Dear All
I promised you a shorter newsletter once rehearsals got going and here we are!
Once again, a huge welcome to all our new members to BSO who have joined in the last three weeks. We hope you are enjoying being part of BSO. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your Section Leader or do come and talk to me or send me a message.
The AGM this week online is a great opportunity to learn more about the charity and our two orchestras: BSO and Bedford Sinfonia and to give your ideas on the future of the charity and the impact we want to have. I'm looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible!
Finally, I just wanted to mention a fabulous event that I attended last Saturday at Wootton Upper School - a 50 year anniversary concert celebrating the music and musicians who worked and studied there. There were a number of our BOS members involved with Ian Smith taking a leading role (I counted at least 10!) and congratulations to you all!
As I sat in the audience surrounded by proud parents/partners/children of students now in their 30s, 40s and 50s on the stage, many of whom are now professional or very good amateurs, it was moving to see the ripples of music education far beyond the rehearsal room. It was a wonderful reminder of how important music in schools is and what a great job so many of you do in your lives as teachers, performers, Section Leaders, leaders, conductors, parents and supporters of our young people in Bedfordshire. Thank you!
Please note that this is my last newsletter as Interim Chair! It’s been a pleasure and a privilege, but now it’s time for me to return to my Publicity Bubble, so you’ll still be hearing from me, but I'll be pressing/encouraging you to sell tickets!
With particular thanks to the Committee, thanks so much to all of you for you support. I will of course be helping the new Chair to settle in over the next few weeks.
As always, hit reply to reply to me or email: [email protected]
With best wishes
Ann Collins
Interim Chair
BSO Information:
Wednesday 1st October
7.30-9.30pm
Message from Bjorn:
Repertoire for the rehearsal:
Dvorak 1st, 4th and 2nd Movements - full orchestra please.
Sinfonia Information:
Please note that rehearsals for the Malcolm Arnold October 19th concert (strings only) start next week 57th October). Any questions, please contact your Section Leader.
Committee News:
AGM invitation:
Dear Member,
On behalf of the trustees of BOS, I am pleased to invite you to our Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held on:
Date: Thursday 2nd October 2025
Time: 7pm-8pm
Venue/Link: Online on Zoom - click on the link to join https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7044421352?omn=86296418740
AGM minutes from previous year, October 2024, available here: Oct 16 2024 Minutes AGM.docx
The AGM Report is available here for you to read in advance: Bedfordshire Orchestral Society (BOS) – 2025 AGM Report (8).pdf
The Treasurer’s Report is here: Bedfordshire Orchestral Society AGM 2.10.25 Finance Report.pdf
Please be aware that our constitution requires us to have a minimum of 25 members in attendance for us to form a quorum so that the meeting is valid, please do dial in and play your part!
Message from Jo Ploszajski Hon Treasurer
A huge thank you to everyone who has paid their BOS membership subscription or made arrangements to pay. I think that we’re about 75% of the way there now!
As I’ll show at the AGM on Thursday, both BSO and Sinfonia can be viable if all playing members contribute to the Society’s costs and we maintain the level of ticket sales which we managed last year.
I’m applying for various charitable grants and sponsorships and if (at least) some of these are successful we can quickly rebuild our reserves (which are essential for a charity to function) and we will be able to resume the kinds of more ambitious programmes of recent years and maybe even more!!
Thank you all once again
Jo
From our friends…
A wonderful opportunity to hear Gramophone Award nominated star Charlie Lovell-Jones playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Bedford players and audiences will remember him from his stunning performance of the Britten Concerto earlier this year.
The concert is in aid of the Milton Keynes Cancer Centre, where conductor Catherine Rose was treated during 2022. It includes Rossini’s Overture the Italian Girl in Algiers and Haydn’s Symphony No 92 (The Oxford).
Date: Saturday 4th October at 7.20 pm
Venue: Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes
Tickets: £15 from www.stantonburytheatre.co.uk
Bedford Music Club are once again hosting a brilliant series of concerts in October called Black Voices. Do take a look: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bedfordmusic
Harpenden Sinfonia who have an all year round series of play days: On Sunday 9 November, we are hosting a Musical Theatre Sitz (click here to access the sign up form for musicians and singers, who are also welcome) and would benefit from the parts below:
- Horn
- Trumpet (doubling with Flugel and possibly Picc Trumpet)
- Trombone (potentially)
- Percussion
- Keyboard
- Violin
- Bass (+ electric bass)
Chris Lowe
Harpenden Sinfonia
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