This year's Buxton Festival Fringe has seen a great increase in the Music category, with entry numbers up by a third from 2010.
There is a particularly strong local element to the Music category. The ever-popular High Peak Orchestra return to St John's Church, as do Tideswell Male Voice Choir (this year teamed up with Chapel en le Frith Male Voice Choir). There's also Burbage Band (celebrating 150 years of the band's proud history), Derbyshire City and County Youth Orchestra, folk duo Perry Huntsman and Hilary Felstead, Buxton's community choir, Local Vocals, Keith Smith with his award-winning tribute to Jake Thackray, folk-euro-rap-pop-reggae duo Sam Partridge & Peter Calder, bohemian band Rosie & The Ragdolls, Bright String Trio Plus (with oboeist Simon Beesley), and local soprano Laura Monaghan.
Classical music comes in many forms, from regular visitors Partita, the Amaretti Chamber Orchestra, African soprano Margaret Ferguson, pianist Jonathan Ellis (on his own, as an accompanist and as part of the Ryebank Trio), soprano Angela Rowley, the Fordante ensemble and City of Manchester Opera. Every musical instrument is celebrated with an eclectic programme from the Sovereign Saxophone Octet, Manchester Recorder Orchestra performing in the new venue of Buxton Community Church, classical guitarist Edward Billingham providing music for a summer evening in Burbage and clarinettist Liz Jordan joining the Deconet String Quartet for a special concert.
The power of the human voice is not forgotten with appearances from bass-baritone Jonathan Hall, romantic tenor Timothy Kennedy, Sheffield Chorale, Nicholas Bennett & Christopher Ellis (celebrating the Last Night of the Fringe), Ladybrook Singers (with violinist Ailsa Hoyle and cellist Miriam Brown) and, on their first visit to Buxton, Sam Dunkley's chamber choir, Chorus Natus Est.
Popular Fringe regular Sam Dunkley also appears in his usual role as singer-songwriter and other music forms are represented by electro pop duo Project Adorno, trad jazz from Mart Rodger, contemporary guitarist Richard Taylor, verse and music from Selfmade Music, jazz and Indian fusion from Emlyn Vaughan, alternative pop with pure piano balladry from Rebecca de Winter, exciting world music from Salmagundi and harmonies from Ordsall Acapella Singers.
Says Fringe chair Stephanie Billen: 'I'm delighted at the explosion of music this year and I really don't think we've had quite this variety before with everything from trad jazz to top quality opera. It means you are going to have a great time at the Fringe whether you are after something quiet and acoustic or hoping to dance the night away with Salmagundi'.
This year's Buxton Festival Fringe runs from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 24 July and details of all its events are available online at http://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk or in the widely available free printed programme.
The Fringe is hugely grateful to its many supporters including its main sponsor The University of Derby Buxton as well as The Osborne Group, High Peak Borough Council, The Old Hall Hotel and a new funder for 2011 The Cavendish Shopping Arcade.
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