Wednesday 15 June  7.30pm in Folkestone URC
A 50th Anniversary Festival Concert given by the AGAPE Choir directed by Brian Cunningham
Free Admission - Retiring Collection     Contact Michael Foad on 01303 242694
The AGAPE Choir, first called the Folkestone Free Church Choir, later becoming the Folkestone Celebration Choir, was started back in 1961 by Paul Powell in what was then the Radnor Park Congregational Church (now Folkestone URC) soon after he moved to Folkestone to become the General Manager of the Folkestone Water Company.

Saturday 18 June  10.20 for 11am  in Folkestone URC
Coffee Concert given by Ross Winters and Recorder Students from the Birmingham Conservatoire
Admission £4 at the door (Students in full-time education Free)   Contact Michael Foad on 01303 242694

May I take this opportunity to advise you of a programme of events, mainly talks on varied subjects, that we are holding in St Radigunds Church, Albany Road, Capel-le-Ferne on  the second Friday of each month from April to November (except August).

I am Chairman of the Capel Church Hall Re-Building Fund and these events are part of our fund raising efforts to replace our crumbling church hall with a new kitchen and toilet block etc.

On a Musical note I would particularly mention the talk on April 8th by Margaret Vermette who we are particularly fortunate to have persuaded to come to talk to us. She is the official Biographer for Boublil and Schonberg who are the Creators of Les Mis and other shows.

Also on June 10th when Keith Radford will be giving a talk with music on Gershwin, Cole Porter and Rodgers with Hart entitled ‘The Birth of the Modern Musical’.

April 8^th – An evening with Margaret Vermette (an insight behind the creation of Les Miserables and other shows by Boublil and Schonberg)

Margaret is the Official Biographer for Boublil and Schonberg who created Les Mis, and author of “The Musical World of Boublil and Schonberg: The Creators of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre and The Pirate Queen”.

She is also an ‘Angel’ (financial backer) for Love Story currently running at the Duchess Theatre London until 26.2.11, and will mention this show also in her talk.

Margaret also hopes to show some unique DVD coverage of The Pirate Queen.

Look up Margaret’s website www.musicalworld-boublil-schonberg.com for more information.

May 13^th Lt Col Mike Martin (History and Humour – Britain on the Home Front in WW2)

This talk will coincide, almost to the day, with the 70^th Anniversary of Sir Anthony Eden declaring the formation of the LDV’s (Local Defence Force later to be called The Home Guard). Col Martin is an authority on The Battlefields of the World (you may have seen him when he gave the eulogy at the funeral of Paul Davis (The Eggman from Capel Farmers market).

June 10^th Keith Radford (Gershwin, Porter, and Rodgers with Hart - the birth of the modern musical)

Keith who was a Senior International Banking Executive in a former life is now an authority on the Development of Musical Theatre and Opera and is the ‘Friends Resident Photographer’ for the ENO (English National Opera), and for many years President of Folkestone Camera Club. He has given this lecture to the Birkbeck College Music Society at London University and to Musical Groups locally in SE Kent. This is the second of a series of four talks that he gives on Musical Theatre. You may have seen his first talk ‘The development of Musical theatre’ when he gave a talk in Capel Village Hall last December.

July 8^th Susan Pope (Dirigibles –The History of Air Ships)

This talk is illustrated with unique photographs and archive film

Susan is the author of a superb read “Lighter than Air” and is an authority on Air Ships and will include the Old Capel Air Ship station in her talk, you may have seen her at The Duke of Yorks School Dover when she had a stand selling her book at the Bleriot Centenary flight celebrations in 2009.

For full details see her website: www.susan-pope.co.uk Susan also gives details about the Moorfield’s Eye Hospital Charities to which she contributes

(This talk is being co-hosted by Step Short a Folkestone-based Charity that will be working to improve and commemorate The Road of Remembrance in Folkestone in 2014 on the Centenary of the start of WW1 when hundreds of thousands of young lads marched down the road to Folkestone Harbour to board a troop ship to fight and die at The Front.)

9^th September Richard Hills (The History and other miscellanea) of The Ryder Cup

Richard is THE Ryder Cup Director and a Director of the PGA European Tour. This is a must evening for all golfers and all those who enjoy watching golf. It is expected that Richard will be accompanied by The Ryder Cup Trophy and we hope that there will be an opportunity to have your photo taken with the Cup itself.

Richard is also an honorary member of The Old Harveians Golf Society (Old boys of Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone.)

14^th of October Days Gone By (Sounds of the 60s)

The sing-along concert that Boz and the boys gave us last October was such an enormous success that we just had to have them back again for a second year.

We sold out last time so if you want to be included don’t leave it too late to have your names put on the list. Tickets for this evening will be £7.

11^th of November ‘Do You Remember?’ - An Evening of food and entertainment

Join us on this unique date 11.11.11 for a joyful evening of remembrance

Tickets for this evening will be £10

All talks will be £5 (including refreshments)

for tickets, or requests to be included, contact John Oliver (Chairman Capel Church Hall Re-building Fund)

phone 01303 251403 or E mail johne.oliver@talktalk.net

Or Rev Sue White (Vicar of St Radigunds Church Capel-le-Ferne) The Vicarage, Alexandra Road, Capel-le-Ferne.

phone 01303 240539 or E mail suewhite712@hotmail.com

Dear Friends in Music,

Our next lunchtime recital at St Leonard’s Church takes place on Tuesday 5 April at 12 noon when Lucy Williams (mezzo-soprano) and Sebastian Grand (piano), both graduates of the Royal Northern College of Music, perform a programme of songs entitled ‘Dreams, journeys and the sea’ and including works by Berlioz, Duparc, Elgar, Schubert, Richard Strauss and Vaughan Williams.

Tickets at £5 can be obtained at the door. (Admission free to those under 18 in full-time education.) The recital will be followed by ploughman’s lunches in the church from 1.00pm.

As a reminder, on Saturday 2 April at 7.30pm the Hythe Town Concert Band, Hythe Band of the Salvation Army and the Shepway Community Gospel Choir return to St Leonard’s Church for their annual combined concert. This will be followed by a retiring collection.

With all good wishes,

Brin Hughes

SS Mary & Eanswythe’s Church, The Bayle, Folkestone

The next Music on a Sunday Afternoon concert is at 3pm on Sunday 6 March and is more than usually attractive as it features The Duo Concertante from Canada - Nancy Dahn, violin and Timothy Steeves, piano. They are husband and wife and also professors at the Memorial University of Newfoundland <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_University_of_Newfoundland> School of Music.

Their agent saw our concerts on the internet and asked if the Duo could play here during their 2011 tour. This concert is the last one of that tour and we are delighted to be able to welcome them to Folkestone.

Their programme will include the Beethoven Sonata in A major, op. 12, No. 2, and Maurice Ravel’s glittering and exciting Sonata in G Major. Their children Sasha, 8, and Clara, 11 will be with them on the final stages of their tour and they are all heading home on Monday 7 March.

Please tell your friends and bring them along to give Nancy and Timothy a warm Folkestone welcome - and to enjoy some really great music making!

Seats can be reserved in the usual way by calling 01303 257 248 and leaving a message.

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday. We are looking forward to another bumper audience.

Best regards as always

Ian Gordon

The Barbershop Belles, described as “an eclectic, fun, all-female vocal quartet”, will provide an entertaining evening of accompanied and a cappella songs spanning opera, musical theatre, jazz and pop on Saturday 12 March at 7.30pm. The four singers are all recent graduate or post-graduate students from Trinity College of Music and have begun their promising careers in opera and as soloists with choral societies and professional ensembles. See flyer attached.

The quartet has appeared at a number of private and corporate functions as well as in a number of concerts. Recent performances have included several fundraising concerts around the UK; corporate performances for the National Maritime Museum; a performance in honour of Lord Geddes at Trinity College London; a recital at Hyde Park Chapel; and a recent performance at St James’s Palace for HRH Duke of Kent. The Belles have recently recorded their debut CD All My Loving, available online. More information can be found on their website: www.barbershopbelles.com.

Please also be reminded that Svyatoslav Antipov, currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, will give a lunchtime recital in St Leonard’s Church on Thursday 24 February at 12noon. Tickets at £5 can be obtained at the door. (Admission free to those under 18 in full-time education.) The recital will be followed by ploughman’s lunches in the church from 1.00pm. His programme will include:

Czerny - Variations on a theme by Rode, Op.33
Chopin - Etudes: Op.10, No.2 and Op.25, No.6
Chopin - Variations on Mozart’s Là ci darem la mano, Op.2
Ravel - Miroirs (“Reflections”): Oiseaux tristes (“Sad birds”) & Une barque sur l’océan (“A boat on the ocean”)
Ginastera - Sonata No.1, Op.22.

The Friends of St Leonard’s Church 2011 Concert Brochure has now been published and will be sent, together with a February Newsletter, to all members. Copies of the brochure will also be available in the church and at many local outlets. It can also be viewed on the church website at www.stleonardschurchhythekent.org.

With all good wishes,

Brin Hughes
__________________________________

The next Music on a Sunday Afternoon concert is a very special one indeed.

Sunday 20 February 2011 3pm SS Mary & Eanswythe’s Church

Not only will we have the great pleasure of hearing Jacob Barnes the gifted young pianist from Canterbury playng trio sonatas with Tom Hancox (flute) and his brother Ben Hancox (violin & leader of the Sacconi Quartet)  but the concert will end with an unexpected bonus!

The Sacconi Quartet will join Jacob in a performance of the first movement of the Dvorak Piano Quintet making this a very special afternoon’s music making indeed!

Don’t miss it! Tell your friends and let’s make it a bumper audience for these six greatly talented young musicians.

Tickets cost £8 (students in full time education free) and will be available on the day from 2.15.

Seats can be reserved in advance by calling 01303 257 248

I look forward to seeing you all next Sunday.

Yours sincerely

Ian

Ian Gordon
01303 257 248
07877 407 702