THE Music Service’s Friday Lunchtime Choir and the Manx Youth Orchestra have several performances in store in the remainder of the summer term.
The community choir, which is open to singers of all ages and abilities, will stage a 15-minute concert at 1.30pm on Friday 24th May at its meeting place, the Salvation Army Citadel in Lord Street, Douglas. Admission is free but there will be retiring collection for the Agricultural Benevolent Fund, which is assisting farmers after the recent freeze. The programme will include music by Mozart and Duke Ellington.
Maggie Richardson, Head of Music Service for the Department of Education and Children, who conducts the choir, said:
‘This will be our final meeting until October, when we’ll be starting our preparations for our Island of Culture 2014 events. New members are always welcome along and this short concert might be an opportunity for them to pop along, perhaps in their lunch break, and see what we are about.’
The Manx Youth Orchestra (MYO) and several of its offshoots are also planning to showcase their talents in the coming weeks. The MYO’s two guitar ensembles, plus soloists, will play at Marown Primary School on Wednesday 22nd May, 7.30pm to 8.30pm. The concert will feature a variety of musical styles. Admission is free, with a retiring collection for a local charity.
Music as varied as Bach and Procol Harum will be heard when the Manx Youth String Orchestra and the String Training Orchestra take part in celebrations marking the centenary of St Ninian’s Church. The concert takes place on Saturday 22nd June, 7pm to 9pm. Admission free, with a retiring collection benefiting the Friends of the MYO.
The Villa Marina arcade is the setting, on Tuesday 9th July, 8pm to 9.30pm, for a concert by the MYO’s Training Band, Concert Band, Swing Band and Wind Orchestra at the Villa Arcade. It’s part of the venue’s summer concert series. Again, the Friends of the MYO will receive a retiring collection.
The full MYO is pleased to be returning to St German’s Cathedral, Peel, on Tuesday 16th July, 7.45pm to 8.45pm. Its programme will include light classical music and well-known film themes. There is no charge to attend and the MYO’s Friends and the Cathedral’s Foundation for Music and the Arts will share a collection.
There is no need to book for any of the performances.
Finally, the MYO’s Christmas Festival Concert is a traditional high point of the festive season and the Music Service is already being contacted by people anxious to get it on their calendars. The concert will take place at the Villa Marina on Saturday 14th December. Tickets will go on sale in mid November.
