Ashburton Arts Centre

NB This concert starts at 3pm. We are delighted once again to welcome three of the world’s top early music specialists to Ashburton performing as solo, duo and as a trio. The three musicians have been friends and colleagues since the 1990s and have played hundreds of concerts together around the world in various period chamber ensembles and orchestras, notably the Academy of Ancient Music....

British New Orleans style piano legend, Diz Watson leads this star-studded band Rick Rockin' Worthy guitar | Dick Jude drums | Dave Hatfield double bass | with guests:
Charlie Hart accordion (Kilburn & the high roads, Ronnie Lane)
Andy Williamson 
tenor saxophone

“Just East of Jazz has arrived at an extraordinary synthesis of sound, colour, light and imagery — the apotheosis of a musical idea whose roots go back to 1993. Back then JEOJ gained a reputation as one of the first and best groups to explore the connections between jazz and klezmer, but quickly developed a sound and approach all their own, and over time took in a much wider range of influences. Their writing embodies their personal and idiosyncratic concept and compositional style, a collective voice which fans recognise and love....

Come and enjoy a unique TANGO experience, in the company of Bandoneon Maestro Orlando Dibelo from Argentina and his protégée, Ruth Rozelaar. Those who would like to, can choose their favourite dance tunes from a selection of over 50 titles. These choices will then get woven into tandas, which Orlando and Ruth will play for you LIVE, A La Parrilla....

A very special night! Ahmed Eid is a bit of a star – check out his music here on Bandcamp
https://ahmedeid.bandcamp.com/album/min-ghazzeh-la-baghdad-min-haifa-la-beirut

Amed Eid is a Palestinian musician who was born in the political exile of his parents in 1987, moved to Ramallah (occupied Palestine) at the age of eight, and to Berlin (Germany) at the age of 27. Ahmed now resides in both cities....

After a decade touring with Midge Ure and India Electric Company and following his top 10 single, a reimagining of Fade To Grey, Cole Stacey shares his acclaimed solo album Postcards From Lost Places (listen on Bandcamp). Expect captivating stories, lyrical songwriting rooted in tradition, haunting melodies and a night of connection in a remarkable setting. “A magnificent sound” BBC Radio 5 Live

“Breathtaking, that incredible voice” TradFolk

Cole Stacey is a visceral and lyrical songwriter, singer and musician who has roamed the highest diverse echelons of British folk, 80s pop, spoken word and ambient electronics....

For thousands of years, man has shaped Dartmoor. Photographer Chris Chapman and archaeologist Alan Endacott have been studying life in this compelling upland landscape since the early 1970s.  From Chris’s work documenting contemporary residents, to Alan’s study of our prehistoric ancestors and the archaeology they left behind, they have fascinating perspectives on Dartmoor, its people and its places. 
Chris and Alan will be in conversation with Sophie Pierce. Chris Chapman is a photographer, filmmaker and author who has been documenting life on Dartmoor for over fifty years.  His new book Hallowed Earth: A Lifetime in Photography, contains over 200 images from his personal archive, as well as personal reflections, and highlights the social and environmental changes that Dartmoor is undergoing....

Field System presents an evening of May Day revels, beginning with a short film presentation by Stone Club and culminating in the raucous, dark folk of Craven. Join us for some wonderful and weird live music and visuals to mark that, indeed, Sumer Is Icumen In! Stone Club’s featurette is a fantastical exploration of the Cornish landscape, myth and magic....

What is the nature of contemporary witchcraft? And what role can it play in our modern world? Dr Rebecca Beattie grew up on Dartmoor and was trained in a Wiccan coven....

This talk is replacing the one which was originally advertised at this time, by Peter Randall-Page, who has had to cancel due to ill health. Please see explanatory note below. One of the most innovative artists working with place and pre-history anywhere, Robin Sullivan works with clay, stone and other materials to make deeply personal and engaging social artworks that bridge sculpture and performance....

The history of human activity on Dartmoor goes back more than 12,000 years, to the end of the last ice age. Here people have lived, farmed, worked stone and minerals, practised their religion and buried their dead. All these activities have marked the landscape in different ways, from the tombs and ceremonial monuments of the first farmers of the Neolithic age to the mining remains left behind by Victorian entrepreneurs....

What role does place play in our emotional lives? Join writers Fiona Robertson, Sophie Pierce and Kirsteen McNish for a conversation about the human relationship with landscape. In the turmoil of our feelings, from love, to grief and everything in between, why do we feel drawn to the wild and the ancient?...

Listen to Gwenno on Spotify
Gwenno's 2025 single, Utopia on YouTube
Gwenno will be performing solo. “Spacey, strange and richly melodic” The Guardian

Gwenno Saunders is a visionary artist whose eclectic career spans more than 25 years as a musician, songwriter, producer, and performer. Starting out with solo Welsh, Cornish, and English language EPs in the early 2000s, Gwenno went on to front indie-pop group The Pipettes before forging her path as a solo artist....

“Landscapes of the past are over. It’s the creation of landscapes of the future – however novel they may be – that are important.”  Derek Gow

Rewilding is a controversial and sometimes divisive subject; but what happens when it’s actually put into practice? And can we really restore nature and wildlife in a meaningful sense in a world we have fundamentally changed?...

How can poetry illuminate and deepen our relationship with the natural world? Join award-winning poets Jane Lovell and Mark Haworth-Booth for readings from their latest collections—poems that reveal a deep attentiveness to place, wildlife, and the shifting balance between wonder and loss. Through poetry and conversation, they explore what endures and what is slipping away, and celebrate resilience and wildness in a changing world....

This land of rugged rock and oak-sided valleys is alive with folk tales. Meet witch-hares and whisht-hounds, pixies, giants and Ashburton’s very own river sprite, on a wild ride with storyteller Sara Hurley. Suitable for all ages, this event will take you to some familiar places, transformed with hair-raising stories....

Dartmoor’s precious natural environment is under threat: the bogs are drying out, purple moor grass is running riot, and gorse and bracken are encroaching. So how do we ensure that Nature has a future on Dartmoor? Farmers, conservationists, Government agencies and the public all have a role to play; come and hear some key figures discuss how we can work together going forward....

Join Martin Shaw for a compelling journey into the power of myth. In his new book, Liturgies of the Wild, he argues that a we live in a myth-impoverished age, which makes us vulnerable to harm. Drawing on the ‘ancient technologies’ of myths and initiatory rites, Shaw teaches us to read a myth the way it wants to be read, and shows us how to gather and reshape our own thrown-away stories....

Leonard Bernstein America from the musical West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein Simple Song from the theatre piece Mass
Elliot Carter Elergy
Bernard Hermann Suite from Psycho
Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings
Ernest Bloch Concerto Grosso for Strings and Piano Obligato

Paticia Calman, leader of the Lyric chamber Orchestra writes:

“We open in Bernstein’s New York with “America” from West Side Story — all razzle-dazzle and drive — before pausing for reflection with “A Simple Song”, Bernstein’s moving meditation on faith and humanity from Mass, written for the Kennedy Centre’s inauguration in 1971. “Next comes Elliott Carter’s Elegy for Strings — a hauntingly beautiful, lyrical work that unfolds with restraint and grace. Its interwoven harmonies evoke quiet mourning and deep introspection....

Ranagri is an award winning folk band from Ireland and England. With a unique blend of instruments that includes voices, guitar, bouzouki, flutes, whistles, harp/electric harp, and bodhrán/drums, they create a sound that is both mesmerising and unforgettable. Critically acclaimed albums, ‘Playing For Luck,’ ‘Fort of the Hare,’ and ‘The Great Irish Songbook’ (with pop legend Tony Christie), were recorded at the Grammy Award- winning Stockfisch Records label....