November News!

News Updates

Ah November is here!!  The start of the season for cold weather, mulled wine and mince pies as a prelude to the Christmas season!
And we have been very busy at the Bromley Guitar Society. (Three meetings in ONE Month!!)
Some Reports therefore  are in order…

Beckenham Festival
The BGS ensemble strutted their stuff at the Beckenham Music Festival with a great performance of Grieg’s Holberg Suite (Sarabande and Gavotte), following a hasty, cramped rehearsal among coats, chairs, ancient sandwiches and other detritus that one expects to find in a primary school  classroom.

Special thanks to those members who participated in a great performance along with those who came along to watch our performance.

A  vote of thanks is also extended  to John Mann for steering us safely through the fjords and trolls to achieve a creditable 86 points for the ensemble performance.
A message from the Organisers…
“Dear Denis and Shirley
Please would you pass on my thanks once again to the Bromley Guitar Society Guitar Ensemble for their performance and support of the Beckenham Festival.


With Paul Brown and yourselves, the adult ensemble classes have become a  high spot of the festival and a great way to finish the weekend.
 Hope to see you again next year
Roger Davies”

November Meeting
(Your correspondent was one of those souls who missed the last meeting due to a family event. However he is grateful for the Chairman who faithfully recorded the event).

Despite apologies for absence from four of our members, there was a good attendance of seventeen at the November BGS meeting, including a surprise (and very welcome) visit by two of our former members, Carol Whinnom and Cornelius Bruinsma.
We also welcomed Jim Parbury, who was sufficiently impressed by his first visit to become a member.

 The new meeting format appears to be working very well and we had a fruitful and enjoyable evening, finishing quite late at around a quarter to ten.

 John Mann kindly provided two interesting ensemble pieces for us to work on for the first hour or so. He chose “Souterlied” by Jacobus Clemens non Papa and John’s own arrangement of Bach’s “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring”. John also took us through our Grieg pieces for the Maidstone Festival.
 
Following the coffee break, we had a large number of very well-played pieces, including debut performances from Lesley Starey and our new member Jim Parbury. During the Minore section of the Carulli duet, Carol demonstrated her skills as a chanteuse by singing a couple of tricky bars which her fingers refused to accommodate. Bream and Williams, please note!! (I’ll have to try that!! Editor)
 
The following contributions were made by our members:-
Steve Pearson               Fortune My Foe                    Dowland        
Trevor Pike                   Georgia On My Mind             Hoagy Carmichael
John Mann                    Fandanguillo                        Turina
Vince Chittenden           Amanda – Gavotte               Alberto Obregon
Lesley Starey                Meditace                             Milan Tesar
 
Carol Whinnom ;         
Cornelius Bruinsma        Rondo in G                          Carulli
 
Alex Green                   Mazurka Choros                   Villa Lobos
 
Tessa Protheroe            Pavane Capriccio                  Albeniz
 
Jim Parbury                  Choro da Saudade                Barrios

Thanks, as always, to Larisa and Trevor for providing our refreshments.

Reigate and Red Hill Music Festival
John Mann has asked us to remind you all about the Reigate and Redhill Music Festival which will be held on May 15th  2014
http://www.reigate-redhillmusicfest.org.uk/
Keep a note in your diaries and watch this space for more information.

Maidstone Festival
By the time this newsletter reaches you, the Maidstone Festival will have come and gone! However look out for a report on the Blog site and the next December Newsletter!

Next BGS Meeting

Saturday December the 14th!

See you there!!
Andrew Ferrier
Hon Secretary
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