Back in 2020, during the days of isolation from Covid-19, all music lessons had to move to online provision. This was tough as restrictions meant that we were no longer able to play together.
From this frustrating situation came the first of our Virtual Concerts. With this came a steep learning curve as none of us had any prior experience of video recording and editing. Nevertheless, we produced our first concert in the summer of 2020. Since then we have continued to present two such concerts (a mixture of solos and ensemble work) each year.
This month we have presented our tenth(!!!) concert. I am delighted to note that it includes a number of performers who took part in the first one! These concerts have come to form a valuable part of our learning and we hope they will continue.
You can see an excerpt from our latest concert here https://youtu.be/wlW4k2SGfBI which features an ensemble made of some of our violinsts – the Peebles Players. We hope you will enjoy it.
The London Recorder Orchestra will be returning to St Michaels Paternoster Royal to present our 2024 concert of music from across the centuries – from Machaut to Moses! We do hope you will be able to join us. The concert starts at 6.30pm on Saturday 22nd June – with refreshments available afterwards.
The East Midlands Recorder Orchestra are delighted to present another concert of music from across the centuries. We do hope you will be able to join us. There will be a retiring collection to raise money for Beaumond House Community Hospice in Newark – and plenty of tea and cake!
This weekend marks the 10th anniversary (how can it be that long???) of our move to Peebles Road. The increased space has been a huge improvement. I am delighted that I am still working with some of the students who made the move with us – and that we have welcomed many more since then! Here’s to the next 10 years..?
Christmas is a time filled with music – with concerts and carol services. Behind each of these are groups of musicians who happy and able to share their skills with you. This year some of our players would love to wish you a Merry Christmas by sharing their skills in a performance of Silent Night to get you in a festive mood!
DO NOTICE THE CHANGE OF VENUE!!!
The London Recorder Orchestra are delighted to present our first public concert since 2019! It will be a very varied programme of music and we do hope you will be able to join us on 24th June – it will be our first concert in a new venue.
The concert will be held at St. Michael’s Church: Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London EC4R 2RL and starts at 6.30pm
After a long break, the East Midlands Recorder Orchestra are delighted to present a concert of music from across the centuries. We do hope you will be able to join us – there will be a retiring collection to raise money for Beaumond House Community Hospice in Newark.
It’s that time of the year when amateur orchestras around the country are preparing to give concerts. As the concert date draws near, I see more and more of these orchestras sending out appeals for additional violinists to support the orchestra and provide the necessary balance. The problem is, as older violinists ‘retire’ from orchestral playing, the number of younger players coming in has shrunk alarmingly. Quite apart from the fact that instrumental lesson provision in schools has declined generally, numbers of young violinists are often particularly low.
The ‘problem’ is that the violin is perceived as ‘difficult’ when compared with more classroom-friendly instruments such as keyboards and ukeleles – even young wind players can usually get on quite quickly. A school might have a band for the wind and brass players – but nothing for the young string players who may need help with tuning etc. Some parents shudder at the thought of living with a ‘beginner violinist’ – and may even discourage practising! As the numbers of string players decline, the violin is no longer seen as ‘cool’ – so fewer youngsters want to learn…
Yet the violin, with it’s long, long history, is an instrument of real beauty – as some of our players would love to demonstrate. You can listen to them here as they play “The Star of the County Down”. The world of music, from Symphony Orchestra to folk group, needs violinists – we need to save them from extinction!
I’m often asked why I haven’t raised my tuition fees for quite a while… At the moment, money is tight for everyone. When I was growing up I could never have afforded music lessons. It was only because (very short) lessons were available at school, free of charge, that I was able to play. For that reason, I try to keep lessons as affordable as possible – so I will NOT be increasing my fees this year!
But sunshine costs nothing and some of our players would love to brighten up your day! You can listen to them here.
Now that we have all enjoyed our ‘virtual’ Christmas concert, some of our players would love to wish you a Merry Christmas. You can listen to them here to get you in a festive mood!
Sheila Richards 