Sorry to copy all the similar threads on this subject but after reading about the Midlands day and the proposed similar days, are there any forum members in Scotland who would like a similar day? Geographically we are to some extent left out of these things and forum concerts without travelling long distances, at great expense. I am not volunteering to organise anything yet but if I did it would be Glasgow or thereabouts. It would of course be everyone from beginner to professional level.

If enough are interested we could see if someone has any good ideas what to try.

If I could get there & back ina day I might be able to get over for something

sounds good!!

Ditto

Sounds a good idea but it all depends when it is....

I'd be interested

I could probably do it knowing me

But anyone is free to come and find me in Edinburgh next Monday!

I'd be interested, madly over-committed life notwithstanding! I have to go to Glasgow once a month most months anyway, but that tends to be on a Sunday...taxi service for offspring. I'm afraid I'm about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to organising things, but can be of use if someone can point me in the right direction...

IL - are you just doing Edinburgh train station on Monday, or are you going to go and see the ivory recorder at the Reid Concert Hall?

I did Edinburgh Waverley back in July

I'm actually going shopping in Edinburgh

I'd be keen on the idea if it was at leasy 6 months from now; I have an awful lot on at the minute and am stressed out up to the nines - but in principle I'd love the idea. It'd be great to really meet all the people that I've "talked" to over the past few months. Like Andy-piano-flute I'm in N. I. and would have to get there from here, but I'd love to meet up with people. It's just not feasible in the very immedaiate future.

Now if we could have a get-together in Stranraer that would be very handy wouldn't it?

And that's only another 3 hours off Glasgow

Will this meeting be a week Monday (4th September) between 1117 and 1605?

Thanks for the initial responses. Let's see what happens. Any thoughts of when it should be? How about early December or January to avoid being too close to the forum concerts?

December is not good for teachers and organists. (Sorry to sound negative! )

January probably easier for me - weekends in December get really busy

January is better for me, too. Except if it's a bad flu year...

I'd be interested too!

Another one against December is it will be diploma time, which I may be doing myself.

So provisionally we have

Andy Piano Flute
Melody Maker
Braceface Flautist
Chocolatedog
Julie the Flute Girl
Irish Looney?
Anacrusis
Patricia
Weejen
Neil.clarinet

there are a few more members in Scotland, see if they express an interest.

I stress it's all speculative at this point.

I'll be interested in that! I could help with venues if we were "East Coast", nice hall at Dundee University we could rent.

Anything not-too-soon is provisionally fine with us.

As with other people, December's hectic: we have a conference to attend; and will be spending a few weeks away from Scotland for Christmas. January should be okay though, as far as I can remember, so long as it's straight after new year.

Depending on where in Scotland, dates, and if anyone'll put up with me staying with them, I'd be interested in coming up (good excuse to revisit Scotland ) - though obviously I wouldn't be a high priority person to check dates with!

Good excuse to have you over to visit, too . Schumann Romances?

That's kind of you Stumac. I've played in the Caird at Dundee though that's just a little on the big side for this. The one stingy part is Dundee is not as good transport wise as Glasgow or Edinburgh. If I wasn't leaving Edinburgh this week I could have checked places here, personally I prefer it to Glasgow . PM if you have anything in mind.

On another issue, shall we run it like a forums concert and have solos, recorder group, finale, or just all join in stuff.

Oooh yeah

Caird is a little bit too big!

I have discussed me organising a "Scottish event" with Katjay and would be interested in doing some work for it.

I have actually scouted out a few venues here.

I was thinking of the Bonar Hall at Dundee - that's quite nice and has a good piano. There is also the University Chaplaincy which has a nice piano and is about the right size. The only problem is that we'd have to set the place up again for services on Sunday after the event. Or pay the University Cleaners to come in and tidy up after us.

Other option is to go "across the water" into Fife. There are nice venues in both Tayport and Newport (Church halls) and that would have advantage of nice rural setting and cheap B & B accomodation for people who wanted to stay. Difficulty is access - it would mean taxis from Dundee or Leuchars whilst the University is withing walking distance of the station. People could still stay on the Fife side if they wanted. Fife is nice, I cycle across the bridge every day and often wish it was a drawerbridge that I could haul up after me!

I also asked a friend of mine (Stephen Peterkin) if he would act as accompanyist. He agreed. In fact he asking me what had happened about the event just a few weeks ago. He said he'd be happy to help if it ever got off the ground. He would almost certainly do it for the traditional accompanyists fee of a bottle of nice whisky. There's one problem solved!

I'm sure he'd be happy to come to Glasgow if it was there.

For me, a weekend or the holidays would be better. So maybe the Christmas hols? I could come to Edinburgh, but Glasgow would be easier. Or, of course, (hint hint) Oban is always a great place to come to!

xx

I'm not scottish, but about an hour away from glasgow and an hour and a half from edinburgh so I'm interested. As long as I'm not at uni at the time.

That brings the possible list to

Andy Piano Flute
Melody Maker
Braceface Flautist
Chocolatedog
Julie the Flute Girl
Irish Looney?
Anacrusis
Patricia
Weejen
Neil.clarinet
Stumac
YAP
AP
Sarah flute
elmo

Looking quite good. I had no idea there was this much interest. We are just thinking about locations, which could be Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Fife, or my own village hall or school 20 minutes from Glasgow.

Thanks so much for the interest so far.

Just my 2 cents: ease of getting to it would seem to be one of the more important issues, esp for those flying in from NI. It would depend partly I guess on your ratio of "people from within Scotland" to "people coming from elsewhere", but I would think Glasgow would be a good bet for both rail and plane links (Scottish friend of mine always used to moan about the airport in Edinburgh being rubbish, though I've not been myself)? It depends if you have folks coming from the far reaches of Scotland, in which case a more northerly city might be appropriate, but if you're looking at a scattering from NI, a good few from Scotland and a sprinkling from England, Glasgow would seem like a good bet...? Esp as there are forumers living there.

I'm sorry, but DUNDEE?! That's WAY out of the way, like Aberdeen but not as bad.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are the best options, way more accessible for most people, especially for those who have to travel quite far distances (I know I can get there easily, half an hour away from plenty of scottish connections )


I'd say as far north as Inverkeithing, far west as Kilmarnock, far east as Edinburgh and who cares how far south as long as it isn't somewhere obscure

If there are a lot of people coming from within Scotland, then somewhere in central Scotland would not be such a crazy idea, and those of us hoping to come from elsewhere would just have to like it or lump it. After all, the concert is for the benefit of the Scots, is it not?

I hope it will be more southern, but I think that how it suits those within Scotland is more important than the ease with which us outside can get to it.

You are a parochial philistine.

I agree with Sarah. The point of starting this topic was to get interest from people who would not normally travel to London, Leicester, etc., just geograpically. I am very encouraged that many members in Scotland (and North of England) who have never been to forum events have expressed an interest, and that is the main concern. People who want to travel from the south or from Wales etc. are of course welcome to, but the idea is something for those usually too far from usual forum events.

We need to think about times and places. I did think Motherwell was also a good place, GNER and Virgin go there and it's further south, but I don't think we have anyone here in that area.

I don't think many people realise how much of a pain in the backside it is to get to things if you live on the north/scotland. (not necessarily people on here). For example, I was going to something in Newmarket this year, and it took me 9 and a half hours by train because I had to go down to london and back up again. I did it though, coz I knew there wasn't another option. But when it came to doing the same thing but in edinbeugh last week, a lot of the southern people objeted and didn't go, despite the fact that you can get from Birmingham to Edinburgh in about 5 hours by train.

So for once, I'm glad that there's something I don't have to travel miles to

I think Glasgow would be the ideal venue. Good trains from the south and good links to airport. Strathclyde University is within walking distance from the Station. I don't know if they have a suitable hall or not. I'm sure they would do.

I'll be seeing potential accompanyist tonight, but I'm sure there's be no problem about him coming to Glasgow for the day.

Edinburgh airport is indeed rubbish! The train from Dundee goes right past it, but there's no stop so you carry on into the middle of town and get a bus back! Getting to Dundee is very easy for Southerners - there's a direct flight from London City which I've used for Woodford Green, Egham etc.

The main assembly hall at Strathclyde University would probably do. That's where our orchestra rehearsed, it's a reasonable hall with moderate accoustics, and last time I was there they had a Steinway. The Barony would probably charge the world.

It does have a Steinway, which is in playable condition but not brilliant. The Ramshorn theatre has a conservatoire series Bosendorfer, but is reputedly hard to get hold of.

It seems very feasible to get a flight Belfast to Glasgow 1st thing on a Saturday morning , returning the same day on an evening flight...so if this does go ahead I would hope that I'll be able to get over for it

Very easy for Southerners who live near London...

But I totally think it should be based on what is easy for those living in Scotland/NI/the North to get to. If it turns out that it means some of us from the South can't make it, well that's tough: it's not for our benefit!!

I'm in Central Scotland!!!!

On certain weekdays in January, Ryanair flights from Dublin to Glasgow are 0.99 Euros each way, plus taxes, which makes it 39.40 Euros return in total. Depart Dublin at 8.05 a.m. Depart Glasgow at 10.00 p.m. Bit of an early start from Belfast, but worth a thought!

I have family in Sussex. When I was a student, I noticed that the distance from Edinburgh to down-south was substantially greater than the distance from down-south to Edinburgh...

Just back from musical society rehearsal - spoke to Stephen our accompanyist and he'd be happy to come across to Glasgow to be "concert accompanyist" for a day.

It was my first rehearsal for the panto (babes in the wood) auditions on Thursday. I'm going in for dame and villain. Been a panto villain a couple of times but have never been a Dame. Fingers crossed - I'd really love to have been a panto dame by the time I die!!!

Sounds like you've got a good nucleus of people, and some good ideas of a location.

Next challenges are 1. to find a venue with available dates and 2. to choose one of those dates (yes THAT order)

If you need any help, give me a shout.

YAP, does the University offer any sort of discounts for bookings by students (even ones that have just submitted their PhD theses?)

StuMac, good luck with the panto auditions.

It's weird how the same distance can actually be perceived differently - we live in a small town about 14 miles away from a much larger one. We used to be part of a group which met in the large town once a week, and used to happily travel through........this group met in different houses every week, too I should have added. When it came to our turn to host the meeting in our smaller town, not one of the folk from the larger town turned up - it was too far, they said.........

Please add Gummidge to the list. I live in the Hebrides, but travel to Glasgow fairly regularly. We're a bit out of the way, but have a spare room if accomodation is wanted, I noticed another Gloucestrian has expressed an interest in coming North.
January is better for us, as like Patricia, December is bad for organists and parents of school age children.

Absolutely.

Forumites living in the North/Scotland have (with the exception of Sbhoa's adult learner events in Manchester) had to come a considerable distance south to participate in forum events. Being based in the south, it's highly unlikely I'd be able to travel up to Scotland - it'd take an awful lot of reshuffling of my other committments (I've already got some events booked for '07!) . But Neil, I'm sure, is thinking of those forum members in the North/Scotland when organising his event, and priority for dates should be given to those people who are closer to Scotland than I am.

Neil, I hope the event becomes a reality, and is successful.

Depending on the date and the venue, you could put me down as a possibility Edinburgh is about an hour and a half on the train from here, very easy journey on the East Coast Mainline. Even Glasgow isn't too far out of my way, I've been there quite a few times before and it should be easy enough! Getting up into Scotland is easier than travelling waaay down south, considering we're almost on the border here anyway.

Depending on other commitments i'd be quite interested in it (particularly if it's Glasgow .

Thanks for pointing it out melody_maker.