Brothers Giles, Ralph and Neal Broadbent and their cousin, Graham are four world class musicians playing five and six-stringed electric violins, viola and cello in a truly original show that includes musical genres from show tunes to jazz to classical. The Grant County Community Concert Association is proud to host them on Thursday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the WNMU Fine Arts Theater.
Giles and Ralph studied at The Royal Academy of Music and Graham at the The Royal College of Music. All four men come from a family line of musicians and received their inspiration from their father, grandfather and two uncles. They grew up watching their father and uncles perform. From the day Giles Broadbent’s father gave him his first violin lesson on his sixth birthday, his passion was born and he was destined to make a career as a violinist. Neal, the youngest, followed in the family footsteps and studied at a music college in London. Giles and Ralph, together with two friends from school, spent their summer holidays touring Europe in a camper van as street musicians to pay their way. Over four years they performed on the streets of almost every major capital city and quickly learned the value of turning their musical performances into all-round entertainment.
Stringfever’s unique, acclaimed version of Ravel’s
Bolero has all four playing on one cello simultaneously. Then they challenge the audience to play Name That Tune as they race through 20 of the best-loved film themes in one breathless arrangement. Charisma, humor, energy and a distinctive use of custom-made “Violectra” instruments create an experience that can only be described as... Stringfever!
Stringfever recently performed in Harlingen, Texas, and one concert-goer wrote this: “[Their] electric energy, producing gorgeous tones and catchy rhythms, sent our crowd home with a spring in their steps and smiles on their faces. . . . They also know how to work the crowd. Those chaps had us at ‘hello’. Probably no one in our almost-filled auditorium (again!) could name all twenty of the film themes, but everyone sure had a good time laughing at the crazy clues.”
The performance will be accompanied by an Educational Outreach program for area school children at 10:30 a.m. the morning of the scheduled evening concert. These programs are free of charge to the children and GCCCA pays bus transportation costs to and from the Fine Arts Center Theater if requested to do so by the schools.
This concert and the Educational Outreach program have the support of WESTAF, the Western States Arts Federation; the National Endowment for the Arts; and New Mexico Arts.
For non-GCCCA subscribers, tickets to
Stringfever are $20 for adults and $5 for students to age 17 not accompanied by an adult ticket holder.
Students coming with an adult ticket holder are admitted free of charge. Tickets can be purchased at Blackwell Antiques or Western Stationers in Silver City, online at www.gccconcerts.org or in the lobby at the time of the concert.
The Concert Association has already announced its season lineup for the 2016-17 season, and subscriptions to that season will be available at the concert at the Early Bird price of only $45. Subscriptions can also be purchased online.
For further information, call 538-5862 or go to www.gccconcerts.org.