About 6 months ago, MfE was contacted by the Nottingham Young Musician of the Year Competition chair to see if we would be willing to give a performance opportunity to the winner of the competition’s voice class.  We are always delighted to be able to support young musicians and so we obviously said ‘yes’!

Benjamin Staniforth, an 18yr old baritone from Nottingham, was the winner of the class and on Sunday 21 November, Angela Kay and Rachel Parkes went along to the Djanogly Recital Hall to listen to the Grand Final concert where the winners of each individual class (piano, voice, strings, woodwind and brass) performed to see, after adjudication, who would be crowned the Nottingham Young Musician of the Year 2021. We were delighted when Benjamin was announced as that winner!

Benjamin is delighted to be paired with MfE and we are very much looking forward to him singing at one of our forthcoming concerts.


As we enter the season of advent, we thought we should let you know what festive musical treats MFE has on offer over the coming weeks.

Countdown to Christmas – December 5th, Kingswood Methodist Church, Wollaton NG8 1GR
Our youth groups hold their annual Christmas concert at 3:30pm. Lots of festive music complete with mince pies!

Vocals – December 11th, 1:30pm Nottingham Trent University, Clifton NG11 8NS
A fun Saturday afternoon workshop for primary aged children singing Christmas songs and fun seasonal music including hits from the well-known film, A Muppets Christmas Carol and Roald Dahl’s entertaining version of Cinderella!

Christmas is Coming! – December 12th, 3:30pm Albert Hall, North Circus St, Nottingham NG1 5AA
A traditional afternoon Christmas concert for all the family, with well-known carols and seasonal songs featuring the Nottingham Chamber Singers, Nottingham Community Voices, Vocals Youth Choir & New Classical Players.

A Mystical Christmas – December 18th, 7:30pm St Mary the Virgin Church, Bunny NG11 6QT
Nottingham Chamber Singers present a programme of atmospheric choral music and exquisite projected images.

Tickets for all events can be booked via our website – www.music-for-everyone.org We hope to see you at one of our Christmas events over the next few weeks.


The Advent season focuses on expectation and is an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. Many people celebrate the season of advent with a wreath.

The Advent wreath first appeared in Germany in 1839. A Lutheran minister working at a mission for children created a wreath out of the wheel of a cart. He placed twenty small red candles and four large white candles inside the ring. The red candles were lit on weekdays and the four white candles were lit on Sundays.

The most common Advent candle tradition, however, involves four candles. A new candle is lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Each candle represents something different, although traditions vary. The four candles traditionally represent hope, faith, joy, and peace.

Perhaps you might like to have a go at making your own advent wreath this Christmas? Here’s a simple how to guide –

What you’ll need

  • 12’’ wire wreath frame
  • Soft greenery garland
  • Purple poinsettia flower
  • Advent candle set
  • 4 candle holders
  • White Christmas ribbon
  • Greenery ties
  • Glue gun

First, take your garland and wrap it around your wire wreath until it is completely covered. Use your hot glue to hold it in place.

Next, you’ll take your white ribbon and wrap it around until you’ve found your desired placement. Secure it with a small dab of hot glue.

Using a little bit of floral wire or greenery ties, space out the candle holders as evenly in place as possible and secure in place.

Fill in empty areas of your wreath with your purple poinsettia flowers and use a little bit of hot glue to hold them in place.

Add your candles and voila, you’ve made a super simple advent wreath. we all have and to receive a thank you card from our members.



Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

29/11/2021

admin@music-for-everyone.org

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#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 motivational moments for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

Which composer do you most associate with Christmas?  As one of the most celebrated composers of Christmas carols alive today, John Rutter’s carols have become as synonymous with Christmas as a mulled wine-stained jumper!…and for good reason, here are 5 festive facts about John Rutter’s Christmas music:

  • The popularity of John Rutter’s Christmas music lead him to be dubbed ‘The Composer Who Owns Christmas’ by the New York Times.
  • He composed his famous Shepherd’s Pipe Carol while still at school.
  • David Willcocks heard the carol when Rutter was a student at Cambridge and requested a copy of the manuscript. Before Rutter’s student days were up, the carol was published and recorded by EMI!
  • Willcocks went on to invite Rutter to join him as co-editor of the hugely influential Carols for Choirs anthologies that still largely determine what is sung at this time of year in churches worldwide.
  • 100 Carols for Choirs is Oxford University Press’ most-hired music in the lead up to the festive period. In 2018, two of Rutter’s Carol’s and a two of his arrangements appeared in the OUP’s ten top-hired carols and Christmas pieces.

“Christmas is still very dear in my heart,” Rutter says. “It’s kind of the world as we all wish it could be, for just those precious few days each year. A time of stillness and yet of rejoicing. So Christmas will always be very special in my heart and it’s always been celebrated in music.”

Come and hear some of Rutter’s most popular carols performed at MfE’s Christmas is Coming concert at the Albert Hall on Sunday 15 December.  The programme will also include performances of Christmas music by the Nottingham Community Voices, East of England Singers and the ‘Vocals!’ youth choirs.  Tickets are available online here or by phoning the office on 0115 958 9312.

  • Saturday 7 December is going to be a busy day for MfE: our Community Voices will be ‘carolling’ in Market Square from 10.30am – 12 noon (all welcome!) while MfE’s youth wind and string ensembles will be performing their Christmas concert at Kingswood Methodist Church at 3.30pm, and the EOES will be performing a Festive Baroque Christmas concert at Beeston Parish Church at 7.30pm. Tickets for all concerts are available on our website or by phoning the office on 0115 9589312.
  • And for those of you who feel it is still too early to be thinking about Christmas, next year marks John Rutter’s 75th birthday so we’ll be likely to hear a lot of his music throughout the year, perhaps even including this well-meant spoof!… https://www.classicfm.com/composers/rutter/choir-sings-john-i-cant-believe-its-not-rutter/

Have a good week!

Your friends at MfE.

02/12/2019

admin@music-for-everyone.org

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

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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

awardYesterday, BBC East Midlands Today filmed some of both the rehearsal and concert of Music for Everyone’s Christmas is Coming. During the concert, founder and Artistic Director Angela Kay was presented with the Lady Hilary Groves Prize for her outstanding contribution to music in the community. Peter Lawson, Chair of Making Music, read a wonderful citation of Angela’s achievements. She was warmly applauded by musicians and audience alike for creating opportunities and enjoyment for so many people, and of all ages. Many congratulations, Angela.

We have managed to get the video of Angela on East Midlands Today, see if you can spot yourselves!