Ensemble Highlight - Atlantic String Orchestra

Atlantic String Orchestra, Camelford

With an age range spanning 60 years the Atlantic String Orchestra membership consists of a unique bunch of people who love to share their passion for string instruments. 

Under the baton of Barbara Degener the amateur players bow their instruments every Wednesday at Camelford, 7-9 pm.  The membership consisting of mainly adult players, with a sprinkling of youth, come from varied musical backgrounds; some have been playing for many years, some have fulfilled a life-long dream and started learning later on in life. Their motivation to learn and the young people’s energy create a fantastic blend of players who enjoy working on pieces together.

As a professional cellist and teacher herself, Barbara's approach supports any technical issues together complimented by the expertise of the leading violinist Lydia Johnson. Rehearsing together and working through the various challenges makes sure every session is a real community event.

The repertoire is chosen to cover all levels of abilities as well as provide musical depth, just as importantly it has to be rewarding and good fun. The musical genres covered range from classical - Bach, Britten, Mozart, Peter Maxwell Davies, to modern arrangements of lighter music.

Performances are being held mainly in North Cornwall.

If you would like more information or come to a taster session contact Barbara Degener on bdegener@cornwallmusicservicetrust.org or find us on Facebook.

Anern Trio Concert

An announcement from Flushing Arts:

As you may be aware, the Anern Trio is returning for a concert performance in St Peter's Church on July 20. Tickets are now available for sale in the Village Shop or by telephone from 07984 571052

The concert on the 20th will showcase the amazing, virtuosic violinist from Japan, Lisa Ueda. Lisa has performed at major venues throughout the world including the Festival Hall in Japan as well as various venues in London including St John's Smith Square, the Wigmore Hall and the Barbican where she has premiered works written especially for her.

Lisa will be performing on the magnificent 1775 Joseph and Antonio Gagliano instrument on loan to her by an anonymous donor.

The programme will include Schubert's Trout Quintet in which the Anern will be joined by the Chinese pianist, Siu Chui Li, and the Bass player, Adam Precious. 

Last year's concert was a sell-out before the event, so on this occasion I strongly recommend that you get your tickets well in advance. As a further incentive, Flushing Arts is able to offer a special promotion of two £10 tickets for only £15 but only until July 6. After that date, all tickets will revert to their face value. All children and students under 19 are, of course, admitted free when accompanied by a fee-paying adult. This only applies however, until the quota of student tickets is used up so, once again the recommendation is to book early."

David Eastburn (Chair Flushing Arts Music sub-Committee)

Cornwall Music Service Trust Pupil Of The Month - May 2017

Cornwall Music Service Trust Pupil Of The Month - May 2017 Winner

Congratulations go to Borja Arbones who has been awarded the CMST Pupil of The Month award for May, 2017.

Borja joined St Mary’s school from Spain in year 4 where he went straight into the first access brass. He really took to the Cornet and was keen to continue with individual Trumpet lessons when he moved to class 5.

Claire his teacher commented “Borja works really hard both in lessons and at home. He is always keen to work towards the next grade (he has passed both his grade 1 and 2 with very high marks) and finds lots of different ways to help him overcome some of the language barriers he comes across, especially in the exam process; remembering scales in particular, Borja came up with his own unique way of remembering which scales were which!”

Claire continued to say “Borja was keen to explore the ensemble side of his trumpet playing and has recently joined the CAPA band at Penryn school. This has helped his general sight reading and playing. Borja is such a pleasure to teach, always on time and always has all of his music well organised and ready to go.”

Gareth Churcher, Head of Service for CMST, added “this is a fine example of the routes of progression on offer starting at First Access level and where encouragement of our pupils to join ensembles allows them to benefit from many options of music education on offer ”.

Well done Borja for this amazing achievement and congratulation to all those that have been nominated so far this year, this is a real testament from your CMST teachers of how well they believe you are progressing.

North Cornwall News

What’s happening in the North?

Musical life is exciting in North Cornwall at the moment and there are lots of opportunities for musicians of all abilities.

A large scale music collaboration which will culminate in a weeklong tour to Lake Garda in Italy involving Bodmin College Jazz Orchestra, Budehaven Choir and Triggshire Wind Orchestra has created lines of communication in all aspects of music and performance. There is a real buzz and sense of excitement following a series of collaborative concerts which have involved a wide range of ensembles and groups and there is already a feeling of support and cohesion growing between the musicians involved.

Concert venues have varied between Bodmin College, Sir James Smith’s School, Wadebridge School and Budehaven and there have regularly been well over a hundred musicians performing and sharing together. This includes; Sir James Smith’s School music classes,  GCSE bands and soloists, Whirlwinds, Triggshire Strings, Atlantic Strings, Bude Junior Choir and of course the three ensembles involved in the Italy tour. After rehearsing separately the groups have combined forces with instrumentalists supporting and accompanying the choir in pieces which have been put together in front of the audience.

Music tech and sound engineering are also integral aspects and an important spin-off has seen pupils from the different schools sharing knowledge and experiences. These pupils are also involved in the Tour.

The Heads of Departments and Instrumental staff are also all working well together as a team and whilst each department has its own identity, sharing musical experiences and performances together has enhanced this. It has also enabled a pooling of curriculum ideas, knowledge and resources.

New initiatives have also been implemented for the progression and transition from First Access through to Ensemble work. This is being achieved by the setting up of the Cornwall Music Education Hub sponsored ‘Next Steps Ensembles’ based in Wadebridge and Bude and involving Primary School pupils in surrounding areas. These are being hosted by Wadebridge Secondary School and Marhamchurch Primary and delivered by CMST staff. These groups are running alongside school based ensemble sessions which are happening across the area for string players and woodwind players and which are also being delivered by CMST staff with funding from the Tanner trust obtained by CMST.

A new CMST Guitar ensemble has also been established at Wadebridge School and this is already giving public performances.

All of the above is happening alongside a wide variety of other school based ensembles including steel bands, samba bands, a capella choir, chamber choirs, jazz bands, pop and rock bands and solo and small group performances.

News From Bugle

The West of England Bandsmen’s Festival has announced the appointment of Geraint Richards as their new Chairman. He succeeds Leonard Adams, who has stood down after ten years in the post. In recognising the commitment and support Leonard gave to the Festival during his term the Festival has elected him a Life Vice President.  

Geraint has a unique connection to the Festival as his Great Grandfather, F J P Richards, was the prime mover in the founding of the Festival in 1912. He recalled, “Going to the Bank with 44 sovereigns in my pocket, each sovereign put up by committee and friends to ensure the Prize Money”. One of many long serving officials, he remained involved as Secretary and Promoter until his death in 1961. The first Festival was held in the grounds of Peniel on the outskirts of Bugle, a house which had been built by the Richards family and continued there until 1965. 

In his position of Head Forester for the Duchy of Cornwall Geraint is involved in projects nationwide for HRH The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, who is Patron of The West of England Bandsmen’s Festival and whose Great Uncle presented the unique Royal Trophy to the Festival in 1913. 

Geraint’s five children are all musical, continuing the Family’s brass band tradition and appearing at the Festival in the Youth Section, his son Tremayne is at present a member of the St Austell Youth Band.   

He is looking forward to taking up his appointment as Chairman at this year’s Festival on Saturday June 17th, which will start at 10am with the traditional march through the village by the competing Bands to the Contest Field. As well as Bands from Cornwall and Devon and Brassband Excelsior Ferwert from the Netherlands, the Festival is also delighted to welcome visiting Bands from, Hampshire, Dorset and London. Situated since 1912 in the heart of the Cornish China Clay Country at Molinnis Park in Bugle, there is ample parking in view of the Bandstand, as well as comfortable seating, which sets the scene for the audience to enjoy the attractive selection of Test Pieces, chosen not only to test the Musicians, but to provide entertainment for those listening.

With Trade Stands and the famous Tea Tent, a full day of entertainment, socialising and enjoyment is guaranteed. The March to the Field at Molinnis Park commences at 10am, with the Contest commencing at 11am.  

Admission Prices. Adult £8, Children (6-16) £5, Children (under 6) Free
Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) £20
Car Parking (subject to availability) £3

Polgwynne Gardens host CMST fundraising event

On Saturday 20th May the beautiful surroundings of Polgwynne Gardens near Feock played host to an afternoon of 'Magical Music in May'. Musicians of all ages performed on four separate stages to appreciative audiences. The weather was kind with a delicious array of cakes and gardens looked spectacular. Below are a few photos and videos of the event which raised over £1200 for CMST's funds. Huge thanks to Amanda Piercy for inviting us to her magnificent home and gardens.

Finance Manager vacancy

As Cornwall Music Service Trust continues to expand we would like to appoint a suitably experienced Finance Manager to help run our service efficiently. Further details can be found below.

•  Job description  
• Application Form covering letter
• An application form 

Please share this post with your networks. 

Finance Manager

£12,800 to £14,933 per annum (depending on experience)

16 hours per week

To commence as soon as possible we are looking for a suitably experienced Finance Manager to join our team on a part time basis. Your main responsibilities in the role will be:

To manage the finance and accounting functions at Cornwall Music Service Trust including:

▪ All accounting and financial systems, procedures and software.

▪ Checking all payments including payroll.

▪ Preparation of Management Accounts, Annual Accounts and other financial reports.

▪ Preparation of information for funding applications to grant making bodies in collaboration with the Head of Service and Funding Consultant

▪ Budget preparation and management.

▪ Compliance with statutory requirements.

▪ Liaising with Cornwall Music Service Trust Auditors and Accountants.

Should you wish to be considered for the role please request and submit a completed application form to Gareth Churcher, Head of Service by email to gchurcher@cornwallmusicservicetrust.org or by post at:

Gareth Churcher

Cornwall Music Service Trust

Trennick Lane

Truro

TR1 1TH

Closing date: Friday, 26 May 2017 at 9.00am

All applications must be made using a CMST application form.

CMST is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening including checks with past employers and DBS.

Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (number 1159622)
and a company limited by guarantee (number 09268124) registered in England.

Registered office: Cornwall Music Service Trust, Truro School, Trennick Lane, Truro TR1 1TH

Kevos play Kestle Barton

Cornish Contemporary music ensemble Kevos’ next concert is on Sunday May 21st in the stunning surroundings of Kestle Barton gallery near Constantine.  Kevos are playing beautiful and dramatic music by four brilliant British composers including the world premiere of a Kevos commission by Jim Aitchison. The Kevos ensemble includes several CMST teachers amongst their players!

Ensembles perform together

At a recent concert we had 16 saxophones from Trigg, Bodmin and Budehaven joining together for a piece and Bude Junior Choir and Budehaven voices combined with Trigg for a performance of Frozen.

It was a lovely evening with a great atmosphere and excellent performances from all 4 groups.

Our next concert together is at Bodmin College on Wednesday 17th May at 7.30pm.

Cornwall Music Service Trust Pupil of the Month - April 2017

Congratulations go to Cerys Osborne who has been awarded the CMST Pupil of The Month award for April 2017.

Cerys started learning the French Horn just over a year ago and in the space of 12 months has passed both her Grade 1 and Grade 3 exams. On Wednesday 15th March she took part in her first Trigg Winds concert; sat on the end in full view of all the audience as the only French Horn in the Wind Orchestra.

Her teacher Anna Minear said “following the concert I had members of the audience coming up to me to say how well the young French Horn player performed.

I think for someone who has been learning just over 12 months from scratch, on an instrument that can be quite tricky, it is a fantastic achievement to perform with such confidence in an orchestra of mostly secondary school-aged players.”

Gareth Churcher, Head of Service for CMST, added “it is a real delight to read the various nominations each month and witness the phenomenal development of some of our CMST pupils. Furthermore, the inspirational work of our teachers is clearly evident and something that I am very proud of.”

Well done Cerys for this amazing achievement and congratulation to all those that have been nominated so far this year, this is a real testament from your CMST teachers of how well they believe you are progressing.

CMST Ensembles performed at Hall For Cornwall

Many CMST students were involved in Cornwall Music Education Hub's recent 'Hub Sounds' concert at Hall For Cornwall in Truro. The event on Monday 24th April 2017 involved many ensembles including Restormal Junior Strings, Caradon Strings, St. Columb Major First Access violins and Penzance Junior Wind Band.

The ensembles were supported by CMST staff including Karen Frost, Phil Montgomery Smith, Hywel Webley, Jill Steer, Claudia Lang-Colmer, Siggi Hawken, Drew Tayler-Moore, James Robinson and Sophie Andrews.

We are very grateful to Janet Elston for all her hard work as CMST Ensembles Manager for co-ordinating the CMST groups who took part. 

Cornwall Unites a World of Song

Cornwall Unites a World of Song

News Release: Immediate

Cornwall came alive with a world of music this Bank Holiday weekend as 2000 singers of all ages and nationalities brought their own songs and cultures to entertain around 45,000 people in the 2017 International Male Choral Festival.

St Petersburg Boys Choir launching the 2017 Festival at St Michael’s Mount. Photo - Phil Monckton.

The world’s largest male choral event welcomed 60 choirs for 50 concerts, competitions and celebrations in 40 venues across the county from Bude to Land’s End, Porthleven to Saltash and everywhere in between.  

Singers from 9 to 90 years old performed in churches and gardens, theatres, castles and major tourist attractions - with organisers estimating that the influx of choirs, their entourages and Festival visitors have brought more than £1million into the local economy.

Among the global visitors for this eighth biennial Festival were choirs from Australia and America, Russia and across Europe as well as Wales, Scotland, England and Cornwall itself.

“It’s been such a pleasure to bring singers from all over the globe together for such a good humoured and harmonious event,” says Festival Director Rob Elliott. “This Festival just goes from strength to strength and the more people who know about it the better it gets.

“We’ve sold more tickets than ever before and there has been something for everyone wherever in Cornwall they were. People who catch the choirs singing “out and about” are just bowled over by the quality and the fun of it.”

This year’s Festival emphasised the future for Male choral singing in the form of brilliant young choirs from Cornwall and around the world. The Festival was launched by St Petersburg Boys Choir singing their hearts out on and around St Michael’s Mount – to the delight of the many day trippers there.

Truro School Barbershop, conducted by Cornwall Music Service Trust's Head of Service - Gareth Churcher,  were voted Best International Youth Choir 2017 – photo Ian Griffiths

There were home grown winners for the popular International Youth Choir Competition at the Hall for Cornwall as the Truro School Barbershop boys narrowly pipped last year’s winners, the Bromley Boy Singers.

Overall Festival Winners 2017 – the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus – photo Ian Griffiths

Among the keenly fought adult competitions it was the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus who emerged victorious as the Festival’s Overall Winners – their rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow bringing tears to the eyes of many in the audience.

Best Overall Cornish Choir 2017 – Mousehole MVC (L). Best Cornish choir of 40 voices and under – Tintagel MVC – photo Ian Griffiths

Cornish winners came from bottom to top of the county with Mousehole Male Voice Choir taking the title for Overall Best Cornish Choir while Tintagel MVC were the Best Cornish Choir for 40 Voices and Under. Photos of the competing choirs are available from at www.event-photos.co.uk  - 07973 143406/ 01933 412251.

“It’s been a fantastic festival and we’ve all enjoyed it so much,” says Rob Elliott. “Now we have start again on organising the event for 2019!”