Join Wye Valley Music and the Scarr Bandstand on August 24th at 2:30pm for a FREE outdoor concert at the Scarr Bandstand in Sling. Cool Classics is Wye Valley Music’s first free concert targeting local audiences that might not usually attend its performances and the first time Scarr has introduced classical music to their outdoor events line up.

Cool Classics will feature two groups - the Bute Wind Quintet and the Devil’s Violinist.

The Bute Wind Quintet, made up of current and recent graduates of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, will perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Folk Song Suite, Darius Milhaud’s La Cheminee du Roi René (a suite with seven short movements with very rapid tempi), Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King and, just to show the versatility of wind instruments, ABBA’s Gold, a medley of ABBA songs. The Quintet has played at the Beaumaris and Fishguard Music Festivals, held a two-year Artists Residency at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff and the individual players have all freelanced with professional orchestras such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera.

The Devil’s Violinist was the nickname of legendary 18c violinist, Nicole Paganini, whose extreme virtuosity was attributed to supernatural abilities. Violin and guitar duo Michael Bochmann and Adam Khan have built an exciting and dynamic programme around Paganini’s music, notably Caprice no.24. Michael is a violinist and music education entrepreneur committed to music diversity in all its forms and welsh guitarist Adam has performed with many orchestras and chamber ensembles including the Royal Philharmonic and the Allegri string quartet.

Their programme builds on Paganini’s influences, including J.S. Bach and Arcangelo Corelli, and on those he influenced, including tango composer Astor Piazzola and guitar composers Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Maximo Pujol. Caprice no.24 is one of the most difficult pieces ever written for solo violin, with extremely fast scales and arpeggios, rapid shifting, left hand pizzicato and has inspired compositions by composers as varied as Brahms, Chopin and Benny Goodman.

No tickets or reservations are needed —the event is FREE! Just turn up with your blanket or chairs. You can bring a picnic or purchase refreshments on site. There are portaloos on site and a few chairs are available if you can’t bring your own.

Parking is at the top of the site, with a three-minute downhill walk to the Bandstand and there are some accessible parking spaces next to the Bandstand on the flat, suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooter users as well as people with walking difficulties. Drive straight down and follow the signs, or a parking marshall will direct you. You can also drive down to the Bandstand, to drop off people or equipment, and then park at the top; please ask the parking marshals to direct you.

Don’t miss this fabulous FREE event, set in the wonderful outdoor natural amphitheatre at the Scarr Bandstand, Sling, Coleford. Satnav GL16 8JA, What3words: across.mimes.superbly

www.scarrbandstand.co.uk