The Athenaeum Liverpool

The History of Art Group
2022-06-13 11:30 - 12:30 (Europe/London) | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
The History of Art Group meets on the 2nd Monday in the month at 11:30am in the Wine Servery. All Members and guests are welcome and there is no need to book, simply turn up and enjoy!

‘Raphael at 500 with his FAITH-ful Madonnas’

A presentation by Helen Lyus.

The Library & Archives Group
2022-06-16 17:30 - 20:30
The Library & Archives Group will meet at 5:30pm in the Library Reading Room on Thursday 16th June.
Proprietor Mr Arthur Jennion will be giving a talk entitled ‘George Stephenson’s Maps of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway – A Treasure found in The Athenaeum Map Cabinet’.
Following the meeting a two course supper will be served upstairs on the third floor.
Book your place at this event now via the Members’ Area or through reception.

The Brunch Banquet
2022-06-17 12:30 - 14:30, 2022-06-24 12:30 - 14:30
We’re excited to announced the introduction of ‘The Brunch Banquet’ every Friday in June! During an extended service between 12:30pm and 2:30pm the team will be serving a brunch buffet in the Dining Room, with guests being treated to a fabulous selection of items coupled with inclusive servings of our Club wine or prosecco. Book a table or reserve your place on the Club table and enjoy this offer for just £19.95 per person!

Wine Tasting Evening - 1 of 2
2022-06-21 19:00 - 22:30
Join us on Tuesday 21st June 2022 for the first of two wine tasting evenings to showcase wines from the Club’s new wine list.
Roger Barlow of our Wine Merchants, Gerrard Seel, will host a swift tasting at 7:00pm in the Newsroom giving an overview of the three wines which will accompany each course with Dinner which will be served in the Dining Room at 7:30pm.
The wines being showcased this evening are:-
Gros Manseng/Sauvignon Blanc – Domaine Horgelus, France (12.5%) – Served with starter
Athenaeum Claret – Ronan by Client, France (14%) – Served with Main
Cava Brut – Paco Molina, Spain (11.5%) – Served with Dessert
Look out for the publication of the accompanying meal which will follow shortly!
This is the first of two tastings showcasing wines from the wine list with the second schedule for Wednesday 6th July 2022.

Friday Evening Dining
2022-06-24 18:30 - 22:00, 2022-07-08 18:30 - 23:00
The Club is open for Dinner on Friday Evenings with service between 6:30pm and 8:00pm. End the week the right way with a delectable meal from our chefs in the surroundings of your Club.
You can book a table for Friday Evening Dining through reception – 0151 709 7770 / reception@theathenaeum.org.uk.

The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022
2022-06-24 18:30 - 23:00
We are delighted to announce The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022 will be taking place on Friday 24 June 2022, in association with The Royal Northern College of Music.
Six Opera stars of the future will perform for Members and guests with the winner being awarded The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022 and the designation of Athenaeum ‘Artiste In Residence’ for the next 12 months.
Join us between 6:30pm and 7:00pm in the Newsroom for a drinks reception ahead of the contest which will commence at 7:00pm. There will be an interval during which a two-course supper will be served in the Dining Room whilst the Judges’ deliberate. Following dinner attendees will return to the Newsroom for the prize giving and reprise performances of the winner and runner up in the contest
You can book tickets now via the Members’ Area of the website or through reception at £35.00 per person and are available on a first come first serve basis.
We are indebted this year to the generosity of several Athenaeum Proprietors for very kindly providing sponsorship for the event, HH Judge David Hodge QC and Mr David Holdsworth.
There now follows biographies of the RNCM Students contesting for this year’s Sir David Maddison Opera Prize.

Sam Snowden

Samuel Snowden is a Welsh Bass-Baritone studying at the Royal Northern College of Music, under the tuition of Quentin Hayes, supported by the Gwilym Gwalchmai Jones Award. Samuel’s operatic credits include Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro: Mozart – RNCM Opera), Mr Gobineau (The Medium: Menotti – RNCM Opera) Sergeant Meryll (The Yeomen of the Guard: Gilbert and Sullivan – Forbear! Theatre), Minskman (Flight: Dove – RNCM Opera), Samuel (Pirates of Penzance: Gilbert and Sullivan – RNCM Opera) Demas (The Pilgrims Progress: Vaughn-Williams – RNCM Opera) and chorus roles in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel, Handel’s Theodora and Bizet’s Carmen. In 2018 Samuel joined the chorus of Opera North in the UK premier of Kevin Puts Silent Night which was met with critical acclaim. Samuel is currently performing with Opera Holland Park’s chorus in their production of Eugene Onegin. Samuel will be performing the role of Luiz in Forbear! Theatre’s 2022 production of The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan at the International G&S festival in Buxton and Harrogate.
As a soloist, Samuel regularly performs in venues across Wales and the North West. Recently he has performed Bach’s B Minor Mass, Faure’s Requiem, Stainer’s Crucifixion and joined Wrexham Symphony Orchestra for their performance of Nielsen’s Third Symphony, Sinfonia Espasiva. In August 2018 Samuel performed in the first collaboration between the Nationals Youth Choir and Orchestra of Wales, under the baton of Maestro Carlo Rizzi, performing the bass solo in Bernstein’s Chicester Psalms. Samuel performed at the World Premier of Karl Jenkins’ Adiemus Colores at Llangollen International Eisteddfod.
Samuel is also a founding member of Project6, a male sextet based in the North West. Recent performances include recitals at Whitworth Art Gallery, Royal Northern College of Music and St Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Samuel is a regular soloist and language coach for Welsh male voice choir, Johns’ Boys, conducted by award winning conductor Aled Philips, taking to the stage across the United Kingdom and across Europe. In 2019 Samuel and Johns’ Boys won the title of Choir of the World at Llangollen International Eisteddfod and featured at the Last Night of the Proms 2021.
In 2020, Samuel was awarded the Sir John Manduell Prize by the RNCM, recognising exceptional work undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Samuel raised £1500 for the Unbeatable Eva campaign by singing live on Facebook every night for 150 days with his family and also volunteered with PPE Hwb Wrecsam creating Face. Visors for members of the local community.

Sarah Winn

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Winn, recently completed her Graduate Certificate in Music Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the conservatorium studying under the guidance of Dr Margaret Schindler (Doctorate in Musical Arts). Upon the completion of her degree, Sarah was awarded the Linda Edith Allen award for having achieved the highest performance grade in her year level and the Doreen Ord & Lyceum Club Prize for Classical Voice.
During her time at the conservatorium, she has performed the roles of Béatrice in Berlioz’s Beatrice et Bénédict, the Chinese Cup and The Dragonfly in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Aloès in Chabrier’s L’etoile, The Publican’s Wife in the world premiere of Paul Dean’s Dry River Run and covered Ramiro in La finta giardiniera. She performed excerpts from Puccini’s La rondine (Suzy), Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Purcell’s Fairy-Queen.
Most recently she performed the role of Der Komponist in the Royal Northern College of Music’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos, where she was also a finalist in the Joyce and Michael Kennedy award for the singing of Strauss and the Frederic Cox award.
Engagements include performing as a guest soloist with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra in the Brisbane Sings concert (2020), the Alto solo in Handel’s Messiah (2019) with the Queensland Choir and Sinfonia of St Andrews and as a guest soloist in the Noosa Alive Concert with the Noosa Orchestra (2019). She performed in Opera Queensland’s production of Peter Grimes during the Brisbane Festival (2018), as a guest soloist with the Queensland Choir (2018) during their Brisbane concert series and the Alto solo in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Queensland Conservatorium Chorale (2018).
Sarah is very excited to be in her second year at the Royal Northern College of Music, completing a Master of Performance. This is generously supported by the Alice Orrell and A&N Kendall Award as well as the Maurice and Jean Buckley Award.

Joe Ashmore

Joe is a first-year masters student on the Vocal Studies and Opera programme at the Royal Northern College of Music, generously supported by The South Square Trust, where he obtained a first class honours degree at undergraduate level.
During his undergraduate degree, Joe took three chorus roles in RNCM operas, Offenbach’s ‘La Vie Parisienne’, Handel’s ‘Theodora’ and Massenet’s ‘Cendrillon’ which was nominated for best opera in the Manchester Theatre Awards. He was also cast as Mistrust in RNCM’s production of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ by Vaughan-Williams in Spring 2019, directed by Jonathan Cocker and conducted by David Parry. Joe was also ‘Highly Recommended’ in the prestigious James Martin Oncken Song Prize. Most recently, Joe sang the role of the Witch of Endor in Handel’s ‘Saul’ as a guest soloist of the Academy Choir, Wimbledon, alongside renowned bass-baritone Christopher Purves.
In December 2021, Joe made his Bridgewater Hall debut with the RNCM Songsters when performing in a pre-concert performance of Scandinavian music. In March this year, Joe performed in a concert with the Songsters and Chamber Choir for International Women’s Day. Joe was also selected to represent the RNCM as part of a chorus travelling to Bergen, Norway to perform the world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s Magnificat in April. Joe returned to the opera stage in June when he performed the role of Propser in Offenbach’s ‘La Vie Parisienne’ as part of RNCM Opera Scenes.

Sarah Prestwidge

Sarah Prestwidge is a young aboriginal Australian Soprano, studying a Master of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music, with a full ABRSM scholarship. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Education) from Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she was awarded numerous awards for her excellence. Sarah is also the recipient of the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship from the Australian Council for the Arts and a Tait Memorial Trust Awardee.
Sarah’s operatic highlights include, Arsena in The Gypsy Baron, Purran-Murnin in Buckley (Premier), Madam Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor, and Barbarina in Le Nozze Di Figaro. She was also looking forward to performing the roles of Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore and Tytania in Midsummer Night’s Dream throughout 2020. Since moving to the United Kingdom Sarah has performed Mrs. Paskova/Chocholka in The Cunning Little Vixen and Controller in Flight (RNCM), as well as The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with Woodbridge Opera and Mrs. Anderssen/Nordstrom in A Little Night Music at Buxton Opera where she was a Young Artist this year. In the final year of her Master’s degree at the RNCM Sarah performed the roles of Zerbinetta in Ariadne Auf Naxos and Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro.
Sarah has sung in orchestral works including, Orff’s Carmina Burana as a soprano soloist and Cheetham’s Eumeralla. She has also performed extensively for corporate events such as, Merivale Sydney, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Holland America Line, International Towers Sydney, the Australian Rural Fire Brigade and those at the Utzon Room of Sydney Opera House.
Over the years, Sarah has been mentored by Deborah Cheetham at Short Black Opera, where she has worked as a Soprano and Music educator. From 2018 to 2020, she was also a Young Artist in Pacific Opera, during which time she was awarded a Prue Kennard study grant. In 2019, Sarah studied in an intensive program with Bel Canto Opera, Munich, which was generously sponsored by the Wagner Society NSW. Since moving to the United Kingdom, Sarah has enjoyed working at Buxton Opera as a Young Artist and being involved in workshops with Opera North and British Youth Opera, of which she successfully auditioned for.
Additionally, Sarah is a trained classroom Music teacher with proficient/qualified teacher status and an experienced singing teacher.

Olivia Tringham

Originally from Merseyside, Olivia is a Soprano currently studying with Linda Richardson at the Royal Northern College of Music. At the RNCM, Olivia played Mère Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, La Suora Infermiera in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Sally in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, Fanny Price in Dove’s Mansfield Park and Prima Donna in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. This year she has also performed opera scenes from Verdi’s Falstaff and Britten’s Turn of the Screw, was a finalist in the Frederick Cox Competition 2022 and has been chosen for a number concerts, such as the world premier of Wrigglesworth’s Magnificat with the Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, Norway. Olivia has a natural draw to character driven music and particularly enjoys tackling musically challenging repertoire.
Professionally, Olivia was a 2021 Buxton International Festival Young Artist, performing as Mrs Segstrom in A Little Night Music by Sondhiem and in a range of concerts. Olivia was also due to be a part of the Wexford Festival Opera 2020 Chorus with a step-out role in Catalani’s Edmea and roles in their pocket operas, but this festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. In summer 2022, Olivia will Join Grange Park Opera for Verdi’s Otello, The Flying Dutchman by Wagner, Ponchielli’s La Gioconda and the Excursions of Mr Broucek by Janacek.
During the pandemic, Olivia founded the independent opera company ALLO Opera, with the aim of giving Young Artists performance opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic. ALLO Opera have produced a series of recorded virtual Galas, opera scenes and a live, fully staged version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni recorded in July 2021, in which Olivia played Donna Elvira. ALLO Opera has built an online community of young artists and are trying to re-write the way that young artists portray themselves online. www.oliviarosetringham.co.uk

Morgana Warren-Jones

Morgana Warren-Jones is a mezzo-soprano from North Wales, currently studying for a Master of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Hilary Summers. She previously read Music at the University of Leeds and spent a year studying voice at the Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg.
This year Morgana will perform the roles of Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (RNCM), Vava in Shostakovich’s Cherry Town, Moscow (WNO Youth Company), cover the role of Coll in Anna Appleby’s Drought (RNCM & BBC Philharmonic), and will be a chorus member for Rossini’s La donna del lago (Buxton International Festival Young Artist). She recently performed the role of Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe (RNCM opera scenes) and is delighted to have won the RNCM’s prestigious Frederic Cox Award for Singing in February.
In 2021, Morgana was a finalist in the MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year competition and performed the title role in Menotti’s The Medium (RNCM). Other highlights included singing the roles of Medoro in Orlando and Mercédès in Carmen (RNCM opera scenes), gaining a place on the Opera North Chorus mentoring programme and performing with the RNCM Songsters, the college’s most accomplished performers of song repertoire.
Morgana was previously a Serena Fenwick Young Artist for British Youth Opera and a member of the Glyndebourne Academy. Enthusiastic about making music available and accessible to all; Morgana conducts Monton Voices community choir in Eccles and has been a workshop leader for Welsh National Opera since 2018.

William Roscoe Esquire Walking Tour
2022-06-30 17:00 - 20:00
The Atheneum, a historic and emblematic city centre venue, and ArtsGroupie CIC, a prominent Liverpool arts organisation, have teamed up to provide monthly walking tours and events starting Summer 2022.
This partnership is in lead up to founding an annual William Roscoe Day starting in 2023.

Friday 30th June, 6pm – William Roscoe Esquire Walking Tour
June 30th 2022 at 6pm, ArtsGroupie, and The Atheneum will celebrate the life of Liverpudlian icon and Athenaeum co-founder, William Roscoe, with a heritage walking tour around the city centre on the anniversary of his death.
Roscoe, one of England’s first abolitionists, was a celebrated writer, historian, botanist, lawyer, art collector, and a cultural pioneer of Liverpool.
The two-hour tour begins at The Athenaeum, and ends at the Nelson Monument, Exchange Flags.
Join us in the Newsroom for supper (hearty Lasagne and garlic bread) from 5:00pm ahead of the tour commencing at 6:00pm at The Athenaeum’s gates. The tour is expected to last 2 hours.

Friends of Roscoe Gardens
Would you like to help make Roscoe Gardens (Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5UZ) a little green oasis?
Are you passionate about Heritage? Community Gardens?
We are forming a Friends of Roscoe Gardens and need your help to restore and revive this small park.
Come along to discuss how you can help,
become a Friend of Roscoe Gardens.

Thursday 30th June 2022 – at the gardens
2-3pm
friendsofroscoegardens@gmail.com

Ladies' Afternoon Tea
2022-07-04 14:00 - 16:00
We hope you all managed to enjoy the Platinum Jubilee celebrations over the Bank Holiday weekend.
We have been busy making our own marmalade sandwiches and would love it if you could join us for our next gathering which will be Afternoon Tea on Monday 4th July from 2.00 – 4.00 pm. Since it is American Independence Day there will be an American theme but it will mainly be an opportunity to meet with other Athenaeum ladies to catch up.
We hope to see you there. Book your places now Via the Members’ Area or through reception.
Other dates for the diary for our next lunches – Monday 19th September when we can mark UN International Day of Peace Monday 31st October for a bewitching Halloween lunch Monday 16th January when we hope to start the New Year with a ‘Bee Friendly’ theme.
Best wishes to you all Gaynor (Bresnen) and Hilary (Gatenby)

In Conversation With... Katherine Fairclough and Bronwen Rapley - Women in Property
2022-07-05 12:00 - 14:00
The below event is organiser by Women In Property, though is open to all Athenaeum Members/guests and to all sexes.

Women in Property are pleased to announce a new event:
In Conversation With…Katherine Fairclough and Bronwen Rapley
Tuesday 05 July 2022 12:00 PM
Join us to hear from two incredible women, leading from the front in the public and social housing sectors.
Our lunch takes place in The Atheneum, a private members’ club, founded in 1797 to provide a meeting place where ideas and information could be exchanged in pleasant surroundings – the perfect place to hear about Katherine and Bronwen’s professional journeys and aspirations.
Katherine Fairclough has been the Chief Executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority since June 2021. She joined from Cumbria County Council, where she had been Chief Executive since 2017.
Bronwen Rapley is Chief Executive of Onward Homes, a Housing Association owning and managing over 35,000 homes across the North West. Bronwen has worked in housing and regeneration for 30 years, in a wide variety of roles including legal services, delivery and regulation.
Ticket price includes lunch.*
Book your place now through the Members’ Area or via Reception
*please advise of any dietary requirements when booking
This event is kindly sponsored by Cowgills and Legal & Contingency

Literature Group
2022-07-05 14:00 - 15:30
The Literature Group meets on the first Tuesday on the month at 2pm in the Library Reading Room, all members and guests are welcome and there is no requirement to book, simply turn up on the day and enjoy.
Tuesday 5th July at 2pm in the Library Reading Room.
Shakespeare Light
Come and join Anne Todd as she shares happy times with her hero William Shakespeare, as a school girl in Stratford on Avon and later as an adult, appreciating his sense of humour and love of fun, as well as his brilliant masterpieces for the stage.
There will be no meeting in August but we will resume in September with a talk about Surrealism in Literature.

Wine Tasting Evening - 1 of 2
2022-07-06 19:00 - 23:00
Join us on Wednesday 6th July 2022 for the first of two wine tasting evenings to showcase wines from the Club’s new wine list.
Roger Barlow of our Wine Merchants, Gerrard Seel, will host a swift tasting at 7:00pm in the Newsroom giving an overview of the three wines which will accompany each course with Dinner which will be served in the Dining Room at 7:30pm.
The wines being showcased this evening are:-
Gros Manseng/Sauvignon Blanc – Domaine Horgelus, France (12.5%) – Served with starter
Athenaeum Claret – Ronan by Client, France (14%) – Served with Main
Cava Brut – Paco Molina, Spain (11.5%) – Served with Dessert

Menu – Please stipulate dietary requirements upon booking or in advance of the evening to assist the catering.
Starters:
Gateau of Crottain du Chèvre, petite ratatouille, Olive purées, basil dressing (V)
or
Boudin of poached Scottish Salmon with herbs, Russian salad, caviar, dill creme fraiche

Main Course:
Confit duck leg, grilled venison sausage, petit sale, Savoy cabbage
or
Peppered Aubergine steak, Cavolo nero, feta brandard, roasted red chilli, black garlic puree (v)

Dessert:
Vanilla and saffron poached pear, clotted cream pannacotta

The second of these two tastings showcasing wines from the wine list is due to take place on Tuesday 26th July 2022.

History of Art Group
2022-07-11 11:30 - 12:30
The History of Art Group meets on the 2nd Monday in the month at 11:30am in the Wine Servery. All Members and guests are welcome and there is no need to book, simply turn up and enjoy!

Annual General Meeting 2022
2022-07-12 18:00 - 19:30
The Annual General Meeting of the Proprietors of The Athenaeum will take place on Tuesday 12th July at 6:00pm in the Newsroom.
The Dining Room will be open from 12:30pm until 8:00pm for Members to dine before or after the meeting, and advance booking is recommended.

The business of the meeting will be circulated internally to all Proprietors in advance of the meeting.

In Conversation with Professor Lucy Easthope: UK's leading disaster planner
2022-07-14 19:00
Join us for an evening in conversation with Professor Lucy Easthope, world-leading authority on recovering from disaster.

About this event

Professor Lucy Easthope lives with disaster every day. When a plane crashes, a bomb explodes, a city floods or a pandemic begins, she’s the one they call.
Lucy has been at the centre of the most seismic events of the last few decades, advising on everything from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 7/7 bombings, the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand, the Grenfell fire and the Covid-19 pandemic. In every catastrophe, Lucy is there to pick up the pieces and prepare for the next one. She holds governments to account, helps communities rally together, returns personal possessions to families, and holds the hands of the survivors.
In her moving Sunday Times bestselling memoir “When The Dust Settles Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster”, Lucy reveals what happens in the aftermath of a disaster and explores how we pick up and rebuild with strength and perseverance. She takes us behind the police tape to scenes of destruction and chaos, introducing us to victims and their families, but also to the government briefing rooms and bunkers, where confusion and stale biscuits can reign supreme. Telling her own personal story, Lucy looks back at a life spent on the edges of disaster, from a Liverpudlian childhood steeped in the Hillsborough tragedy to the many losses and loves of her career.
Lucy’s book will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
The Athenaeum’s Dining Room is taking pre-bookings for dinner following the talk. This requires a separate booking and information will be sent with your confirmation email.

Members of The Athenaeum can book now through the Members’ Area or through reception. Non-Members are asked to book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-conversation-with-professor-lucy-easthope-uks-leading-disaster-planner-tickets-367623500787

This event is organised by The Exchange – public conversations about the important issues of our age. We encourage debate and the sharing of opinions and experiences in a welcoming and respectful environment. It is our belief that through the ongoing exchange of ideas we can achieve a greater knowledge and understanding, and that this benefits both the individual and society as a whole.

Visit Your Library
2022-07-21 14:00 - 16:00
Visiting Your Library – Guided Visits
Over the last few months, the Library has trialled a series of well-received guided visits of the Library, including a special session in the Committee Room where Librarian Joan Hanford wowed Members with of the special items held within the collection. These guided visits may become a regular feature in the calendar, and we’re pleased to announce two further visits available for members to book on.

Thursday 21 July at 2:00pm
&
Tuesday 9th July at 2:00pm
There is very limited availability for both of these visits and tickets will be available on a first come first serve basis. You can book your place now via the Members’ Area or through reception.

Kind regards,

The Library

Friday Evening Dining - A Taste Of Tex-Mex
2022-07-22 18:30 - 23:00
The Club is open for Dinner on Friday Evenings with service between 6:30pm and 8:00pm. This edition is the next part of Chef Russell’s ‘Taste of…’ series, andthis month we’ll be swept across the pond and south of the Rio Grande to enjoy some fine Tex-mex Cuisine!

Starter
Loaded Nachos
Chilli Cheese Sauce, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Pickled Jalapenos, Refried Beans
Mains
Dry Aged Beef Short Rib
Lime, Cumin Cilantro, Red Onion Marinade
Three Bean Chilli Con Carne
Beef Off Cuts, Peppers, BBQ Sauce
Spiced Vegetable Tacos
Roasted Tex Mex Flavours Of Peppers Onion, Spring Onion
Southern Fried Chicken
Texas White Gravy
Tex Mex Rice Bowl
Jalapeno, Tomatoes, Lime
Texas Style Borracho Beans
Bacon, Peppers, Mexican Beer
Texas Cowboy Caviar
Pinto Beans, Sweetcorn, Avocado
Chipotle Roast Chicken Wings
Coriander, Blue Cheese Dip.
Desert
Churros

End the week the right way with a delectable meal from our chefs in the surroundings of your Club.
You can book a table for this Friday Evening Dining through the Members’ Area or through reception – 0151 709 7770 / reception@theathenaeum.org.uk.

Wine Tasting Evening - 2 of 2
2022-07-26 19:00 - 23:00
Join us on Tuesday 26th July 2022 for the second of two wine tasting evenings to showcase wines from the Club’s new wine list.
Roger Barlow of our Wine Merchants, Gerrard Seel, will host a swift tasting at 7:00pm in the Newsroom giving an overview of the three wines which will accompany each course with Dinner which will be served in the Dining Room at 7:30pm.
The wines being showcased this evening are:-
Macon Peronne – Domaine du Bicheron, France – 14% – Served with starter
Rioja Crianza – Vina del Oja, Spain (14.5%) – Served with Main
Côtes de Gascogne Rosé – Domaine Horgelus, France (11.5%) – Served with Dessert

Starters:
Salt Cod and Ventreche Ham Croquette, Butter Poached Mussels
Goats Cheese Panna Cotta, Pickled Beets, Hazelnut Crumb (v)
Main Course:
Pimento Slow Roasted Old Spot Pork Ribs, Lomo Chorizo and Morcilla, Green Beans with Pine Nuts and Lemon Thyme, Bravas Potatoes
Peppered Aubergine steak, Cavolo Nero, Feta Brandard, Roasted Red Chilli, Black Garlic Purée (v)
Dessert:
Summer Fruits

The first of these two tastings showcasing wines from the wine list took place Wednesday 6th July 2022**.

*Original scheduled for 21st June though postponed due to rail strike.

New Member Signing Reception
2022-07-29 18:30 - 19:30
On the last Friday of the Month newly joining Proprietors are invited to attend a special reception in the Library at 6:30pm to sign their share in the historic 1809 share register.
All members and guests are welcome to attend these receptions and are encouraged to pre-book for Friday Evening Dining after the reception.
If you have not yet signed the register and would like to attend one of these signing receptions please contact reception.

6:30pm-7:00pm Arrivals, Drinks & Canapes
7:00pm- Signing of The Register
7:30pm – Guests Ascend to The Dining Room

Friday Evening Dining
2022-07-29 18:30 - 23:00
The Club is open for Dinner on Friday Evenings with service between 6:30pm and 8:00pm. End the week the right way with a delectable meal from our chefs in the surroundings of your Club.
You can book a table for Friday Evening Dining through reception – 0151 709 7770 / reception@theathenaeum.org.uk.
On the last Friday of the Month newly joining Proprietors are invited to attend a special reception in the Library at 6:30pm to sign their share in the historic 1809 share register. All members are welcome to attend these receptions and are encouraged to stay for dinner. If you have not yet signed the register and would like to attend one of these signing receptions please contact reception.

Liverpool American History Walking Tour
2022-07-30 10:30 - 13:30
The Athenaeum, a historic and emblematic city centre venue, and ArtsGroupie CIC, a prominent Liverpool arts organisation, have teamed up to provide monthly walking tours and events starting Summer 2022.

Join us at the Liverpool Pier Head, outside the Cunard Building (the River Mersey side), 10.30am 30th July, as we explore Liverpool’s historic links to America.
From the city’s darkest history, like its abominable role in the transatlantic slave trade, to its illustrious music & culture exports; Liverpool’s connections to the United States run deep.
The two-hour tour ends with a three-course lunch at the Athenaeum.

Kitty Wilkinson's Liverpool Walking Tour
2022-09-03 10:30 - 15:00
The Athenaeum, a historic and emblematic city centre venue, and ArtsGroupie CIC, a prominent Liverpool arts organisation, have teamed up to provide monthly walking tours and events starting Summer 2022.

Travel back to Victorian Liverpool and discover key locations inhabited by local heroine Catherine “Kitty” Wilkinson.
Liverpudlian legend, Kitty, was an Irish immigrant who lived in the city’s slums; she overcame all adversity to become a pioneer of hygiene and ran the country’s first public washhouse and baths.
Starting at St. George’s Hall, this two-hour will take you around the city, ending with afternoon tea at The Athenaeum.

Remembering Frank Doran MBE
2022-09-27 12:00 - 15:30
We remember Proprietor and former Lord Mayor of the city Frank Doran MBE, at a memorial lunch to celebrate his life and contribution to the Liverpool City Region.
Join us on Tuesday 27th September from 12:00pm in the Newsroom for a reception drink ahead of the call for lunch at 12:30pm.
Included within the ticket include reception drink, two glasses of wine, a three course lunch and a £10.00 donation to the Beacon Counselling Trust, a charity dear to Frank’s heart. During the occasion we will also be running a raffle in aid of the Beacon Counselling Trust, and we hope to raise as much as possible in Frank’s name for this important cause.
Book your place now through the Members’ Area or with the Concierge – 0151 709 7770/concierge@theathenaeum.org.uk.
The menu for the event can be found below, please advise of any dietary requirements upon booking.
Starter
Smoked Haddock Fishcake
Pea Puree, mustard butter emulsion
Main course
Roast Pork Loin
Kauffman cabbage, baked apple, cider and sage cream sauce, roast new potatoes
Baked Broccoli and stilton crepe(v)
Buttered Spinach, roast new potatoes
Dessert
Chocolate Torte
Cherry compote, white chocolate sauce

Moneytools Presents
2022-09-27 19:00 - 21:00

Literature Group: What's My Line?
2022-10-04 14:00 - 15:00
What’s My Line?
For the October meeting we are asking members to come armed with a favourite quotation or two. Many thanks for the idea to Mike Shankland, who explains the concept:
I love the quote from Act 3 of The Merchant of Venice:

“Here are a few of the unpleasantest words
That ever blotted paper.”

Nevertheless, we all have lines which chime with our lives, growing in significance as the years pass. A chat up line I first used at 18 still works for me!

“Hade we but world enough and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.”

And when I was a kid Horatio got my attention:

“Lars Porsena of Clusium,
By the Nine Gods he swore
That the great house of Tarquin
Should suffer wrong no more.”

I didn’t know a Tarquin from a penguin but I was caught up in the drama, and we all agree with Jane Austen: ‘The sooner every party breaks off the better’, and with Saul Bellow: ‘If I am out of my mind it’s all right with me.’
Now I won’t quote any more ( and these aren’t necessarily my favourite quotes) but would you like to bring a ‘mighty line’ or two and explain briefly what they mean to you?
If you are very brave you could write the quote on a piece of paper and the group could try to guess who chose that example.
Just a bit of autumnal fun!

The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize
2022-10-22 18:30 - 23:30
We are delighted to announce The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022 will be taking place on Saturday 22 October 2022, in association with The Royal Northern College of Music.
Six Opera stars of the future will perform for Members and guests with the winner being awarded The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022 and the designation of Athenaeum ‘Artiste In Residence’ for the next 12 months.
Join us between 6:30pm and 7:00pm in the Newsroom for a drinks reception ahead of the contest which will commence at 7:00pm. There will be an interval during which a two-course supper will be served in the Dining Room whilst the Judges’ deliberate. Following dinner attendees will return to the Newsroom for the prize giving and reprise performances of the winner and runner up in the contest
You can book tickets now via the Concierge or the Members’ Area of the website for just £35.00 per person and are available on a first come first serve basis.
We are indebted this year to the generosity of several Athenaeum Proprietors for very kindly providing sponsorship for the event, HH Judge David Hodge QC and Mr David Holdsworth.
There now follows biographies of the RNCM Students contesting for this year’s Sir David Maddison Opera Prize, as well as the menu and itinerary for the event.

Sarah Winn

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Winn, recently completed her Graduate Certificate in Music Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the conservatorium studying under the guidance of Dr Margaret Schindler (Doctorate in Musical Arts). Upon the completion of her degree, Sarah was awarded the Linda Edith Allen award for having achieved the highest performance grade in her year level and the Doreen Ord & Lyceum Club Prize for Classical Voice.
During her time at the conservatorium, she has performed the roles of Béatrice in Berlioz’s Beatrice et Bénédict, the Chinese Cup and The Dragonfly in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Aloès in Chabrier’s L’etoile, The Publican’s Wife in the world premiere of Paul Dean’s Dry River Run and covered Ramiro in La finta giardiniera. She performed excerpts from Puccini’s La rondine (Suzy), Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Purcell’s Fairy-Queen.
Most recently she performed the role of Der Komponist in the Royal Northern College of Music’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos, where she was also a finalist in the Joyce and Michael Kennedy award for the singing of Strauss and the Frederic Cox award.
Engagements include performing as a guest soloist with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra in the Brisbane Sings concert (2020), the Alto solo in Handel’s Messiah (2019) with the Queensland Choir and Sinfonia of St Andrews and as a guest soloist in the Noosa Alive Concert with the Noosa Orchestra (2019). She performed in Opera Queensland’s production of Peter Grimes during the Brisbane Festival (2018), as a guest soloist with the Queensland Choir (2018) during their Brisbane concert series and the Alto solo in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Queensland Conservatorium Chorale (2018).
Sarah is very excited to be in her second year at the Royal Northern College of Music, completing a Master of Performance. This is generously supported by the Alice Orrell and A&N Kendall Award as well as the Maurice and Jean Buckley Award.

Joe Ashmore

Joe is a first-year masters student on the Vocal Studies and Opera programme at the Royal Northern College of Music, generously supported by The South Square Trust, where he obtained a first class honours degree at undergraduate level.
During his undergraduate degree, Joe took three chorus roles in RNCM operas, Offenbach’s ‘La Vie Parisienne’, Handel’s ‘Theodora’ and Massenet’s ‘Cendrillon’ which was nominated for best opera in the Manchester Theatre Awards. He was also cast as Mistrust in RNCM’s production of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ by Vaughan-Williams in Spring 2019, directed by Jonathan Cocker and conducted by David Parry. Joe was also ‘Highly Recommended’ in the prestigious James Martin Oncken Song Prize. Most recently, Joe sang the role of the Witch of Endor in Handel’s ‘Saul’ as a guest soloist of the Academy Choir, Wimbledon, alongside renowned bass-baritone Christopher Purves.
In December 2021, Joe made his Bridgewater Hall debut with the RNCM Songsters when performing in a pre-concert performance of Scandinavian music. In March this year, Joe performed in a concert with the Songsters and Chamber Choir for International Women’s Day. Joe was also selected to represent the RNCM as part of a chorus travelling to Bergen, Norway to perform the world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s Magnificat in April. Joe returned to the opera stage in June when he performed the role of Propser in Offenbach’s ‘La Vie Parisienne’ as part of RNCM Opera Scenes.

Sarah Prestwidge

Sarah Prestwidge is a young aboriginal Australian Soprano, studying a Master of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music, with a full ABRSM scholarship. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Education) from Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she was awarded numerous awards for her excellence. Sarah is also the recipient of the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship from the Australian Council for the Arts and a Tait Memorial Trust Awardee.
Sarah’s operatic highlights include, Arsena in The Gypsy Baron, Purran-Murnin in Buckley (Premier), Madam Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor, and Barbarina in Le Nozze Di Figaro. She was also looking forward to performing the roles of Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore and Tytania in Midsummer Night’s Dream throughout 2020. Since moving to the United Kingdom Sarah has performed Mrs. Paskova/Chocholka in The Cunning Little Vixen and Controller in Flight (RNCM), as well as The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with Woodbridge Opera and Mrs. Anderssen/Nordstrom in A Little Night Music at Buxton Opera where she was a Young Artist this year. In the final year of her Master’s degree at the RNCM Sarah performed the roles of Zerbinetta in Ariadne Auf Naxos and Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro.
Sarah has sung in orchestral works including, Orff’s Carmina Burana as a soprano soloist and Cheetham’s Eumeralla. She has also performed extensively for corporate events such as, Merivale Sydney, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Holland America Line, International Towers Sydney, the Australian Rural Fire Brigade and those at the Utzon Room of Sydney Opera House.
Over the years, Sarah has been mentored by Deborah Cheetham at Short Black Opera, where she has worked as a Soprano and Music educator. From 2018 to 2020, she was also a Young Artist in Pacific Opera, during which time she was awarded a Prue Kennard study grant. In 2019, Sarah studied in an intensive program with Bel Canto Opera, Munich, which was generously sponsored by the Wagner Society NSW. Since moving to the United Kingdom, Sarah has enjoyed working at Buxton Opera as a Young Artist and being involved in workshops with Opera North and British Youth Opera, of which she successfully auditioned for.
Additionally, Sarah is a trained classroom Music teacher with proficient/qualified teacher status and an experienced singing teacher.

Olivia Tringham

Originally from Merseyside, Olivia is a Soprano currently studying with Linda Richardson at the Royal Northern College of Music. At the RNCM, Olivia played Mère Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, La Suora Infermiera in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Sally in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, Fanny Price in Dove’s Mansfield Park and Prima Donna in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. This year she has also performed opera scenes from Verdi’s Falstaff and Britten’s Turn of the Screw, was a finalist in the Frederick Cox Competition 2022 and has been chosen for a number concerts, such as the world premier of Wrigglesworth’s Magnificat with the Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, Norway. Olivia has a natural draw to character driven music and particularly enjoys tackling musically challenging repertoire.
Professionally, Olivia was a 2021 Buxton International Festival Young Artist, performing as Mrs Segstrom in A Little Night Music by Sondhiem and in a range of concerts. Olivia was also due to be a part of the Wexford Festival Opera 2020 Chorus with a step-out role in Catalani’s Edmea and roles in their pocket operas, but this festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. In summer 2022, Olivia will Join Grange Park Opera for Verdi’s Otello, The Flying Dutchman by Wagner, Ponchielli’s La Gioconda and the Excursions of Mr Broucek by Janacek.
During the pandemic, Olivia founded the independent opera company ALLO Opera, with the aim of giving Young Artists performance opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic. ALLO Opera have produced a series of recorded virtual Galas, opera scenes and a live, fully staged version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni recorded in July 2021, in which Olivia played Donna Elvira. ALLO Opera has built an online community of young artists and are trying to re-write the way that young artists portray themselves online. www.oliviarosetringham.co.uk

Camilla Seal

Praised for her ‘unaffected simplicity’ (Classical Source) and ‘velvety mezzo’ timbres (The Telegraph), Camilla made her debut at Buxton International Festival as Prince Charming in Viardot’s Cendrillon prior to her most recent season at Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Chorus).
​She graduated with Distinction from her Masters at RNCM in 2022, studying under Jane Irwin and Michael Harper, with the support of Help Musicians. There, she was the First Prize recipient of the Betty Bannerman Award for French Song (2022), the Brigitte Fassbaender Award for Lieder (2021) and the Creative Innovator Award (2021).
​Her other operatic roles include creating Bella in Smail’s new work, Blue Electric (Tête à Tête; Playground Theatre); Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (RNCM); Mrs. Nolan in Menotti’s The Medium (RNCM); Mary in Tavener’s Mary of Egypt (King’s College Chapel, Cambridge) and scenes as Fox in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen (Morley Opera); Jemmy in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell (Morley Opera); Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Morley Opera); Don Ettore in Haydn’s La Canterina (RNCM); Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel (NOS Short Course).
​As a collaborative performer, she founded the devising ensemble, the New Renaissance Collective in 2018 and has co-created and performed in productions including Beaten Gold and an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Venus & Adonis.
In concert, she has performed recitals for Manchester Song Festival, Clonter Opera and a rich variety of baroque repertoire with HM Sagbutts and Cornetts, Polyphony, the European Union Baroque Orchestra and Musica Antica.
​Camilla came to music at an early age, signing with the cross-over group, Angelis, under Sony BMG. She studied English at Girton College, Cambridge and then Social Inequality at LSE where she published articles for Classical Music magazine on freelance music making. She is also a keen aerial artist and a member of the Salon Collective, where she trains in Meisner’s acting method.
James Holt

James has recently completed postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music where he was generously supported by the Ann Driver Trust and the Alice Orrell and the A&N Kendall Award, where he studied under Peter Alexander Wilson. Previous engagements include Nym (Cover, Sir John in Love) with British Youth Opera, Schaunard (La Bohème) and Marchese D’Obigny (La Traviata) with North Wales Opera Studio, Die Perückenmacher (Ariadne auf Naxos) with RNCM Opera, Marchese D’Obigny (La Traviata) with Hampstead Garden Opera, Burgesses Chorus (Peter Grimes) with Bergen National Opera and as a member of the French Acting Chorus (Silent Night) with Opera North. James has also performed several roles within opera scene programmes including, Ford, Harekin, Steward, Guglielmo, Die Notar and Henry. This summer James was a member of Buxton International Festivals Young Artist Programme and was also invited to take part in a years mentorship scheme with Opera North shadowing the full-time chorus.

Itinerary
6:30pm for 7:00pm: Drinks reception in the Newsroom
7:00pm: Concert
8:15pm: Interval – guests make way to Dining Room for dinner
8:30pm: Two-Course Dinner served
9:30pm: Guests make way to the Newsroom
9:45pm: Prize finale
10:15pm: Fin – Newsroom bar open
11:30pm: Last orders
12:00am: Club closes

Menu
Main Course
Roast breast of Guinea Fowl
Boudin Blanc, Pear and Tarragon
served with Buttered Greens and Ventreche Ham
Pommes de Terre Sables
Dessert
Pear Cheesecake
White Chocolate Sauce

Athenaeum Film Nights Presents Captain Blood (1935):
2023-02-22 18:30 - 22:00
The next classic film showing is Michael Curtiz’s ‘Captain Blood’ (1935). Based on Rafael Sabatini’s novel of the same name, the story follows an imprisoned doctor and his fellow prisoners who escape their cruel island captivity and become pirates in the West Indies. All screenings will be preceded by a one-course supper and have an intermission with snacks served during the film.
£15.00 per person.

New Members Welcome Evening & Newsroom Buffet:
2023-02-24 18:00 - 21:00
On the last Friday of the month we welcome new Proprietors as they sign the historic Share Register.
A drinks reception will take place in the Reading Room from 6:00pm ahead of the signing at 6:30pm. A curry buffet will follow in the Newsroom from 7:00pm.
Open to all members, a great opportunity to meet more of your fellow members.
£15.00 per person.

Presidential Dinner: 'Why Biodiversity Matters', Dinner with Dr Richard Lane OBE
2023-03-01 18:30 - 23:00
Biodiversity is all around us, sometimes closer than you think. We are in a ‘biodiversity crisis’ and losing biodiversity at a rate comparable to the past mass extinctions of the past. In this talk Dr Richard Lane OBE examines why we should take this crisis so seriously from biodiversity’s significant impact on our health and well-being, agriculture and food security to the stability and resilience of the ecosystems in which we live. Alongside self-interest, there is a wider issue of how we share the planet.
Dr Richard Lane OBE is a scientist whose career has had two themes – biodiversity research and the health of developing countries. He has had a lifetime interest in what was once just called ‘Nature’. He has travelled extensively in tropical countries, researching how insect borne diseases are transmitted and advising governments on disease control then funding global health research at the world’s largest medical research charity. He returned to the Natural History Museum in London as Director of Science, one of the leading institutes exploring the biodiversity of planet Earth. Most recently he has been developing science museums in Asia and the Middle East.
Join us in the Newsroom from 6:30pm for a reception drink ahead of Dr Lane’s presentation at 7:00pm. Three course dinner will follow at approximately 8:00pm
£30.00 per person.
