NEWS RELEASE
PR 1715
For Immediate
Release
27 April 2004
Celebrating the Pump Room’s new
piano
BATH & North East Somerset Council
is inviting local residents to a special concert at the Pump Room in
Bath to celebrate the arrival of its new grand piano.
The concert takes place on
Wednesday, May 5 at 8pm and 100 free tickets are available to
residents of Bath & North East Somerset who would like to join in
with the celebrations.
The size ‘D’ concert grand, made by
Steinway and Sons, was delivered to the Pump Room in November last
year.
It has been purchased with funds
contributed to a special public appeal fund set up by Bath & North
East Somerset Council in 1997. A generous donation from the
Rosenberger Memorial Trust helped the fund reach its target. The
residue of the appeal fund is funding the concert.
The evening will feature local
musicians Colin Hunt, Nicola Meecham and Louise Hunt who will
perform a selection of solos and duets by composers such as Chopin,
Debussy and Mendelssohn.
The musical programme has been
organised by Miss Mary King – President of the Mid-Somerset Festival
and Trustee of the Rosenberger Trust. The Pump Room pianois used
annually by competitors in the Mid-Somerset Festival and its first
use was for the most recent Bath Young Musician of the Year Awards.
Cllr Nicole O’Flaherty, Executive
Member for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, said: “Bath & North East
Somerset Council is delighted that, thanks to local people and the
Trust, we can organise this special evening for the benefit of local
residents.
“This wonderful new instrument –
acquired at no cost to local Council Tax payers – will give visitors
to the Pump Room many years of pleasure.”
The tickets will be available on a
first come, first served basis from the Stall Street reception of
the Roman Baths from 9am on Wednesday, April 28.
The evening is a thank you to local
people for their support so tickets are only available to residents
of Bath & North East Somerset and people wanting them are asked to
bring along a Discovery Card or other proof of residency.
Seating is limited in the Pump Room
so unfortunately only a maximum of two tickets can be allocated per
household.
Stephen Clews, Curator of the Roman
Baths and Pump Room, said: “The piano sees more use, played for six
hours a day for seven days a week, than almost any other instrument
in the public domain. It is also used from time to time for evening
concerts.
“Music in the Pump Room is performed
every morning for two hours by the acclaimed Pump Room Trio and at
lunch time and in the afternoon visitors are entertained by a
pianist.”
Notes to Editors:
The Rosenberger Family came to the
UK just before the Second World War in 1936 to flee the Nazi regime.
During the war Walter was interned in the Isle of Man but was soon
released and settled in Bath with his wife Gertrud. When Mrs
Rosenberger died in 1987, the family’s Steinway piano was given to
the Pump Room as a thank you to the people of Bath for welcoming the
family into their city. This was refurbished through the sale of the
Yamaha piano that was used in the Pump Room at that time. The sale
of the Rosenberger’s Steinway, in turn, contributed around 20
percent of the cost of the 2003 piano.
The Grand Pump Room, overlooking the
King’s Spring, is the social heart of Bath.
The elegant interior of 1795 is
something every visitor to Bath can see free of charge throughout
the year. The present Pump Room replaced an original Pump Room
dating from 1706. Today visitors can enjoy a glass of spa water
drawn from the fountain, perhaps as an appetiser to a traditional
Pump Room tea, morning coffee or lunch. Musical accompaniment is
provided by the Pump Room Trio – the oldest resident ensemble in
Europe and a resident pianist. Exhibits of interest include a
longcase clock, presented to the first Pump Room in 1709 by its
maker Thomas
For more information, contact:
Stephen Clews, Curator of the Roman
Baths and Pump Room, on Tel: 01225 477774 or e-mail stephen_clews@bathnes.gov.uk
Patricia Dunlop, Commercial
Marketing Manager - Heritage Services, on Tel: 01225 477759 or
e-mail patricia_dunlop@bathnes.gov.uk
For comment, contact:
Cllr Nicole O’Flaherty, Executive
Member for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, on Tel: 01225 310341 or
e-mail nicole_oflaherty@bathnes.gov.uk
Issued by: Bath & North East
Somerset Press Office, tel 01225 477827 or 477283, email:
pressoffice@bathnes.gov.uk |
