Watch this initial post - I shall be posting, in the very near future (just got to chat to a couple of other forum members) some of the exciting events we have, between us all, got planned for 2009 across the UK.

Hope you all like the look of the proposed events

here we go...go to post no. 6

I'm all excited already

Oooh

<prepares self for inflicting more mediocre piano-playing on fello forumites during 2009>




Barry, just a minor suggestion - would it be possible to add updates to the end of the thread, and then to modify the initial post with a link to the latest update? I'm probably not alone in clicking the little orange box which takes me to the first unread post in a thread, which means I'm likely to miss edits to very early posts.

I was going to go the other way round (say the first post has been updated on a post at the bottom). Should have the same effect.

(changed my mind : doing what Deborah suggested )

OK, have a look at this lot

We're going back to Anglesey! This forum concert already has a date : March 21st 2009. It will include 'a night at the opera', and will otherwise be to the same relaxed format as last year. Your organiser is petrat.

There will, all being well, be a revisit to Teddington, SW London for another Adult Learner event. Organisers : katyjay and AmandaL.

More recitals in London. Venue to be confirmed, but will run January-May and September-November, one a month. Organiser : barry-clari. Incidentally, if anyone wants to run a northern series of recitals, do feel free, and don't worry about clashing with mine!

I know we haven't done this year yet , but Stalybridge, Greater Manchester is likely to hold another Adult Learner event in 2009, in the capable hands of sbhoa.

There will be more playdays next year - here's a couple of venues for 2009.

Salford, Greater Manchester : by notmusimum
Braintree, Essex : by clarinet_michelle

And finally, a few new venues for 2009.

We are in the initial planning stages for an adult learner concert in Cardiff. Your organiser is Looney Tunes : more details to come.

Forum events will finally come to Scotland in 2009! Malone and Miss Ross are in the initial stages of planning a forum concert in Aberdeen for the summer.

We're looking at holding a forum event of some description in the historic city of York in 2009. Your organiser : phantasmagoriana.

And finally, the SE England forum concert for 2009 will be in the land of the concrete cows (for those who don't know, Milton Keynes!). This will be in October-y sort of time, and will be organised by Carl.

There is likely to be more to add soon, but for now, that lot should keep you going. Enjoy the anticipation!

Cor, it's shaping up to be quite a year already!


Hooray! Remind me to play something that isn't a prelude next year, as that way I might get anything other than the opening slot. I wonder if a transcription of Wotan's Farewell would guarantee me the final slot


I heartily commend these to advanced performers. They're great fun, lovely audience, and maybe Barry will find another gem of a venue.


&c. I haven't yet managed a Forums playday yet, but this one looks to be up my street, even if it's not, er, right up my street.


I have family in Newport so will watch out for details of this with interest. I might be able to tie up a visit or even provide some audience


Carl will undoubtedly tell me off good and proper if I don't get to this one

Thanks for co-ordinating this Barry. I look forward to more updates over the coming weeks and months.

Barry, this is really off-topic but have you ever thought of going into promotions or something? The way you worded that post really made me chuckle.

Scotland!

York is a lovely city and it's easy for me to get to - look forward to hearing more details phantasmagoriana!



I've got family in Newport too and they'd love to come to one of these concerts, they've heard so much about them! I hope the date will be OK for me LooneyTunes - I'd love to come if I can!

York! Wow! If I can offer anything in the way of assistance...

So you like that idea then, I take it.

All help much appreciated and accepted mwl1, thank you! I'll put you in the loop, I've got your email address somewhere, I'm sure, if I've lost it, expect a PM!

And talking of York, phantasmagoriana, you have mail (well, PM anyway!)

How do you apply to perform at these events?, I've got loads of piano recital pieces on the go just for fun at the moment but would be nice to play them in public

A thread for each event will appear in this sub-forum. Currently, the next event for which there are spaces is Belfast. In each of these threads is a website link for each concert, and on each website there's an application form.

This is the link for the Belfast event.

Make a note too of the home of forum concerts : katyjay's masterwork that is www.forumconcert.co.uk

Hope to see you at an event in the future.

York is near to Durham (any idea time of year?)

Would like to do something small in the summer, and 'something else' in November-y sort of time Nicki.

We're looking at holding a forum event of some description in the historic city of York in 2009. Your organiser : phantasmagoriana.

York - yes please, and if I can help in any way with the organising, just let me know

All help gladly appreciated, thanks!

A few ideas of dates for the various events in 2009...

London recitals : one a month, generally (but not always) 1st Saturday of the month, January-May and September-November. Teddington and the recitals will not be on the same day.

Teddington : end January/start February

Anglesey : already specified - 21st March

Salford playdays : At least two, one first half of the year, another in November, on the same weekend as the Royal Northern's sax day.

Aberdeen : either August 8th or August 15th, at Malone and Miss Ross' convenience.

Stalybridge : mid-July

Milton Keynes : mid-late October

York events : at least two, again, as with Salford, one in the first half of the year, one in late autumn/early winter

Cardiff : late April/early May

Braintree : one playday at least, in the early part of the year

I might even be able to make Teddington - it's near my mum and dad's

I've had horrendous luck with the Teddington dates, someone else has always pre-booked me on the date the Teddington (and the Surrey events before that) events have come up...

Need to cross my fingers that bit harder!

Might also be able to do something nearer the start of 2009 too.

Well in Feb 2009 I will have my 18th birthday. This makes mean adult!

Therefore I may come along to a london recital or two. Might even drag my violin with me and give you all a tune.

The London recitals are designed to give grade 8-plus people the chance to do a longer programme of music (c. 45 minutes). Although the venue will be provided for nothing, you will have to source your own accompanist.

My gut feeling Violin Hero is that you'd be more interested in the forum concerts. These for next year will be in Anglesey, Aberdeen and Milton Keynes, and *possibly* also in York.

Although I may be of the grade 8 standard by 2009 i would not liek to do a performance of 45 mins. 20 is really my max as a soloist. I only do longer when in orchestra like I will be doing 1.5 hour performace 10th july in orchestra.

If the Aberdeen concert is in the summer then I may have a go. It would an excuse to have a holiday to Scotland with my dad.

Also if anything is planned in Suffolk I would also be interested as I can also make my annual trip to see my aunt and uncle at the same time. My dad would come so I could drag him to a concert to add 1 to the audiance numbers.

Aberdeen will be on either August 8th or August 15th 2009. Malone and Miss Ross will pick the date that suits them best in due course.

Nothing planned for Suffolk at the moment I'm afraid.

If anyone does think 'hey, I could perhaps organise something like this', I'm more than happy to listen to suggestions.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who's planning things in 2009, and I'll give a special mention to those people new to organising events (notmusimum, clarinet_michelle, phantasmagoriana, Carl, Miss Ross, Malone, LooneyTunes). Thank you to all of you, and the people who've been there in the midst of organising before!

The 2009 calendar, with as many confirmed dates as I can jam into it, will go online in August.

Planning continues apace for all the events I've listed above. Malone is sorting out the Aberdeen venue as we speak, ditto phantasmagoriana in York. Yet to decide on the form of the York event(s), there will be playdays, we may also try something more ambitious.

Hope the Teddington and Surrey events get booked, looking forward to those. The rest are a long drive or train away.

Don't worry, Teddington will definitely happen. The only question mark is the exact date, which I'm afraid I won't have until a bit nearer the time.

There's a good chance there'll be a couple of other bits 'n' pieces to add to the calendar in other parts of the UK, so it's still worth keeping an eye on this thread Violin Hero.

The closest I think we could manage to Suffolk would be around my way, then there is a question of venue, transport links, and all that Jazz.

I know a primary school head in Ely I may be able to approach. I also may be able to approach the primary school head in our village, but I think the Cost would be prohibitive, and I really can't see the Kings School Ely playing ball, yet Ely has good transport links. Burwell is accessible by road, but post Beeching has no rail links.

Newmarket is accessible by bus, and theoretically has a rail service... yes least said about that really

Cambridge has a train station out of town, but the venues are expensive and are used to coining it in.


It isn't an impossibility. The URC Church with the really decent organ is expensive, though it is in central Cambridge.

With some administrative help I think I can do this, provided I stay well. DrD is pretty much on the ball too.

Jo

If you come up with an absolute concrete proposal jod, let me know, and it can go on the calendar and be promoted.

Something else to add to 2009's ever expanding list - we are hoping to see the return of the Market Harborough playdays next year. The Midlands was a little thin on events next year - this will hopefully partially address this.

I need to talk to a few people I can blag venues off. Once I've got that, I then neet to talk to you guys over the best date and time and take things from there.

Cool, that's fine jod.

Bury St Edmunds in suffolk? its quite a nice, fairly biggish town, with 5 churches.... one church, a cathedral, and another church one one road. A baptist church in the middle of town, with another catholic church of St Edmund on the other side of the market Square. Also theres a corn exchange athaneaum.
If there was any thought of a suffolk event, just a suggestion.

Bury (well that Bury) is indeed in Suffolk.

Do you have any contacts there? Indeed Newmarket is in Suffolk too and is five miles down the road from me.

Bury has the A14 go right past its door as does Newmarket, but poor rail links.

Ely albeit in Cambridgeshire is 20 mins off the A14, but has a large rail interchange at the bottom of the hill.

Burwell, just the Cambridgshire side of Newmarket is where I live so I may be able to find a venue by twisting arms, I can twist arms in Ely as I have contacts there too. I think I have a tame school governor in Newmarket too.

The idea of these venture is not to bankrupt the person or people organising the event, and to make it as accessible for as many as possible.

when I suggested suffolk I was rather hoping for Ipswitch.

Between all of us, we try to cover as much of the UK as we can. With all the best will in the world, we can't get everywhere.

Maybe one day there will be something in the Ipswich area : but at the moment the nearest we've got for 2009 is likely to be Braintree.

Hope you manage to get to a forum do at some time VH. I admire your enthusiasm!

I understand that events can not happen in every city in the UK. I will make do with the braintree event.

As soon as clarinet_michelle and I sort out date(s), we'll let you and the rest of the forum know.

I think VH is quite keen on an event somewhere in East Anglia that is very accessible down the A14.

Barry, watch this space, but as normal, we'll work with you.

hopefully I will have my driving license by then and be able to drive down the A14!

When I was booking this year's single reed day at Greenwich, I was really impressed with the service I got from the venue. And the prices.

So, if anyone's interested, I'll organise a couple of orchestral playdays there in 2009.

Sounds good, Barry. Count me in, if I can do the dates.

Ooh this will be easy to get to, but there isn't a piano, is there? Maybe I need to learn (another) new instrument!

Greenwich would be very suitable. Just 35-40mins if my mum gives me a lift which she always does when I need one.

Look forward to more London based events!

There is a piano in one of the rooms , but when I tried it out, it needed tuning . They do apparently have this in hand though, and I think it'd be nice to have at least one playday in the main hall, where the piano is situated. We'll see how it goes, and I'll let you know Panthera.

Thanks, Barry. (And the out-of-tune piano is even better; I will have excuse for bad playing! )

I'd be interested - any excuse to get to ride the DLR! I just love sitting up front in the 'driver's seat' as the train comes out of Bank station.

Sounds like fun - and the venue looks very accessible.

I look forward to hearing more developments in the playdays in Greenwich.

Lis

It's about 90 seconds from the station. Literally.

They are a lovely bunch of people at this place, glad I found it, and I'm looking forward to holding an event or two there.

Will keep you informed, thanks for your interest Lis!

I used to live near there...
Definitely interested in 'orchestral'...

W