News: March 2007

Dear Friends and supporters,
We’ve planned a lively and exciting year up to Christmas, and I’m writing to you to tell you what we are doing.

On 28th April at 7.30, we are performing an evening of music by Elgar at St Nicholas Church, Warwick. There is a great variety of music in his part songs, and you are never sure what effects he will produce from one moment to the next. There will also be instrumental music including some rare improvisations for piano. The real Elgar will emerge from his letters and anecdotes about him by his friends. This is a special evening, and a ‘once-only’!

Then, on Sunday 24th June, we shall be at the Shipston Proms. We are sharing a programme with the Shipston Town Band, and as there are many good pubs in the town, it should make a really good summer’s evening out. The journey is not too great.

The Central County Music Service is arranging a performance of John Rutter’s Mass of the Children. This will bring several music groups together, and there will be an orchestra. It will take place on Wednesday 4th July in All Saints Church, Leamington Spa, and Divertimento will form the basis of the adult choir. It’s a very beautiful and moving work, and we strongly advise you not to miss this project.

On Friday, 13th July, we move to Allesley (Coventry). Last summer, we sang a mixed concert of motets in the first half and light-hearted pieces in the second. The audience was good and we have been invited to sing another varied programme. Our main theme in the first half will be trumpets and loud instruments!

We hope to repeat this programme in Shrewsbury on the 22nd September. If anyone would like to travel there to see friends and bring them to the concert, we can let you have directions nearer the date.

At Christmas we shall be taking part in a concert for CORD with pupils of Warwick school. This will be a good opportunity to hear some of the excellent music making that goes on in the school — and, of course, to listen to Divertimento. The concert will be held in Northgate Methodist Church, Warwick.

Finally, another repeat performance: Following their highly popular and successful open evening last Christmas, Birmingham Museums are opening Blakesley Hall on the 14th and 15th December. Last year was a sell-out weeks before the event, and the evening included medieval musicians and Elizabethan cookery. Divertimento sang two half hour programmes of carols and we will be there again this year. If you do not know the building, it is a small but very beautiful Elizabethan manor house, built by the Smallbrooks. It is in Yardley and is easy to find, only a short distance from the A45. Divertimento will order tickets on your behalf, but you will need to let us know a month before.

There are no plans yet for 2008 except that we aware of another anniversary, this time of Vaughan Williams — an admirer of Elgar’s. If you are reading this letter and have an idea for a concert next year, please let us know.

At the time of writing, we need a tenor. If you are out there or waiting in the wings, at least you now know something of what we do.

We hope to see you at some of these events during 2007.

Sheila Koch
Musical Director