Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

Loops and Lines – by the violinist Steve Bingham

Internationally renowned violinist Steve Bingham gave a concert at Sukkat Shalom on Sunday 27th July 2008.

Steve performed an eclectic programme of music to suit all tastes on his acoustic and electronic violins. The concert combined solo violin performances by composers such as Bach and Piazzolla, with arrangements and original compositions for electric violin using up-to-the-minute technology. This allowed Steve to perform duos by Telemann and Bartok, multi-tracked arrangements of pieces by Chick Corea, Philip Glass and Bill Whelan, and pieces by The Beatles and Coldplay - every note played live, with no backing tracks. ...........Violin - but with a twist.

The synagogue hosted the evening as a charitable event and offered the the use of the building on the night as a donation to the charity. Over 40 people attended the evening although attendance from the community was poor.

Steve studied violin with Emmanuel Hurwitz, Sidney Griller and the Amadeus Quartet at the Royal Academy of Music from 1981 to 1985, where he won prizes for orchestral leading and string quartet playing. In 1985 he formed the Bingham String Quartet, an ensemble which has become one of the foremost in the UK, with an enviable reputation for both classical and contemporary repertoire. Steve’s debut solo violin CD "Duplicity" was given a 4-star rating in The Independent, where Michael Church wrote:

"Completely uncategorisable ...... every sound on these 15 tracks - whether high acoustic violin, or low electric fiddle, or percussion sounds on sundry substances - is made by this same extraordinary performer."

The concert was in support of a Sheena Booth Music Trust, a local charity which sets out to further the musical development of children and young people in various ways. It has just won second prize of £750 in the Charity Aid Foundation’s annual competition for the best on-line reporting; find out why by visiting the website