Home Authors Tamzin Lewis

Dream ending for Young

Len Young has chosen one of Edward Elgar's greatest works, The Dream of Gerontius, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, and also his own last concert conducting the Newcastle Choral Society. To say that Len will be missed by his choir is a bit of an understatement, but he feels it is the perfect time to pass the baton onto a younger man.Read

Folk is fabulous family affair

Kathryn Tickell's Northumbria, The Sage Gateshead, Hall One, Saturday - The story of Kathryn Tickell's Northumbria was a generational one. The concert featured the powerful voice of veteran folk singer Mike Tickell, tunes from Kathryn's well-established band in which her half-brother plays fiddle, and some of the youngest and best new folk musicians in the country.Read

Paul has parable with teeth

It is a childhood experience most of us can relate to. Lying back in a huge chair, mouth gaping and eyes wide as a dentist prods and scrapes around our teeth. It certainly made a lasting impression on Paul, who has based his first short film Rory's Teeth on boyhood trips to the dentist.Read

Pupils learn the horror of slavery

Primary school children are marking the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade with a series of poetry and music events, as Sheree Mack tells Tamzin Lewis.Read

Echoes tear at the heart

Ruby Moon may have been inspired by news headlines, but it is a sad coincidence that the play is being performed at Northern Stage during a time of trauma for the family of Madeleine McCann.Read

Cobweb baton debut for Adoo

"Cobweb isn't really a proper orchestra," conductor Andy Jackson explains to the audience, "for a start, the string section speak to the wind section." Although an amateur orchestra, Cobweb is a wonderful opportunity for excellent musicians from across the North-East to just turn up to rehearsals and have fun.Read

The Adoo movement

Paralysed musician Clarence Adoo rediscovered his ability to play and will now conduct an orchestra. He talks to Tamzin Lewis about a possible world first.Read

Sisters are searching for meaning in a modern world

This is a fairly bleak play by Anton Chekhov and Cheek by Jowl's subtle interpretation, directed by Declan Donnellan, is a dark one. Although the play opens with the bittersweet lightness of a naming day, it quickly descends into gloom with much of the action taking place by candlelight.Read

Leap of faith pays off for Will

He's made a leap of faith from food science to ballet and won a place at a top performing arts school. Tamzin Lewis meets protege Will Dennison.Read

It's strictly fun dancing!

Gillian Quinn's loss was a gain for more than 6,000 children. As a young dancer Gillian was accepted into The Royal Ballet School, but sadly grew too tall to be able to continue her career in classical ballet.Read

A real Tonic

For a serious issue-based play, Tonic somehow manages to be primarily a light-hearted look at the stories of five women getting away from it all during the 2006 World Cup.Read

Rampant Rambert is truly inspired

The newest two pieces on the Rambert repertoire for Newcastle were both inspired by 20th Century art and by water.Read

Music to bring out a smile

If you are ever in doubt about what it means to be alive, you could do worse than to put on a Kanda Bongo Man CD. His music is so joyous and uplifting that it cannot fail to bring a smile to your face.Read

An epic excursion with Club

Buena Vista Social Club don't just do songs when they play live, they do epic excursions into the traditions and virtuosity of Cuban music. And what virtuosos were present on this Buena Vista tour.Read

Lowry puts a spring in step of Rambert's visit

Perhaps it isn't surprising that the work of LS Lowry lends itself so well to dance.Read

Mystery explores a fear of clowns

Clowns can be a little creepy, which for me has a lot to do with Stephen King's murderous clown Pennywise in his novel It. But I had no idea that there is an official fear of face-paint, funny wigs, oversized shoes and water-squirting flowers.Read

Hatton step in to show gems

It's the North-East's recent history of contemporary art and it's happening at the Hatton Gallery, as Matt Hearn from Locus+ tells Tamzin Lewis.Read

Looking good but sounding dated

How to bring 70s rock extravaganza Jesus Christ Superstar up to date? Short of setting the musical romp in modern day war-torn Jerusalem, it isn't possible.Read

It's run rabbit run for Miffy, 50

She may not look it, but Miffy is 50. Her creator, Dick Bruna, visited Newcastle to open a special exhibition and told Tamzin Lewis about his life with the little rabbit.Read

Author Profile

Tamzin Lewis is an Arts and Entertainment writer for The Journal and Culture magazine. She has worked at various regional and national newspapers.