CONCERTS in the West, the charity that brings rising stars of the chamber music scene and concert platform to venues in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, makes its debut at Shaftesbury in April, when the Gildas Quartet give the fourth concert of their tour, at St Peter’s Church on Sunday 21st April at 3pm.

All four musicians have won prizes for their commitment to encouraging audiences for chamber music as well as their accomplished playing. Tom Aldren and Gemma Sharples, violins, Christine Anderson, viola, and Anna Menzies, cello, who are praised for their “energy, verve and refreshing approach,” have performed to critical acclaim at major venues including the Bridgewater Hall, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall and live on BBC Radio 3.

Their bold approach to performance was recognised at the International Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition at Graz, Austria, where they won first prize in the Audience Engagement Award 2018.

Determined to bring the visceral experience of string quartet performance to audiences at close quarters, the Gildas launched their immersive “Surround Sound Sessions” project in winter 2019. This series ranged from one-work ‘pop-up’ concerts in unusual settings to full-length recitals, with the audience literally in the midst of the players, in surround sound.

Their programme for the April tour includes works by Montgomery, Haydn, Puccini and Debussy. The concerts are at Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 19th at 11.30am, Ilminster Arts Centre Friday 19th at 7.30pm, Crewkerne Dance House on Saturday 20th at 7.30, and Shaftesbury’s St Peter’s Church on Sunday 21st at 3pm.