May 2011
The season started very well in October with the Dante String Quartet, now one of the best string quartets in the world. Madeleine Mitchell played some unfamiliar music in November, but enthusiastically received. Hannah Marcinowicz played saxophone for us in December accompanied by pianist John Reid. Hannah having studied in Paris, it was no surprise that French music was featured. One or two members wondered about this concert, but in the event it was a great success, enjoyed by everybody.
February’s concert was a chance to hear one of the Royal Northern College of Music’s “flagship” groups, the Northern Brass Quintet. This was rather different music than our usual, but again greatly enjoyed.
In March, we heard the Calvert-Turner Duo playing a programme from Bach to Ravi Shankar by way of Bartok and Astor Piazzolla. Highly esteemed musicians – and this was an excellent concert.
The last concert of the 59th season was on 6th April. Clélia Iruzun is a pianist admired for her interpretation of the standard repertoire, but is also an acknowledged expert on piano music from her native Brazil and beyond. The first half of her programme was Chopin. She then turned to Spanish and Latin American music where her technique was as breathtaking as were her Chopin interpretations.
Coming up to date, our Summer Concert and AGM is on the 8th June. We welcome the Absolution Saxophone Quartet. In 2010 they won the RNCM award for the top group in their class and were finalists in the Overall Chamber Music Award. Superb musicians with a programme which includes works by Glazunov, Piazzolla and Gershwin.
Madeleine Mitchell commented that our website was highly professional, beautifully designed and with impressively detailed information on our concerts, while retaining a friendly music club feel. She particularly liked the ease of booking tickets and our logo of the castle designed by Betty Foster. We are starting to sell tickets and receive subscriptions through this site. If you make a search, Clitheroe Concerts Society usually appears near the top, just after the artist’s own website. We have links to all of the local music societies and they reciprocate. This is all due to Chairman Tony Cooper’s immense work. The Clitheroe Advertiser also continues to support us with publishing in full our reports and photographs, as well as previews of the concerts. Barbara Milne-Redhead is now designing and distributing the posters. The Secretary attended two “Roadshows” on behalf of the Society, at Gisburn and Whalley. The halls were good, a looped set of photographs illustrating our concerts worked very well when projected to about 5ft wide; an actual recording made at one of our concerts provided the music, and plenty of trifolds and other literature was available. The bad news was that in the entire day from 10am to 4pm only one person came in at Gisburn and they had a talk with the first stand and then went. There was however double the number at Whalley! But they did not look at our stand either. Not an effective way to communicate!
The committee is working very hard to broaden our audience and to bring to Clitheroe a wide range of good music played by top musicians, but we do urgently need some help. Existing committee member John Bradley has agreed to accept the post of Vice-Chairman replacing Jean Hudson who so tragically passed away in the autumn of last year. Even more urgent is the quest for a new Treasurer to replace Margaret and Alan Brookman, who have worked tirelessly for the Society for a number of years and deserve now to relax and enjoy their concerts. Having a computer is a great advantage as all receipts and payments can be simply entered into a programme, which will be provided. This minimises the work as financial reports are printed at the touch of a button. All possible help and support will be given. Ordinary members of the committee are also needed for their advice and input. It is enormously satisfying to be involved with our concerts, but we cannot do it all. Please give one of us a ring!
The response to our appeal for accommodation was magnificent and we thank Susan and Howard Brindle for their generous provision of teas and overnight accommodation whenever possible at York House.
Finally, we are getting the Society’s basic documentation established. Job Descriptions for the Officers and Committee have been written as well as some of the task/timing lists, essential for people filling in or taking over a job. We also need an emergency procedures document and general H & S guidance with a coordinator. Could you help? Hopefully you will never be called upon!
Our 60th Season programme is all but complete, but apologies for delay of six weeks in its preparation, due to illness. We start in October with the brilliant young Piatti String Quartet playing Haydn, Bartok and Smetana and will have the Erato Piano trio in November and the Gallimaufry Quintet in December. The New Year starts for us in February with the superb Eblana String Trio playing with oboist David Curington, all post-graduates at the RNCM. In March we hear the Duo Teresa Carreno, teachers and performers with “El Sistema” in Venezuela. The usual season concludes in April with Martin Roscoe playing Beethoven Piano Sonatas. However, the El Sistema connection will be continued by pianist Anthony Hewitt in May with a charity concert in Clitheroe in aid of several charities including “Sistema Scotland”, who are trying to reproduce the stunningly successful original programme by taking deprived and wayward children and teaching them to play music. Anthony is cycling from Lands End to John o’ Groats, playing a concert at every stop. This will be national news.
But first enjoy the summer concert!
Best regards
Ken Geddes
Hon.Secretary and Concert Organiser