Newsletter 2018-19
Welcome to the 68th Season
SVAM is pleased to present a varied programme of chamber music recitals, as well as a jazz concert. Our annual lecture covers music and social history and is given by Peter Medhurst, who is well-known locally as an Arts Society lecturer. It is sure to be a popular event.
Lecture as Extra Event
This year we are introducing separate ticketing for the lecture. Tickets are free to season ticket holders (members) but must be booked separately. Members have priority until 20 September, and allocation to others will start on 21 September.
We have struggled with the limited capacity of the Constable Hall for popular events, especially as we never know how many members will attend. Paradoxically, this means that we have often failed to sell all the available seats. Please book only if you can be there and do let us have any returns.
Ticket prices
As indicated last year, increasing costs have now led to a modest increase in ticket prices. Individual concert tickets are now £15, while single season tickets have increased to £47 and double seasons to £85. This still leaves the season ticket /membership option as very good value.
Garden Party for Members
Invitations to the Members’ Party are included in the mailing to all 2017-18 season ticket holders. Those who buy a season ticket for 2018-19 will also receive an invitation. The party will be held at Stour, East Bergholt (opposite the church) on 9 September at noon, and will be indoors if wet.
AGM and Membership
The 67th annual general meeting of Stour Valley Arts & Music Society will be held on Sunday 7 October at 6 pm, after the concert, in St Mary’s Church, East Bergholt. All members are welcome to attend. Under current rules you become a member by buying a season ticket.
Preview of next season
By Richard Evans
The 68th season of concerts and lectures promoted by Stour Valley Arts and Music begins on 7 October with a return visit of the ever-popular Henschel Quartet, highly acclaimed throughout Europe and America, playing works by Beethoven, Debussy and Mendelssohn. The distinguished musicologist Peter Medhurst will give a lecture at the Constable Hall on 28 October that will explore the notions of satire and parody in the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. There is a change of venue to St Mary’s Church in Dedham for the concert on 11 November, which will given by the highly versatile Merlin Ensemble, playing works by Brahms, Strauss and Liszt.
The first concert of the New Year will be given by the Pelléas Ensemble at the Constable Hall on 13 January in an intriguing programme for viola, flute and harp of music by Bach, Bax and Ravel (among others.) There will be a jazz concert, Embraceable Ella, given by Joanna Eden and the Chris Ingham Trio at the Constable Hall on Saturday 23 February, and on 10 March the award-winning Rautio Piano Trio, joined by the violist Robin Ashwell, will play works by Mozart, Mahler and Brahms, a concert eagerly awaited by connoisseurs. The final concert of the season on 24 March features the Zelkova Quartet, winners of the St Martin’s chamber music competition, in works by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Dvorak.
Report on last Season
By Richard Evans
Last season’s concerts retained the remarkably high standards of accomplishment by which they are invariably distinguished, whilst introducing an unusual point of departure with an accordion recital. The Castalian Quartet opened the series with a recital whose undoubted highlight was Beethoven’s quartet opus 132 in A minor. The Trio con Brio Copenhagen made a welcome return visit and the architect, John Lyall, gave a lecture entitled Gold and Dirt. Bartosz Glowicki played works and his own arrangements in his accordion recital and the violinist Savitri Grier with the pianist, Richard Uttley, confirmed their burgeoning reputations as chamber musicians of the first class, leaving aficionados hoping for a return visit. The season ended with the Sacconi Quartet and the clarinettist, David Campbell, playing quintets by Brahms and Mozart. A young musicians’ concert at the Constable Hall was robustly supported and hugely entertaining.
SVAM Education projects
The accordionist, Bartosz Glowacki, gave two very successful workshop at the primary schools in Dedham and East Bergholt. The children were intrigued by his instrument and his playing and asked lots of questions.
In the run-up to a Schools Prom at Snape, SVAM funded the young percussionist, George Pertwee to give a series of workshops at the primary school in East Bergholt. He helped the staff and the children to produce an outstanding programme to present at the Prom and went along on the day to support and lead them.
We also ran a very successful Young Musicians’ Concert and tea on Sunday 4 March 2018.
Plans for the 2018-19 season include further School Workshops.
Sponsorship
We are most grateful for the continuing support of our sponsors, whose financial assistance makes it possible to present concerts that would otherwise be unaffordable.
This year we have yet again a mix of private supporters and company sponsors. The Henschel Quartet concert on 7 October is generously supported by Alan Swerdlow and Jeremy Greenwood.
The Merlin Ensemble concert at Dedham in November is generously supported by Jane Jewell. The January concert with the Pelléas Trio is part of our regular annual series of concerts supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
The Rautio Trio concert on 10 March is held in memory of the late Mrs Sheila Grove-White and is supported by a generous legacy.
Grier and Partners are long term sponsors and this year they have sponsored our publicity bookmark, and are also supporting the concert by Zelkova Quartet which concludes our season on 24 March 2019.
GDPR and updating our mailing list
As you will see in our enclosed brochure, we take our responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulations very seriously and will never share your data with others.
All those who receive mailings from us will have asked us for information at some point. However, if you want us to stop doing so, do let us know, by letter, e-mail or phone.
Some people now prefer just to get information by e-mail and we are very happy to comply with this request wherever possible as it will save postage. Please note that you can also collect brochures and newsletters at our concerts.
If you are happy to, or prefer to, receive e-mail rather than post, do let Doreen Weatherall know: phone 01206 298426 or email:
svamtickets@btinternet.com
Helpers needed
Our new stage in the church is now up and running with a small team of volunteers to help set it up and take it down each time. We are still looking for more helpers and would love to hear from anyone who has the time to help with this and other tasks.
Thanks again
Finally, huge thanks are due to all our supporters; and all who help the committee in so many ways.
Special thanks to Old Hall where we store our stage and, as always, to the Church, to Rodney Brundell and the Rector, Revd Canon Stephne van der Toorn. We are also grateful to the ladies who give up their Sunday afternoon to serve interval tea.
We would also like to thank all those who make donations to us when ordering their tickets.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday 7 October, or—in the case of members—on Sunday 9 September.
Birte Kelly