Category: Forthcoming meeting

Tonight!

April 2026

Tonight, Monday 27th April, we will now have, postponed from February, Tim Rowe and Alan Doel will present:  “Eric Satie: Gymnopediste!” 7:30 start as usual.

Erik Satie was born May 17, 1866, Honfleur, Calvados, France and died July 1, 1925, Paris). He was a French composer whose spare, unconventional, often witty style exerted a major influence on 20th-century music, particularly in France.

Suzanne Valadon: Portrait of Erik Satie
Suzanne Valadon: Portrait of Erik SatiePortrait of Erik Satie, oil on canvas by Suzanne Valadon, 1892; in the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris.

Satie studied at the Paris Conservatory, dropped out, and later worked as a café pianist. From 1898 he lived alone in Arcueil, a Paris suburb.

Free if it’s your first visit.

Next meeting

Our next meeting will tomorrow Monday 13th April when Rosemary Pemberton will present, with slides, a talk entitled ‘Black Musicians in Scenes of English Life, 1500-1850’.  Jeremy Barlow will provide the music, with commentary.

Unfortunately our next scheduled speaker is unwell, so we will be amending the rest of this season’s programme as follows: 

On Monday 27th April, we will now have, postponed from February, Tim Rowe and Alan Doel will present:  “Eric Satie: Gymnopediste!” 

Then our final session this season, on  11th May, we will welcome  Simon Coombs who will present: “Music from the Iberian Peninsula” 

We hope you had a good Easter break and that we shall see you at one or preferably more, of these evenings. 

Next meeting

An evening focusing on women composers

March 2026

We are delighted to welcome the ‘cellist Catherine Wilmers to the next meeting on Monday 23 March starting at 7:30 as usual. Catherine is a professional musician and played for many years with the LPO. You can read about her on her extensive website which will also give you a flavour of the evening’s presentation.

She will focus on female composers who all too rarely appear on programmes

and in performances. It seems that Dr Johnson’s disparaging comment is still true when told about a woman preaching at a Quaker event: ‘Sir, a woman’s preaching is like a dog walking in his hind legs. It is not done well but one is surprised to see it done at all’ (Boswell).

She will focus on works for the ‘cello and piano by women composers. No doubt she will show it can be done well.

Free if it is your first visit then £5 if you come again. The next meeting is on 13 April. We are at the rear of St Ann St in the Guides Centre with free parking. Access from Carmalite Way. We finish at 9:30.

PC

Photograph from her website.

Tonight’s meeting

March 2026

Tonight’s meeting will be on Monday 9th March at 7.30 when Peter Curbishley will be presenting “My Musical Journey – Half a century of listening””

At the following meeting on Monday 23rd March we will welcome Catherine Wilmers who will present “Works for ‘cello and piano by British women composers”

At our previous members’ evening several members expressed interest in having a copy of the play list, and of the final two YouTubes.  If you would like me to send these to you, please would you respond ‘Yes please’, to this email.

We hope to welcome you to one or both of these evenings.

Next meeting

CANCELLED

We regret to announce that we are cancelling tonight’s meeting because of the forecast bad weather.

February 2026

The next meeting takes place on Monday 9 February starting at 7:30 as usual and aims to finish at 9:30 with a break in the middle. It will be presentation by two of our members on the French composer, Eric Satie. Born in Honfleur in 1866 he had a French father and English mother. He went to the Conservatoire and left without qualifying spending much of his early life playing in Paris cafes.

He is famous for a narrow range of compositions but, as a member of Les Six he was influential particularly with Ravel, Debussy and Poulenc. It will be interesting to hear a range of his pieces in a concentrated programme.

Non members are welcome and the first visit is free and £5 thereafter. Parking is on the doorstep and there is reasonable access for people with limited mobility. Satnav SP1 2HB.

Full programme.

PC

Second half restarts Monday

Second half of the season starts 26th January

January 2026

Our first meeting in 2026 will be on Monday 26th January at 7.30 when Ed Tinline will be presenting “With few strings attached” – a programme of music for wind ensemble.

At the following meeting on 9th February 2026, Tim Rowe and Alan Doel will be presenting “Erik Satie – Gymnopediste!”

Look forward to seeing you there. For non-members it is £5 but the first visit is free. Happy New Year to you all.

PC

Previous posts:

Next meeting

Last meeting before Christmas

November 2025

TONIGHT

Our final meeting in 2025 will be on 1st December when David Davies will be asking “Are you sitting comfortably?” and presenting some Classical Music Signature Tunes. 

In the new year we will resume on Monday 26th January 2026 when Ed Tinline will present: “With few strings attached”,  music for wind ensembles.

We hope you will be able to join us on Monday.

With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Tonight’s meeting

November 2025

Tonight’s programme (Monday, 17th) features the work of Gordon Jacob another of those composers who despite a prolific output, largely remains in the shadows. He composed over 900 works and was a significant figure in the music world.

Presented by Geoff Orgram, it starts at 7:30 as usual. If you have never been before and want to give it a try, then your visit will be free. You can see details of our other evenings on this site.

Next meeting

October 2025

Our next meeting will be at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd November 2025.
It will commence with a short Annual General Meeting followed by our Members’ Evening.  For this Robin now has almost sufficient pieces for what should be a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Any last minute ideas for possible inclusion if there is time to Robin please.

Following this on 17th November we will have a presentation entitled: “Seventh Son”  An appreciation of the work of Gordon Jacob. Written and presented by Geoff Ogram 

On 1st December at our final session before Christmas, David Davies will  present some Classical Music Signature Tunes.  To help him prepare for this, David has asked me to forward the following to members:

“The meeting on December 1 is entitled ‘Are you sitting comfortably? These words began Listen with Mother at 1.45 every weekday on the BBC Light Programme from January 1950 and on into the 60s. And every programme ended with the Berceuse from Faure’s Le Jardin de Dolly suite for piano duet. The words and the tune are still remembered fondly by a whole generation.

“But what else in radio and television (including adverts) has used classical music as a signature tune? We shall have a not-too-serious discussion on this topic, and I would appreciate your letting me know your suggestions.

You can email me at davidracheld@gmail.com
Thank you.  David Davies“

We hope you will be able to join us at these sessions.

Next meeting

October 2025

Tomorrow, 6 October is the date of our next meeting and it an exploration of

the world of Alan Hovhaness an American. A prolific composer with around 67 symphonies to his name, there will clearly be lots to chose from.

We meet at 7:30 as usual and finish at 10:00. Programmes are available in the Library and in the Tourist Information Centre.