Summer Festival 2012 in words & pictures

As the sounds of our Summer Festival 2012 drift away (and in the case of some of the pink Midsummer Street Party balloons, all the way to a Dutch beach), we wanted to share some of our favourite moments with you, courtesy of our Festival Photographer, James Berry and the host of reviewers who have written about us over the last month.

If you have any images or reviews of your own you’d like to share with us, get in touch, and meanwhile enjoy reminiscing with us below… (You can also find reviews of Summer Festival concerts on our new website!)

Sounds of Spitalfields with Super Critical Mass

Sound of Spitalfields in Old Spitalfields Market

Ton Koopman in concert with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

The Sixteen in Christ Church Spitalfields

Harry Christophers conducting The Sixteen

Matthew Barley: Amongst Friends

Gabrieli Consort & Players: The Fairy Queen

Soprano Helen-Jane Howells in Gabrieli Consort & Players: The Fairy Queen

Musical Rumpus: A Fairy Queen in the Forest

Musical Rumpus: A Fairy Queen in the Forest

Anne Garner in Talvin Singh: Tabla Rasa

Talvin Singh: Tabla Rasa

Laka D & Women sing East

Performing Cage at Neighbourhood Schools: Chaos & Creation

Chance operations at Neighbourhood Schools: Chaos & Creation

Gamelan Lila City in the Masonic Temple for Undiscovered Spitalfields

Sankorfa Ensemble in Dennis Severs’ House for Undiscovered Spitalfields

Matthew Barley: The Protecting Veil

Performing in Spire at St Botolph without Aldgate

New Esperance Morris Dancers – Midsummer Street Party

Spitalfields City Farm – Midsummer Street Party

On the Main Stage – Midsummer Street Party

Hidden Gems with East London Dance at Christ Church Spitalfields

Storytelling Yurt with Idea Store – Midsummer Street Party

Compère Paul Martin at Midsummer Street Party

Hidden Gems with East London Dance at Bishopsgate Institute

Rhythms of the City – Midsummer Street Party

Street Dance the Maypole with East London Dance

Fire

Fire with The Opera Group

My Favourite Place for…Hot and Hearty food – Micha food stall

Spitalfields Music has a new exciting series of feature posts coming up. We are finding out where our staff like to wander in Spitalfields when they are not busy working. In this staff pick post, Cathy Birch, our Learning & Participation Programme Manager explains to us what a bread bowl is, and points us in the right direction to find hot and hearty food in Spitalfields Market!

Micha

With so much to grab your attention in the bustle of Spitalfields Market it could be easy to miss one of this area’s real food treats! Nestled in a corner of the Old Spitalfields Market, there’s a row of food stalls and right in the middle, often masked by the queues for its wares, is Micha. Here you’ll find an assortment of delicious goodies, from beautiful fresh salads and soups to falafel and sandwiches. But for me the reward of the queue is their hot & hearty baked potatoes and, discovered to my joy a few weeks ago, bread bowls (for the uninitiated these are pasta and sauces but served in a freshly baked bowl of bread – Obviously). The fillings are always brilliantly put together and there’s a good range to choose from; plus the portions are so huge there’s often enough to save for later! It’s definitely also worth mentioning that despite the generous servings and beautiful ingredients you’ll never spend more than a few pounds in Micha – though you might have to allow a few more for a mid afternoon coffee after such a hearty lunch…

Micha is located in Old Spitalfields Market.

My Favourite Place: Michael

It’s time for more weird and wonderful local gems from members of the Spitalfields Music team. Sharing their favourite place this week is Marketing & Communications Intern, Michael.

Micha is a small food-counter in Old Spitalfields Market, on the Lamb Street side. It offers a variety of fresh Mediterranean style sandwiches, salads, pastas and hot dishes; wholesome, filling portions; friendly staff and (mostly) all for under a fiver! Need I say more?!

Address:
Micha
Old Spitalfields Market
London
E1 6BG

Underground and mainline:
Liverpool Street, Aldgate East, Shoreditch High Street.
Bus: Bishopsgate 8, 26, 35, 42, 47, 48, 78, 149, 242, 344, 388

Find more choice selections on our website.

My Favourite Place: Rebecca

Our new regular spot, featuring choice places around Spitalfields from the team. This week,  Rebecca Steel, Marketing & Box Office Assistant, shares hers:

I absolutely love Thursday lunchtimes if only for the chance to browse the fascinating Antiques Market in Old Spitalfields Market. I love looking through all the random bits and bobs that are displayed on the little market stalls and rummaging through the treasure trove of gems. If only I lived close enough to bag myself some retro furniture. Unfortunately, I don’t think the other commuters would be happy with me taking a dressing table on the train home!

Address:
Old Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields
London
E1 6EW
Tube & mainline: Liverpool Street
Buses: Bishopsgate 8, 26, 35, 42, 47, 48, 78, 149, 242, 344, 388

Summer Festival 2010

Our Summer Festival ran from 11-26 June with over 65% of audience members making their first visit to the Festival and over 10,000 people attending!! That’s a record!

We had a fantastic time, and we hope those who attended did also. Here are a few photos of our favourite festival moments and events:

If you attended any of our events, and took photographs yourself let us know via facebook or twitter!

[Photo Credits: Katya Evdokimova, Jez C Self, Marc Fox]