This year Berta is a guest and concert artist at the West Dean Guitar Summer School near Chichester from 17 – 22 Aug 2024. Additionally, Berta will be giving a concert there on Mon 19 Aug at 8pm. If you wish to see the concert then tickets are available at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/westdeansussexevents/1173765.

Unfortunately, we are unable to hold a BCGS concert with Berta this year. However, we are taking advantage of the fact that Berta is in the UK to hold a workshop and masterclasses with members from the BCGS and WAGO on Sunday 25 Aug 2024.

The visit of Berta to BCGS/WAGO will take place at the Hewish & Puxton Village Hall (near Weston-super-Mare and the home of WAGO) on Sunday 25 Aug 2024 from 10am to 4pm. There is easy car access and free parking available at the village hall. Free Wifi is also available.

The timetable for the day is as follows:

• 10:00 WAGO Workshop
• 11:15 coffee break
• 11:45 WAGO workshop
• 13:00 Lunch (an opportunity to chat to Berta) – a full lunch is only available to WAGO members – drinks and snacks to others will be available.
• 14:00 BCGS/WAGO Masterclasses (includes a short coffee break)
• 16:00 Close (the hall is available until 5pm if we get more masterclass
  candidates)

BCGS members are invited to attend as a spectator for some or all of the day (including the WAGO workshop), and/or to take part in a Masterclass with Berta. You do not have to consider yourself as a master guitarists to have a masterclass, or have learnt a really challenging piece of music, but you should have something reasonably well prepared whatever the difficulty of the music. Better to think of the masterclass as a short public lesson with a great concert guitarist, than some master performance by yourself.

We also welcome members of the general public as spectators (£10).

There will be a small cost to those who attend, dependent on what part an individual intends to undertake during the day:

• To attend all, or some of the day as a spectator, is £10 (includes coffee, tea, snacks etc). This is open to BCGS members, their guests, and the general public.
• To play in a 20 min masterclass with Berta £30. If you pay for a masterclass then you will not be charged the £10 to spectate for any other parts of the day. Masterclass slots are only available for WAGO and BCGS members.
• You may bring guests with you who are not BCGS members, but they too will need to pay £10 to observe.

If you’d like to attend, either as an audience member or take part in the masterclass, please let
Vince know as soon as possible. He needs to plan the timetable, manage costs, and supply refreshments!