Music Society Updates

West Linton Music Society gets the New Year off with to flying start on Saturday 15^th January. We invite you to leave the snow and cold outside and come and join us at Whitmuir the Organic Place for a talk by Derek Watson on Liszt and his visit to Scotland. Add to the mix a hot wood burning stove and a warming organic supper and the scene is set for a thoroughly sociable evening.

Derek is one of West Linton’s best-known personalities. As well as bookshop proprietor, Derek is also a talented pianist, author, composer, actor and public speaker. He is an acknowledged expert on Liszt, and brings immediacy, humour and colour to his talks.  The evening will focus on ‘Liszt and Scotland', as 2011 is Liszt's bi-centenary. It is little known that Liszt and his rather colourful entourage visited and toured Scotland in 1840, establishing several links with Scottish composers and musicians.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 15^th January 6.45pm for supper, or 8pm if you are coming simply for the talk. Tickets for the talk are £9, members and children free.

If you would like to come for the supper, tickets need to be booked in advance - £12 for a two course meal with vegetarian course available - by Monday 10^th January from Michael Pryor at 01968 660829 or carolearchibald@yahoo.co.uk

On Saturday 13 November, the flautist Ashley Solomon will make a welcome return to West Linton.  Ashley is the leader of Florilegium, arguably the world’s foremost period instrument ensemble, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary in 2011.  As part of the anniversary celebrations, Ashley is undertaking a series of major tours with the group and as a soloist. For his visit to the village, he will be accompanied by Terence Charlston on harpsichord, and will play a selection of baroque pieces by Italian masters, including Locatelli and Corelli.

Contact Michael Pryor 660829 for details.

In November 2009, the Finzi Quartet played for us in the Carlops Church while on their Tunnell Trust tour. They have had an extremely successful year with several prestigious concerts, winning first prize in the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition, an appearance on BBC 3's 'In Tune' and, most excitingly, are now the proud guardians of a set of string instruments made by Vuillaume named 'The Evangelists' all made from the same tree. These wonderful instruments belong to the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation who set up an international competition every two years. The Finzis have won the use of them for the next two year period. They have just agreed to fit us in during their next Scottish tour, so we will be able to see and hear the Finzis again with their amazing instruments!

Sebastian Stanley, the pianist who we heard in St. Mungo's in January was accepted into the International Scottish Piano Competition in September 2010, held in Glasgow. It is one of the biggest piano events in the world and only accepts 24 international pianists from hundreds that apply. We have an enviable record of attracting young artists of this calibre. Don't miss out this year!

The Music Society committee are in the process of arranging the concerts for our 2010/11 season.  To help us do this, we'd appreciate your views on issues such as:

- where we should hold our concerts

- what night of the week you'd prefer

- what sort of music you'd like to hear.

So, if you'd like more jazz, don't like a particular venue and are too busy on a Saturday to attend, this is your chance to have an influence.

We'll be posting a questionnaire on the website shortly, and would be really grateful if you could complete this and return it to me, Michael Pryor, at mipryor@btopenworld.com or, if you prefer paper, print it off and hand in to Linton Books or the collection box in the Carlops bus shelter.  Alternatively, just e-mail me with your thoughts.  Thank you.