Woburn Abbey 28th July

[Stephany]

From Virgin Media :

Stars sign up for Woburn show
PA Entertainment
Fri 22 June

Van Morrison and Curtis Stigers are taking part in an outdoor music festival at Woburn Abbey this summer.

The line-up for the three-day event also features Hayley Westenra, Julian Lloyd-Webber and The Ronnie Scott Big Band.

Organisers hope Woburn Live - being held on the evenings of July 27, 28 and 29 - will become an annual fixture.

As well as live music, a broadcast partnership with radio station Classic FM and rising new broadcast star The Jazz means that a highlights package will be broadcast nationwide.

The Friday show kicks off with Grammy winner Van Morrison performing hits spanning his four decade career. Other artists will also perform.

Classic FM Live will present an evening of music, with the 75-piece English National Orchestra at its heart, on the Saturday, when Hayley Westenra will also perform a set.

The Ronnie Scott Band will treat the crowd to an evening of jazz on the Sunday. Many more special guests for all three nights will be announced shortly.

Tickets are available via 0845 225 6020 or online at www.woburnlive.com.

[Mark]

Hi everyone

I'm sure that I heard on Classic FM today that the winner of a recent competition, Paul Potts was to be singing at this concert. Has anyone else heard this, or was I dreaming ?

Mark

[roger]

Hi Mark,

I have to admit I wasn't exactly paying attention but I certainly heard something along those lines. Either that, or we had the same dream!

Roger

[postscript]

tinky3344 said:

Hi everyone

I'm sure that I heard on Classic FM today that the winner of a recent competition, Paul Potts was to be singing at this concert. Has anyone else heard this, or was I dreaming ?

Mark

Is he the one who won the Technicolour Dreamcoat part in the West End, like Connie Fisher winning Maria in The Sound of Music?
Peter S.

[drew]

tinky3344 said:

Hi everyone

I'm sure that I heard on Classic FM today that the winner of a recent competition, Paul Potts was to be singing at this concert. Has anyone else heard this, or was I dreaming ?

Mark

If you go to the Woburn Concert web site:

www.woburnlive.com

You will now see a pop-up re Paul Potts.

[drew]

I was away on vacation when the competition took place so the name is new to me, however I received a mail this morning from Sony BMG to announce the release of a Paul Potts album on Monday 16th July. They expect this to reach the Number 1 position.

I am surprised that Bedlam allowed a Sony BMG artist to join an event with UCJ artists (Woburn) especially when we hope that West Side Story will grab the Number 1 slot on 30th July.

Is Paul Potts another of Simon Cowell's proteges?

[drew]

Clooney's "sweet-Hart" joins Woburn Live

Three days of rock, classics and jazz at the Abbey

TEEN swing sensation Victoria Hart – the girl who captivated George Clooney and Brad Pitt at this year's Cannes Film Festival – appeared at Woburn Abbey on Tuesday along with opera wunderkind Hayley Westenra.

The young nightingales were at the stately pile to launch Woburn Live, a three day music festival at the venue, which will see them headline with Van Morrison, Marti Pellow and Curtis Stigers.

Hart, 18, who has just gone from a £7-an-hour Surrey waitress to a £1.5m record deal, and Westenra, gave the media and festival organisers a taster of what was to come when they performed a brief set in the Abbey's picturesque Sculpture Gallery

www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/buzz-2?articleid=2991238

I don't remember Hayley mentioning this preview. I would have invited her in for tea and roses if I had known.

Have you ever been wowed by a wunderkind?

[Martin]

drew said:

TEEN swing sensation Victoria Hart – the girl who captivated George Clooney and Brad Pitt at this year's Cannes Film Festival – appeared at Woburn Abbey on Tuesday along with opera wunderkind Hayley Westenra.

The description of Hayley as an opera wunderkind in this newspaper is probably the most hilarious I have ever seen.

As I understand it, a "wunderkind" is a child prodigy!!

Martin

[Richard]

tinky3344 said:

I'm sure that I heard on Classic FM today that the winner of a recent competition, Paul Potts was to be singing at this concert. Has anyone else heard this, or was I dreaming?

Hello Mark!

I heard the latest advert on Classic FM during the Most Wanted chart show today. It did indeed say that Paul Potts will be appearing at Woburn Abbey on 28th July 2007.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[postscript]

martin said:

drew said:

TEEN swing sensation Victoria Hart – the girl who captivated George Clooney and Brad Pitt at this year's Cannes Film Festival – appeared at Woburn Abbey on Tuesday along with opera wunderkind Hayley Westenra.

The description of Hayley as an opera wunderkind in this newspaper is probably the most hilarious I have ever seen.

As I understand it, a "wunderkind" is a child prodigy!!

Martin

I would not be surprised if Hayley doesn't curl up in horror and realise she hasn't been too badly treated by the press over all--as yet! Were I new to Hayley I don't think I would want to hear, the very description puts you off!

Peter S.

[Stephany]

From the 'Leighton Buzzard Observer'[/u][/b] :

Clooney's "sweet-Hart" joins Woburn Live
Published Date: 28 June 2007
Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer
By Anne Cox
Three days of rock, classics and jazz at the Abbey

Teen swing sensation Victoria Hart – the girl who captivated George Clooney and Brad Pitt at this year's Cannes Film Festival – appeared at Woburn Abbey on Tuesday along with opera wunderkind Hayley Westenra

[/color].

The young nightingales were at the stately pile to launch Woburn Live, a three day music festival at the venue, which will see them headline with Van Morrison, Marti Pellow and Curtis Stigers.

Hart, 18, who has just gone from a £7-an-hour Surrey waitress to a £1.5m record deal, and Westenra, gave the media and festival organisers a taster of what was to come when they performed a brief set in the Abbey's picturesque Sculpture Gallery.

With the Abbey providing a stunning backdrop music fans can relax with a picnic and enjoy rock, classical and jazz at what is hoped will be an annual event.

Woburn Live kicks off on July 27 with the legendary Van Morrison who will be performing hits from a career spanning four decades. Joining him on stage will be special guests in a line-up that is constantly being added to.

The next night is given over to the classics when Hayley will join Julian Lloyd Webber, the sexy Vittorio Grigolo and the 75-piece English National Orchestra.

Hayley, aged just 20, and Vittorio have just cut a 50th anniversary CD of West Side Story and the couple will be performing songs from the iconic musical. The CD goes on sale just two days after the concert.

The night will feature popular classics, film themes and a rousing finale that will put Last Night at the Proms in the shade!

Sunday sees the debut of Ronnie Scotts in the Park. Prised from their Soho home the talent from the legendary jazz club will be performing with a host of guests including Victoria, fellow teen sensation Peter Grant, who recently wooed audiences at Dunstable's Grove Theatre, and Wet Wet Wet's Marti Pellow.

The night will include a mix of the coolest jazz with the hippest swing. Think Rat Pack, Basie, Ellington. There will also be a special guest appearance by American Curtis Stigers.

Gates will open at 4pm each day with the concerts starting at 7.30pm and finishing at about 10.15pm. There's free parking and picnics are encouraged (but no glass).

Tickets are selling fast. For tickets and information contact the ticket hotline [phone] or visit www.woburnlive.com
[/size][/quote]

[Stephany]

From the 'Milton Keynes Today'[/u][/b] :

Hayley hot foots it from the States
Published Date: 03 July 2007
Location: Milton Keynes
By Sammy Jones

Hayley Westenra meets Go's Sammy Jones

Fresh from performing at the Woburn Live launch, Hayley Westenra pulls up a pew and fast-tracks us through the past couple of months of her always busy career.

She is fresh back from touring the States with the band Celtic Woman, which she says was: "A fantastic experience. It was very different working with a group of people as opposed to being a solo artist and having complete control over the stage though," she says.
"...and we were travelling in a tour bus for a start, which was a completely new experience..."

I've heard plenty of tales from pals who have done the 'tour bus trek', and not all of those tales are the most savoury...

Hayley too, had the odd problem with the travelling machine: "There were definitely times when the novelty had definitely worn off, and I thought: 'OK, I would actually quite like to be in a hotel room and
settle, rather than having to try and sleep for four hours, get woken up and then try to go back to sleep...

"But I did enjoy it, it was quite rock n roll!" she admits, and that, coming from one of the biggest names in the crossover-classical market!

In the here and now though, New Zealand born Hayley is back on British soil, and playing live in typical fashion with plenty of bookings. Heck, she is a girl in demand, and one who has a trio of top-selling albums sitting next to her name. Pure, Odyssey and this years' Treasure.
Is it difficult being on the road so much?

"I go through stages of just worrying about one thing at a time, and what is really nice at the moment is that I'm settled – I have a flat in London, and I'm in the process of buying a place in London," she explains.

"When I get that it will be fantastic and I'll be a lot more settled. I'm really enjoying being back here and hopefully the sun will come out sooner of later...in time for Woburn!"

Which eases us into the whole reason for us having this chat in the first place. When we sit down and relax with the summer sun feeling hot on our skin (we can but dream that the weather will better itself), what will Hayley ply us with, musically?

"I'm on the Classic FM night, and the show will be a mix of Opera, Classical and some excerpts from West Side Story, which I have just recorded with Vittorio Grigolo. I'm going to be performing the music live for the first time too."

Will that signal the arrival of belly butterflies?
She laughs: "It will be a little bit nerve-wracking, but it's such a beautiful setting and I have to say that outdoor concerts are my favourite sort out of all the set-ups that there can be...and this is not just any outdoor setting, this is something very special. I can't wait.

"I'm very used to performing in lots of different settings – sometimes with orchestras, sometimes with a trio and like today, with a piano and a capella. It's certainly more fun when it's a big group of people and they all have their glasses, and their nibbles..."

And this is a girl who has performed for some rather familiar familiar faces in her time: George Bush for one.

"Actually that was similar to this," she says, pointing to our surroundings of the Abbey's Sculpture Gallery, "All round tables and things, although I'm not sure whether George Bush is that musically inclined...."

It must be strange performing for the likes of him, I reckon, and Hayley nods her agreement: "Sometimes I crave a bit of consistency, but it keeps me on my toes."

Join Hayley, Vittorio, The English Orchestra and Julian Lloyd Webber on Saturday July 28 .

[grant]

Hi Stephany

Looks like the same dress and long dangly pendant that Hayley wore for the "I Feel Pretty" video.

Best wishes
Grant

[Richard]

Hello Grant!

I reckon that's Hayley's 'I Feel Pretty' outfit. I wonder if she sang it live at the launch, complete with mirror?

Richard

[Stephany]

Well-spotted, Grant.
I wouldn't be too surprised if she wears the same outfit and pendant at the Woburn concert.
Don't know about the mirror, though