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Orchestras, Choirs, et al
Violin
I'm a second violin. I know my place. I sit on the second desk of the second violin section of the Stafford Sinfonia, a medium sized chamber orchestra putting on four or five concerts a year
You can visit us on staffordsinfonia.org.uk
If you follow the picture link, I am the bearded one near the conductor in the group photo.
Details of our current concert programme are also there.
Recorder
Recorder playing began in University, many years ago, and not, fortunately, in school. It was one way of staying sane, but quite hectic at the time, which was near the beginning of the serious expansion of interest in Early Music
Now it is a retirement activity.
The local branch of the Society
of Recorder Players meets on the second Saturday of each month in
Penkridge. I am the secretary. Follow the link for more details.
This photo shows (part of) the Abbey Consort, centred around the
Tutbury, Burton, Lichfield axis. I was invited to join them for
an afternooon session In Tutbury parish church during the Open Garden
weekend on 27th June 2009.
The Old Hill Consort (Roy Wightman, Kerry Milan, Wendy Waldock and me) put on occasional recitals, mainly trio sonatas but usually joined by a singer or two to provide a varied programme. The picture of the Old Hill Consort with mezzo soprano Sue Brereton was taken at the concert in Ingestre, on 29th August 2008, presented as part of the first Ingestre Festival.
 The Old Hill Consort with Sue Brereton |
Sample Old Hill Consort programme
Our local group Ad Hoc can probably be activated on request. Personnel variable, but normally singer, recorder(s) and keyboard.
More recently, I have been getting
together with a keyboard player to explore the modern repertoire for
recorder and piano. The current schedule includes P.Glanville-Hicks
Sonatina, Gregson's evocative "Three Matisse Impressions", and several
shorter items like Bartok's "Aus Gyergyo", Hindemith's delightful
"Echo" and Rubbra's powerful "Passacaglia sopra coeurs desolee". Look
for these in a coffee or lunch concert in St. Mary's, Stafford.
Choir
Chetwynd is a small Chamber Choir centred
on the tiny hamlet of Ingestre, which possesses a fine church designed
by Wren. I am one of the basses. You missed the March 8th concert, in
the church, with Bach's "Jesu meine Freude" as the central item, the
Midsummer Concert on June 21st 2008, and the Christmas music in
December. The next major concert was
on
Tuesday 19th May 2009 in Ingestre, as part of the 2009 Stafford Music Festival.
Current plans are for concerts in December
2009, with strings; in March 2010 with Cornetts and Sackbuts; and a
concert of lighter music for the 2010 Stafford Music Festival in May.
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| Ingestre
- Church of St.Mary the Virgin |
Screen
and Pulpit by Grinling Gibbons |
Festivals
The Stafford Music Festival has now been going for a number of years and I found myself on the committee after volunteering the Old Hill Consort as an item in the first festival.
After opening my mouth three years ago, I found myself appointed webmaster.....