Shropshire Music Service

The Shropshire Young Musicians Parents and Helpers Organisation will be holding its annual general meeting on Saturday September 18th at 1:00pm at Priory School, Shrewsbury.

Shropshire Youth Brass Band will be performing and there will be a presentation for parents on the develops in the work of the Shropshire Music Service.

Please try to support SYMPHO as they work throughout the year to support all young people in Shropshire who are involved in the Music Service bands, choirs, orchestras and other ensembles.

Shropshire Training Youth Orchestra and the Shropshire Training Youth Wind Orchestra will be performing in concert at Corwmoor Baptist Church, Shrewsbury on May 22nd 2010 at 2:00pm.

The preliminary rounds of the Shropshire Concerto Competition 2010 begin in November with Round 1 taking place in Shrewsbury and in Wellington on November 9th and 10th followed by the second round on January 13th in New College Wellington.

The final will see some of the most talented young musicians in Shropshire performing concertos accompanied by the Shropshire Sinfonia.  This will take place on March 31st at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury.  Last years event was sold out. We recommend that you book tickets early to avoid disappointment via the Theatre Severn box office.

Greg Hearle from Church Stretton won the Shropshire Concerto Competition last night with a magnificent performance of the Clarinet Concerto by William Matthias.

Greg was accompanied by members of the Shropshire Sinfonia conducted by Robert Wysome performing in Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury.

Greg is the principal clarinettist in the Shropshire Youth Wind Orchestra and has been playing the clarinet for 9 years currently studying with Alan Atkin.

Congratulations on an superbly musical performance of a very demanding work.

COMPOSITION COMPETITION

Quantum Leap is currently being built in Shrewsbury town centre as a memorial to Charles Darwin, born here 200 years ago.  This stunning sculpture will be one of the largest pieces of public art in the country and sits opposite the brand new Theatre Severn on the banks of the river.

To mark the completion of Quantum Leap this summer a fanfare will be played across the river between the memorial and the Theatre.  To select the fanfare played there is a competition open to composers to create a new piece of music as detailed below:

• The Competition is open to anyone up to the age of 18 years old.

• The piece should be written for two brass ensembles and percussion to be placed on opposing sides of the River Severn,

• The Fanfare should last no more than 3 minutes maximum.

• Composers should take into account the difficulties associated with co-ordinating two such groups, and also the varied standard of players who will be drawn from the best county musicians.

• Scores may be presented as hand-written, or in a suitable format such as Sibelius.

• 2 or more copies should be submitted for judging purposes.

• The judges will make their decision based on several factors:

•  
  1. Arresting and exciting musical ideas.
  2. A practical approach to the writing of the piece.
  3. Music that is effective without being too demanding.
  4. Clarity of texture and ideas.
  5. Music which captures the spirit of the sculpture, its location and the theme of the River Severn, over which the fanfare will be played.

• The Closing date for entries is Friday 1^st May 2009

• The winning entry will be announced as soon as possible after this date.

For further details about Quantum Leap visit www.discoverdarwin.co.uk

Please send your entries to:

Dominic Wallis, Rowley’s House, Barker Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 1QH

01743 281045

dominic.wallis@shrewsbury.gov.uk

Last night saw the penultimate round in the Shropshire Concerto Competition 2009.  The four finalists who will perform with the Shropshire Sinfonia on April 1st at the new Threatre Severn will be:

Shi Yun Khoo, playing Piano Concerto No.4 by Beethoven

Bethan Robinson and Holly Scutt playing the Double Violin Concerto by Bach

Gregory Hearle playing the Clarinet Concerto by William Matthias

Christopher Jones playing the Trombone Concerto by Nina Rota

Tickets are available from Theatre Severn

A national competition is open to all young composers across the UK.  The competition is organised by the NCEM (National Centre for Early Music) and requires an unaccompanied work for soprano, alto, tenor and bass to be written for the Tallis Scholars who will perform the work in 2009 in York Minster.

There are two age groups, up to 18 and 19-25 and the closing date for entries is April 3rd.

Further details from http://www.ncem.co.uk/composersaward

The penultimate round of the Concerto Competition 2008/9 takes place on Wednesday Janueary 14th 2009 at 6pm at the Haywards Arts Centre, New College, Wellington.  In this round the eight students potentail finalists will perform works by Beethoven, Haydn, Handel, Goosens, Bach, Elgar, Mathias and Rota.

Details of Christmas concerts presented by the Shropshire Music Service can be found at http://shropshiremusicservice.ethink.org.uk/

Friday 5th December at at 7pm Crowmoor Baptist Church, Shrewsbury, the Shropshire Girls’ Choir and Shropshire Junior Choir will perform (no tickets - retiring collection)

Saturday 6th December at 2pm at Crowmoor Baptist Church, Shrewsbury, the Shropshire Training Youth Wind Orchestra and the Shropshire Training Youth Orchestra - tickets available on the door (£5 with £3 concessions and family ticket £12)

Saturday 6th December at 7pm at Sy Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury, the Shropshire Youth Wind Orchestra, the Shropshire Training Youth Brass Ensemble and Shropshire Youth Brass Band - tickets available on the door (£5 with £3 concessions and family ticket £12)

Monday 15th December at 8pm in The Abbey, Shrewsbury, the Shropshire Youth Orchestra with the New College Chorale - tickets available on the door (£5 with £3 concessions and family ticket £12)

 ['Passport' tickets for more than one of the above concerts are available on the door - £9, £5 concessions and £22 family ticket]