Making Music Scotland Newsletter by Making Music

SCOTLAND NEWSLETTER Volume 27 Issue 2 May 2013

Farewell to Richard

IN THIS ISSUE Page 2

Double Whammy for Youth Orchestra

Glasgow Chamber Choir’s 20th Anniversary

A Revolution in Fife?!

Garleton Singers and a Silver Lining; New Members

Singing in the Sleet; A Visit to Würzburg

St Monans Community Choir Visits Serbia; Weaving Musical Threads

A Choired Taste Celebrates; Welcome Caroline!

Scottish Première of Requiem for an Angel; Songs from across the Pond

Youth Orchestra Project In Kirkcaldy; Making Music National Autumn Conference

The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra In China

A ’Come & Sing’; Contact Information

Richard and Recent MMS Officers To mark the retirement of Richard Shaw we had, on 6 April in Glasgow, a most pleasant social gathering of people who had been involved with Making Music Scotland during the time Richard had spent initially as Training and Development Officer and latterly as Scotland Manager. The gathering was smaller than we had hoped because of the timing – Easter holiday is a busy time for many people but to compensate for this we had asked people to send memories and good wishes for Richard from which a memory book was compiled for him – most of the comments were printable! We were delighted that Robin Osterley, MM Chief Executive, was able to come and make his mark on the event – just don’t ask him about his journey … ! Photographs of various MM events over the years, in which Richard featured, were on display and invited many comments as well as bringing back memories. Richard and his wife Sheila had ample opportunity to talk to friends old and less old – in terms of time, I hasten to add! Many people had contributed generously towards his presentation, showing how much Richard’s huge contribution to Making Music had been appreciated. He was delighted to receive a quite substantial number of US dollars with strict instructions to spend them on something he wouldn’t otherwise have bought while he and Sheila holidayed in the States in May. We will miss Richard, but are hoping that we may be able to persuade him to become involved with Making Music Scotland activities in a different way in the future. All in Making Music Scotland wish Richard a long and happy retirement! Hilary Stokes

SUPPORTING & CHAMPIONING VOLUNTARY MUSIC 1

Double Whammy for Youth Orchestra! Mango, the Youth Orchestral section of the Lanarkshire Guitar and Mandolin Association (LGMA) took part this year, for the first time, in the Edinburgh Competition Festival. The Festival runs over eleven days with 103 individual classes of competition. Mango was entered in the guitar ensembles competition (which allows additional instruments, in this case mandolins). They performed three pieces of music and were absolutely delighted to be awarded 1st place in their class. Barbara Pommerenke-Steel, the orchestra’s conductor, said it was one of the best performances they had ever given – a nice time to pull that out of the hat!

Mango Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra !"#-&.//'#0/''+'

The judges must have been impressed because no sooner had Mango been declared winners when Barbara was approached by one of the festival officials to ask if Mango would be prepared to be the ‘opening’ performers at the Festival’s show case concert to be held in the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. So just five days after having entered the competition for the first time, these talented young people found themselves well in the public eye at the prestigious Queen’s Hall where they gave another excellent performance. Just one week later a quartet from Mango, with the unusual name of ‘Fish Custard’, took part, also for the first time, in the Glasgow Music Festival which is a huge event involving around 7,000 young performers who take part in a variety of competitions and performances in music, speech, drama and dance over a two week period in six city venues.

Fish Custard Quartet !"#$%&'(&#)*+, left to right - Kate Spalding, Craig Moran, Eilidh Sword, and Aidan Scott

The LGMA was formed 15 years ago by my wife and myself and has steadily grown into one of the largest providers of musical activity in Scotland and certainly the largest mandolin and guitar organisation in the UK. Over the years at least 8,000 primary school children have benefited from mandolin workshops and at times there have been 250 people taking part in the two orchestras and 21 classes that take place each week. Da Capo Alba, the Association’s adult orchestra, is considered to be the top mandolin and guitar orchestra in the UK and they have won a host of first places in competitions. They have performed in Germany, Denmark and Ireland as well as in many parts of the UK.

Fish Custard was entered in the competition for fretted instrument ensembles and in a very close competition they edged ahead to also be awarded 1st place. And just to top an incredible couple of weeks Craig Moran and Kate Spalding, both members of Mango and Fish Custard, took 1st (Craig) and 2nd (Kate) places in the fretted instrument solo competition with impressive mandolin performances.

They will return to Denmark this year to perform in East Kilbride’s twin town at the Ballerup Music festival. The orchestra is currently recording their second CD and if you would like a ‘taste of things to come’ you can hear the orchestra during Glasgow’s West End Festival when they perform in St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday 22 June. We are grateful for the support of South Lanarkshire Council and East Kilbride Arts Centre over the years. Ian Pommerenke-Steel www.mandolinscotland.org LGMA Administrator

CONGRATULATIONS ALL ROUND!

Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

GCC at St John's Episcopal Cathedral, Oban, March 2013

Last season, after explorations of Germanic music and our earlier 'French Connections' theme, the group concentrated on repertoire from Great Britain, Spain and South America through the ages. We ended the season with a ‘White Nights’ programme featuring music from eight Baltic nations, which we took to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Gothenburg, in a collaboration with Sweden’s Orgryte Kyrkokor chamber choir.

Founded in 1994, Glasgow Chamber Choir (GCC) will next season be celebrating 20 years of singing, with an exciting series of events. A commemorative Reunion concert, to include as many past members as possible, is planned for 17 November 2013. This will be under the inspired baton of Michael Bawtree, who has directed the Choir for the last seven years and taken it from strength to strength. Next spring we look forward to a repeat exchange with our Dutch friends of St Joris Choir of Amersfoort with performances in the Netherlands and Scotland. We are investigating a special choral commission and a possible second CD recording. Early in November the ladies of the choir are performing in Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antarctica with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Look out for us on the Tall Ship, and in next year’s West End Festival in June.

Performances in the current season have included the Scottish première of British contemporary composer Judith Bingham’s deeply moving Christmas Truce, and an exploration of the magnificent work of the wider Bach family. We close the season with an ‘Americana’ programme on 8 June in Glasgow's West End Festival and in Edinburgh on 9 June, with captivating works by Whitacre, Lauridsen, Barber and Shearing.

Glasgow Chamber Choir currently has a membership of around 30 and has performed a wide range of choral pieces in its time, from chant to contemporary music, including the Scottish premières of works by a number of composers. Alongside our a cappella work, we have enjoyed excellent instrumental support for some of our programmes and are thrilled also to have Karen Cargill as our patron. As well as having performed regularly in Glasgow and throughout central Scotland, we have toured to France, Holland and Sweden. The group has had several performances on BBC Radio, including recently with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for a live performance of Cornelius Cardew’s The Great Learning. This year will also mark our third appearance in Raymond Gubbay’s Christmas Festival.

Helen Cais, Glasgow Chamber Choir’s Administrator, and a stalwart in the Alto section, commented “The choir enjoys its work and performance immensely, and is delighted to be so strong and full of vigour in its 20th year. We are greatly looking forward to our anniversary celebrations and to be rejoined by friends old and new.” Helen Cais, GCC Administrator Jenny Booth, GCC Secretary www.glasgowchamberchoir.org.uk

CONGRATULATIONS! 3

A Revolution in Fife…? part. The success of the event was overwhelming. 2013 has brought a bit of a Equally successful was the choral evening with ten revolution to the Festival movement local community groups offering a wide range of in Fife – and first impressions are of choral music to a packed hall. Another change was the successful improvements. replacement of the Concerto Class by a Young Musician For many years Fife Festival of Music (FFoM) was competition which featured the winners of each open affiliated to the British Federation but broke away from instrumental class. This took place alongside the Young that a couple of years ago. Membership of Making Music Singers’ Recital Class. now brings awareness of a wider range of musical In May, with a reduction of some younger competitive activity across the country. In return, this article seeks to classes in January/February, there will be an alert others to developments on the Fife front. opportunity for positive and coWhile over the 30 plus years the operative music making for players Festival has always tried to adapt its of grades 2 – 5 standard through a course of direction as required and series of workshops. At the time of has attempted to remain relevant to writing, plans are progressing well its clients as well as true to its with around 250 young musicians constitutional aims with improvements due to take part in four workshops – and adjustments having been made, strings, brass, wind and percussion there’s nothing like a shake-up from led by national figures. time to time – and Fife Festival of The plan for November 2013 is for Music has gone to town! a series of projects or further FFoM is undergoing a radical rethink, Oboist Caitlin Sinclair from Craigrothie, workshops across a range of genres. revamp and reshaping of its activities first winner of the new Young Musician Class, One certainty is the continuing use with proposed changes spread over receiving the Glen More Trophy from of the Barbara McManus Memorial up to three years. This has been adjudicator John Leitch. Fund to promote piano work. precipitated by the falling numbers of entrants, the lessening of available finances from all In addition, the Festival is looking at ways of sources and a realisation that the needs of participants improving its communications in particular by are changing. making better use of modern technology. The website has been upgraded and FFoM is now on facebook. This year major consideration has been given to the www.ffom.org.uk/ effectiveness, to costs, to musical impact and to recognising changes in school and community music Some key points of the current developments are: making. Schools in Fife are encouraged to use the • Retain Fife Festival of Music as a major event and Festival platforms for their expressions of work through factor in the lives of Fife’s music makers the Curriculum for Excellence and it is essential that the • Continue to offer a platform for music making wider community is embraced more in an area where • Rekindle excitement for participants music making is strong. • Re-inspire local musicians to participate The Festival offers to musicians of all ages, stages, • Encourage creativity standards and disciplines a platform on which to • Retain everything good about FFoM but seek to perform. The experience of all performers should be continually improve positive with all participants in the Festival given an • Increase musical interaction, inter-discipline opportunity to hear others perform, to hear other styles awareness and integration through streamlining of of music and so develop as musicians through these classes and events wider experiences. • Encourage cross-fertilisation of music making and Traditionally, local music festivals take place once a year involvement in the music community. and thus it also has been for FFoM, but now the All of the work to relaunch the Fife Festival of Music has Festival’s presence is to be extended in a calendar year been supported by a forward-looking Committee. with events held three times in January/February and External volunteer consultants have assisted greatly and also May and November. their input is warmly acknowledged. There will be consolidation in and a reduction of some Financing the work of the Festival continues to be a competitive classes allowing, inter alia, larger events, major challenge. Efforts are in hand to find additional itself an educationally sound principle. Changes may sources of funding. For 2013, Fife Festival of Music has a take up to three years to be implemented but a start is major sponsor in the Mary Leishman Foundation and is underway. very grateful for that support. There were two new consolidated Community music Fife Festival of Music has been an important part of making classes in January/February this year. The music making for 32 years and we intend it to continue instrumental evening brought 13 different groups to to help celebrate the joy of music in the years to come. the platform, with ukuleles to traditional groups, Graeme Wilson orchestras, windband and saxophone quartet taking FFOM Chairman

CHORISTERS PROVE THAT EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING In the elegant surroundings of the Town House, nine choristers from the Garleton Singers were miraculously transformed into eight stunning models and a presenter by the skill and wizardry of Linda Mitchell, owner of The Silver Lining Dress Agency in Haddington, and her team of beauticians, hairdresser and dressers.

handbags and hand massage entranced the early arrivals. And behind the scenes eight terrified models each wondered how they would manage four changes of outfit for four fashion themes which included Singing in the Rain, A Day at the Races, Ladies Who Lunch, and Weddings without ripping tights, bursting zips, falling over umbrellas or passing out in sheer fright. Fortified by a glass of bubbly we peered out at a packed hall and what looked like the longest catwalk imaginable. Looking at the serried ranks of the audience thoughts of The Charge of the Light Brigade came to mind. One deep breath and we were off on rather unsteady knees. Then the miracle happened – encouraging smiles and applause came from the audience, Linda's soothing voice-over, Sebastian’s magic touch with the catwalk music – and we realised we could do it! Gucci and Armani take note!

Anyone who had seen us at the rehearsal teetering down the catwalk, jeans-clad and work weary trying to mimic the flowing moves of a professional model, might have held out little hope for a successful fashion event. Our early attempts at alluring swirls with umbrellas looked more like the All Blacks in full Hakka, our handbag holds reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher in confrontational mode before a terrified American President. It would be unfair to mention how many hours of painstaking effort Linda put into finding just the right outfits for eight unlikely models and Kay Mann, the event organiser – suffice it to say that we managed to turn the normally tranquil dress shop Silver Lining into something resembling a Bedouin!camp for the best part of two weeks.

It was a fun evening for everyone, lots of people found out what a wonderful person Linda is, what lovely clothes she has in her shop and what a fantastic team the sopranos and altos from Garleton Singers are. Money raised from the event will ensure that Garleton Singers concerts continue to benefit from first rate soloists and orchestral players. Our grateful thanks go to all who contributed to this successful event, not least of all, our very own Treasurer, Kay!Mann. Moira Macfarlane Garleton Singers Member & ‘Fashion Model’

Wednesday 20 February 2013....the day of the Garleton Singers and Silver Lining Fashion Show arrived! Everything was in place – a huge tribute to Kay (Mann), Linda and a team of helpers. Tickets were sold, delicious petit fours and bubbly were making the rounds, beautifully laid out stalls offering jewellery,

www.garletonsingers.co.uk

WELCOME! to the following groups who have joined Making Music in recent months –

Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society Gorbals Youth Brass Band Fair City Singers Stranraer Folk Club Strathclyde University Big Band

SINGING IN THE SLEET FOR COMIC RELIEF When planning their Comic Relief ‘Choirathon’ Peebles community choir, InChorus, never imagined that doing something ‘funny for money’ would have included singing in the snow and sleet for hours, but that’s what happened.

ladies of the SWRI, before returning, newly invigorated, to the High Street. By mid-afternoon the sound system had given up (too many snow flakes), but InChorus, children, baby and dog kept going, singing a cappella, before finally deciding to continue in a warm, dry hall.

Fortunately, the miserable weather was neither reflected in the mood of the singers, who sang joyfully throughout the day, nor in the generosity of the public who donated freely into the collection buckets.

In the evening a delightfully informal and relaxed concert was held in the Old Parish Church to end the ‘Choirathon’. Choir member, Tony Bennett (who left his heart in Eddleston) sang a couple of songs. Music Director, Andrew Russel, led InChorus in singing a selection of pieces, old and new, and invited requests. One tiny girl asked for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, some very wee (and some not so wee) people danced to Gangnam Style, and young Angus Russel took over from Dad to conduct the choir. It was a lovely end to a wonderful day. Choir Manager, Mhairi Frain, said, “We have been stunned by the generosity of the people who donated money to us for Comic Relief. The final total raised is an astronomical £3,200. It is a sum which will help significantly in the charity’s work.” It also goes quite a way towards the choir’s 10K target for charity contributions in 2013. Lorna Turnbull www.inchorus.org.uk

The day started in local supermarkets where early shoppers were serenaded by red nosed, red clothed and red deelyboppered InChoristers, who then walked, singing along the way, to the High Street which became their home for some hours. There they continued to rattle collection buckets; there they sang all their favourite songs, punctuated by outbursts of the Comic Relief song, One Way or Another; there they were joined by some ‘happy’ rugby supporters who proved that they could hold a tune and led the choir in an impromptu rendition of Delilah; there members of the public were encouraged to take a turn at conducting the choir, and there they were joined by primary school children, the Priorsford Singers, who drew the biggest audience of the day and delighted passers-by. Early in the afternoon, to heat everyone up, the choir took a swift walk to the Drill Hall where they entertained the

The Linton Singers & the Scottish Gabrieli Ensemble Visit Würzburg The Linton Singers together with the Scottish Gabrieli Ensemble had a memorable weekend in Würzburg in April. Led by our Musical Director, Professor Murray Campbell, we gave two concerts. The first was in the beautiful St. Augustine’s church in Dettelbach, a lovely small, walled town near Würzburg, with half-timbered houses and a Gothic town hall dating from 1500. The church itself contained some significant works of art, including a modern triptych depicting the life of St. Augustine. Our programme consisted of works by Monteverdi, Gabrieli and Susato and a number of early Scottish songs and we received an enthusiastic response from the audience. Our hosts generously treated us to a party after the concert.

Many of us stayed with members of St. Stephan’s choir and our hosts were warmly welcoming and generous to us. Their English was far superior to our German! We had time to visit the wonderful Residence of the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg, with its imposing staircase and imperial hall decorated with splendid ceiling frescos by Tiepolo, and the Marienburg fortress which sits above vineyards overlooking the river Main. It boasts a fine view of the town and its surroundings and has an interesting museum. Courtesy of Lufthansa, who had a strike on the day we had planned to return, some of us were able to visit Rothenburg on the Tauber, a beautiful 16th century walled town unspoilt by later developments. In the St. Jakob church there is a wonderful, carved altarpiece by the famous 16th century artist Tilman Riemenschneider, which depicts The Last Supper. We saw another equally wonderful Riemenschneider altarpiece in the Chapel of our Lord in the small town of Creglingen on the ‘Romantic Road’, on our return to Würzburg.

Our second concert was held in St. Stephan’s in the centre of Würzburg, a large Protestant church with a fine organ. Our programme was the same but the acoustic of this building was much friendlier to singers. Our soloists, Annie Patch and Caroline Gold, sounded wonderful. We again had an appreciative audience and afterwards our host choir put on a splendid party with plenty of fine Franconian wine, some of which they were selling in aid of their Organ Restoration Fund.

Now back home again, we are rehearsing Bach’s B Minor Mass, parts of which we shall perform in St. Mungo’s church in Penicuik on 16 June at 7pm. Jo Blackburn

St Monans Community Choir Visits Serbia St Monans Community Choir (SMCC) came into being in 2009 as a follow-up to the village’s first Community Arts Festival and was the idea of Ruth Craib, now the accompanist and assistant musical director of the choir. Between 6 and 13 April 2013 a group of 17 members of the Community Choir was involved in a cultural presentation programme in various locations in the Republic of Serbia. The emphasis of the programme was Scottish music, song, dance, poetry and national dress. This visit to Serbia was the choir’s third foreign tour, having visited Belgium in 2011 and Poland in 2012.

Weaving Musical Threads started life as a Music Nation celebration of people, heritage and place in the world through the arts, with music as the thread which binds – the only Making Music Scotland event. We have since continued our collaboration with local artistes, businesses and events – with many up and coming plans in the pipeline. For example, we have kept a link with Paisley’s West End Wurdz, and their afternoons of poetry and music. We have kept in touch with the Thread Mill Museum, just one of the wonderful WMT festival hosts. We held a day of celebrations there with a packed programme of literature, music, art and heritage, raising awareness of the Museum that charts the thread industry. ‘Musical Mills’ was also a day of firsts and legacy moments. To name but a few – Pauline Vallance performed on the clarsach Whatever’s Written In Your Heart by the Paisley buddy, Gerry Rafferty – could this be a first?; Anna MacDonald premièred her Mill Girls song, commissioned by WMT. An important creation and legacy of Music Nation are the Mill Girl Poets, four Renfrewshire poets, Tracy Patrick, Mo Blake, Gwen McKerrell and Kathryn Daly. As well as WMT working with them to take the heritage and inspiration into Renfrewshire schools, and working with these talented ladies to compile anthologies, we are staging a dramatic

We spent our first two nights in the splendid surroundings of the Hotel Moskva in Belgrade, where we gave our first performance in the afternoon of 7 April. On 9 April we performed in the Cultural Centre in the city of Novi Sad, a concert which we shared with a large Folk Cultural ensemble from the local university, an occasion which we all found to be enthralling. We joined forces with the university ensemble to close the concert with a performance of a beautiful Serbian folk song Dunav Tiho Teche (The Danube Flows Gently) sung in Serbian. This was greeted with thunderous applause by the large audience, who were also appreciative of our Scottish contributions. From 8 April we were residents at the Eko-Etno Klub in the small town of Cerevic, 26 kilometres to the west of Novi Sad on the south bank of the Danube. It can be safely said that all of us were overwhelmed by the hospitality we received, and by the friendliness of the people, no matter where we went. Among our various activities – non-performing! – were visits to local museums, craft workshops and wineries, and exploring the spectacular Danube fortresses of Kalemegdan (Belgrade) and Petrovaradin (Novi Sad). We spent a day in Sremski Karlovci, a very attractive town famous as the centre for the Serbian Orthodox Church and as the site of the first grammar school in Serbia. All those on the trip were totally positive about every aspect of our adventures, and there is considerable talk about visiting Serbia again! It is also my, and Ruth’s, hope that, in the near future, we can have Serbian visitors participating in our local activities such as Sea Queen Day and the Arts Festival.

production. The ‘Mill Girls On Tour’ is a spellbinding synergy of poetry and musical interludes reflecting the history of the famous mill girls, their loves, feistiness, trials and triumphs. Guest musician is the Scottish mutliinstrumentalist, singer and songwriter, Anna MacDonald (www.annamacdonaldmusic.com). This unique depiction of Scotland’s industrial heritage is a home grown production with heart and humour.

Ruth and I are fairly frequent visitors to Serbia. #Since becoming acquainted with the country, we feel that it would benefit both internally and internationally from a good tourist industry. In our own small way we are contributing to this. The country has much to offer in its beautiful scenery, historic buildings, hospitality and superb cuisine. The Serbian people are working very hard to put the 1990's behind them. Brian Craib, Musical Director

Look out for our ‘Mill Girls On Tour’ Launch in Renfrewshire in the summer of 2013. Some taster dates to look forward to are, on 22 June in Glasgow’s West End Festival (www.westendfestival.co.uk) and on 23 June in Glasgow’s iconic Scotia Bar. Elise Kelly www.weavingmusicalthreads.com

www.stmonanschoir.net

0141 882 4520

A CHOIRED TASTE CELEBRATES

Each year A Choired Taste from Kilmarnock donate funds to local charities and to date have given over £30,000 to small local charities who depend on fundraising to continue Liam, committee members, the Provost, local councillors and local charity representatives with their cheques their good work. This year the choir celebrated its fifth anniversary and on 27 Bruges, Ghent and at the Last Post Ceremony at the February held a celebration evening in St Joseph’s Hall, Menin Gate, Ypres. This was followed by Liam cutting the Kilmarnock. Representatives from three local charities, choir’s beautiful and delicious fifth anniversary cake the provost, local councillors, choir patrons and other which was made and donated by the choir’s first patron. guests were invited for an evening of entertainment, chat, It was altogether a most enjoyable evening. Many of the wine and nibbles. local councillors who attended had been unaware of the Liam Baillie, the choir’s twenty two year old MD, choir’s donations to charity and were highly impressed welcomed our guests and the choir sang Ave Maria, after by the work being done by A Choired Taste. which a cheque for £1,500 was presented by Liam to The choir’s two main concerts this year are the Summer each of the representatives from the charities supported Concert on Saturday 22 June and the Christmas Concert by the choir in 2012, Musical Minds ( Alzheimers), on Saturday 30 November. Both concerts are in The Kilmarnock Churches Youth Project and East Ayrshire Grand Hall, Kilmarnock at 7.30pm. Carers. After some more singing by the choir, Liam told Margaret Davers the guests about the concerts for 2013, which includes a Secretary www.achoiredtaste.co.uk tour to Belgium in July where the choir will sing in

Caroline – Welcome to the Team! I am hoping I can use my experience to help Making Music Scotland and you, its members, and look forward to assisting with the many exciting projects that are being discussed. I’ll also be contributing to iNotes and the Newsletter, gathering up information and news – as always, please do share your news with us.

Hello everyone! I’m Caroline Rodger, a new volunteer with the Making Music Scotland team, helping with communications, as well as assisting with projects and events. Unlike all of you talented members of MMS, I’m not a musician - I don’t inflict my singing voice on the public as sadly I sing out of tune (I’d love to be able to sing in tune – is it possible for me to learn, I wonder?). And, I haven’t properly played a musical instrument since school, when I learned piano and flute. So I’m not tone deaf, I just can’t sing!

If you’re on Facebook come join us. It is an incredibly powerful (and free) method of creating awareness and spreading the word – not only to entice new members to join your groups, but to bring Making Music Scotland and your individual groups to the attention of the press, the concert-ticket buying public, funders etc. www.facebook.com/MakingMusic.ScotlandNIreland

However, as a project manager in the music industry I have been involved with music for many years. Working across all genres of music, I was responsible for marketing and PR, including media relations, websites, social media, advertising, print etc, as well as arranging events and concerts.

For now, I hope to ‘meet’ you all online, but I look forward to meeting you in person very soon. Best wishes, Caroline

Scottish Debut of Requiem for an Angel in Dunfermline Dunfermline Choral Union (DCU) had the exciting opportunity to sing the Scottish Première of Paul Carr's Requiem for an Angel as part of their 2013 Spring concert in March, held at The Vine, Dunfermline. The concert also featured Puccini's classic Messa di Gloria and both pieces were sung with orchestra and soloists – Emily Mitchell, soprano; Malcolm Bennett, tenor, and Jerome Knox, baritone.

the first time. We rehearsed hard to make this a very special concert and so enjoyed exploring and preparing this delightful musical story. We were lucky to sing to an audience of around 300 and were delighted that so many people were able to come and join us and experience the magic and wonder of this beautiful music.”

The Requiem is a beautiful, very 'listenable' choral work written in Latin and English with instant appeal for both choir and audience. It was written in tribute to the composer's mother, Una Hale, herself a principal soprano with Covent Garden in the 1950s and '60s. The composer, Paul Carr was born in Cornwall in 1961 and as well as writing orchestral and choral music he has scored music for film and television.

The choir are now rehearsing for their Summer Concert which promises a programme of light and popular classics and takes place on Thursday 13 June in the Vine venue, Dunfermline. Emma Argo, DCU Press Officer Photograph by Cate Gillon

Mandy Miller, DCU's Musical Director, commented, “There's something really thrilling about being involved in premièring a choral work – it was a privilege and responsibility to share this new piece with our audience, many of whom were hearing it for

www.dunfermlinechoralunion.co.uk

Songs from across the Pond! On Friday 5 April 2013, Southside Community Choir in Edinburgh hosted an informal evening of song and dance featuring the Palmyra-Macedon Select High School Choir (P-MSHSC) from New York State at the end of their British tour. They sang madrigals, folk songs and classical pieces in beautiful harmonies with great expression and movement. We enjoyed a short programme of high quality choral singing – all memory pieces! – then members of both choirs and families/supporters joined together for some ceilidh dancing to round off the evening! We got some great feedback from the P-MSHSC – posted on their blog. “Last night's exchange concert was fantastic. The host Choir provided us with lovely refreshments, including homemade shortbread, and then taught us some Scottish dances complete with accordion accompaniment. Would you believe that EVERY STUDENT danced, both with PalMac partners and adults from the community Choir. Most said that it was their favourite evening yet. I thoroughly enjoyed watching some of our students step out of their

comfort zones willingly and give it a whirl (literally!). ……. A ridiculously good time was had by all! Parents, I think that many of you would have been in pleasant disbelief!" You can find out more about P-MSHSC and their UK tour, by visiting their blog at http://uktour2013.wordpress.com/ from where this photograph of the Ceilidh was taken. Susan Bird http://southsidechoir.weebly.com

Youth Orchestra Project Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society (KOS) has been in existence for a long time! Its early roots were bound up with other societies in the town and area but for many years, KOS has been a separate entity. Musical Director and Conductor Graeme Wilson has been at the helm for 36 years and has seen many changes of player personnel as well as changes in direction. The orchestra has championed the music of several contemporary composers and continues to be innovative. Five performances are given in a season with occasional extra ones as appropriate. While the summer term is normally less active, there can be repertoire rehearsals or other events. Two years ago in June, KOS opened its doors to a ‘come all’ evening for all ages and 70 players from age 9 to 89 attended a jolly evening of exploratory music making. This was a prelude to ideas of forming a group to encourage younger players. Fife is fortunate in the availability of a wide range of instrumental, orchestral and band activities for young musicians through the Council’s Instrumental Music Service. A full orchestra experience is available there within Fife Youth Orchestra. As with all such activity, there are times in the year when opportunities are not available to young players – and into this perceived gap steps KOS! The planning and support are jointly operated by KOS with help in kind from Fife Council’s Instrumental Music Service and with financial backing from the orchestra, donations, parental contributions and from Fife Youth Musical Activities, the Parental Support Group Trust Fund.

Orchestra of Youth Orchestra Project The Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society Youth Orchestra Project has been on the stocks for a while and at the time of writing is two weeks into its five week summer term existence. From across Fife have come 34 young musicians in a remarkably well balanced ensemble and work has started on a short programme of learning and enjoyment through music. The young musicians are tackling the proffered repertoire with great gusto and at an early stage have shown tremendous abilities. Details of the project can be found at www.fifevoluntaryaction.org.uk/temporary/kosflyer.pdf An evaluation will be undertaken upon completion of the project and no doubt consideration given to future activity! Graeme Wilson www.kirkcaldyorchestralsociety.org

Music making for the future – national autumn conference 12 October 2013 City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Centre (CBSOC), Birmingham Join us at the CBSOC for a debate on programming, useful sessions on performing rights royalties, funding, social media and music publishers, amongst others. Plus some music making with the CBSO! The day will be rounded off by a drinks reception and some great sounds from local member groups. And, of course, there will be stands to browse and exhibitors to talk to throughout the day. Book before 31 July for the early bird member rate of only £28! For the latest programme details and to book visit http://makingmusicconf2013.eventbrite.co.uk/

THE SCOTTISH FIDDLE ORCHESTRA – TOUR OF CHINA Making Music member The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra responded to an invitation to tour China at New Year. The tour party of 63 performers played nine concerts in eight cities over a period of two weeks. The tour involved playing in principal provincial concert halls in the south of the country, the total audience was estimated at 8,000 to 9,000 and the group travelled some 5000 miles inside China by coach, plane and high speed train.

A Visit to the Great Wall was a Must! reaction of fellow-passengers on the return plane, that we had featured on Chinese TV, and that we had Publicity! become minor celebrities. This resulted in an invitation from cabin staff to play on the plane, and our ‘ceilidh at 30,000 ft’ was reported in the Scottish press.

The Orchestra's lively presentation of Scottish music was very well received, with the normally reserved Chinese audiences dancing in the aisles. A glossy educational brochure about Scottish music and the Orchestra, written in Chinese, was handed out to all audiences. This was the sixth tour in the history of the Orchestra. It has previously played across Canada, three times, performed in most of the major concert halls of Australia and New Zealand, and toured to Orkney, Shetland and Inverness. It has also played in many of the principal concert halls of the UK, including The Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Bridgewater Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, and the Sage Gateshead.

The tour was arranged through an Agent, and was run by Chinese promoters, Joy Titan. Funding for travel to China came from the members, a grant from Creative Scotland and from the Orchestra's reserves. The initial contacts came through our Conductor, Blair Parham, who had previously toured successfully in China with the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra, and had performed to full houses in Beijing, Shanghai and Schenzhen.

Most of the cities visited in China had populations larger than Scotland, and events in China included the regional New Year Concerts for the Zhejiang, Guangxi and Jiangxi Provinces The reception of the Chinese audiences was fantastic, and

Memories of everyone include the bitter cold – there is no heating in public buildings in the South of China, and we were there in the coldest winter for 40 years. Under-kilt wear became increasingly inventive as the tour progressed! You can see the SFO at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on 15 June and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 14 September. These concerts will include a piece of Chinese music brought back from the tour. The SFO is a Scottish Registered Charity promoting Scottish music, and it has generated over £1m for other charities over the years David Lunt Flautist www.sfo.org.uk

orchestra members were mobbed for 'photos and CD sales after each concert. Television cameras were in evidence at many concerts. We found out, through the

Contemporary Music for All

CoMA encourages amateur musicians of all abilities and backgrounds to take part in contemporary music-making by • providing opportunities to perform new music • creating a repertoire of innovative contemporary music for amateurs • building links between professional and amateur musicians and ensembles to further these aims If you wish to become involved in CoMA or require further information, contact: Chris Shurety, Director CoMA RICH MIX, 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA Tel: (020) 7739 4680 E: info@coma.org www.coma.org or Steve King, Co-ordinator CoMA Scotland T: (0131) 451 3705 E: S.King@hw.ac.uk

COPY for the NEXT ISSUE

Come & Sing Bob Chilcott's Requiem 10 August 2013 St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EP www.st-cuthberts.net 11.30am - 6.30pm More information can be found on www.waverleycare.org/events/fundraisingevents/129,631/Come--SingBob-Chilcotts-Requiem.html

should reach the EDITOR by 7 October 2013 with a view to publishing at the beginning of November

DISCLAIMER Any views or opinions expressed in contributed articles may not necessarily represent those of Making Music or the policy of Making Music.

CONTACT INFORMATION Newsletter Editor, Making Music Scotland Miss Janet A.B. Darling E: jd@jabd.abel.co.uk Volunteer Support Team Leader, Making Music Scotland Mrs. Linda Young E: l.young24@btinternet.com Membership Enquiries, Making Music Scotland Miss Hilary Stokes E: hastokes@blueyonder.co.uk Member Development Team Leader, Making Music Scotland Mrs Jean Renno E: jeanrenno144@btinternet.com Communications and Outreach Team Leader, Making Music Scotland Caroline Rodger E: Caroline.rodger@ymail.com Manager, Making Music Scotland To be appointed

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