The Athenaeum Liverpool

The Film Group
2019-02-13 14:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
13th February, 2019 Gaslight (1944). This is the second version of a mystery-thriller about a wife whose husband slowly manipulates her into believing that she is becoming insane to distract her from his criminal activities. This version is directed by George Cukor and stars Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Jospeh Cotton. (See if you can identify the 18-year old maid.)
The film won a Best Actress Oscar for Bergman and was nominated for Best Picture. It received seven nominations in all.
(Running time 114 mins)

Library and Archives Group Lunch
2019-02-14 11:30 - 14:00
11.30 am in the Library
12.30 pm informal lunch (reservation required )
Proprietor Jutta Hesketh: ‘Greek Myths:
The Very beginnings, Chaos to Zeus, seen through Literature and Art”.
(Based on works in the Library)

Dinner with Professor David Lalloo
2019-02-21 18:30 - 23:00
Thursday 21 February, 6.30 & 7.00pm, £25.00 per person

LSTM was founded in November 1898 by Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, a influential shipping magnate, when Liverpool was a prominent port city with extensive trade with overseas regions such as West and Southern Africa. The number of patients in the region admitted to hospital with ‘tropical’ diseases soared. Sir Alfred Jones set up a School of Tropical Medicine to investigate these outbreaks. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), founded in 1898, was the first institution in the world dedicated to research and teaching in the field of tropical medicine.

Whilst Liverpool is no longer the major trading port it was in Victorian times the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is still world leader in its field.

As a registered charity, LSTM works across the world, often in very difficult circumstances, to fulfil its mission of reducing the burden of sickness and mortality in disease endemic countries.

Professor David Lalloo Director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Tropical Medicine
Having undergone initial training in Newcastle upon Tyne, David Lalloo trained in General (Internal) Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, spending three years in Papua New Guinea. He undertook clinical and laboratory research in Oxford before moving as Senior Lecturer to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1999.

Since then he has focused on clinical trials in the tropics, particularly in HIV related infections, malaria and envenoming. He currently has collaborations and studies in a number of countries including Malawi, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland) and South Africa. He has worked with in Malawi for almost twenty years. He holds an appointment as an Honorary Consultant at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and remains clinically active.

Prior to taking up the Directorship of LSTM in January 2019, David was Dean of Clinical Sciences and International Public Health and was Director of the Welcome Trust Liverpool Glasgow Center for Global Health Research and the Liverpool Welcome Trust Clinical PhD Programme. He has a strong interest in identifying and supporting young UK clinicians interested in tropical research and strengthening scientific capacity in resource poor settings. He continues to supervise PhD and MD students in a wide variety of infection related areas.
Schedule
Arrivals from 18.30 to 19.00
Talk from 19.00 to 19.45
Dinner Served at 19.45
Newsroom Bar Manned from 21.30 to 22.30
Last Orders from 22.15 to 22.30
Club Closes at 23.00
Menu
Starter
Salad of Buffalo Mozzarella and beef tomato, melon pearls, pesto and rocket

Main Course
Breast of chicken with a smoked ham and ricotta mousse, creamed white wine and mushroom sauce
Served with panache of vegetables, buttered parsley new potatoes

Dessert
Tropical fruit salsa, coconut Panna cotta

Lunch with Investec
2019-02-26 12:00 - 15:00
Tuesday 26 February, 12:00 for 12.30
Talk and Lunch presented by our corporate member Investec. Following the talk a light lunch for attendees will be provided. Numbers are limited so please book early for this event. There will be no charge for this event.

Brexit, Trump and Winne –the-pooh by Stephen Trowbridge
Stephen is a Senior Investment Director responsible for a client bank of over £200million, overseeing the investment strategy and management of funds for individuals, trusts, charities, offshore bonds and pension funds. Stephen also sits on the firm’s Global Investment Strategy Group, and Asset Allocation Committee. After leaving Oxford Stephen spent ten years in the City of London and in Guernsey before joining Rensburg Sheppards (now Investec Wealth & Investment) in Liverpool in 1990.

Cutting-Through inheritance Tax Complexity By Paul Brokenshare
Paul has been a Financial Planner since 1991 and provides bespoke, independent financial advice tailored to an individual’s requirements. He specializes in advising high net worth clients and their families across the full spectrum of wealth management matters and in particular, with regard to retirement planning, pensions, general tax planning and inheritance tax planning needs. Paul has held the coveted Chartered Financial Planner status since 2008. He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. Paul is also an Affiliate Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and, as such, operating within an elite group at the forefront of his profession.
Schedule
Reception in the Library from 12.00 to 12.30
Presentation from 12.30 to 13.30
Light Lunch from 13.30 to 14.30

The Library Dinner (Black Tie)
2019-03-01 18:30 - 23:30
A Club Through Time’, with Dr Ian Cubbin
Friday 1 March, 6.30 for 7.00pm £35.00pp

Chairman of the Library Sub-Committee, Dr Ian Cubbin, will be guiding the audience as they embark on the journey of ‘A Club Through Time’. From the Athenaeum’s inception in 1797 to present day, via a change in premises, the characters that have shaped the Athenaeum and the city beyond, and perhaps a murder trial for good measure?

A number of newer Proprietors, and even some long standing ones know very little of our origins and history, this will be a great opportunity to learn more in a pleasant and conducive environment surrounded by fellow members and guests.

This ever popular Black Tie dinner is likely to sell out early, it is recommended to book well in advance to avoid disappointment. Tickets include dinner, reception drink and a donation to the Library Fund.
Schedule
Reception from 18.30 to 19.00
Presentation from 19.00 to 19.45
Dinner Service from 19.45 to 21.30
Newsroom Bar Manned from 21.30 to 23.00
Last Orders from 22.45 to 23.00
Building Closed at 23.00

Artist Talks, with the Bluecoat Display Centre.
2019-03-05 13:00 - 16:00
Ceramicist—Attila Ollah.
Tuesday 5 March, 1:00 for 1:30pm, £15.00 per person

As part of Bluecoat Display Centre’s ongoing programme of exciting artist’s talks, the next event will feature ceramicist Attila Ollah. Attila will speak about his artistic career in ceramics and making but also his involvement in creating ice sculptures. He has recently established his own workshop and runs pottery classes at Altar Pottery.
Attila’s work explores the power of the vessel: over thousands of years, through association with birth, nourishment, ritual, celebration and death, the vessel has become deeply rooted in the human psyche. Attila explores the vessel as the archetypal symbol of the body through which the Self and that which is beyond the Self can be realised.
Attila has worked with Glacial Art to produce ice sculptures for global TV phenomenon Game of Thrones. After applying for a summer placement with world renowned ceramicist Claudi Casanovas, he was also offered a year-long apprenticeship opportunity with Casanovas in Catalonia. Attila then applied what he had learned about the mediums of both ice and ceramics to inform his work, which includes ceramic bowls suspended in ice.
Followed by Afternoon Tea in the Newsroom.
Schedule
Arrivals from 13.00 to 13.30
Talk starts in the library from 13.30 to 15.00
Afternoon Tea Served in Newsroom from 15.00 to 16.00
Building closes at 16.00

Literature Group Meeting
2019-03-06 14:00 - 15:30
David Charters on Wilfred Owen. Local writer and proprietor David Charters will talk about the war poet, Wilfred Owen. As part of the recent commemoration of Owen and his association with Birkenhead, David’s play ‘A Dream of Wilfred Owen’ was performed to great acclaim at the Williamson Art Gallery. His entertaining talk will include extracts from this play about the about the poet and his work.

The Film Group
2019-03-13 14:00 - 16:00
13th March, 2019 The General (1926) Our classic film from the silent era is directed by Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton himself. Johnnie Gray (Keaton), a train engineer, visits his fiancée Annabella (Marion Mack)in Georgia when the Civil War breaks out. Gray hurries to join the Confederate Army, but is rejected, because his job is too valuable. However, everyone believes it is because he does not want to fight, including his fiancée, who says she will not speak to him until she sees him in uniform. A year later Gray’s train “The General” is stolen by Union soldiers and Gray pursues them by various means to Chattanooga. Suffice it to say that after many adventures, Gray is hailed as a hero and reunited with Annabelle.
Based on a true story, “The Great Locomotive Chase” by William Pittenger, a Union soldier, Pittenger was one of the first people to receive the Medal of Honor, the American equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
Although not well received by both critics and public alike on its release, it is now ranked as one of the greatest American films ever.
(Running time 75 mins)

Joint Supper with the LMI—At The Athenaeum
2019-03-14 18:30 - 23:30
Angela Samata, In Conversation with Roger Phillips
Thursday 14 March, 6:30 for 7:00pm, £25.00 per person

Our special guest this evening will be Angela Samata. Angela will be in conversation with Roger Philips who will talk to her about her career in the Arts and TV but also into the sensitive area of the untimely loss of her husband. She has since done a great deal to help other people who have suffered such loss and she has a very compelling story.
Her charity work, together with the making of the documentary were recently recognized as Angela was named as the Merseyside Woman of the Year 2015. As a freelance arts professional for over a decade, Angela continues to work with individual artists and arts organisations, while also speaking publicly about mental health issues.
Schedule
Reception drink from 18.30 to 19.00
Supper Service from 19.00 to 20.30
Angela Samata – In Conversation from 20.30 to 21.15
Newsroom Manned from 21.15-22.30
Last orders from 22.15 – 22.30
Club closes at 23.00

History Group Meeting
2019-03-20 14:00 - 15:30
Title is “Female Drunkeness in Victorian Lancashire.” Speaker Dr Craig Stafford of the University of Liverpool

The Athenaeum Film Nights - Irish Film Night
2019-03-20 18:15 - 22:00
Irish Film Night TBC
We begin about 6.45pm with a one course supper and go into the ‘cinema’ by about quarter to eight. All our films have a suitable intermission and we empty out no later than ten o’clock.
1 Course Supper Menu TBC
Tea, coffee & mints
Sweeties During Film

The Athenaeum Annual Dinner (Black Tie)
2019-03-22 18:30 - 23:00
Friday 22 March, 6:30 for 7:00pm, £40.00 per person
The most prestigious event in the Athenaeum Calendar, the President, David Roscoe, invites you the attend the Annual Dinner. The dinner is over half capacity at present, please book your places early to avoid disappointment. This event is black tie. A reception drink is included in the ticket price.
Schedule
Reception from 18.30 to 19.00
Dignitaries photos at 18.30
Dinner Service from 19.00 to 21.30
Newsroom Manned at 21.30
Last Orders from 21.30 to 23.00
Club Closes at 23.30

Literature Group
2019-04-03 14:00 - 15:30
Wednesday 3rd April 2.00.pm-3.30 pm.
‘Translating Foreign Poetry’ with HH Richard Hamilton. Dick Hamilton was nine when he translated a LaFontaine fable from French verse into English verse. Since then he has dabbled in Spanish and Medieval French. He will discuss this while quoting from famous translators who handled Ancient Greek, Chinese, Arabic and even Sanskrit. Be warned: the Troubadour verses are rather naughty!
Later in the year we will be varying our format for two ‘meet the writer’ sessions, These meetings will take place in the early evening with an optional light supper (for which there is a charge), which can be booked through the website. I hope that many of our regulars as well as those who have been unable to attend afternoon meetings will be able to come. I have been to several of the early evening meetings/meals organised by the Library and Archive group – they are great fun as well as intellectually stimulating (and you won’t have to cook when you get home!).

The Wondering Fiddlers
2019-04-03 18:30 - 22:00
The ‘wandering musician’ is a traditional subject of art and literature. Christian Dietrich’s painting of 1745 characteristically shows a fiddler and a bagpipe player busking in front of an inn. This way not only is the connection between travelling and making a living readily established but also attributed to the musicians no less than their occasional audience.
The Wondering Fiddlers is only indirectly about ‘wandering’ spelt with an ‘a’ and more specifically about ‘wondering’ spelt with an ‘o’. Can modern fiddlers reflect critically on the music they cherish and practice day after day, hour after hour? And can modern listeners think and talk about music which is often perceived as elitist as they would do about the music they consume casually while commuting or shopping?
Of all fields, chamber music is the most problematic. Although many professional string players would rather spend their time performing small-scale, one-to-a-part compositions than large-scale orchestral works, the contemporary notion of chamber music inherited from the nineteenth century puts non-specialist listeners off and decreases the demand for that type of concert. In principle, any ticket holder can have access to the concert hall; in reality, the aura surrounding it, which makes it a kind of secular replacement for sacred venues, instils in the audience doubts on its ability to understand what is actually going on – a problem enhanced by the complexity of chamber repertoires.
The Wondering Fiddlers attempts to revert back to the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century concept of music for the chamber: compositions intended for an intimate setting where conversations between the musicians and the guests can take place. True, we will set the scene by selecting some great pieces of music from the past and by suggesting some themes for conversation. At the same time, we will remove the barrier between the players and the listeners and engage in a dialogue on the meaning of the music we present. This way, we will be able to play and re-play, listen and re-listen, question and re-question.
One final point: can ‘wondering fiddlers’ use seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music as a tool for cultural, social and economic development? As both present-day wandering fiddlers (with an ‘a’ this time) and the tutors of the Liverpool-based charity Early Music as Education (EMAE), we think we can: it is our duty to find and nurture musical talent wherever it may be – not only in London, Paris and New York but also in Nairobi, Havana and New Delhi – and to reach out to new listeners across the world.
Alberto Sanna, violin
I am an Italian violinist and musicologist from Sardinia. I live in London but work mostly in Liverpool. I specialise in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music: I study it, perform it, teach it and write about it, pretty much all day every day across the globe. The rest of the time I am with my wife and three daughters, my extended family and friends or watching football – too much perhaps!
Marino Capulli, violin
I am an Italian-Bulgarian violinist from Abruzzo. I live in L’Aquila, a city surrounded by the mountains of Central Italy. With the city’s main chamber orchestra, I perform all across Europe a repertoire that ranges from seventeenth-century to contemporary music. I spend my free time with my friends in the mountains, on the beach, at the lake or playing five-a-side and following the football team, I am crazy about, Juventus.
Elizabeth Elliott, violoncello
I am a cellist from The Wirral studying for a Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London. I enjoy playing a wide range of music from Corelli to Shostakovich as well as newly commissioned pieces; I also love learning and exploring ideas about early music and its role in our lives as musicians in the contemporary world. When I am not practising or playing music with my friends, you can find me reading Harry Potter (again!) and spending time with my wonderful family!
Main Course
Chicken Forrestier with Smoked Bacon
Served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes

Dessert
Strawberry pavlova

The Athenaeum Film Nights - The Musical - Showboat
2019-04-04 18:15 - 22:00
The Musical – Showboat (1926)
Show Boat is a musical in two acts, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, based on Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel of the same name
We begin about 6.45pm with a one course supper and go into the ‘cinema’ by about quarter to eight. All our films have a suitable intermission and we empty out no later than ten o’clock.
1 Course Supper Menu TBC
Tea, coffee & mints
Sweeties During Film

The Film Group
2019-04-10 14:00 - 16:00
10th April, 2019 The Death of Stalin (2017) A political satire, written and directed by Armando Iannucci, this modern film is based on a French graphic novel “La Mort de Staline”. The actors include Simon Russell Beale as Beria, Steve Buscemi as Kruschev, Michael Palin as Molotov and Jeffry Tambor as Malenkov. One of the funniest characters is Marshal Zhukov, played by Jason Isaacs. While enjoying the comedy, remember that much of this actually happened. On its release, Iannucci said, “Hitler is poison. Hitler is toxic. You wouldn’t get any pictures of Hitler in Germany, but the hotel we were staying at in Moscow had a portrait up. He’s gotten away with it, really.* We’ve quietly drawn a veil over him and not really concerned ourselves too much about him.”
[ *About 26 million of his fellow citizens are thought to have been murdered by Stalin]
Needless to say, the film was banned in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
(Running time 107 mins)

Library and Archives Group
2019-04-11 17:30 - 20:00
Thursday 11 April: 5:30pm in the Library
6:30pm informal supper (reservation required )
Speaker -Nancy Rudd ; A Gladstone Journal

Wine Tasting Evening
2019-04-17 18:00 - 22:30
I am delighted to announce a trio of wine tasting events taking place this spring and summer. In the hope of providing something for as many members as possible, each event will take a different format.
We start on 17 April with an Italian evening. After a glass of Prosecco on arrival, we will be tasting – under the expert guidance of Jon Atkinson – half a dozen wines reflecting the diversity of styles across Italy. Russell and his team will be providing an enticing spread of antipasti to accompany the wines. This will be an informal event in the Newsroom starting at 6pm. There will be an opportunity for those present to rank the wines in order of preference (just an indicative vote, of course) as well as being able to order any of the wines at a special discount rate. The event costs £20 per head
Menu
Italian Antipasti – Olives & Charcuterie

Far East Prisoners of War
2019-04-18 18:30 - 23:30
Have you booked your place at next Thursday’s Presidential Supper ‘Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Far East Prisoners of War connections’?

LSTM’s longest running collaboration is with ex-Far East prisoners of war (FEPOW). Now in its seventh decade, this unique relationship has led to world-class research into tropical medicine and the effects of captivity which continues to inform modern treatment and the way in which military personnel care for today during some modern deployments.

LSTM’s Far Eastern Prisoners Of War (FEPOW) project was featured in an edition of Wellcome Trust’s life science publication Mosaic. This audio programme is available here (from December 2015)

The ongoing work of LSTM’s honorary fellows Geoff Gill and Meg Parkes has culminated in the release of the books Captive Memories (2015), now in its 2nd edition and Burma Railway Medicine (2017), with quotes from all interviewees providing a fascinating history underpinned with eyewitness accounts and personal perspectives. These two books chart the history of this enduring relationship from the experiences that led to initial clinical consultations to the impact the research has had upon modern medical science.

Along with the books, the pair co-chaired international FEPOW history research conferences in Liverpool, Far East Explored: 70 years on(link is external) in 2015 and Legacies of Captivity (link is external)in June 2017. Meg Parkes remains involved in an ongoing Education programme, working within schools to ensure that the voices of those involved are not forgotten.

Geoff and Meg are currently working on an exhibition to bring unknown and unpublished contemporaneous documentary FEPOW art to public attention. This will take place at the University of Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery and Museum from October 2019 to April 2020.

Book your place now via the website or through reception, full details can be found below;

‘Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Far East Prisoners of War connections’
With Professor Geoff Gill and Meg Parkes.
Thursday 18 April 2019 – 6:30 for 7:00pm
£25.00 per person, including a reception drink, two-course supper and a donation to the speaker’s foundation.
In conjunction with the Alexandrians of Merseyside.

Menu

Main Course
Baked Salmon and Shellfish Crepe with Parmesan, Tarragon Sauce
Asparagus, Pomme Noisettes
~~
Baked Wild Mushroom and Spinach Crepe (v)

Dessert
Fruit Trifle

Schedule –
Reception Drink – 6:30-7:00pm
Presentation – 7:00-7:45pm
Supper – 7:45-9:00pm
The Newsroom will be open following supper.

Athenaeum Quiz Night
2019-04-24 18:30 - 22:00
Wednesday 24 April, 6.30pm for 7.00pm £12.50 per person
The Athenaeum quiz returns for its second year! Organisations from across the city have been invited to enter a team for the quiz, and there will of course be a team from the Athenaeum. These teams will compete between themselves for a trophy. However, the event is open to all members of the Athenaeum, so please do attend and take part. You can organise your own team of four if you like (guests will as always be very welcome) but otherwise just turn up and we will make up teams of four on the night. The Athenaeum members will get the same questions as the institutional teams, but will compete amongst themselves for a separate trophy. The questions will not be too hard, and the aim is basically to have some fun and to provide an opportunity for members of the invited institutions and the Athenaeum to get to know each other. The dress code for this event will be smart casual, so men will not be obliged to wear jacket and ties. A one course supper will be served at 7:00pm before the quiz.
Schedule
Arrivals – Cash bar from 18.30 to 19.00
1 course supper from 19.00 to 20.00
Quiz from 20.00 to 21.30
Last Orders from 22.15 to 22.30
Club Closes at 23.00

Younger Members Quarterly Dinner
2019-04-26 18:30 - 23:30
Following the huge success of the Inaugural Younger Members Dinner last year – our signature dinner returns, offering fantastic value, where we can meet, dine and introduce new people to the Athenaeum in style.
– Delicious Three Course Black Tie Dinner
– Served with Champagne
– Welcome bubbly on arrival
– Bar and Disco
– Plus-ones encouraged
Menu
Starter
Crème Du Barry Soup with Poached Smoked Haddock and Baby Leeks

Main Course
Roast Breast of Chicken with Smoked Bacon and Pearl Onions, White Wine and Tarragon Cream
Tender Stem Broccoli with Almonds, Parmentier Potatoes

Dessert
Vanilla Pannacotta, Berry Compote

Artist Talks, with the Bluecoat Display Centre
2019-04-30 13:00 - 16:00
Textile Artist & Illustrator — Rachael Howard.
Tuesday 30 April, 1:00 for 1:30pm, £15.00 per person
Textile artist & illustrator Rachael Howard will speak about her artistic career. Rachael first spoke at the Athenaeum in 2014 about her practice, she now returns to show how her career has developed. In particular Rachael has worked as artist in residence at Royal Liverpool University Hospital as part of Bluecoat Display Centre’s outreach programme, teaching drawing to those living with dementia. This had a significant effect on the patients as they learned a new skill, grew in confidence and became more relaxed. This was also a valuable experience for Rachael, as this was her first time working in the hospital environment.
Rachael is one of the most respected practitioners of narrative textiles. She has pioneered a lively mix of embroidery and screen-printing techniques, using image, text and object to tell stories of the everyday.
Followed by Afternoon Tea in the Newsroom.
Schedule
Arrivals from 13.00 to 13.30
Talk starts in the library from 13.30 to 15.00
Afternoon Tea served in Newsroom from 15.00 to 16.00
Building closes at 16.00

Opera At The Athenaeum
2019-05-03 18:30 - 23:30
Friday 3 May, 6.30pm for 7.00pm £38.50 per person
Tickets include Champagne Reception & Three Course Dinner During Interval
The unprecedented success of last Septembers opera concert staged at the Athenaeum, and the very positive feedback from the Proprietors and Guests in attendance has persuaded our club President to commission David Cox to produce a further Opera concert which will be performed on Friday, May 3rd. The evening’s performance will once again feature some of the best-loved and most memorable arias from the world of Opera, performed by Internationally acclaimed artistes headlined by the captivating Mezzo Soprano Alexandra Tiffin, with a return performance from the ex-Royal Opera House and local Liverpool Tenor Nick Hardy. Featuring the rising star of Opera who recently performed at the Downing Street Christmas concert, baritone Peter Edge who is travelling up from London especially to perform for us on the night. These fantastic artistes will be accompanied on the Athenaeum Kemble piano by the renowned Composer and concert pianist Jason Ellis. So for another evening to long remember, please join us once again for an evening of OPERA AT THE ATHENAEUM on Friday, May 3rd 2019.
Book your place now via the Members’ Area or through reception. Further details, including the menu, Schedule and biographies of the artistes can be found below;
Menu
Starter – Carmen
Carrot, Coriander and Ginger Soup (v)

Main Course – Tournedos Rossini
Fillet of Beef, Spinach, Duck Liver Parfait
Served with Buttered New Potatoes and Roasted Glazed Parsnips

Spinach, Mushroom Rossini En Croute (v)

Dessert – Turandot Tiramisu
Coffee Liquor Soaked Sponge, Mascarpone and Vanilla

Schedule
Rehearsal for Artistes at 16.30
Reception from 18.30 to 19.00
Performance Part 1 from 19.00 to 19.45
Dinner from 19.45 to 21.15
Performance Part 2 from 21.15 to 22.00
Newsroom Service from 22.00 to 23.30
Last Orders from 23.15 to 23.30

ATHENAEUM OPERA EVENING ARTISTES BIOGRAPHIES

Alexandra Tiffin
Alexandra was born in Liverpool and grew up in Crosby. She gained a B.Mus.Hons from The Royal Northern College of Music in 2002, and then a Distinction in her postgraduate diploma (singing) from The Royal Academy of Music in 2007. Alexandra’s professional career as a Mezzo Soprano has included singing roles and chorus for Opera companies, including English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, and Opera North, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park, and Buxton Festival opera. Recently Alexandra has sung in the extra chorus for ‘War and Peace’ and ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ for Welsh National Opera. She is also singing in the extra chorus in ‘Aida’ at Opera North, along with tenor soloist Nick Hardy. Alexandra also regularly performs with pianist Mark Millington at concerts and corporate events around the northwest.

Jason Ellis
Jason was born in Yorkshire and is a graduate of Leeds College of Music, and Liverpool University where he trained in classical and romantic piano performance, composition, orchestration, and arranging.
Jason has been involved with choral music since accompanying the Liverpool University singers during his studies, and in 2013 Jason founded the Mersey wave choir. He works with several choral groups across Merseyside including the Magull based Georgian singers, and Wirral based Cappriccio singers. Since 2010 he has been an accompanist to the Froneysyllte Male voice choir. Since 2014 Jason can be regularly found at the piano in the Liverpool Empire theatre and was recently accompanist for the Rainhill Music festival.
Jason performs regularly on the concert platform as a soloist and accompanist, composes and creates musical arrangements and transcriptions on a freelance basis. Jason is a session musician at Industrial Music studios and has an active piano/theory music tutor practice. He is also a member of the Music and staging committee for the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Nick Hardy
Nick Hardy (tenor) made his Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut, in September 2017 as a member of the Borghese in Richard Jones new setting of La Boheme with Sir Antonio Pappano conducting, a production which was screened live in cinemas throughout Europe and shown later worldwide. As a freelance singer, he has appeared with the choruses of English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, and Wexford Festival Opera. For Scottish Opera and Buxton Festival Opera he has performed chorus roles and covered major roles. For London Festival Opera he has appeared as a principal in opera galas in Italy, Germany, and Spain.
His roles in oratorio have taken him throughout the UK and to France. With small local companies, he has performed more than twenty major opera roles including, Rodolfo, Canio, Turridu, Don Jose, Nadir, Manrico, Cavaradossi, Renato, Duke of Mantua, and Radames. His principal teachers after studying at the Royal Academy of Music were Joan Carlyle and Colin Iveson. He lives in Liverpool and is the founder and director of Liverpool Italian opera Co.

Peter Edge
British Baritone Peter Edge, is in his second year of Masters at The Royal College of Music London, where he is tutored by Peter Savidge. Competition successes include the International medal at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, the Chris Treglown Memorial Award, and RNCM Freckleton Prize. Peter also achieved Highly Commended in the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Competition, Brooks van Der Pump English Song Competition, and the RCM Lieder Competition.
Opera roles include Alfio Cavalleria Rusticana (Blackburn Cathedral) Antonio La Nozze di Figaro (RCM, directed by Sir Thomas Allen) Don Alfonso Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera at The Athenaeum Pall Mall) Dulcamara L’elisir d’amore (New Sussex Opera) Guglielmo Cosi Fan Tutte (Felici Opera) Littore Lincoronazione di Poppea (Loughborough Festival Opera) Masetto Don Giovanni (Opera Loki and Felici Opera) Papageno Die Zaberflote (City of Manchester Opera) Theseus A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RNCM and RCM) and Zaretsky Eugene Onegin (RCM)
Peter has been a Young Artist of Loughborough Festival Opera for the last two years. As an oratorio soloist Peter has recently performed the solos in Bach’s St John Passion and Handel’s Messiah (St Martin in the Fields) and Verdi’s Requiem (Elgar Concert Hall Birmingham)
Peter made his TV debut on S4C at Llangollen, and also appeared in the BBC film Florence Foster Jenkins. Peter regularly sings on live BBC Radio 4 LW and BBC Shropshire and has performed live on BBC Radio 3’s drivetime show: In Tune with presenter Sean Rafferty.

Literature Group and Meeting
2019-05-09 17:30 - 20:00
Thursday 9th May 5.30 pm
Local writer Deborah Morgan published her first novel Disappearing Home, set in inner-city Liverpool, in 2012. It was described by Alan Bleasdale as ‘a remarkable first novel – both heartbreaking and wonderfully lacking in any sentimentality’ and by Jimmy Mc Govern as ‘wonderful, authentic, compelling’. Debbie is currently working on further novels and a play.

New Members Informal Dining
2019-05-10 18:30 - 23:00
Details TBC

The Film Group
2019-05-15 14:00 - 16:00
15th May, 2019 In the Heat of the Night (1967) A mystery drama directed by Norman Jewison, it tells the story of Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a black policeman from Philadelphia, who becomes involved in the investigation of a murder in a small town in Mississippi. The chief of Police is played by Rod Steiger.
The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Rod Steiger.
(Running time 109 mins)

History Group Meeting
2019-05-22 14:00 - 15:30
Rose Tyler – “Discovering Prescots Elizabethan Playhouse”

The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein
2019-05-22 18:30 - 22:30
An evening of the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein with their fascinating story narrated by the President David Roscoe and some of their most special songs sung by local artist Sarah Chidlow. The evening will continue with a two course dinner.
Main Course
Salmon and Spinach En Croute, Tomato & red onion salad, lemon and tarragon dressing, buttered new potatoes
Dessert
Strawberries and Cream

Restaurant Dining Evening
2019-05-24 18:30 - 23:30
Optional Wine Flight available for £20.00pp
Starter
Slow Cooked Wood Pigeon with Alsace Ham, Pear, Pinenut and Frisée Salad, Beetroot 3 Ways
Intermediate
Parsley Soup, Scallop, Avruga, Lemon Pearls
Main Course
Ballotine of Rabbit, Chicken and Boudin Blanc Mousse
Bramley Apple Puree, Garlic Snails
Dessert
Mango Delice, Poached English Rhubarb, Ginger Crumb

Dress Code – Smart Casual – no requirement for Jacket and tie

Literature Group
2019-06-05 14:00 - 15:30
Bring Your Own Poem !
Following the success of November’s Bring Your Own session on war poetry, we are having another meeting to which people are encouraged to bring their own favorite poems (or short pieces of prose). I am proposing that the subject this time should be memories – so either a piece about memories or one that brings back a special memory for you. The format is that those who have brought poems etc. with them will read them and briefly explain their choice (perhaps stimulating some discussion). Of course, if you don’t want to read, someone else can read for you and if you don’t want to bring a poem you’re more than welcome to sit and listen.
