Ten of the best things to do in Bedford for the rest of the month

1 MUSIC

Mill Race Folk, Moot Hall, Elstow, January 19

Mill Race Folk begins its 2019 season with singer and melodeon player Cohen Braithewaite-Kilcoyne. Cohen has been a musician since the age of six and took to squeezeboxes in his teens. He has since developed into a fine player of both the melodeon and anglo concertina. Cohen is also a well-regarded singer and in 2014 won Bromyard Folk Festival’s Future of Young Folk Award for singing. Expect to hear traditional ballads, historical songs, industrial songs, sea songs and shanties all firmly rooted in the English tradition, with a fair amount of material linked to the West Midlands, where Cohen has lived for much of his life. The show takes place in the stunning 15th century timber framed market hall.

Details: facebook.com/millracefolk

2 MUSIC AND POETRY

Blue Monday, Quarry Theatre, Bedford, January 21

Enjoy some original poetry and songs to brighten the winter night. The evening is presented by members of the Bedford Poetry Company - Dick Hancock, Neil Beardmore, Simon Wrigley, Ian McEwen, Steve Kendal, Maureen Hanrahan, Hilda Morley and Frances Pile with guest singers Allyson Cable and Sheniah Asiyamah.

Details: email [email protected]

3 MUSIC

Matilda Lloyd and Richard Gowers, Bunyan Meeting, Mill Street, Bedford, January 17

Bedford Music Club welcomes trumpeter Matilda Lloyd and organist Richard Gowers. Matilda is making a reputation as one of the outstanding trumpeters of her generation. She has appeared as a soloist at the BBC Proms and with the BBC Concert Orchestra and London Mozart Players. This concert draws together three centuries of writing for the trumpet.

Details: bedfordmusicclub.co.uk

4 PANTOMIME

Pied Piper, Church Hall, Church Road, Pulloxhill, January 19, 25 and 26

See local talent in a new light as the Pulloxhill Players take to the stage.

Details: Call 07846 147408

5 THEATRE

The Nightingale of South Bank, The Place, Bedford, January 19

The Nightingale of South Bank brings to life English soprano Florence Easton, who surged to fame a century ago as the first soprano to sing O Mio Babbino Caro. Helena Leonard sings many of Florence’s famous arias and tells the fascinating story of her varied career.

Details: theplacebedford.org.uk

6 MUSIC

Philharmonia Orchestra: Sibelius & Ravel, Corn Exchange, Bedford, January 22

Alice Sara Ott returns to perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, woven through with the sounds of jazz. Sibelius’ Valse triste, a darkly beautiful subversion of the dance, paves the way for his First Symphony.

Details: bedford cornexchange.co.uk

7 THEATRE

The Girl on the Train, Milton Keynes Theatre, January 23 to 26

Adapted from Paula Hawkins’ novel of the same name - an international phenomenon selling more than 20 million copies worldwide - and starring Samantha Womack and Oliver Farnworth, this gripping new play will keep audiences guessing until the final moment.

Details: atgtickets.com

8 MUSIC

The Best of Wham!, Bedford Corn Exchange, January 18

This fun-loving, vibrant, megamix tribute to the

pop sensation of the ‘80s includes all those hits, a few B-side favourites and a couple of early George Michael songs.

Details: bedfordcornexchange.co.uk

9 BALLET

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Milton Keynes Theatre, January 29 to February 2

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake returns with a fresh look for the 21st century. Thrilling, audacious, witty and emotive, this Swan Lake captivated the world of ballet and is perhaps still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention when it was first performed and took the dance world by storm.

Details: atgtickets.com/MiltonKeynes

10 MUSIC

The Alan Haughton Quartet, Bedford Golf Club, Great Denham, January 31

Celebrate 120 years of piano jazz with the Alan Haughton Quartet.

Details: call 01234 320022