| Kennedy charity gigs | - The concert at Cheltenham Racecourse will start at 8pm on the 23rd July, with the Parade Ring open in the early evening for picnics. Tickets priced 拢17.50 to 拢37.50 will be available from Wednesday May 12th by calling 01386 791045. There is an optional charge of 拢2.50 for those wishing to picnic in the Parade Ring.
- The concert at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, will start at 8pm on the 24th July. Tickets priced 拢13.50 to 拢35 will be available from Wednesday May 12th by calling 0121 780 3333.
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Nigel Kennedy is playing special gigs in Cheltenham and Birmingham to raise money for the Acorns Children's Hospice Appeal. The charity has just opened a new multi-million pound hospice in Worcester - you can see panoramic 360 degree photos of the new building by clicking on the link at the top right hand side of this page.
 | | The man and his fiddle |
The concerts, in July, are being staged at the Centaur Centre, Cheltenham Racecourse and at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. He'll be accompanied by the English Symphony Orchestra at both concerts. “Acorns is a charity dedicated to making the most of a life that is limited – not just the child, but for the whole family,” said the charity’s director of fundraising Stephanie O’Sullivan. “We are absolutely delighted that both Nigel Kennedy and the ESO are supporting us in this way. "The funds we raise from this concert will make a real difference to the many local children and families who need our care and support.” Polish masterpiece Both concerts will include Elgar’s beautiful Violin Concerto in B Minor Op 61 as well as Polish composer Emil Mlynarski’s romantic masterpiece, the Concerto No 2 in D Major for Violin and Orchestra Op 16. “These concerts are part of a major project by Nigel Kennedy to tour and record Mlynarski’s Violin Concerti II from a brief and magical period in Polish history and will be conducted by compatriot Jacek Kaspszyk,” said Alison King for the ESO. “Mlynarski lived and worked in all the influential cities in the early part of the last century and he pioneered the Warsaw Philharmonic. | "The concerto puts enormous physical, technical and musical demands on the soloist and we look forward to Nigel鈥檚 passionate interpretation this summer" | | Alison King, ESO |
"He also persuaded Elgar to compose for the Polish nation and while taking refuge in Moscow during World War I, Mlynarski combined all his experiences into this beautiful and emotional concerti reflecting his beloved homeland. "Over 80 years later, Nigel Kennedy and the ESO will reveal again this stunning concerti. “Elgar’s impassioned Violin Concerto is one of the greatest of all and has always attracted the great virtuosi of their day. "The concerto puts enormous physical, technical and musical demands on the soloist and we look forward to Nigel’s passionate interpretation this summer,” added Miss King. | 
