Ashburton Arts Centre will host a unique

performance from the Haldon String Quartet tomorrow (Friday, July 24) at 6pm.

A small amount of special

guests will be invited to this socially-distanced ‘Masked Ball’

A spokesperson said: ‘

We want to normalise the wearing of masks on the day that it becomes law

to wear them in shops while celebrating our wonderful town and its vibrant

arts scene.

Andy Williamson, arts director at Ashburton Arts Centre, says: ‘

After around 300 events in the past two years, the last performance with a

live audience happened at Ashburton Arts Centre on March 15.

‘Since

then it’s been hosting Magic shows and Art classes on Zoom, and did the first

live-streamed gig from the Arts Centre on June 5, then another featuring six

local poets on July 10.

‘The next is Haldon String Quartet on Friday.

On Thursday, July 30, the Arts Centre is putting it’s first outdoor show to a

live audience in a local field, featuring musicians from Bristol, and Mohamed

Errebbaa from Morocco making his first live appearance in the UK with singer

Chloë Rose Laing.

The Arts Centre is looking at ways that it can involve the local community in

music, words and drama projects over the summer and into 2021.

This time last year, Ashburton Arts Centre was hosting the first Ashburton

International Chamber Music Festival (see pictures), and this week would

have been the second. We hope to bring back our amazing array of

musicians in July 2021.