The Festival Concert is flying!

Monday 5 February, 2007

Plans for the Festival Concert, part of Oxfordshire 2007 which celebrates the county's millennium, have rapidly gained momentum following the securing of generous backing from high profile sponsors. The concert will be held on Sunday 13 May in South Park and will involve up to 800 performers of all ages. The production company, SFX, suspect that the concert may enter the Guinness Book of Records for the number of musicians performing on an outdoor stage in a single concert!

The idea of putting together a spectacular, celebratory musical event that draws together threads of the county's rich musical life has won support from a range of prestigious companies and organisations, led by Premier Partner Cheviot Asset Management. BMW Group Plant Oxford, Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons and St Edward's School, Oxford have become Major Partners.

The concert's main work is Walton's spectacular Belshazzar's Feast, accompanied by fireworks and performed by a Festival Chorus, Schola Cantorum and the Oxford University Orchestra. The first half of the programme provides an exciting platform for Oxfordshire's young musicians. The county's flagship orchestra, the CMS Sinfonia, will open the concert and the première of a work written specially for the occasion by Oxford composer, John Madden, will follow. Madden's attractive setting of Circus Songs will be performed by up to 200 children drawn from a range of state and independent schools.

Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons is the south east's premier full service law firm. BLTL provides practical expertise through its services for businesses, organisations and the individual, spanning regional, national and international needs. 2007 is Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons' 100th anniversary in Oxford.

BMW Group Plant Oxford is the birthplace of MINI. Since the introduction of MINI production at Plant Oxford significant investment by the BMW Group has enhanced Plant Oxford's reputation as a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility complemented by a well trained, flexible and dedicated workforce of 4,700 associates. BMW Group Plant Oxford plays an active role in addressing some of the region's primary economic, environmental and social challenges and is establishing itself as a valuable and respected member of the community.

Cheviot Asset Management is a partnership which was formed in the summer of 2006 with the aim of becoming Britain's leading independent investment manager for private clients. The company has grown through the recruitment of 92 investment professionals from UBS Wealth Management to a 115 strong team, led by former chief executive of Laing & Cruickshank, Michael Kerr-Dineen, and former chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland, Sir George Mathewson. Cheviot believes in giving a bespoke service to meet the specific needs of clients, who always come first. Cheviot provides a comprehensive range of investment services for wealthy individuals, charities and trusts and its offices are located in central London.

St Edward's School, a co-educational (13–18) day and boarding school in north Oxford, exists to provide an excellent all-round education for each individual in its care. The school has a reputation for its outward-looking approach, and as an active initiator of a range of collaborative ventures in the Arts.

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