Last rehearsal of the season!

An early start to our autumn learning programme, following a really good concert on Saturday night. Not one of our bigger audiences, but our guests (Papcastle group players) were wonderful and played superbly. Full justice to a (difficult!!) Phil Wood composition that was premièred at the Wigmore Hall over ten years ago. Tonight we began a fresh Douglas Cook composition, a setting of Keats' 'He wishes for the cloths of Heaven'; a lovely Christmas seasonal piece by Malcolm Edward, 'Sing until sundown', and two Christmas spirituals. Val then treated us to a summer celebration Pimms (whilst the committee hammered out the boring financial details of paying for increasingly expensive music, and the new committee for the coming year; Chair, Val Leach; Vice chair, Lindy Wilson; Secretary, Liz Jackson; new members, Sue Hellier and Janet Mansfield. Still one committee member short, but Sue Cumella has promised to think about it. Val presented us with a list of music that she thought would suit our group, and members were able to vote on their preferred options. Numbers will now be collated and final decisions made during the autumn. Final events before the summer hols begin are the Marvejols planning meeting on Monday, and our end-of-season party at Sheila and Bob Harwood's in Crosby on Wednesday next.

Rehearsal 4th July

Last rehearsal before Saturday night's concert. Worked on the accompanied numbers, as we have only recently sung all the unaccompanied programme so that's much more secure!! The dire weather this summer has led to a number of members escaping ANYWHERE where there is a chance of sun for a few days... oddly, this seemed to inspire those of us there tonight to superhuman efforts and Val was very pleased with most of our work... Guests at the concert will be from the Derwent Wind Group, who will be playing a work by Philip Wood - reason enough to go to a concert anywhere, in my book! One more post concert rehearsal to come next week, followed a week later by our summer party, and then it's feet up for the summer. Possibly in a deck chair...