OXFORD: Quaker Meeting House

Saturday 13th July, 2019

7:00pm

Event information

"Oxford has always been a city close to my heart, having played there on a number of occasions.
Sharing the stage with such great players like Nick Hooper and Judith Henderson will be a joy".
Gordon Giltrap

Over the past forty years, Gordon Giltrap has graced the music business with his dedication to his craft and his affection for his audience. As one of the UK's most respected guitarists, he has consistently proved the adage that respect cannot be bought. It must be earned.
Gordon joined his first band when barely in his teens, and relished the opportunity to play songs by his idols - Cliff Richard, The Shadows and The Everly Brothers. He set his sights on Art College, but bowed to his father's insistence that he learn "a trade", and grafted his way through a series of unrewarding jobs. Gordon unwittingly taught himself a hybrid technique of plectrum and little finger, but in doing so, created the individual sound that is still his trademark. He continued to play the guitar in his spare time, and in November 1966, he singlehandedly secured a recording contract with Transatlantic Records.
In the late Seventies, Gordon enjoyed a brief spell as a pop star, with a hit album Perilous Journey and two hit singles 'Heartsong' and 'Fear of the Dark'. 'Heartsong' was nominated for an Ivor Novello award, and is fondly remembered as the theme tune to the BBC's Holiday programme
Over the years, Gordon has worked with an amazingly broad range of artists, from rock musicians such as Brian May, Rick Wakeman and Midge Ure to the jazz virtuoso Martin Taylor, the classical guitarist Raymond Burley and the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1996, Gordon realised a dream of playing guitar alongside Cliff Richard, on stage in Cliff's West End musical Heathcliff. As well as performing in the role of The Troubadour, Gordon arranged the overture and wrote two pieces of music.

Nick Hooper
Best known for his two film scores for the Harry Potter series, Nick has continued on his creative path using his imaginative and musical skills, which held him in such good stead in the film world, to both perform his own music, and to write novels. Early in his teens, Nick became an accomplished guitarist, going on to study at the Royal College of Music. He then went on to develop a career as a film composer picking up many awards along the way, including two BAFTAs, an Ivor Novello, and a Grammy nomination. Nick has returned to his guitar, working on projects with various musicians, including the legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. Nick’s solo guitar album 6 Strings was released by Angel Air Records in June 2018.

Judith Hooper
Judith has been playing the violin since the age of 6. Having grown up with a classical training in music, a diploma in music therapy at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama led her to develop her long-suppressed inclination towards improvisation and folk music. She went on to enjoy a close association with Cecilia Macfarlane and Oxford Youth Dance, creating the music for several dance pieces, including ‘Journey of Ten Knights’ (Oxford Playhouse) and ‘Cityscape’ (Pegasus Theatre). With Nick Hooper she formed the fiddle and guitar duo Henderson:Hooper in 2001, and the duo released their first full-length CD in 2018, entitled Pete’s Trees. Nick and Judith also perform with the singer/bass player Susanna Starling in their trio The Boot Band.