News & Events

What's On?

Eclectica with Paul Williams from Airey & Coles
L to R: Bernard Gregor-Smith, Paul Williams, Pete Oxley,
Lizzie Ball and Nick Meier
click to enlarge

Eclectica

Thursday April 23 saw the last event of this season's International Concert Series at Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery.

Eclectica comprises Bernard Gregor-Smith - cello, Lizzie Ball - violin, Nick Meier - guitar and Pete Oxley - guitar. These consummate musicians played a variety of tuneful and rhythmical pieces from Monti's Czardas to "The Girl from Ipanema", featuring Lizzie Ball on vocals.

The group also included some of their own compositions, demonstrating the combination of energy and drive with melodic lyricsm.

Tis concert was sponsored by Airey & Coles, consulting engineers.

Young Musicians' Platform 2009

Sophie King with accompanist Brian Gerry
click to enlarge

The 2009 auditions for an award of the PMA Young Musicians' Platform took place on Tuesday April 21, with two pianists and a singer. The successful candidate was singer Sophie King, from Eggbuckland Community College, who was 19 on the day.

Sophie is studying for a Music Theatre Diploma and enjoys singing show songs and jazz.

She will be sponsored by the Plymouth Music Accord in a professional engagement with the Radio Light Orchestra in October.

For further information about the Young Musicans' Platform contact Clive Jenkins on 01752 863348 or e-mail clivejenkinsmusic@btinternet.com

Treasurer Required for PMA

Plymouth Music Accord is seeking an Honorary Treasurer. If you are interested in supporting our work, contributing your ideas to our activities and maintaining the (relatively simple) accounts of this Charity then please contact Ivan Sidgreaves, 01822 853701.

Opera South West

Plymouth Music Accord has learnt that Opera South West has dissolved. OSW was the last amateur musical organisation to use the Theatre Royal for its performances, and the cost of mounting shows and employing an orchestra, combined with the difficulty of finding talented singers for opera, has led to the decision not to continue.

The PMA is sad both to lose one of its members and for the audiences who will no longer benefit from its excellence.

Plymouth Philharmonic Choir

seeks young singers

The Plymouth Philharmonic Choir, one of the largest in the region, is looking for young singers to join its ranks. Would anyone interested please contact the membership secretary Jan Millward on 01752 402256

Concert Diary

Plymouth Music Accord publishes a printed concert diary with details of all the concerts promoted by members of the Accord. This is distributed to all members, and to local music shops and tourist and information outlets. The Spring / Summer 2009 issue runs until end August. If you do not have your own copy you may download it here
(113K pdf file - use Acrobat reader to view and print)

The Spring / Summer 2009 issue will be distributed during February; copy date is yet to be determined but will probably be late January.

What's On This Month ..... Next Month

The online concert diary Plymouth Classical Music Concert Diary includes the latest information on the Accord's and most other concerts in Plymouth and surrounding area. This site also provides a general resource for music-lovers, with links to music websites and organisations.

Local CDs Now On Sale

Plymouth Music Accord is now distributing CDs for its member organisations, and the following are now available from the Plymouth Museum & Art Gallery shop, and from the Barbican and Crabtree Tourist Information Centres:

"South West Sinfonietta in Concert No.2" featuring a large number of soloists with whom the orchestra has performed in recent years including a brand new piece for violin and orchestra by John Dankworth. These recordings were made at St Andrew's Church. Price £10
"Tales from the City", a recording produced by Plymouth Museum & Art Gallery which contains highlights of the very successful cabaret-cantata about life in Plymouth during the last 100 years written by John Bartlett and Clive Jenkins. Price £10
Plymouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ann Kimber perform two very colourful orchestral pieces by local composer Judy Whitlock - one describes the recent eclipse and the other the annual Ten Tors event. These were recorded in Plymouth Guildhall. Price £7.50

Support your local musicians - seek out these CDs soon!