Brunswick Methodist Church

Cobweb Orchestra
Conductor: Mark Edwards

Soprano: Hannah Fumoleau

Cello: Gabriel Waite

For the first time, the festival will present a special spring event in collaboration with Cobweb Orchestra. This concert will offer both a reflection on the festival that has just taken place and a preview of what’s to come in 2027. The Five Lullabies for Ilse have been specially composed for this concert, based on selected poems written by pupils from Gosforth East Middle School. The poems were inspired by a workshop the Brundibár Arts Festival brought to the school in 2026, exploring the story of Ilse Weber, a Czech Jewish poet who perished in Auschwitz.

We are especially grateful to composer Lee Bradshaw—whose commissioned work we premiered this February—for setting these poems to music.