BACH CHOIR NEWS

COMMITTEE
After our June 2006 AGM, the Committee stands at: President – Ros Grant, Librarian – George Lawrence , Treasurer – John Hutcheson, Secretary – Sandra Massey, Concert Manager – Mike Thomas, Publicity Manager – Isobel Malcolm, Making Music (Scotland) Representative – Margaret Macaulay, Ordinary Members - Jason Hobbs, Annie Humphries and Judy Junker. Bruce Wyer will be Concert Manager for the April 2007 recital as Mike Thomas is moving away from the area.

NEW MEMBERS - We welcome new and returning members (particularly male voices) for the second half of the season in January 2007. Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings in St. Margaret's School, Albyn Place, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Please arrive early (at around 7:10 p.m.) to allow time for your registration and issue of music. Subscriptions are £48, concessions £24, students and unwaged free. In addition, there is a charge for the hire of music.

MUSICAL CELEBRATION - JAMES LOBBAN
A musical celebration of the life of our late conductor will be held in St Machar's Cathedral at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday 3 March. Taking part in the programme will be the musicians who have shared many concerts with James - the Choir of St Machar’s Cathedral, orchestra, choir and saxophone quartet from Hazlehead Academy, Aberdeen Bach Choir and Aberdeen Sinfonietta. The musical celebration will include music by J.S. Bach, Leighton, Rutter and Shostakovich, and will conclude with a combined performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. Doors open at 6.45pm.

BAG PACKING AT ASDA
The Asda bag packing event on Saturday 16 December 2006 raised £859.40 for choir funds.

SILENT AUCTION
The Silent Auction in Queens Cross Church on Saturday 7 October 2006 raised £1 300 for choir funds.

50th ANNIVERSARY - Aberdeen Bach Choir celebrated its 50th anniversary since its reconstitution in 2006. The highlight was a performance of J.S. Bach St Matthew Passion on Sunday 23 April 2006 in St. Machar's Cathedral.

50th ANNIVERSARY DINNER
The 50th anniversary dinner which was to have been held at The Marcliffe Hotel in the Courtyard suite on Monday 24 April 2006 has been postponed indefinitely.

ELLIE PIRIE PRIZE WINNER
The winner of the Ellie Pirie prize for 2005-6 is Paul Tierney, Baritone, a student of music at the University of Aberdeen. Paul performed a short recital for the choir in St Margaret's School on Tuesday 17 January 2007.

The winner of the Ellie Pirie Scholarship for 2004-5 was Andrew House, a fine young tenor from Perth who was in his third year of a music degree at the University of Aberdeen. On Tuesday, 15 November 2005, Andrew gave a most accomplished and varied recital which was warmly received by around fifty choir members. He then joined the audience to sample the refreshments provided. It was a very friendly and enjoyable evening, and there was a special welcome to the new members who came along.

BRAILLE AND LARGE PRINT PROGRAMMES - Our December 2003 concert saw the introduction of Braille and large print programmes, which ensured that our concert was made accessible to as wide a range of people as possible. Please contact our Publicity officer to reserve a Braille or large print programme for our forthcoming concerts.

BRECHIN ARTS FESTIVAL - Aberdeen Bach Choir, with Donald Hawkesworth, Eva Robertson and members of Aberdeen Sinfonietta, performed works by J.S. Bach and Karl Jenkins at the closing concert of the 2004 Brechin Arts Festival on Sunday 3rd October 2004. Colin Brockie, the current holder of the Ellie Pirie Scholarship and a fine, young baritone singer, also gave a recital of songs accompanied by Donald Hawkesworth (piano).