News
Debra Adamson-Brattland and Carlos Bonell, guitars
UK concerts – June and July
scroll below for tour venues and programme info
6th June 2023: Carlos joins Debra to record two tracks on her new album “Lullaby”
Debra and Carlos have had a connection going back many years. Aged 14 Debra attended a guitar weekend run by Carlos at West Dean College, and shortly after became his private student whilst still at school.
In 1987-1988 Debra and her future husband Arne were both studying with Carlos, although it was another few years before their paths met at Cannington in 1991. Many years later Arne wrote a moving memoir:
“It was a very important moment in our lives, for one day she was to become my wife! During the next school year we would keep in touch and even sometimes meet, and we wrote a lot to each other….”
The three remained in contact over the years. After losing Arne in 2020, Carlos was an important factor in inspiring Debra to regain her enthusiasm for playing and teaching. Similarly, during that dark period of lockdown, Debra motivated Carlos to publish his Beatles arrangements and compositions.
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Debra Adamson-Brattland has been a course tutor at the yearly Dillington Classical Guitar Summer School since 2017.
She has appeared as both soloist and chamber musician at Festivals in the UK, including the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the Cannington International Festival, and the Dillington Festival, among others. In Norway she presented a concert for King Harald, played on TV with her late husband, Arne Brattland, and toured extensively with him throughout Norway and the UK.
In June this year Debra recorded an album with the renowned sound engineer John Taylor, including two tracks with Carlos. The album is called Lullaby and includes previously unrecorded music. It is due for release in August. Previous CD recordings include Arctic Suite with Arne Brattland.
In 2022 she pioneered a benefit concert with Carlos as part of the Portsmouth Festivities, playing solos and duets with proceeds donated entirely for charity organisations working in the Ukraine.
In addition to her performing and recording activities Debra is also Music Editor for The Carlos Bonell Edition, and co-hosts Zoomed Guitars Live with Carlos, a popular weekly world-wide gathering of guitarists and music lovers on social media.
Debra is greatly in demand as an Associated Board Music Examiner and an approved learning partner and assessor of A level and GCSE Music for two private examination centres in the UK. Her GCSE, A Level and Music Theory Courses attract some of the UK’s most talented young musicians, many of whom attend the Junior Departments at the Royal College, Royal Academy of Music, London and Trinity Guildhall, London. Her work has been graded ‘outstanding ’ by OFSTED and is testament to the rewarding learning experience she provides.
www.debra-adamson-bratland.com
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Carlos Bonell has been described by the Classical Guitar Magazine, UK as “one of the great communicators of the guitar world”.
Carlos was born in London of Spanish parents learning to play Spanish folk music from the age of 5 with his father who was a keen amateur guitarist. He completed his studies at the Royal College of Music with John Williams, where he was appointed the youngest ever professor at the age of 22.
After Carlos’ New York début in 1978, the New York Times described him as an artist of “superb poetic gifts”. Appearances followed at many international Festivals followed including The City of London, Aldeburgh, Helsinki, Israel, Tanglewood, Sydney, Istanbul, and Hong Kong.
Currently, Carlos is helping Sir Paul McCartney, who is composing a concerto for guitar and orchestra. The work was featured in a cover article by The New Yorker magazine.
Carlos’ recordings include the BBC TV Inspector Morse theme for the original series, as well as the more recent UK TV series Endeavour (the young Inspector Morse). His Queen Guitar Rhapsodies CD is a concerto-style arrangement of music by the group Queen for solo guitar and symphony orchestra. It was widely praised, including by Queen’s Brian May himself. The album of Beatles arrangements Magical Mystery Guitar Tour went to number one on the UK classical iTunes charts, and reached the top ten in the overall UK iTunes charts.
In 2020, during the pandemic, he initiated the Zoomed Guitars Live on social media, a worldwide gathering of guitar players and music lovers. At the time of writing in 2023 this is still active, and co-hosted with Debra.
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Debra Adamson-Brattland and Carlos Bonell in concert:
Sunday 25th June, 2pm
St Michael and All Angels Church, Chalton, PO8 0BG
Tickets on the door or in advance from
janehussey@btinternet.com
Sunday 23rd July, 4pm
Tribute concert for Jane Bentley
Carlos Bonell, Debra Adamson-Brattland, Angus Scott, Richard Whiley
St. Andrew’s Church, Lammas, near Norwich NR10 5JQ
Tickets on the door or in advance from
07769 553801 or 01603 279576
lammastickets@gmail.com
Sunday 30th July, 8pm
Dillington Guitar Summer School opening concert
Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 9DT
Tickets on the door or in advance from
01460 258613
info@dillington.com
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Programme for 25th June and 30th July
FROM PENNY LANE TO ANDALUCIA
including music from the Norwegian Fjords
Debra and Carlos play
Arne Brattland:
Waltz for Debbie
September Song
Debra plays
Arne Brattland: Lullaby
Edvard Grieg*
Melodie, Op.47, No.3
Springdans, Op.38, No.5
Elegie, Op.38, No.6
Vals, Op.12, No.2
Gerald Garcia: Hallingkast – dedicated to Arne Brattland
Edvard Grieg*
Two Norwegian Dances: Op.17 No7 and Op.35 No.2
Album Leaf, Op.28 No.3
Interval
Carlos plays
Carlos Bonell: At The Edge of the Horizon
Isaac Albéniz: Granada and Asturias**
Debra and Carlos play
Carlos Bonell: Heaven at the last
Armand Coeck: Rosa Mystica
The Beatles**: She’s leaving home and Penny Lane
* arranged by Arne Brattland
** arranged by Carlos Bonell