The Cobweb Orchestra

VERY IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE

October 9, 2008 6:23 am — Liz Carlile

The date for the Autumn Music Day at The Sage has been changed to November 15th, 1.30pm - 8pm.
The repertoire and format for the day remain the same; Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, which Stephanie Cant will lead from the piano.

Booking is through The Sage box office and tickets are £26.80/£20.45.

And don’t forget;

Tebay group’s 10th birthday party on Saturday October 11th at 3pm in Appleby Public Hall.

The Annfield Plain rehearsal with Min-Jin-Kym on Thursday, October 16th at 7pm is in Dipton Community Centre, Dipton.

The Cobfriends AGM on Sunday November 2nd at 3pm (after the rehearsal) in BATH (more information is available through the Google group).

Liz
01642 873973
07914 956786

IMPORTANT - new rehearsal venue for Harelaw group

August 29, 2008 11:17 am — Liz Carlile

From September 4th 2008 the venue for the Harelaw group will be

Annfield Plain Community Centre
Greencroft
STANLEY
DH9 8PP

Rehearsal times remain the same, but to keep costs down the hall has been booked from 6.50pm to 9pm, so as always we shall need to leave promptly.

Please can you pass this information on to anyone you know who doesn’t use the google group?

Dates for the rest of the term for all the regular groups will be published in the Newsletter.

Liz

Brahms Violin Concerto at Tebay & Harelaw

August 21, 2008 10:39 am — Colin Reed

I met Min-Jin Kym at a subscription concert in Kendal early this year. She had just delivered a phenomenal performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and brought the house down having wowed the audience with her lithe and spirited technique.

Andrew had floated the idea of her playing with the Cobweb Orchestra when she had some space in her concert diary and / or was somewhere vaguely in the north of England. She had a poke around the Cobweb website and said she’d love to and now, with a lunchtime concert booked in Kendal Town Hall at 1:00pm on Wednesday 15th October (which you may also like to put in your diaries) offered us the Tuesday and / or Thursday either side of this fixture.

We’ve said “yes please� to both dates to allow Cobwebbers on both sides of the Pennines to have a chance to play with this quite delightful, engaging and very talented violinist. She is under contract to Sony with whom she has already recorded the Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major op. 61 and his Sonata no 7 in C minor with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis and with Ian Brown on the piano. (recording reference 8697144422). Next on her list is the Brahms Violin Concerto, which is what gives us this splendid opportunity to run through the work and allow her to hone her own interpretation.

You can see her in action and read all about her journey to international fame and acclaim on her website http://www.min-jin.com/

This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us but, as space in both venues is limited, it is vital that we know who is coming and so please fill in the application form early to book your place. There will be no extra charge for this rehearsal, just the standard weekly rehearsal charge but, if you have a fantastic time, an extra donation towards the additional costs involved will certainly be welcome!

Andrew Forsyth - (Flute, Tebay & Harelaw)

Urgent - change of arrangements for Sunday’s Hartlepool Maritime Festival

July 3, 2008 12:41 pm — Andy Jackson

I’m afraid that there has been a slight change of plan for the performance in Hartlepool this Sunday (6th July).

Instead of the performance being at 3.00pm, the organisers would like it to be at 4.30pm, so it will be a later finish (but no later than 5.45pm).

For further details please see the forum post about the event.

Harelaw group rehearsal May 1st - CHANGE OF VENUE

April 29, 2008 12:57 pm — Liz Carlile

We have (finally) managed to book the Phoenix Centre for Thursday night’s rehearsal. It’s just a litle bit further up the road from Harelaw School on the opposite side. Denise, the caretaker, says she will open the big gates so we can park in the yard; there is also parking on the roadside.

Venera is coming to look at some of the music for the Bishop Auckland concert, as well as bringing the violinist who is going to play a Beethoven Romance at the concert.

See you there

Liz

Harelaw rehearsals

March 21, 2008 6:41 am — Andy Jackson

Just a reminder that the Harelaw group is still meeting next week (27 Mar) and the week after (3 April).

It’s because of the school holidays in Co. Durham, which are not the same as in some other LEA areas.

Some people seemed to think we would be stopping because it’s Easter this weekend.

Please pass the word around in case others thought the same.

Andy

Website Update

March 20, 2008 12:59 pm — Colin Reed

A few people have been asking when the new website for The Cobweb Orchestra will be launched, so here’s an update.

The new site has been in development since the back end of last year and is almost complete. There are still a few loose ends to tie up but considering the big changes in the organisation and the new rehearsal groups, I think it would be beneficial to launch it as soon as possible even though we may need to add some intended features at a later date.

The current plan is to continue development over the next week, with the new site being launched over the Sedbergh Residential Weekend (28-30 March). The old website will be unavailable during this time though I will try to keep downtime to a minimum.

Colin
Website Administrator

Sedbergh Residential Weekend, March 28th - 30th

March 9, 2008 10:04 pm — Liz Carlile

Sedbergh Residential Weekend is approaching very quickly and I’m forwarding a letter from Andy telling you a little bit about what is planned as well as a timetable of events.

Remember;
bed-linen is provided but you need to bring your own towel
to bring your own drinks (both soft and alcoholic); tea and coffee are available at mealtimes and the planned breaks, but may not be readily available during the evening
the swimming pool will be open for us early on both Saturday and Sunday mornings
to bring your concert dress (black bottom, white top and waistcoat) for the end-of-weekend concert
YOUR MUSIC STAND!

If you want to come to Sedbergh, as either a resident or a day visitor, let me know as soon as possible. If you’re not sure how to enrol or what the cost wil be, or have any other questions, please ring me on 01642873973 or 07914 956786 or email me on the address above.

Enrolment Form Sedbergh 2008

Liz

From Andy

COBWEB ORCHESTRA
9th Spring residential weekend
Friday 28th - Sunday 30th March 2008

Is it that time again already? The last year has been a bit breathless but maybe the relaxed atmosphere of Sedbergh School will give us time to mull over everything we’ve achieved since becoming an independent charity and dream up some interesting opportunities for the future.

If you are one of the hundreds of players I have met who are new to Cobwebs over the last few months, it would be wonderful to see some of you at Sedbergh and get to know you a little better.

You don’t have to come for the whole weekend, and it doesn’t matter if you haven‘t already enrolled; we welcome people for any of the sessions (see attached enrolment form). Cocktails and dinner are quite early on Saturday, so even if you need to head off home afterwards, you can still enjoy this highlight of the social calendar.

Our guest conductor for the weekend is Laurence Perkins and he’ll be encouraging us to play the Saint-Saens “Organ� symphony and Beethoven’s 7th. There’ll, as ever, be surprise items too, (including pieces for each section to play) and a chance to run through Mahler’s 1st symphony (though we won’t be attempting this in the end-of-weekend concert).

Other “firsts� are an illustrated lecture on Handel by Brian Tanner and “Tutors’ surgeries� where anyone can book in a few minutes with section leaders and conductors to discuss the weekend’s repertoire or wider issues about your playing.

The highlight of the weekend is always the Saturday evening concert party, and I like to have some idea of who is performing what before we get there, so if you do have any items, please let me know by scribbling on the bottom of your enrolment form or dropping me a line (andy.jackson0@talk21.com). Remember that you don’t have to be note-perfect to play and that whilst serious endeavour is appreciated, so too is anything which raises a smile.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Andy Jackson

THE COBWEB ORCHESTRA
SEDBERGH RESIDENTIAL WEEKEND 2008

Schedule:

Friday 28th March
5.00 p.m. Onwards. Arrive and book into accommodation
6.30-7.30 p.m. Dinner
7.45-9.45 p.m. Full orchestra rehearsal: introduction to the weekend’s repertoire

Saturday 29th March
8.00 - 9.00 a.m. Breakfast.
9.45 - 11.15 a.m. Cobweb callisthenics - an orchestral warm up.
11.15 - 11.30 a.m. Coffee break.
11.30 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. Full orchestra rehearsal - a closer look at the main pieces
1.00 - 2.00 p.m. Lunch
2.00 - 3.30 p.m. Large ensemble session - music for strings, wind and brass.
3.30 - 3.45 p.m. Tea break.
3.45 - 4.45 p.m. “Mahler for tea“. A run through the 1st symphony.
4.45 - 6.00 p.m. Lecture. “Friderich Handel: A most modern entrepreneur� by Prof. Brian Tanner AND
5.00- 6.00 p.m. “Tutors’ surgeries� - a chance to consult conductors and section leaders.
6.00 - 6.30 p.m. Pre-dinner drinks.
6.30 - 7.30 p.m. Dinner
8.00 p.m. Concert party

Sunday 30th March
8.00 - 9.00 a.m. Breakfast.
9.00 - 9.45 a.m. “CPR� - some advice from Richard Best
9.45 - 11.15 a.m. Sunday Supplement - diverting start to the day’s music making
11.15 - 11.30 a.m. Coffee break
11.30 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. Sectional rehearsals with tutors from the Leaders’ Group
1.00 - 2.00 p.m. Lunch
2.30 - 4.00 p.m. Prepare concert items
4.00 p.m. Tea break
4.15 p.m. End-of-weekend concert
6.00 p.m. Home

Beginners’ Day

February 10, 2008 8:20 pm — Liz Carlile

I’m attaching an enrolment form for the Beginners’ Day we are running on February 23rd in Dipton Community Centre. As always in Beginners’ Days, we shall be grateful for the support of more experienced players to help people who are just beginning to play in an orchestra.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in the day (quite short, only 11am to 3pm) please pass the enrolment form on to them. It would be helpful too if you could publicize the day in your own local area using the combined flier/enrolment form.

Thank you.

Liz

Beginners’ Day flier/enrolment form

February Enrolment Forms

January 17, 2008 11:04 am — Liz Carlile

I’m attaching the three enrolment forms for the next three events. There are two study days, one on a Haydn Symphony (the ‘Clock’) and one on Mahler’s 1st Symphony, and an afternoon to enjoy playing some well-known romantic works.

Please do let me know as soon as possible when you are coming to one of the events; it makes it much easier to plan, and particularly to make sure that we have enough parts for all the players. Of course, you are still welcome to ‘turn up on the day’ if you are unable to let me know beforehand.

Enrolment Form - 2nd February 2008 - Play the Romantics in The Sage Gateshead

Enrolment Form - 9th February 2008 - Mahler 1 Study Day at Middlesbrough Town Hall

Enrolment Form - 16th February 2008 - Haydn ‘Clock’ Study day in Dalston Victory Hall

Thank you.

Liz