Dear All
BSO End of Season!
Congratulations on a truly epic end of BSO season concert last Saturday, where we played to a very full Corn Exchange, and thank you for your amazing work over the whole season!
With three great concerts and many hours of rehearsing together, it has been a wonderful BSO year with lots to celebrate. We've played at a high standard, we've increased the number of members in the orchestra, especially our younger members and increased and diversified our audience! Our move to BGI and the introduction of cake breaks has added hugely to our sense of community and we want to build on that in the coming season.
Don't forget the social event coming up on June 11!
Committee news:
BSO Conductor appointment: you will have received one survey and another will come this morning. Please watch out for them - you should be answering two: one to give feedback on our conductor this concert and the other to give "an expression of preference". They will come in two separate emails. Please make sure that you send them back on time (midnight Wednesday)!
The Committee are meeting on June 5th to decide on next steps.
Change of date: Jo’s Treasury Financial Presentation for all players of both BSO and Sinfonia
Wednesday 4th June 7-8pm on Zoom
Link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7044421352?omn=82468874156
Reminder that this date changed and is coming up at the start of June.
Notes and a video recording will be sent out to all regular players after the meeting.
Meeting for all Section Leaders from BSO and Sinfonia: on Zoom June 4th 8.15-9.15pm (after Jo's presentation)
Link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7044421352?omn=89355921075
As part of our plan to look at the long term development of the orchestra and to strengthen us as a charity, we are meeting with Leaders and Section Leaders to understand your vision of the future of the orchestras and what you think could make a difference to us in terms of excellent, inclusion and community.
We did our first meeting with Alex and Caroline, our Leaders, this week and the next is planned for Section Leaders of both BSO and Sinfonia. Huge thanks to Caroline and Alex for their inspiring input and also to Julia and Jo from the Committee who joined us and helped to make it a very rich discussion.
This is not an obligation - just if you would like to come! We very much hope you will!
Rehearsals this week:
Holiday time all round! There are no rehearsals this week.
Could you be a 60th Anniversary Podcast Guest?
In preparation for our 60th anniversary, a diamond jubilee season 2026-7, I’d like to produce a special series of podcasts to launch the season over the next year.
I’ve already recruited John Shayler, our Viola Section Leader in Sinfonia who joined the orchestras in the early 70s and I'm hoping to hear lots of his stories! Looking forward to our chat!
This is history in action and another exciting and engaging way of sharing and preserving our legacy.
If you have a story to tell about BOS, let me know! Please send me an email today so I can book you in - I have 2 more slots!
Finally, I'd like to thank in particular the Committee for their excellent work and energy in the last 6 weeks. It has been an incredibly intense period with 2 concerts to organise and sell, next season's programming for Sinfonia to organise, conductor selection, moving rehearsal venues, the charity commission report and financial budgeting for next season as well as preparing a long term vision ready for funding applications...
Many thanks to you all: Julia, Jo, Sheila, Dominic, Ben and Vicky.
We're taking this week off too! We'll see you at the start of June!
Wishing you all a very happy Bank Holiday Monday and a great half term for those who are off!
With best wishes
Ann Collins
PS Please see below a message from our friends in Harpenden.
On behalf of all the Committee
Bedfordshire Orchestral Society
Registered charity no. 262813
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
"A jewel in the crown of Bedford. We're so lucky to have such great musicians!"
From our friends in Harpenden:
Harpenden Sinfonia is looking for additional players for its next play day which takes place on Sunday 1 June 2025. We are going to be working on Mahler's 4th Symphony and the day will run from 10:00 - 17:30 with the subs being £30 (£20 for full time students) which includes refreshments, but not lunch.
We need the following:
- Strings - all sections
- Percussion - not timps and some equipment can be provided.
- Oboe - doubling a seat, but you are most welcome
- Bassoon 2/Bassoon 3 and Contra
Sign ups can be made on the website, https://www.harpendensinfonia.com/sign-up, and if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Additionally we are hosting a chamber orchestra afternoon on Saturday 14 June 2025 (13:30 - 17:00) where we will be playing either Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 or an early Mozart Symphony (strings, oboe, horns and possibly bassoon required).
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