Letter in the Stage -Lottery money should not be used for core funding February 27th 2025

The Arts Council has launched a new ten year strategy which they say is not dreamed up by a bunch of bureaucrats sitting in a room on their own – well tough, as this is what it reads like, out of touch and given the current resources probably unachievable. Musicians, dancer, painters, poets, writer, singers…

Saturday 9th August Snails Deli at 6-8 Beulah Rd, Cardiff CF14 6LX.  Phone: 029 2280 0385 Showtime 7pm Featuring: Keith Little (piano), Glen Manby (alto sax) Ashley John Long (double bass) with Chris Hodgkins (trumpet) Sunday 10th August Crug Room, Castle Hotel, Castle Square, Brecon LD3 9DB Phone: 01874 624611 Showtime 7pm Featuring: James Chadwick (guitar)  with Chris Hodgkins (trumpet) ‘JAZZ STORIES’ in words & sound: from the Cardiff music scene…

Pete Allen Newsletter March 2024 Welcome to the March Newsletter. Sunday 3rd March,  The Pete Allen Jazz Band – The Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa, Old Oxford Road, Donnington, Newbury, RG14 3AG 2.30pm to 5pm. Admission £15 Monday 4th March, Pete Allen Jazz Band, The Conservative Club,   Radway Place, Sidmouth,  EX10 8TL 3pm to 5.30pm.  Admission £15 Saturday…

The leader article, “Ministers have come to the rescue. Artists must seize this chance” in the Guardian on the 2nd June (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/06/the-guardian-view-on-15bn-for-the-arts-the-shows-will-go-on) sounds reasonable till you analyse the Arts Council’s 10 year strategy “Lets Create”. “Let’s Create” reads as if written by people remote from the practical issues  which the arts face every day and…

There was a leader article, “Opera is often derided as elitist”, in the Guardian on the 28th September 2017. Regrettably the article ignores the fact that opera in the UK receives a disproportionate amount of public subsidy compared to other art forms and like the banks are too big to fail. In a time of…

Pete Allen Newsletter September 2023 Welcome to the Pete Allen Newsletter for September here are the gigs: 3rd   The Bacon Arms, Oxford Street, Newbury, RG14 1JB. 2.30 pm to 5 pm.  Admission is £15 at the door, preferably by cash or cheque payable to P ALLEN. 6th   The Conservative Club, Radway Place, Sidmouth, EX10 8TL       3 pm to 5.30 pm.  Admission is £15 at the door, preferably…