songs from the heart
5 December
The first of my seasonal commitments in the first week of December, with some lovely songs and carols from my adopted county.
Tickets (£10) on the door or from 07843 273483 or 07798 641427
9 December
Looking for a brief escape from all the hectic Christmas preps?
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TakeNOTE's concert, Christmas in Winchester, is a stone’s throw from the mayhem of the High Street and the Christmas Market. We are at the church of St Lawrence in the Square for one night only with a programme of seasonal songs and carols. We were there last Christmas, and the concert was a sell-out. So do book your tickets early.
15 December
Maypoles to Mistletoe tracks the year through folk song, narration, Morris dance, music and tradition. The format begins with Spring and Summer for the first half and then Autumn and Winter ending the show. This was first performed back in 1972 and some of the original cast are still with us.
High Five
October 2024
High Five is my winning entry in this year's Funky Tunes competition organised by the Northumbrian Pipers Society. It's played here by Paul Tabbush and Jon Shurlock.
August 2024
Thanks to all of you who ventured out for a wonderful evening at St Paul’s Winchester for our Sea and Seasons concert on 5 July. We were able to make a donation of £900 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution due to a generous retiring collection and share of tickets sales. Lloyds Bank chipped in another £500 because one of our singers works for them and they support their staff who fundraise for charity.
We felt at home in this fine Victorian parish church. It retains the original detailed stonework from the 1870s in the Decorated Gothic style by the Winchester architect John Colson. The East Window, its stained glass added in 1948, is beautifully lit by the late evening July light. The raised stone dais, built in 2000, juts into the nave and created an ideal platform for our concert. And partially uncovered and restored on the south chancel wall, a glimpse of the plasterwork design (sgraffito) from 1904 by Heywood Sumner, artist, craftsman, antiquarian and folksong collector.
My next concert with TakeNOTE is at St Lawrence in The Square for our Winchester Christmas concert on Monday 9 December.
Top TakeNOTE beneath the beautiful east window
Middle Left the trio Middle Right Tops and Tunes
Bottom Left John Wesley from the RNLI
Bottom Right Heywood Sumner’s sgraffito
Some great ideas come when you’re in the pub. Take Sir William Hillary for example. He founded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in a London tavern on 4th March 1824. Over the two centuries since that night, the RNLI’s volunteer crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives. That’s an average of two lives every day for 200 years.
Alton Community Choir raises funds for 3 or 4 charities throughout the year. The RNLI was on the list this year when the charity marks its 200th anniversary. To celebrate, the choir presented a programme of sea songs to a large audience in the Alton Methodist Church.
The choir starts rehearsals again on 12 September. Anyone in striking distance of our rehearsal room in Alton Methodist Church is very welcome to come along. Find out more at https://altoncommunitychoir.org.uk/
Back at the helm
June 2024
My last post here was about a rather traumatic health incident in February. I had a stroke and the initial prognosis was poor, with family summoned to my hospital bedside in the early hours to say farewell
I count my survival and recovery a modern-day miracle. I've had to cut-down on my workload, which meant stepping down from my beloved community choirs in Petersfield and Winchester.
I continue as Music Director of Alton Community Choir, near to home. And I'm chaufeured to rehearsals of TakeNOTE Chamber Choir in Winchester by lovely friends who make the journey easy.
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I would love to see you at our concerts in Alton and Winchester this July. They both have the salty flavour of the sea and celebrate the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's 200th anniversary.
