Dear Friends and Members,
It is the Society’s custom that the Chairman send out a letter in August in order to keep members up-to-date with ongoing events and developments and to call everyone to the Annual General Meeting.
This year’s Annual General Meeting will take place at St Mark’s Church Hall at 8pm on Monday 19 September. It will be immediately preceded by an Extraordinary General Meeting to consider an amendment to the Society’s Constitution. Rule 13 of the constitution currently requires the Committee to consult the membership about the selection of Production, and to offer a choice of at least three productions for the members to vote in a ballot. This process has recently proved difficult. The EGM will ask members to consider, and vote on, the replacement of Rule 13 with the following: “The Committee, taking account of the views, size, and capability of the membership, and of the Society’s financial position, shall be wholly responsible for selecting the Society’s staged productions.”
All members should attend as it will be an opportunity to elect a new Committee and to air any issues that need to be raised. Members wishing to raise points should submit them in writing to the Secretary at least 7 days prior to the Meeting so that the Committee can prepare measured replies. Please consider volunteering to serve as an Officer or as a Member of the Committee. If we don’t have enough people, those who do service have to work hard, which ought not to happen. Nominations can be made at the AGM, but it is better to send them to us beforehand. Please make sure that anyone you nominate agreed to be nominated!
Drinks and nibbles will be provided. Also, available on the evening will be a selection of scores and music that you are very welcome to take for a small donation. There will also be a substantial number of photographs available of past productions. Who knows your mother, father, sister, cousin or aunt may well be in the photographs!!
Last year’s ‘Victorian Fayre Carol Sing’ at Greyfriars was a great success and enjoyed by all who took part. We did miss Pat Bosworth on that occasion as she always makes a good job of handing out the flyers for the forthcoming show! We have been booked to sing once again for Saturday November 26th this year. We hope you can join us.
Our annual production this year was a semi staged version of Carmen. This was greeted with great enthusiasm by both the cast and audiences. Thanks, for this brave and successful suggestion, must go to Andrew Rawle (Director) and with the wonderful support too of Musical Director Sue Black. They are a great team that we are very fortunate to have on board. This genre of music really showed off the great talent we have in the society. This proved to be a great success and we also attracted new audiences. This can only be good news for GWOS.
An EGM was called in May, to discuss our forthcoming production for 2017. We thank those who attended. It was agreed that our production for 2017 will be a semi staged version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, again under the leadership of Andrew and Sue. These are exciting times ahead.
Regarding the Summer Concerts, this year the Committee decided to take a leap into the dark and give just one afternoon concert at St. George’s Church, Barbourne, but with an Afternoon Tea. It was suggested that the music be that of Ivor Novello, a composer who wrote the most beautiful music with superb harmonies but regretfully is very rarely heard. The afternoon was called The Romance of Novello with Afternoon Tea. This might I say was a storming success, far exceeding my expectations. Can I express my thanks not only to Sue and Andrew, but to Catherine Warren and her team of helpers as they provided the afternoon tea. It was such a lot of hard work but the reward was great. For once, we made a profit and all the money went to the Society.
On the back of Carmen and particularly the concert, we have been invited to perform for two concerts. To open the Music Week at Claines Church to raise money for the restoration of the pipe organ on Monday 12th September and to share the programme with Worcester Concert Brass for the Annual Christmas concert for St. Richards Hospice on Friday 2nd December at St Peter’s Baptist Church, Worcester. We have also been invited to return to Claines Church on Saturday 17th September to be part of their ‘wall to wall’ music day to conclude the music week. Although neither of these ventures offer no financial gain for the Society they will raise the profile and be an opportunity for some excellent PR for both the Society and The Magic Flute.
Another exciting venture the committee have undertaken this year is that we have secured a place in Worcester Cathedral to partake of the Annual Christmas Tree Festival. This will be a wonderful opportunity to promote the society and in particular The Magic Flute, to a very, very wide audience.
I am delighted to be able to inform you that Andrew and Sue have worked hard, so much so, that I am able to send you the Audition pieces. Please find them with this newsletter as a separate attachment.
Auditions will be held at Perdiswell Young Peoples Leisure Centre, Droitwich Road, Worcester on Sunday October 9th. We will be using the Dent edition of The Magic Flute. Vocal Scores will be available at the first rehearsal (9 Sept), should you wish your audition piece sooner, please contact me and I will send it to you.
I am also sending you as an attachment, the Application Form should you wish to audition.
Rehearsals will start at St Mark’s at 7.30pm on Monday 5 September. This will be a rehearsal for the concerts. The following week (12th) is the concert at Claines and following that the AGM (19th). On Monday 26th September rehearsals commence for The Magic Flute. Please tell your friends.
Can I take this opportunity to thank the Committee for all their hard work, commitment and vision. I hope to see you all at the AGM. It is then that a new Committee will be installed.
I want to also thank YOU all for your hard work and commitment over the past year. Without you there is no Society. It is YOUR Society and for it to remain so it is vital to have your continued support and input.
Caroline
CAROLINE CAUSIER
Chairman
Secretary:
Mrs. Monica Martin
Email: monica.martin@talktalk.net