The Crown of Ariadne Greek music and meal

You are warmly invited to an evening of Greek food (vegan) and music at the beautiful Blonde Beet restaurant in Stamford on Saturday 13th June, starting at 6pm when doors open to a magical array of food, mythology and incredible sounds you would never expect from a harp concert! This is a limited availability event and will be very informal and convivial; Eleanor will play Greek traditional music throughout the main course and then set up for the main event - The Crown of Ariadne - seven movements that represent the seven stars making up the Corona Borealis in the night sky. As Eleanor performs this rare and wonderful music you will be served desserts and coffees.
The Crown of Ariadne is the name of the constellation of stars formed when Ariadne's husband, the God Dionysus, threw Ariadne's wedding crown into the sky and immortalised it within the stars, as a gift to his beloved. It is also the name of a seminal, theatrical and moving work by Canadian composer R M Schafer, full of colour and extraordinary sounds from the harp and various percussion instruments, all played by the harpist, surrounding the harp: cymbals, tiny bells, woodblocks, bell trees and so on. These instruments help to create the Greek sound world of the piece and create a stunning visual display.
Eleanor Turner is one of very few harpists worldwide who can perform this 35 minute masterwork, and recorded it for the label Champs Hill Records in 2011 (yes that was a very busy year!). Furthermore, she is one of only around four people who had the opportunity to work with the composer, Murray Schafer, on the music, as he lived largely off grid and didn't have a phone or email, due to wanting to protect the preferred immersive nature of his composing. Eleanor is also grateful she had the chance to study with the piece's dedicatee, Judy Loman, which was invaluable, as well as taking lessons with Erika Waardenburg and Ernestine Stoop, thanks to winning a prestigious Wingate Scholarship in 2010. So this evening of Greek food and music, celebrating The Crown of Ariadne, is also a huge celebration of Eleanor's journey through studying this piece. Eleanor won Second Prize performing this piece, amongst others, in the Finals of the Gaudeamus Interpreters Contest in Amsterdam, also in 2011.
On booking your ticket (£55 per head) for this unique event, you will be asked how many people are in your party - The Blonde Beet will be serving a Greek-inspired feast 'family-style' across communal tables and will try and keep groups together as much as is possible. It is imperative that we know who you would like to be seated on a table with, or near to, if you do have a preference, so we can plan the seating carefully. Please let us know of any allergies and intolerances, on booking or as early as possible. We can't wait to provide you with a truly unique, colourful, Greek experience - a real one of a kind!