The Cobweb Chamber Orchestra has had a wonderful residential at Minsteracres to prepare for a concert next Sunday. Thanks to Andy Jackson for conducting and Chrissie Macgregor for organising. CCO performances help to raise funds for Cobwebs, so please come to listen and support the orchestra! 🎵
As the academic year draws to a close and our nine groups are winding down one by one for the summer holiday, I hope you have all had a great year and that The Cobweb Orchestra has offered you a large variety of musical experiences, whether in a group or at events or both. The Cobweb Orchestra is a unique organisation compared to a lot of other amateur orchestras. Not only do we offer open access with no auditions, we also offer so much more in the range of events and opportunities that you can delve in to, but these days all this comes at an ever-increasing cost that we need to address if the organisation is going to thrive and move forward.
Cobweb Summer events:
Summerhill Picnic with Andy Jackson
Cobweb Orchestra in Concert at Gibside
– Sunday 8th September near York – Brahms Violin Concerto with Iona Brown (violin)
– Sunday 29th September near Durham – Opera Project 4 with Peter Wood
– Saturday 12th October near Newcastle – Film Music with Bill Connor
– Sunday 20th October in Northallerton – Cobweb Orchestra AGM and Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade with Mark Edwards
– Sunday 10th November in Cumbria – Study Day with Joe Davies
– 16th – 17th November – Autumn Residential in Consett
– Sunday 1st December in Middlesbrough – Classical Cafe Performance with Peter Gulbis
Events will mostly follow our usual timings of 11-4pm on a Saturday and 2-6pm on a Sunday. Please visit the Events Diary for more information about each one!
In this week’s Cobweb News:
Opera Project 3 with Peter Wood
Summerhill Picnic with Andy Jackson
Cobweb Orchestra in Concert at Gibside
We had a fantastic day on Saturday as Helen, Catherine, Ash, Stephanie and Sally took to the podium for a conducting masterclass with Mark. The budding conductors tackled movements from Beethoven Symphony No. 1, Mayer Symphony No. 1 and Beethoven Egmont Overture. The encouraging orchestra made for a brilliant day with everyone agreeing they’d learnt something without even needing to stand on the podium! Thanks to Peter Wood for taking the first orchestral session and to all of you for taking part. Of course, thanks to Mark for being such an excellent teacher; we have reason to run more of these events as so many are so keen!
Some quotes from our amazing participants:
“It is incredible to be able to have such an experience, Cobweb colleagues are fantastic.”
“Thank you for a great day – Mark was so encouraging and easy to work with.”
“It was great to have a chance to try conducting in such a friendly and supportive atmosphere.”
In this week’s Cobweb News:
Opera Project 3 with Peter Wood
Summerhill Picnic with Andy Jackson – save the date!
Opera Project 3 with Peter Wood
Sunday 23rd June, 2-6pm
Newbiggin on Lune Public Hall, Newbiggin, Penrith CA11 0HT
To enrol, click here
In our chronological journey we have looked at 25 overtures in the previous 2 sessions and have reached the year 1800. I am currently working on a further batch of overtures including some by Cherubini, Boieldieu, Cimarosa, Weber and Beethoven.
Many of the works we are currently looking at were written by prolific composers of the era who have since been overshadowed by more famous composers. Come along and hear how opera developed, hear about the operas, play the overtures and hear stories behind them and their composers.
As previously, transposed parts will be available. Most of the overtures are scored for flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones and timps.
Early enrolment would be appreciated to ensure we have the necessary transpositions, and to give early warning of any holes that might need to be filled in the orchestra.
I hope to see you there.
Peter
Conducting Day with Mark Edwards
Saturday 1st June
11-4pm
Wylam Institute, Church Rd, Wylam NE41 8AP
£10 for Orchestral Players
To enrol, click here
Come and support Cobweb budding conductors as they enjoy a masterclass with Mark, following on from successful taster sessions at the Sedbergh residentials. The conductors would love a full orchestra to work with. This is the repertoire that they will be exploring:
Beethoven – Egmont Overture
https://imslp.org/wiki/Egmont,
Beethoven – Symphony No. 1
https://imslp.org/wiki/
Emilie Mayer – Symphony No. 1
https://imslp.org/wiki/
Tea/Coffee
We’ll be bringing tea/coffee – so don’t forget your coins to make a contribution to the costs.
Cost
£10 for orchestra players – a reduced rate than a normal study day.
Please pay by BACS using the following details: A/C: 65560297
Sort Code: 08-92-99 Reference: “WYLAM/your surname”.
Cash/Card payments on the day will also be accepted.
What a great weekend it was in Sedbergh! It was fantastic to see so many, and enjoy the concert party – congrats to you all and thank you as ever to Christine and Mark for such a wonderful weekend. We’re back to it this weekend with a great event in York – do sign up if you’d like to come along, all still welcome!
In this week’s Cobweb News:
This Saturday! Study Day: Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2
Cobweb Orchestra Big Play
Study Day: Vaughan Williams Symphony No.5 with Martin Budgett
The Cobweb Orchestra Website – Membership and Contact Forms
We had a fantastic afternoon with Tracy Reed last Sunday, looking at music from cartoons. Tracy had worked so hard to provide a fantastic PowerPoint so we could see the clip of the cartoon where the music we were playing featured which was really entertaining! There was such a wide variety of music, something for everyone, and a lot of laughs along the way. Thanks to those of you who came along! We’re getting ready and excited for Sedbergh now, with around 70 of you joining us throughout the weekend – it’s going to be great.
In this week’s Cobweb News:
Study Day: Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 with Patrick Burnett
Cobweb Orchestra Big Play