2020 sees the return of Sound at St James. Over 50 musicians will perform on three stages throughout St James, with food and drink available all day.
Headlined by the amazing The Electric Shakes and The Recks, the main stage will feature many of the louder local acts, whilst other stages will see the best acoustic acts, spoken word and even a Sparkly Disco.
Sound at St James is the annual fundraiser for Sound Guernsey, a local charity supporting young music fans and musicians. The money raised will allow Sound to continue to offer free access to regular live music nights, mentor sessions and grants to young local artists and bands.
Running from midday until midnight, entry is only £10 and you can come and go as you please.

Award winning writer and comedian Mark Steel is best known for his critically acclaimed BBC Radio 4 show Mark Steel’s In Town. Now in it’s 8th series, In Town went onto to win the 2018 BBC Radio Awards Best Comedy Show. Mark also presented the BAFTA nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC Two, and is a regular on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You and The News Quiz. He has written several, acclaimed books and writes a weekly column for The Independent, for which he was awarded the prestigious Columnist of the Year in 2017.

After a career in health and social care, Angela Barnes took the plunge and embarked on her life-long dream to be a comedian. Within a couple of years she had won the 2011 BBC New Comedy Award and became a finalist at the 2011 Latitude Festival New Act of the Year competition. Since 2011 Angela and her witty worldview have been catapulted onto numerous radio and television shows, including appearances on BBC One’s Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo and BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz. In 2017 she took over the prestigious role as host of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack. She is now about to host her 4th and final series of the show. Angela had a series commissioned based on her debut Edinburgh show You Can’t Take It With You which saw her write and perform four 30 minute episodes for BBC Radio 4.

Doors/Bar 7.00PM | Show: 7.30PM

A full afternoon and evening of sacred music competition, ranging from oratorio to gospel, all forming part of the music festival.
Programme details can be found on the website www.guernseyeisteddfod.com.
Tickets available on the door.

DonkeyCon, the Channel Islands’ largest gaming festival organised by the Guernsey E-Sports Association (GESA) in partnership with St James and Just Games returns to St James for its 3rd edition, and it’s going to be the biggest one yet.

Featuring 12 hours of gaming, tournament battles and for those who are less competitive, plenty of games to pick up and play with. There will also be the opportunity to try the latest releases as well as lots of retro classics. The backroom will once again offer the chance to play games including Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon TCG and tabletop games large and small.
As the evening draws in, and following the Cosplay contest, things get serious as we switch to DonkeyCon Dark and the gamers aged 16+ take centre stage.

DonkeyCon is a great day out for gamers of all ages and experience levels where everyone will find something they love.

A special treat for all the family, featuring many of your favourite melodies that you love to hear again and again. Packed full of tunes from well-known Musicals and Films, this is a concert that is guaranteed to send you home singing and dancing (even in the rain). Featured in the concert are melodies from the great works for the stage and cinema, including: West Side Story, Chicago, A Star is Born, Mary Poppins
Returns, Jesus Christ Super Star, La La Land and much, much more.
A one hour programme with something to please all ages, so get tickets early!

Storming Utopia – More, Montaigne and Shakespeare in the Age of Brexit

The Brexit process has been accompanied by thoughts of what the best future for Britain would look like. This is just a recent case of how thoughts about Utopia, and its darker twin Dystopia, impact our lives. In this lecture, Prof. Wes Williams will explore creative responses to ancient and modern tensions between identities, ideals and islands, focusing on the history and continued relevance of the idea of Utopia. Thomas More’s fantasy of an ideal island community, first published in 1516, has served as a blueprint for writers, philosophers, explorers, town planners and politicians from Venice to Venezuela. Professor Williams is professor of French literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow in Modern Languages at St Edmond Hall. He is currently the Knowledge Exchange Champion at The Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities (“TORCH”).

Guest Conductor: Simon Over
Soloist: Martyn Jackson (violin)

‘Major over Minor’

Programme:
Felix Mendelssohn – Violin concerto in E minor, Op.64
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 7 in A major, Op.92

For the first concert of 2020, the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra are delighted to perform an exciting and vibrant programme under the guest baton of Simon Over. Simon is Music Director of Southbank Sinfonia, which he co-founded in 2002. This orchestra of young professional musicians has strong connections with Guernsey and many of its alumni have played with the GSO.
He is currently Director of Music at the Central Church of the RAF in London, having studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, Royal Academy of Music and Oxford University. For ten years he was a member of the music staff of Westminster Abbey and Director of Music in the Palace of Westminster and is the Founder-Conductor of the Parliament Choir. As a pianist and a conductor, Simon has toured all over the world and has performed with many internationally-acclaimed artists, including Sir Thomas Allen, Sir James Galway, Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Felicity Lott, Sir Willard White and Dame Edna Everage.
To begin this exiting programme, the GSO welcome British violinist Martyn Jackson to Guernsey to perform what is considered one of the greatest concertos of all time, the violin concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn. Jackson has toured all over the world and has been described as a truly sensitive musician, a player of great intensity, impassioned playing and utterly compelling. Legendary violinist Ida Haendel described him as one of the most exceptionally gifted violinists she has ever encountered.

To conclude the concert, the GSO will perform Beethoven’s seventh symphony composed between 1811 and 1812 while he was improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice. At the symphony premier, Beethoven was noted as remarking that it was one of his best works so it is a concert not to be missed!

Kindly sponsored by Julius Baer

As cheeky as he is wonderfully brutal, Matt Reed is a welcome addition to any comedy night, entertaining the crowd while skilfully destroying any heckler that crosses his path. His affable style has won him fans across the country, playing with the crowd with a natural rapport found in few comics. Not for the faint-hearted, Matt dishes out all styles of material from the delightfully perverse to unique observations and audience interaction.
The Comedy Club takes place in the more intimate, pub-style setting of the Dorey Room and features support from local outfit Band Wagon and other local comedians. There is limited seating, so come
early to secure a seat

Doors/Bar 7.00PM | Show: 7.30PM

A special treat for all the family, featuring many of your favourite melodies that you love to hear again and again. Packed full of tunes from well-known Musicals and Films, this is a concert that is guaranteed to send you home singing and dancing (even in the rain). Featured in the concert are melodies from the great works for the stage and cinema, including: West Side Story, Chicago, A Star is Born, Mary Poppins
Returns, Jesus Christ Super Star, La La Land and much, much more.
A one hour programme with something to please all ages, so get tickets early!

Guest Conductor: Simon Over
Soloist: Martyn Jackson (violin)

‘Major over Minor’

Programme:
Felix Mendelssohn – Violin concerto in E minor, Op.64
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 7 in A major, Op.92

For the first concert of 2020, the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra are delighted to perform an exciting and vibrant programme under the guest baton of Simon Over. Simon is Music Director of Southbank Sinfonia, which he co-founded in 2002. This orchestra of young professional musicians has strong connections with Guernsey and many of its alumni have played with the GSO.
He is currently Director of Music at the Central Church of the RAF in London, having studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, Royal Academy of Music and Oxford University. For ten years he was a member of the music staff of Westminster Abbey and Director of Music in the Palace of Westminster and is the Founder-Conductor of the Parliament Choir. As a pianist and a conductor, Simon has toured all over the world and has performed with many internationally-acclaimed artists, including Sir Thomas Allen, Sir James Galway, Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Felicity Lott, Sir Willard White and Dame Edna Everage.
To begin this exiting programme, the GSO welcome British violinist Martyn Jackson to Guernsey to perform what is considered one of the greatest concertos of all time, the violin concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn. Jackson has toured all over the world and has been described as a truly sensitive musician, a player of great intensity, impassioned playing and utterly compelling. Legendary violinist Ida Haendel described him as one of the most exceptionally gifted violinists she has ever encountered.

To conclude the concert, the GSO will perform Beethoven’s seventh symphony composed between 1811 and 1812 while he was improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice. At the symphony premier, Beethoven was noted as remarking that it was one of his best works so it is a concert not to be missed!

Kindly sponsored by Julius Baer

A full afternoon and evening of sacred music competition, ranging from oratorio to gospel, all forming part of the music festival.
Programme details can be found on the website www.guernseyeisteddfod.com.
Tickets available on the door.

Award winning writer and comedian Mark Steel is best known for his critically acclaimed BBC Radio 4 show Mark Steel’s In Town. Now in it’s 8th series, In Town went onto to win the 2018 BBC Radio Awards Best Comedy Show. Mark also presented the BAFTA nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC Two, and is a regular on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You and The News Quiz. He has written several, acclaimed books and writes a weekly column for The Independent, for which he was awarded the prestigious Columnist of the Year in 2017.

After a career in health and social care, Angela Barnes took the plunge and embarked on her life-long dream to be a comedian. Within a couple of years she had won the 2011 BBC New Comedy Award and became a finalist at the 2011 Latitude Festival New Act of the Year competition. Since 2011 Angela and her witty worldview have been catapulted onto numerous radio and television shows, including appearances on BBC One’s Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo and BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz. In 2017 she took over the prestigious role as host of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack. She is now about to host her 4th and final series of the show. Angela had a series commissioned based on her debut Edinburgh show You Can’t Take It With You which saw her write and perform four 30 minute episodes for BBC Radio 4.

Doors/Bar 7.00PM | Show: 7.30PM

As cheeky as he is wonderfully brutal, Matt Reed is a welcome addition to any comedy night, entertaining the crowd while skilfully destroying any heckler that crosses his path. His affable style has won him fans across the country, playing with the crowd with a natural rapport found in few comics. Not for the faint-hearted, Matt dishes out all styles of material from the delightfully perverse to unique observations and audience interaction.
The Comedy Club takes place in the more intimate, pub-style setting of the Dorey Room and features support from local outfit Band Wagon and other local comedians. There is limited seating, so come
early to secure a seat

Doors/Bar 7.00PM | Show: 7.30PM

2020 sees the return of Sound at St James. Over 50 musicians will perform on three stages throughout St James, with food and drink available all day.
Headlined by the amazing The Electric Shakes and The Recks, the main stage will feature many of the louder local acts, whilst other stages will see the best acoustic acts, spoken word and even a Sparkly Disco.
Sound at St James is the annual fundraiser for Sound Guernsey, a local charity supporting young music fans and musicians. The money raised will allow Sound to continue to offer free access to regular live music nights, mentor sessions and grants to young local artists and bands.
Running from midday until midnight, entry is only £10 and you can come and go as you please.

Join the Vale Earth Fair Collective and their Cosmic Friends as they treat you to an inter-stellar night of entertainment.

With a three-course meal (vegetarian of course) from the far out James Ferguson of Cooked, entertainment from light-years away (well, France) with Tranzat and MC etraordinaire Grant Sharkey teleporting in, we promise this will be nothing like any of the Space Balls you’ve come across before.

Futuristic space theme fancy dress welcome!

B-Boys and B-Ladies, prepare yourselves for the legendary Freestylers and Scratch Perverts bringing breakbeats, big beats and more to St James.

Freestylers who are known for their huge hits B-Boy stance, Ruffneck and Push up, shot to fame with their debut album ‘We Rock Hard’, and went on from there playing all the biggest music festivals and night clubs around the world.

Scratch Perverts have achieved true pioneer status with their influence being felt around the world. Being born out of Soho record shops in the mid 90s, the team went on to win solo and team DMC world titles, and supporting the likes of Beastie Boys and The Sex Pistols.

This is a night not to miss!

Support from the mighty DJ Four Q and DJ Dubblz who will warming you up for the main event.

Four brawling lovers, caught in a dispute of magical proportions; a crew of keen mechanicals, determined to give it their all; and one roguish sprite, hell-bent on causing as much havoc as possible… What could possibly go wrong?
Exploding with dramatic poetry, mischief and merriment, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Shakespeare’s amazingly inventive play, whose serious and dark undercurrent cuts starkly through the hilarity making its dreamlike surface deeply rich and all the more memorable.

A firm favourite among Shakespeare’s comedies, and including some of his best loved characters, As You Like It runs the glorious gamut of pastoral romance: cross-dressing and love-notes; poetry and brilliant conversation; gentle satire, slapstick and passion. A series of hilarious mistaken identities and mishaps in the Forest of Arden ultimately sees new friendships formed, and families and lovers reunited.

Inspired by reports of the first English colonies in the West Indies and imbued with a spirit of magic and the supernatural, The Tempest is Shakespeare’s late great masterpiece of forgiveness, generosity and enlightenment set on a remote and mysterious desert island, but with magic enchantments and treachery at every turn, will anyone ever make it off?

What’s it like to go to the theatre and not know what you’re going to see? Take part in Shakespeare’s Globe’s democratic theatrical experiment to find out! It will be up to you to vote for which of these three plays you want to see. The rules are simple: the loudest cheer wins, and the action starts straight away. Actors call it ‘terrifying’, audiences say it’s ‘exhilarating.’ So scream and shout as loud as you can for the play you want to see. This is an experience that you do not want to miss.

Storming Utopia – More, Montaigne and Shakespeare in the Age of Brexit

The Brexit process has been accompanied by thoughts of what the best future for Britain would look like. This is just a recent case of how thoughts about Utopia, and its darker twin Dystopia, impact our lives. In this lecture, Prof. Wes Williams will explore creative responses to ancient and modern tensions between identities, ideals and islands, focusing on the history and continued relevance of the idea of Utopia. Thomas More’s fantasy of an ideal island community, first published in 1516, has served as a blueprint for writers, philosophers, explorers, town planners and politicians from Venice to Venezuela. Professor Williams is professor of French literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow in Modern Languages at St Edmond Hall. He is currently the Knowledge Exchange Champion at The Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities (“TORCH”).

DonkeyCon, the Channel Islands’ largest gaming festival organised by the Guernsey E-Sports Association (GESA) in partnership with St James and Just Games returns to St James for its 3rd edition, and it’s going to be the biggest one yet.

Featuring 12 hours of gaming, tournament battles and for those who are less competitive, plenty of games to pick up and play with. There will also be the opportunity to try the latest releases as well as lots of retro classics. The backroom will once again offer the chance to play games including Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon TCG and tabletop games large and small.
As the evening draws in, and following the Cosplay contest, things get serious as we switch to DonkeyCon Dark and the gamers aged 16+ take centre stage.

DonkeyCon is a great day out for gamers of all ages and experience levels where everyone will find something they love.

Storming Utopia – More, Montaigne and Shakespeare in the Age of Brexit

The Brexit process has been accompanied by thoughts of what the best future for Britain would look like. This is just a recent case of how thoughts about Utopia, and its darker twin Dystopia, impact our lives. In this lecture, Prof. Wes Williams will explore creative responses to ancient and modern tensions between identities, ideals and islands, focusing on the history and continued relevance of the idea of Utopia. Thomas More’s fantasy of an ideal island community, first published in 1516, has served as a blueprint for writers, philosophers, explorers, town planners and politicians from Venice to Venezuela. Professor Williams is professor of French literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow in Modern Languages at St Edmond Hall. He is currently the Knowledge Exchange Champion at The Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities (“TORCH”).

Join the Vale Earth Fair Collective and their Cosmic Friends as they treat you to an inter-stellar night of entertainment.

With a three-course meal (vegetarian of course) from the far out James Ferguson of Cooked, entertainment from light-years away (well, France) with Tranzat and MC etraordinaire Grant Sharkey teleporting in, we promise this will be nothing like any of the Space Balls you’ve come across before.

Futuristic space theme fancy dress welcome!