Open Voices

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

The BBC Proms 2025 – Everything you need to know about the world’s greatest classical music festival

#MfEMonday – 21st July 2025

21st July 2025 Music for Everyone

Congratulations to our amazing Kirstie on the arrival of Toby who was born on Monday! We are sending them all our best wishes and can’t wait to meet the newest member of the MfE family.

Coming up on Friday 25th July, Open Voices Sherwood are performing a musical version of My Fair Lady at St Martin’s Church, Trevose Gardens, Sherwood NG5 3FU. Tea and cakes will be served at 11:00am and the performance begins at 11:20am. Free entry with a retiring collection to the Open Voices Fund.

Booking is now open for Voices of Venice, the next Nottingham Festival Chorus singing event on Saturday 4^th October at St Nic’s Church in Nottingham city centre. Focusing on the music of two of Venice’s greatest exports – Monteverdi and Vivaldi.

Follow the link for more details and online booking or call 0115 958 9312.

The BBC Proms got underway last week, running from Friday 18 July to Saturday 13 September 2025, the season features 86 Proms, with 72 at the Royal Albert Hall and 14 at venues across the UK!

The Proms was founded in 1895 by impresario Robert Newman, who decided to plug a hole in the culturally fallow summer months by experimenting with a revolutionary kind of concert format, in which the seats in the stalls – traditionally the priciest – would be removed and a promenade created in their place. Standing tickets to watch music from the promenade, Newman declared, would be the cheapest, meaning those who paid the least would be closest to the orchestra.

In the Gallery area up high you can sit on the floor, or lie down, as plenty of people do. You’re welcome to lie down in the Arena too, but there usually isn’t enough space!

Follow the link to find out more about the Prom season this summer:

An upcoming concert that you may be interested in, including some familiar MfE faces, Anne Jackson and Gill Henshaw.

Friday Lunchtime Concert: Nottingham Chamber Wind Ensemble at Southwell Minster, July 25, 2025 1:30pm – 2:15pm: https://www.southwellminster.org/events/event/friday-lunchtime-concert-nottingham-chamber-wind-ensemble-3/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

21/07/2025

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 9th June 2025

9th June 2025 Music for Everyone

Much fun was had at our Family Festival day in Beeston on Saturday – and we even managed some sunshine between the showers! Thanks to everyone who came along to take part.

The cake and tombola stalls did a roaring trade and we were entertained by a host of musical groups including Open Voices, Nottingham Chamber Singers, SAM Big Band and Wollaton Daytime Voices. Huge thanks to all the groups for performing, Milla’s African drumming workshops and Rachel and Owen for the singing workshops.

We also want to say a massive thank you to our wonderful Kirstie for all her hard work co-ordinating the whole event and wish her all the best for her maternity leave!

Calling all recorder players! Our Recorder Workshop Day on Saturday 6^th September is now open for booking.

The workshop will be led by principal recorder player of the renowned Dunedin Consort, László Rózsa, who will also be giving a short performance and take a Q & A session. László will tutor the advance repertoire sessions in the afternoon, and we are thrilled that Nigel Martin will join us in the afternoon to conduct the main ensemble. The music chosen reflects a broad sweep of styles from the heyday of the Renaissance to the present day.

For more details click here or call 0115 958 9312.

There is also still time to book for the following upcoming events:

Blow the Dust – 14th June

NCS 40th Birthday Celebration Concert – 21st June

Singing Workshop with Neil Ferris – 28th June

A Summer Celebration, Youth Concert – 5th July

Summer School – 4th – 6th August

We are very excited that MfE has got a mention in a new book by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason! The Power of Music: How Music Connects Us All. Sheku talks about how MfE singing weekends provided him and his siblings with an introduction to harmony and music-making with others:

“We began exploring music through the Music for Everyone charity in Nottingham which ran courses for children’s choir singing. Our mum was very keen that we should sing in choirs, and vocal courses spanned two or three intensive weekends of group tuition with other Nottingham children, culminating in a big concert at Nottingham’s Albert Hall. This allowed us to learn harmony and music-making with others before we began learning instruments, at least string instruments.

We were all very young – I must have been three or four years old – and we were all excited to be taking part in this adventure. We were given a cassette tape to play in our battered seven-seater”…

Definitely one to add to the reading list!

Do you know anyone looking for a full size or ¾ size violin? If so please ask them to get in touch with Su via email su@music-for-everyone.org or call 0115 958 9312.
Bookwise Nottingham has new summer opening hours for June July and August:
Monday to Thursday – 11am – 4pm
Friday and Saturday – 11am – 4.30pm
Come and take a look at the amazing range of books and sheet music!

They would particularly welcome donations of good quality paperback fiction, science fiction and advanced instrumental sheet music.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

09/06/2025

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 16th December 2024

16th December 2024 Music for Everyone

It was “All Aboard” the Polar Express and other festive favourites in yesterdays annual MfE Christmas is Coming concert! With over 200 performers and a full house in the audience, it was a joyous occasion – a huge WELL DONE to our youth Vocals choir, the Nottingham Community Voices and Nottingham Chamber Singers for all their hard work.

Congratulations to the Nottingham Daytime Orchestra for their end of term concert last Thursday, a great way to finish a busy term!

MfE do Carol singing at the Test Match Pub in West Bridgford on Wednesday 18th December from 6pm – come and join us! All welcome, carol books are provided.

The office will be closed from Monday 23^rd December – Thursday 2^nd January, reopening on Friday 3^rd Jan. Bookwise is still open (normal opening times) apart from bank holiday days. For details of MfE events and groups in 2025, check the website: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/

In a letter from Buckingham Palace, King Charles has conveyed “his warmest good wishes” to Music for Everyone and his “sincere thanks” for our invitation to His Majesty to attend our “In the King’s Company” concert in October. The King says he is most grateful for thinking of him, but was unable to accept our offer to attend due to the volume of requests he receives.

In the letter to our chair of trustees John Hess, the King says he was “most interested to learn a bit about Music for Everyone and our work in Nottingham.”

Devised by our artistic director Alex Robinson, “In the King’s Company” was a celebration of the baroque music and song from the royal courts of England and France.

King Charles also says he hopes the occasion was “enjoyable for all involved”, and thanks us for our “thoughtful “letter and “truly generous “invitation.

As this is our final MfEMonday of 2024, we’d like to take this opportunity to look back on a year of music-making and wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year – here’s to an even more musical 2025!

One of our members, David, has been getting creative to raise funds for Open Voices. He has turned one of his paintings into a Christmas card which has been purchased by singers at Beeston, Wollaton, and West Bridgford Daytime Voices and raised £150. Thank you so much David!

An uplifting video sent in by one of our members, OrchLab take on a Space Adventure with a project inspired by The Planets by Gustav Holst: https://orchlab.org/orchlab-film-2024-a-space-adventure/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

16/12/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 28th October 2024

28th October 2024 Music for Everyone

Open Voices West Bridgford need your support!

We have applied for funding from Rushcliffe Community Infrastructure Levy and have got through the first round of the selection process. If you can spare a couple of minutes to complete the online form we would be extremely grateful! The deadline for completing this form is 2^nd November, so please do take a look this week. More details via this link: West Bridgford Consultations – Rushcliffe Borough Council

Regularly rehearsing groups are on Autumn half term break at the moment, so members of the Nottingham Chamber Singers have been helping with sorting some of our music out and took the opportunity to have a ‘Jumbo Party!’ last week.

We have a vast music library, choral and instrumental, on constant rotation around our many groups and events, most of which is stored in a lock up in Lenton. Many thanks to Angela, John, Dave and Sue for diving in to bring some order to the piles of music! If sorting music sounds like a blissful way to spend time, we’d love to hear from you! We are looking for a willing volunteer to look after the choral music library, this can be one person or a group. Please email Su Evans for more details: su@music-for-everyone.org

LAST CHANCE to join Bandwise and Stringwise on the 9^th/10^th & 17^th November! Percussion places are now full, but all other instruments are still open for young instrumentalists to join us, particularly saxophone, lower brass and strings. Find out more and sign up now – see you there!

Bandwise: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-bandwise-nov24/

Stringwise: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-stringwise-nov24/

Last year for Halloween, we put together our favourite spooky tunes from the office team so thought it would be fitting to share our extra-special MfE Halloween playlist with you again this week, it’s been fun to look back at what each of us chose! There’s a great variety in here, so you’re bound to find something you enjoy! https://www.music-for-everyone.org/news/mfe-halloween-playlist/

The Shipstone Street Jazz Orchestra are looking for a trumpet player to join their group. The band rehearse on Tuesdays, 7pm – 9pm in Bilborough and interested applicants should be at Grade 5 standard and good sight readers. Hear and see a bit more of the band here: https://youtu.be/uOnQ3pmar4s?si=y2an0rnYVO6bio9G
If you, or someone you know would like to join this friendly band, please contact Wendy, email address: wendy.bilborough@gmail.com

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

28/10/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 23rd September 2024

23rd September 2024 Music for Everyone

On Saturday, shoppers in Arnold and Sherwood were serenaded by our very own Nottingham Chamber Singers! The chamber choir are celebrating their 40th anniversary this season and have organised a series of ‘pop-up concerts’ to raise the profile of the choir and the music making opportunities that MfE offers.

Their first concert will include the well-loved Brahms Requiem on Saturday 12th October, 7.30pm at St John’s Church in Carrington – Click the link for more information and to book tickets: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/ncs-concert/

Don’t forget, you can sign up to the NCS Loyalty Discount Ticket scheme: Click here

It was wonderful to welcome back our Daytime Voices and Open Voices singers last week. This week sees the return of our Daytime Orchestras so please spread the word if you know anyone who might be interested. Tuesdays in Loughborough and Thursdays in Sherwood, Nottingham from 10am-12noon: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/adult-music/daytime-orchestra/

We are very pleased to announce that our Open Voices groups received over £1000 in funding from regulars attending the Warthog live music events in Lowdham and Gunthorpe. Click here to read more: https://westbridgfordwire.com/music-for-everyone-receives-vital-cash-boost/

Lots you will already know that there are lots of baking fanatics in the MfE team so we are very excited that the new series of the Bake Off starts this week!

A big shout out to Greg White, one of our Sherwood Daytime Voices members, who has started a tradition of bringing along his chocolate squares to the first rehearsal of each term. These have proved very popular in the refreshment break 🙂 Word has spread and the group numbers are rising!

All our Daytime Voices groups have some brilliant bakers within their ranks who put on an impressive bake sale at the end of each term to raise funds for our Open Voices programme.

Last year they raised a whopping £2035 over the year!! Thank you so much to all the bakers and everyone who contributed.

Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra present Tosca by Puccini one of the world’s most loved operas. Conducted by Mark Heron in the Albert Hall, Nottingham on Sunday 13th October at 3.00pm. Tickets £20 and £16 for adults, Students and Children £5 for any seat, are available from ticketsource.co.uk/npo Tel: 0333 666 3366 and on the door. Seating is unreserved. Refreshments are available.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

23/09/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and musical musings for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

#MfEMonday – 22nd July 2024

22nd July 2024 Music for Everyone

Summer School 2024 – Calling trumpet and bassoon players! We still have a few places left for these instruments on this years Summer School, 5^th – 7^th August at Trent College, Long Eaton. Places for other instruments and singers are filling up fast, but do get in touch if you are interested to go on the waiting list in case of cancellations: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/summer-school-2024/

Events for our next season are open for booking! The next BANDWISE and STRINGWISE workshops are on 9^th & 10^th November, open to all young woodwind, brass, percussion and string players. The joint concert on 17^th November takes place at Nottingham’s Albert Hall. Find out more via the links below.

Bandwise: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-bandwise-nov24/

Stringwise: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-stringwise-nov24/

On Friday our Open Voices Sherwood singers treated a packed St Martin’s to a semi-staged performance of Oliver! With costumes, staging, drama and excellent singing, it was quite the spectacular.

Well done to Cliff, Vic, and all the volunteers, members and carers.

Did you catch the First Night of the Proms on Friday? You may have seen Director of BBC Symphony Chorus Neil Ferris take a bow as chorus master of the thrilling performance, including Handel’s Music for Royal Fireworks. If you missed it, you can catch up on all the proms through BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00216m5/bbc-proms-2024-first-night-of-the-proms

We are delighted to announce that Neil Ferris will be joining us for a choral workshop day at NTU Clifton on 28^th June 2025, a date for your diary – not to be missed!

Nottingham Lunchtime Voices dates for the Autumn term have now been published on our website and booking is open if you would like to reserve your place for the coming term. Find all the info here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/whats-on/adult-music/workers-lunchtime-choir/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

22/07/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 13th May 2024

13th May 2024 Music for Everyone

Gift Stall – Call out for volunteers!!

After over 30 years of service Janice Weston-Smith is stepping down from the running of the MfE Gift Stall at the end of this season.

We are looking for a team of volunteers to help with the Gift Stall at MfE events, setting the stall up and down, manning it throughout the day and selling merchandise. The big events we would expect the gift stall to be at are the youth courses/concerts Bandwise, Stringwise & Vocals, NFC/Blow the Dust weekends and Summer School event. Participants in these events would still be able to volunteer to help with the gift stall as this would not interfere with music-making sessions.

If you are interested in finding out more please contact Su via email su@music-for-everyone.org or call 0115 958 9312.

Nottingham Festival Chorus – singers wanted!

There are still places available for Haydn’s Harmonie Mass workshop and concert with Alex, Rachel and the Nottingham Festival Chorus on 5^th & 6^th July. The workshop on Friday 5^th July will take place in the evening at NTU Clifton, followed by a workshop and concert on Saturday 6^th July at the beautiful Beeston Parish Church, located in the centre of Beeston, a short distance from The Square. There are excellent facilities nearby and local trams and bus routes serve Beeston Bus Station, which is a short walk from the church.

Find out more about this stunning course and book here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/nfc-singing-course-concert-july-2024/

Mansfield Open Voices is 1 year old! They had a party to celebrate last week, attended by Mansfield Mayor Andy Abrahams, MfE trustees Janet and John and of course the Mansfield Open Voices team – Cliff, Andy and learners from Portland College. Happy Birthday OV!

We were thrilled to get a first look at a position statement on Arts and Health, written by a MfE volunteer and youth group parent for the Institute of Health Promotion and Education.

As part of the statement, IHPE state “Arts subjects urgently need to be given a higher priority in education. In the UK additional resources are needed to provide equal opportunities for arts provision, particularly musical instrument playing in schools, to contribute to the prevention of widening inequalities.” And “Arts provisions should form an integral component of social prescribing, as part of a balanced approach to the social and medical models of health and be adequately resourced to increase availability and access across all areas of society, including marginalised groups.” To read the full statement, see here: https://ihpe.org.uk/resources/position-papers/

It was the Eurovision grand final on Saturday, with Switzerland taking the crown for their 3^rd win with a gravity defying performance on a large spinning disk (only in Eurovision!)
EUROVISION FACT: Did you know up until 1998, each act was supported by a live orchestra and every country brought its own conductor? Dutch conductor Dolf van der Linde conducted for a record number of 7 countries; Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland before the rules changed and acts could perform with a pre-recorded backing track.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

13/05/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

https://www.classicfm.com/lifestyle/quizzes/answer-only-music-notes/

#MfEMonday – 25th March 2024

25th March 2024 Music for Everyone

Well March has been a musical marathon at MfE, but PHEW, we made it!!!

West Bridgford felt more like the West End on Saturday after a wonderful day of singing at our musicals workshop. Rachel Parkes put the Nottingham Community Voices through their paces and we welcomed Open Voices who stole the show with a wonderful selection of their favourite hits. We were delighted to welcome Simon Theobald as soloist and compere for the event. Thanks to everyone who came along!

Enrolments have now hit 100 for the Big Youth Music Experience coming up in April! We still have spaces left for all string, woodwind and especially BRASS instruments so please encourage any young musicians to join in.

Bandwise – April 20th & 28th. Sign-Up Here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-bandwise-apr24/

Stringwise – April 21st & 28th. Sign- Up Here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/byme-stringwise-apr24/

Thank you to those members who attended our AGM last Wednesday, it was lovely to see you there. We said a fond farewell to a couple of long-standing trustees, Angela Smallwood and Matt Lax – they are not disappearing completely and we will still see them around at events! We are delighted to welcome three new trustees on to the board: Gary Ackrill, Catherine Hocking and Josie Tanvir.

A presentation was made to Andrew James (ex-chairman of MfE) for the enormous contribution he has made to supporting Music for Everyone through the setting up and running of the Bookwise shops. We are extremely grateful for everything you have done Andrew!

I’m sure many of you will be looking forward to the giving and receiving of Easter eggs next weekend! But have you heard of “Easter eggs” in music?

For centuries composers have weaved secret messages or cryptograms into their works, from J.S. Bach to Shostakovich and this idea is still used today by songwriters such as Taylor Swift!

Find out more in this fun video: https://youtu.be/1GuJ-mFNauo?si=Tmg_mLDyhNUC06fN

Or why not test your ability to recognise words in musical notation?! Try this quiz:

Can you answer these quiz questions using just music notes?

You can read music, but can you READ music…?

www.classicfm.com

Can you spare a minute to nominate us for the chance to win £1000?! Click on the banner below.

Nominate now! – Movement for Good awards

We could receive £1,000 in the Movement for Good draw.

movementforgood.com

An exciting upcoming concert by Melodic Fanfare, a Nottingham based brass ensemble. They will be holding their first live performance : A relaxing lunchtime debut concert featuring a variety of classical music. The concert will be held at University Hall, Nottingham on Friday 5^th April with all proceeds going to Mind. Book tickets here.

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

25/03/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 4th March 2024

4th March 2024 Music for Everyone

We’re gearing up for an exciting and busy March, so much music making coming up!

The Nottingham Chamber Singers concert ‘Angels, Dreams and Flying Machines’ is on Saturday 16 March at St Mary’s Church, Clifton. Join us for an evening of flight, fantasy and winged creatures, featuring poetry and musical works by Whitacre, Panufnik, Mendelssohn and Vaughan-Williams. Tickets available online in advance now: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/ncs-concert/ or you can buy on the door.

On Sunday 17th March, we’ll be ‘Springing into Music’ with our youth groups spring concert at Chilwell School for an afternoon concert of varied repertoire by string orchestras and wind bands. Tickets available online in advance now: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/yth-concert/ or purchased on the door, subject to availability.

Places are still available for West End to Broadway on Saturday 23^rd March. Don’t miss out the opportunity to learn from the fantastic Simon Theobald. Click this link to hear from the man himself!: https://youtube.com/shorts/qCPwQ5jhyk4?feature=share

Call-out for volunteers! We are looking for some extra help at our friendly Open Voices group in Mansfield. They meet on Friday afternoons from 1.45-3.15pm at Portland College in the wonderful Newstart Theatre. If anyone is able to help our leader Cliff and join in the singing that would be great! Please email su@music-for-everyone.org

It’s not quite officially springtime just yet, but as we have now reached March (and, fingers crossed, some nicer, dryer weather!) it seems apt to welcome the beginning signs of spring with some seasonal music. The most obvious is of course, Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, who was born on this day, 4 March 1678: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LiztfE1X7E

Another is Vaughan-Williams The Lark Ascending, originating from a poem by George Meredith about the song of a skylark. The poem inspired Vaughan Williams to write a musical work of the same name: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbFi85piaEg Vaughan Williams also features in the NCS concert on 16 March.

If you haven’t already seen on our website, we have now released the choir repertoire for Summer School 2024! We’re thrilled that Hilary Campbell will be with us again and exploring the following pieces:
- Lily Boulanger – Hymn au soleil
- James MacMillan – O Radiant Dawn
- Harold Arlen – Over the Rainbow
- Roger Emerson – Ain’t no Mountain High Enough
The choir will also be doing Handel’s rousing anthem Zadok the Priest with the orchestra and an arrangement of Abide with Me with the string ensemble: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/summer-school-2024/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

04/03/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF