Featured Artist

Weather the Storm by Marian Lishman.    Click image or here to read more…

IAA are pleased to present a series of Featured Artists, with works by local artists, some from
The Ipswich Art Society & Suffolk Open Studios With a new artist every three weeks.

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Welcome to the Ipswich Arts Association

On our website, you will find details of the IAA, its activities and those
of our many member organisations, which span a wide range of the arts.

Please take a look around, the headings and drop down menus will guide you through the various
subject pages on the site, which includes a comprehensive events listings page highlighting the
range of events and activities by our members, including, Literature, Drama, Choirs, Orchestras,
Film. Photography and more. If you have any comments or questions see the “contact us” page.

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Town Lectures and Concerts 2021

Lecture –  Thursday 13th May at 1pm. 2021

Wolsey vs Cromwell: Who Did for Ipswich Theatre?

Speaker: Ivan Cutting, Artistic Director, Eastern Angles

In 1504 the Annals of Ipswich record “Granted to John Stangilts, 20s 8d yerely for 12 yeres to find the stageing for Corp’ Chr’i  play”. And yet, in 1531 they include the command: “Corpus Christi play laide for ever aside by order”. So, what happened in those 27 years to prompt this change of heart?
Why was this important and popular piece of street theatre shelved?

Ivan Cutting of Eastern Angles takes a journey of discovery through this crucial period
of history and speculates on the town’s theatrical heritage tourist appeal.

 Anyone interested in attending the lecture will need to register in advance to receive a link to the
Zoom meeting. Please email Vera Rogers at vera.rogers1@btinternet.com to express your interest.

We are hoping to follow the May 13th Lecture with a Concert in June.
Again, we can only work within government guidelines in place at the time, so watch this
space for news of developments following any Government announcements.

Details on the TOWN LECTURES & CONCERTS page.

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Town Lecture – Public Art in Ipswich – Robin Gaylard 

IAA are pleased to share this video of the Lecture given (via Zoom) by Robin Gaylard
from The Ipswich Society. Recorded during the live lecture on April 8th this year.

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 Featured Poems

In addition to our Featured Artist series we are pleased to present Featured Poems,
a series featuring poems from members of the Suffolk Poetry Society.
Follow the links to view both the current and previous poems published in the series.

The Suffolk Poetry Society will be providing poems from their membership over the coming weeks.
With a new poem approximately every three weeks. The poems are presented in printed format.
The current poem and previous submissions may be found on a dedicated page by clicking HERE.

The current poem is by Angela Locke – Making Up

  Click  here to read the current poem and more from Suffolk Poetry Society

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Ipswich Arts Association News Column in the
Community News pages of the East Anglian Daily Times

In the Community News pages of each Tuesday’s East Anglian Daily Times
you will now find the Ipswich Arts Association column with Chris Green.
Recently featured organisations, many illustrated with photos, include:

Ipswich Children’s Book Group, Community Light Orchestra,The Orwell Singers,
Ipswich Chamber Choir, Ipswich Town Lectures, The Dorian Singers,
Rushmere St Andrew’s Music season, Trianon Symphony Orchestra and Choir.

Read the current column

 featuring: Ipswich Town Lectures, Suffolk Poetry Society, 
Trianon , Mariss Jansons / Dvorak Symphony No.8 and more.

 

If you would like your member society mentioned contact the Chair of
Ipswich Arts Association Chris Green,  chair@ipswich-arts.org.uk

Click the link or image for pdf of current edition.

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ARTS IN CELEBRATION 2021

Arts in Celebration 2021 will launch on Sunday September 26th.
An online celebration of arts from across the region.

Applications are now open!

This event is open to both IAA members and non-members.

For more details and how to apply CLICK HERE

              

Arts in Celebration 2020 ended after a successful and extended run.
Featuring: Literature, Poetry, Music, Drama, Visual Arts and Dance
Attracting over 1500 visitors and over 9000 page views!

 

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Musical Visitors to Suffolk
A Town Lecture by Chris Green – available to read online

One of the few Town Lectures to take place in 2020, with a limited audience under
Covid restrictions, was given by Chris Green, entitled Musical Visitors to Suffolk.

Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine are running the lecture as a three part series.
Part three is published in the May issue and can be found on pages 94 / 95 / 96

 

Both the magazine and the article may be read online by following the links below.
A published edition is also available on subscription or from local newsagents.

Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine – May edition – (Musical visitors to Suffolk Pt.3 – pages 94/96)
Suffolk Norfok Life magazine – April edition – (Musical Visitors to Suffolk Pt.2 – pages 94/95)
Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine – March edition – (Musical Visitors to Suffolk Pt.1 – pages 94/95)

Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine – Homepage.   

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 Noticeboard

 Events Listings.
IAA monitor government legislation and advice re covid 19 and live events.
After many postponements and cancelleations it is good to see events being listed once more.
Some are online and some, after May17th. will have socially distanced live audience.
Please check our Events page for information, updates and details on forthcoming events.

St Mary le Tower
The lunchtime concerts at St Mary le Tower are up and running. May 4th – October 12th.
Concerts held every Tuesday, 1.10pm – 1.55pm. Admission free with a retiring collection.
The May18th concert (and subsquent concerts) will be open for a socially distanced live audience
as well as being broadcast online. Details at: www.stmaryletower.org.uk/concerts

Gippeswyk Singers.
Gippeswyk Singers are searching for a new conductor. Geoff Lavery, our current musical director,
will be stepping down in June 2021 after a tenure of 10 years. We’re hoping to attract
an experienced and enthusiastic new conductor to lead us into the future and many more
years of successful singing. For more information and application details Click Here (pdf)

New Wolsey Theatre.
New Wolsey Theatre receives share of £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund
The New Wolsey Theatre has been awarded £245,000 from the Culture
Recovery Fund distributed by Arts Council England.  www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Ipswich Charter Hangings.
Due to coronavirus St Peter’s by the Waterfront is currently not open to the public.
It is therefore regrettably not possible to view the Charter Hanging at present.

Further details, notices and updates on our NOTICEBOARD page

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IAA Newsletter 

Current edition: Due to current circumstances, and the impact on members events and
activities the decision has been taken not to publish the usual Newsletter at this time.
We will however be publishing an online abbreviated version from time to time to keep you up
to date with both members and IAA activities. The website will also provide up to date information.

IAA newsletter is published three times each year, working in conjunction with our website,
it highlights news and forthcoming events from Ipswich Arts Association and its members.
Further details here:  Newsletter homepage

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IAA Online Newsletter – March / April 2021

 

Click image or this link to read the March / April Online Newsletter. (pdf format)

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Zoom Meetings for IAA Members

In 2020 IAA hosted a number ol Zoom meetings allowing societies to share their thoughts
about current planning and strategies to deal with the lock-down and the ongoing situation.
These meetings proved highly popular, with nearly forty groups being represented.

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IAA Members – Keeping In Touch

Some societies have found ways to keep in touch with their members whilst unable to meet.
If you have set up a WhatsApp group or a communication circle or have found some other
way to keep in touch please let the secretary know: secretary@ipswich-arts.org.uk  If you
would be happy to offer advice to other societies on how to do something similar then would
you also let the secretary have a contact number or email address for advice, please.

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IAA representing 50+ Arts Organisations in Suffolk

An introduction and welcome from Professor Chris Green – Chair IAA

Ipswich Arts Association has over 50 member organisations, which means also hundreds of
individuals directly and indirectly associated with its activities.The website is one of a number
of ways in which IAA aims to keep in touch not only…. click here to read full article

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Covid 19

Ipswich Arts Association and member organisations are monitoring the situation and
government advice. This has an impact on members planning and events, we will endeavour to
keep up to date with this and details will be shown on the website listings page but we do rely
on member groups to provide information. However, with a changing situation, we would suggest
checking with the event organiser or group involved. Links may be found on most listings.

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Ipswich Music Day 2021 – IAA Classical Stages

IBC Announcement February 2021
Ipswich Borough Council have taken the reluctant decision to cancel Ipswich Music Day 2021.
It is IBC’s firm intention that this popular event will return in 2022. More at Ipswich Entertains

       

Our thanks to Music World, Queen St. Ipswich, for their support in
supplying IAA with a Yamaha digital piano for the IAA Classical Stages.
www.music-world-ipswich.co.uk

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Ipswich Chamber Choir

ICC with conductor Benedict Collins Rice will present a concert of
Handel’s Coronation Anthems on Saturday June 12th 2021

ICC invite you to join their online rehearsals – Tuesdays at 7.30pm.
From February 2nd – June 8th

For more details and rehearsal link – email: ipswichchamberchoir@gmail.com
(a donation towards costs will be requested with the rehearsal link)

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Gippeswyk Singers

Gippeswyk Singers are searching for a new conductor. Geoff Lavery, our current musical director,
will be stepping down in June 2021 after a tenure of 10 years. We’re hoping to attract
an experienced and enthusiastic new conductor to lead us into the future and many more
years of successful singing. For more information and application details Click Here (pdf)

www.gippeswyksingersco.uk

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Stowmarket Chorale

Stowmarket Chorale, a 65-member choral society with a 120-year history of putting on concerts in Stowmarket and beyond, received a nice present just before Christmas.  Stowmarket Town Council approved a grant of £500 towards helping the choir get through this difficult time when in-person concerts, and even rehearsals, have been impossible to provide.  Read more

Further information: info@stowmarketchorale.org.uk  or visit:  www.stowmarketchorale.org.uk

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Ipswich Charter Hangings –  21st anniversary – 2000 – 2021

Events to mark 20 years of The Ipswich Charter Hangings. were postponed due to
circumstances and legislation regarding Covid 19. So this year we will celebrate the
21st anniversary of the eight wall hangings that make up this remarkable work of art.
We hope to hold a number of special events and displays and it is also very much hoped that
the Ipswich Charter Hangings will once again be on public display this year.
The above plans are subject to Covid 19 restrictions/legislation regarding their taking place.
email: charterhangings@ipswich-arts.org.uk

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Hanseatic Ports and Hidden Treasures

Pat Grimwade, a member of the IAA Executive (instrumental music), reveals another string
to her bow, with a knowledge of matters nautical in her book, Ipswich – A Hanseatic Port. 

“During the 13^th – 15^th centuries east coast ports such as Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Boston
traded alongside merchants of the Hanseatic League in the North Sea and the Baltic.
In that period, at the height of the wool and cloth trade with Europe Ipswich was one of the
most important and prosperous ports in the country…”  Read more (opens pdf)

Published by Ipswich Maritime Trust it is available form the following;
Tourist Information Centre, Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion, price £2.

A podcast, to be released on Monday 20th July, features an interview with Caleb Howegego (Ipswich Museum). Pat talks about Ipswich, as a trading port, the Hanseatic trade, buildings and evidence from the period and a story concerning the location of the Hanseatic Steelyard. It lasts about 25mins.

www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

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The Trianon Enigma

When not chairing IAA meetings Chris Green may, amongst other things, be found, conducting
with the Trianon Orchestra and Choir, swapping baton for pen Chris has written a new book.

Charting the sixty year history of Suffolk’s best loved Symphony Orchestra and Choir.
In The Trianon Enigma, My Friends Pictured Within  its founder, Chris Green traces its
journey starting with a small youth group in the mid 1950’s, which became inextricably
linked with Ipswich, social developments and the changing face of youth culture.

Read a review by John Norman, Chair of The Ipswich Society – Review (pdf)

Books are available at the price of £10 from:
Ipswich Institute 15 Tavern Street, Ipswich IP1 3AA
Music World 16 Queen Street, Ipswich IP1 1SS
The Card Centre  6 Hamilton Road, Felixstowe IP11 7AU
Please check with listed outlets as opening will be subject to government regulations.

Books may also be ordered at the price of £10 + £2.50 P&P from:
Dominique Nightingale, 39 Quilter Road, Felixstowe IP11 7JL
dominique.nightingale@btinternet.com   tel: 01394 286928

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