festival, and educational music.