Ashburton Live

09/09/2025

This is TONIGHT (Tuesday 9 September).
Come on down to sing, play, eat, drink, listen, be merry, chinwag, drown your sorrows, put the world to rights (good luck with that!)…
All welcome.

It’s always a great time at our Open Mic sessions! There’s plenty of fabulous music (of course!), but also something raw and beautiful about the artists who find themselves together in the same room.

The stories, the camaraderie, the laughter and, sometimes, even the tears.

Andy Williamson (Ashburton Live) is hosting the event, so you know it's going to be a good one!

Come join us, or let us know you’re coming by dropping us an email at [email protected] or simply send us a message.

📆 Tuesday, 9 Sept, 7:30PM start
📍 Live and Let Live Pub, Landscove, TQ13 7LZ

21/06/2022

The great tenor sax player, Jean Toussaint is in Devon this week.
He played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the 1980s — see http://ashburtonarts.org.uk/.../blue-vanguard-jean.../ for some live footage, back then and more recently.
He's with the Blue Vanguard Club's resident rhythm section: Craig Milverton, piano; Al Swainger, bass and Coach York, drums, for two gigs:

Weds 22 June, Ashburton Arts Centre, TQ13 7DT, 7.30pm. Tickets £14 full price or £10 or £7 if you need a cheaper one – you choose, pay what you can. From wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts in advance, or reserve by email: [email protected] and pay on the door.
https://www.facebook.com/events/438967697637254

Thurs 23 June, Blue Vanguard Club, St Mathew's Hall, Topsham, EX3 0HF (near Exeter). All tickets are £12 (£8 students). Doors are open from 7.30, performance from 8.00 – 10.30. Book using the contact form on bluevanguard.co.uk.

14/07/2021

Ashburton Chamber Music Festival IS happening, from this weekend, with top international musicians coming to town for the week to play the best string and flute quartets, plus a second installment of a commission for sax and strings – this one based on 'God Only Knows' by the Beach Boys! Book now at wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts

Concerts and other events

Sat 17 July, 7.30pm: Lunatraktor & Serren the Heron, Ash Arts Centre
Sun 18 July, 7.30pm: Concert #1 Tasting Menu, Ashburton Arts Centre
Mon 19 July, 7pm: Hausmusik #1 Royal British Legion Hut
Tues 20 July, 6pm: Family Concert, Ashburton Arts Centre
Weds 21 July, 7pm: Hausmusik #2, Bigadon Cottage, nr Buckfastleigh
Thur 22 July, 11.30am: with Ashburton Folk Orchestra, Ash Arts Centre
Thur 22 July, 7pm: Hausmusik #3, Southcombe Barn, Widecombe
Fri 23 July, 7.30pm: Concert #2, Bremridge nr Ashburton
Sat 24 July, 7.30pm: Concert #3, St Andrews Church, Ashburton
Sun 25 July, 7.30pm: Concert #4, Highlights, Ashburton Arts Centre

Composers featured
Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949)
Arthur Honegger (1892 – 1955)
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Erwin Schulhoff (1894 - 1942)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975)
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Eugene Ysaÿe (1858 - 1931)
Amy Beach (1867 - 1944)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Tom Vignieri (b. 1961)

Venues
Ashburton Arts Centre, 15 West St, TQ13 7DT
Bremridge, on the road from Ashburton to Woodland/Denbury, TQ13 7JX
St Andrews Church, West St, Ashburton, TQ13 7DT
Southcombe Barn, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, TQ13 7UT
Royal British Legion Hut & Garden, Blogishay Lane, Ashburton, TQ13 7DT
Bigadon Cottage, near Pennywell Farm, nr Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0ND

Musicians
Sara Trickey: violin saratrickey.com
Miriam Teppich: violin miriamteppich.com
David Yang: viola newburyportchambermusic.org/artists/david-yang
Sébastien van Kuijk: cello auroraorchestra.com/player-profile/sebastien-van-kuijk/
Judith Hall: flute judithhall.co.uk
Andy Williamson: saxophone bigbuzzard.co.uk
Tom Vignieri: composer tomvignieri.com

06/02/2020

This Saturday, the Julian Costello Quartet comes to Ashburton Arts Centre. A few weeks ago, the musicians were in Oslo recording a beautiful new album – here's a taste:

Julian Costello Quartet recording a new album called Connections at Blackberry Studios in Oslo with Maciek Pysz guitar Adam Teixeira drums Jakub Cywinski bas...

23/01/2020

Short article here on Jazzwise about the Swiss Quintet coming to Ashburton Arts Centre on Sunday:

High-calibre Swiss quintet visit the UK for run of January dates

27/10/2019

The final song performed at Ashburton Arts Centre by Isq last night.
Irene Serra - vocals
Richard Sadler - double bass
Naadia Sheriff - piano
Chris Nickolls - drums

14/10/2019

It was a small audience for Treppenwitz at Ashburton Arts Centre on Sat 5 October, 2019 – so everyone who was there could get right up close to the band. It was fascinating to sit right beside drummer, Stephen Hanley where this was filmed, hence the balance of the sound.
The audio for this whole gig will shortly appear at mixcloud.com/ashburtonlive

22/09/2019

Wow! – this review is in today's Observer of Quentin Collins Sextet's new album: see the band LIVE tomorrow (Monday 23 September) at Ashburton Arts Centre!
“Quentin Collins Sextet. 'Road Warrior' album review in Sunday's Guardian/Observer. Dave Gelly writes, "The combination of virtuosity, togetherness and sheer spirit that emerges from these nine tracks is quite remarkable." ★★★★ Brilliant stuff...”

(Ubuntu Music)