Calendar of American Culture in the UK

Ornette Coleman

Texan born Ornette Coleman, saxophonist, violinist, metaphysician has been announced as director of this year's Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre. More information.

June 2009

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Choir Concert

St. Paul's Episcopal Church music programming in Alexandria, Virginia encourages the dynamic, affirming and worshipful act of music making as a gift from God that unifies, inspires, delights, expresses, comforts and challenges lives is at the heart of St. Paul's communal life. St. Paul's remains faithful to its presence in the world through worship, music, education, outreach and service to the local and global communities.
The concert will take place at Saint Paul's Churchyard (London, EC4M, United Kingdom)
For more information please email: Katie@ClassicalMovements.com

26 June 2009
1:15-1:45pm

Anishinaabe Poets: Gordon Henry, Jr. and Kimberly Blaeser

Acclaimed Anishinaabe poets Gordon Henry, Jr. and Kimberly Bleaser will be reading from their work at the British Library. Both poets, enrolled members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, have published their most recent collections with Salt Publishing's exciting 'Earthworks' series.
For more information is available on the website of the British Library's Eccles Centre

29 June 2009
18:45

All Star Lanes Chilli Cook-off
Run up to American Independence Day

Temperatures will be soaring on July 2nd at All Star Lanes Brick Lane, as the first ever Americana Chilli Cook-off fires up, as part of their Independence Day celebrations. London's most authentic all-American venue, will see chilli-heads from across the UK locked in heated battle, as the pepper powered cook-off gets under way, to crown the ‘All Star Lanes Chilli Champ 2009’. Chefs will also win the chance to have their award-winning chilli as a special on the All Star Lanes Luncheonette Menu.
The efforts of chilli lovers and food fans armed with Scotch bonnets, jalapenos and Tabasco will be scrutinised by top London food writers and chefs including Simon Davis, Dominic Midgley and William Sitwell as well as Hereford Road’s Tom Pemberton and All Star Lanes’ Chef Steve Collins. To add to the fiery food fun, the New York comedian Andrew J. Lederer will be compering with his quick wit and chilli-loving tongue.

From 11:00am: Entrants arrive to set up chilli
Doors open at 12:00pm for general public
12:30pm: Judges sample the chilli
1:00pm: Judges Choice is announced and awarded
1:30pm: Public sampling
2:00pm: People’s choice award announced

02 July 2009
Open to public from 12:00pm

Rhapsody in Blue
At St Martin in the Fields

This is an opening concert of the St Martin-in-the-Fields' American Festival. How better to capture the buzz of America's finest musical era than a concert centred on Gershwin's popular masterpiece Rhapsody in Blue? James Pearson and the internationally acclaimed Ronnie Scott's Allstars will be performing along with singer Debra Andrew and the multi-talented Lizzie Ball combining violin and vocals.
Venue: St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ
For more information and tickets please see www.smitf.org or contact the Box Office on 020-7766-1100.

02 July 2009
Starts at 7.30pm

Camille Seaman

Camille Seaman is an award-winning American photographer who was born in 1969 to a Native American (Shinnecock tribe) father and African American mother. She comments: "I approach the images of icebergs as portraits of individuals, much like family photos of my ancestors. I seek a moment in their life in which they convey their unique personality, some connection to our experience and a glimpse of their soul which endures."

Few photographers have captured the perilous state of the polar regions more strikingly than Camille Seaman. The Last Iceberg chronicles just a handful of the many thousands of icebergs that are currently headed towards their end. Her images are a tribute to the magnificence and dying moments of these icebergs in the midst of the awe-inspiring, desolate beauty of this once frozen landscape. The Last Iceberg is one piece of a larger project, entitled Melting Away, which documents the polar regions of our planet, their environment, life forms, the communities that work and live there, and the history of human exploration.

The exhibition may be viewed at the Hoopers Gallery at 15 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0AA. Further information is available from the gallery website, via email at contact@hoopersgallery.co.uk or via telephone on +44 (0)20 7490 3907 .

15 May - 03 July 2009

Independence Day Celebration

Enjoy cake and bubbly at Benjamin Franklin House, the world's only remaining Franklin home. For nearly sixteen years between 1757 and 1775, Dr Benjamin Franklin - scientist, diplomat, philosopher, inventor, Founding Father of the United States and more - lived behind its doors.
For further information and tickets see the Benjamin Franklin House website.

03 July 2009
Noon - 2pm

James Madison University Chorale Concert

The concert will feature the James Madison University Chorale and Madison Singers (coming from the Washington DC area), performing literature of different styles and time periods, including English motets and madrigals, and American spirituals, and conducted by Patrick Walders.
The concert will take place at St. Bartholomew the Great (SBG Parish Office, 1st Floor, 6-9 Kinghorn Street, London EC1A 7HW ).
For more information please email: Katie@ClassicalMovements.com

03 July 2009
12:30pm

Duruflé Requiem Joint Concert

The concert will feature the James Madison University Chorale and Madison Singers (coming from the Washington DC area), performing literature of different styles and time periods, including English motets and madrigals, and American spirituals, and conducted by Patrick Walders. The University of London (name of choir), will also perform selected pieces, conducted by Colin Durrant. The concert will culminate with a combined performance of the Duruflé "Requiem" with organ and choir.
The concert will take place at St. George's Bloomsbury (Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2HR)
For more information please email: Katie@ClassicalMovements.com

03 July 2009
12:30pm

Lewisham Choral Society July 4th Concert

The Lewisham Choral Society is a non-auditioned community choir of about 120 active members from all ages and backgrounds singing from the classical choral repertoire as well as contemporary classical works.
The July concert will include John Adams "Harmonium", Leonard Bernstein's "Candide Overture" and George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".
The concert will be held at the Blackheath Halls, Lee Road in Blackheath, SE3 and should start at 7.30pm. For ticket prices and to book please visit www.lewishamchoralsociety.org.uk .

04 July 2009
Starts at 7.30pm

4th of July Picnic

Americans - get out your Red, White and Blue and join Democrats Abroad UK Saturday, the 4th of July at Portman Square Garden in Central London for a fun-filled afternoon of food, games and good old Americana.
For further information and tickets (essential) see the Democrats Abroad website.

04 July 2009
Starts at 1.00pm

4th of July Picnic, BBQ and Fireworks

The London Expat American Meetup Group is holding its 7th annual 4th of July picnic and barbeque in front of the Pump House Art Gallery in Battersea Park. This is a family event culminating in a massive, professional laser fireworks display.
More information available from the London Expat American Meetup Group

04 July 2009
Starts at 2.00pm

“The Global Lincoln”

Co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the University of Oxford, “The Global Lincoln” will explore the international legacy of the Sixteenth President in the bicentenary of his birth.
For more information, please see: www.lincolnbicentennial.gov or contact Tim Pottle, Assistant Director of Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute, at assistant.director@rai.ox.ac.uk .

03 - 05 July 2009

Abraham Lincoln and the Mission of America

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, Westminster Abbey will be hosting a special evening of events. The evening will begin at 5pm with Evensong in the Abbey followed by a lecture in St Margaret's Church by Professor Richard Carwardine, University of Oxford: Abraham Lincoln and the Mission of America. Professor Carwardine is the author of award winning Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion and debate, chaired by Lord Hurd of Westwell, former Northern Ireland Secretary, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.
Further information can be found on the Westminster Abbey website.

07 July 2009
Starts at 5:00pm

Texas Girls' Choir Concert
At St. Giles Cripplegate Church

The Texas Girls' Choir was the first girls' choir to be incorporated in the United States. Over the past 47 years, more than 25,000 girls have passed through The Texas Girls' Choir Program. The choir has toured throughout the United States and overseas; visiting 55 countries. St Gile’s Cripplegate will be the first concert of their 2009 international tour.
Further information can be found on their website at www.texasgirlschoir.org.

08 July 2009
Starts at 8:00pm

L’Amour De Loin
by Kaija Saariaho

The American Friends of English National Opera The American Friends of English National Opera (ENO) invite you to The American Friends & Family reception for ENO’s new production of L’Amour De Loin by Kaija Saariaho. The evening's programme is as follows:

5:30   Light super in the American Bar with Pre-performance entertainment
6:30   Performance starts
Interval   Desssert and goody bags in the American Bar
9:40   Performance ends

Children are welcome from age 5. For further details and ticket prices please see the ENO website. You can also book tickets directly from American Friends Coordinator Denise Kaplan on dkaplan@eno.org or 020-7845-9331.

11 July 2009
Reception starts 5:30pm

American Artists at the Birmingham Jazz Festival 2009

As the biggest free jazz party in Europe, the Birmingham International Jazz Festival celebrates it's 25th anniversary this year. For the last 25 years, we have enjoyed bringing in the finest jazz musicians from the United States of America.
This year we are proud to feature Pee Wee Ellis, Greg Abate and Suzahn Fiering ; all of their performances are free admision.

PEE WEE ELLIS
Reedman/composer/arranger Pee Wee Ellis is most famous as the man who refined the sound of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, and has every right to the title The Man Who Invented Funk. Born in Florida in 1941, he relocated to Rochester, New York, where his classmates included future jazz stars Chuck Mangione and Ron Carter. He also encountered Sonny Rollins who agreed to give him lessons. In 1965 Pee Wee joined James Brown and soon came up with the first pure hardcore funk hit, Cold Sweat, following it up with 26 others. Pee Wee served as Brown’s MD until 1969 and since then has worked with many of the great names of blues, soul and world music. In the 1970s, as arranger/MD for CTI-Kudu Records, he was responsible for recordings by Esther Phillips, George Benson, Hank Crawford and many others. In 1979 he began a long musical association with Van Morrison, he re-formed JB Horns with Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker and he has worked with top musicians from Senegal, Mali and Cuba. More recently he has performed with artists as different as Clare Teal, Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and the Miami-based Spam Allstars.

The Jazz Festival venue-Star City will host ex-James Brown bandleader Pee Wee Ellis performance on Sunday 5th July 19:00. It is free admission.

GREG ABATE
Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1947, saxophonist/flautist Greg Abate is now based in Rhode Island where he is an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College, though he is also much in demand for jazz festivals world-wide. Last year he debuted at Birmingham to universal acclaim. Having graduated from Berklee, Greg spent his early years as a professional playing lead alto with the Ray Charles Orchestra. His first CD under his own name was released on Candid in 1991 and, 13 years and a dozen albums later, his 2004 release, Evolution, garnered Grammy nominations in four categories.

Greg Abate will play at the venues below and his performances are free admission.
 Monday 6th July  20:00  Lord Clifden
 Tuesday 7th July  12:30  Brasshouse
 Tuesday 7th July  18:00  Old Contemptibles
 Friday 10th July  12:30  Touchwood
 Friday 10th July  20:00  Wine Republic

SUZAHN FIERING (USA)

Returning to Birmingham this year, festival favourite Suzahn Fiering was born in Buffalo, New York, and first made her name in New York City. Now relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, she released the highly acclaimed album, Paris Without his Kiss, in 2006, working with producer Richard Adler and the cream of Nashville jazz musicians. Suzahn's lyrics have been compared to 'short stories set to jazz, each a page from a steamy novel revealing life’s little secrets'.

Suzahn Fiering will play at the venues below and her performances are free admission.
 Friday 3rd July  19:00  Old Orleans
 Saturday 4th July  12:30  Mailbox
 Tuesday 7th July  18:00  Birmingham Ibis Hotel

For full details as well as venue information, please see the festival website at www.birminghamjazzfestival.com.

03 - 12 July 2009

The Grapes of Wrath

Chichester Festival Theatre will open its production of The Grapes of Wrath, based on the novel by John Steinbeck on 10 July and runs until 28 August. Published in 1939, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck’s shattering novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a cry for equality and humanity, and a hymn to the fortitude of man.

For more information see the Chichester Festival Theatre's website

10 July - 28 August 2009

The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock

The American Scene at Brighton Museum features around 80 outstanding prints by 56 leading modern American artists, including George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock.
More information is available on Brighton Museum's website

2 May to 31 August 2009

Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture
Saatchi Gallery

In October 2008, the Saatchi Gallery re-opened in the 70,000 sq. ft. Duke of York’s HQ building on King's Road in the heart of London. With free admission to all shows, the Saatchi Gallery aims to bring contemporary art to the widest possible audience.
On 29 May the Saatchi Gallery's third show, Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture, will open, presenting a survey of emerging art from the USA. Thirty-five artists will be in the exhibition, representing an exciting new generation of painters and sculptors. With a historical nod to their Abstract Expressionist predecessors of the midtwentieth century, these artists are heavily influenced by the new digital age. Old master palettes, Manga purple and bubble gum pinks come together in work that embraces Photoshop, TV, the internet and many other contemporary influences.
Abstract America will present include works by Kristin Baker, John Bauer, Mark Bradford, Tom Burr, Joe Bradley, Jedediah Caesar, Carter, Eric and Heather ChanSchatz, Peter Coffin, Dan Colen, Guerra de la Paz, Francesca DiMattio, Bart Exposito, Mark Grotjahn, Jacob Hashimoto, Rachel Harrison, Patrick Hill, Ryan Johnson, Matt Johnson, Paul Lee, Chris Martin, Elizabeth Neel, Baker Overstreet, Stephen G. Rhodes, Halsey Rodman, Amanda Ross-Ho, Sterling Ruby, Gedi Sibony, Amy Sillman, Agathe Snow, Kirsten Stoltmann, Dan Walsh, Garth Weiser, Jonas Wood and Aaron Young.
Full details off the exhibition are available on the Saatchi Gallery website .

29 May – 13 September 2009

Lincoln & the War for the Union

To mark the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln the American Civil Round Table UK has organized a conference to be held on 17 & 18 October 2009 at the Holiday Inn, Oxford. The speakers are: Dr. Craig L. Symonds, Professor Emeritus of American History at the United States Naval Academy, and an award winning author. Geoffrey Perret, one of the leading historians working today and author of Lincoln's War, detailing Lincoln's role as Commander in Chief during the Civil War. Len Riedel, Executive Director of the Blue and Gray Education Society, a retired USAF officer who served as the Director of Airspace Management at the US 3rd Air Force, RAF Mildenhall.
For further information please contact: Peter Gasgoyne-Lockwood, tel 01747 828719, email oldcount@aol.com

17 & 18 October 2009

John Adams Focus

The Barbican's John Adams Focus features six Adams works in six performances.
For more information on the 6 performances in the Jophn Adams Focus visit the Barbican website.

February 2010- July 2010