The Branch had 37 members, 3 fewer than the previous season (6 new members, 9 non-renewals). We met on 35 Monday evenings from September to June for combined playing. One-to-a-part groups met on alternate evenings. 

On Monday 25 September a one-to-a-part group directed by Henriette Bos played at the Church of the Nazarene. On Saturday 7 October small groups played at the Early Music Forum of Scotland’s Museum Weekend at the Royal Museum in Chambers Street, Edinburgh. 

On 11 November we had hoped to welcome Petrina Lodge as our visiting conductor. Sadly, due to the combined effects of train cancellations and severe weather, the visit had to be called off at the last minute. Fortunately we were able to find four replacements: Ethel Allan, Jim Carey, Sandy Howie and Hugh McDonald, and had an enjoyable afternoon’s playing with our visitors from other Scottish Branches. The collection of £41.50 was sent to the Walter Bergmann Fund. 

A small group from the branch played Christmas carols at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, on Saturday 9 December, as part of Oxfam’s Christmas Carol Collections. 

Our Christmas Evening was on Monday 11 December when we played to an audience of family and friends in Augustine Church. We were joined by members of the Edinburgh Community Education Evening Class conducted by Margaret Hall. The collection of £111.50 was sent to the Rock Trust. 

On 9 February 14 members of the branch, conducted by Jim Carey, played to the members of Kirk O’Field Parish Church Social Club in Edinburgh. The programme included arrangements of popular music from the opera and musicals, dance music from the 20s and 30s and several of Jim’s own arrangements and compositions. 

We welcomed, as guest conductors, Laurie Crump on 19 February and Margaret Hall on 5 March. 

On Saturday 7 April the branch hosted a recital at Mayfield Salisbury Church by the Swedish recorder player Pia Loman, winner of the 1999 Moeck/SRP Recorder Competition. The audience, at fewer than 30, was disappointingly small, but those who attended were treated to a fascinating programme full of technical brilliance and great beauty. The loss made by the branch in promoting this recital will be recovered from central funds. 

The National Recorder Festival took place on 21 and 22 April at Colston’s Collegiate School, Stapleton, Bristol. On 22 April, Eileen Finlayson attended the Society’s Annual Conference as the Edinburgh Branch’s delegate. The meeting was chaired by Andrew Short. The deaths were noted of Arthur Ingram (London) (former National Treasurer) and Geoff Horn (South Staffs). Brian Bonsor and Paul Clark were ratified as Vice-Presidents of the Society. Bill England of the Manchester Branch was made an Honorary Life Member. Jim Rowley (Birmingham) replaced Emma Moore as the Country and Overseas Membership Secretary. Sandra Foxall (Cleveland) replaced Ann Martin as Examination Secretary. David Beare (Cumbria) and Hilary Oliver (West Riding) were elected to serve on the Committee for three years, replacing Sandra Foxall and Moira Usher (Suffolk). Musical Advisers would in future serve in rotation on the Committee. Alyson Lewin, as the next available Musical Adviser, was elected to serve on the Committee. Membership stood at 1609, 10 fewer than the previous year. The Society made a surplus of £2,812 for the year and the Central Fund stood at £23,175. There was therefore no increase in the Central Subscription. The Walter Bergmann Fund made a surplus of £10,359 and the Fund’s reserves stood at £39,210. Individual grants totalled £1,876 and prizes of £400 and £600 were given respectively to the SRP/Moeck Solo Recorder Competition and the Yamaha-ERTA Ensemble Competition. Future Festivals will be as follows: 6/7 April 2002, Tormead School Guildford; 2003, Manchester; 2004, Winchester; 2005, East Berkshire; 2006, Cumbria. The Chairman reported that Arthur Ingram had left a substantial legacy to the Society. He invited branches/individuals to let him have in writing ideas for consideration by the Committee as to how the money should be spent. As the legacy is charitable, it can be used to promote the education of the public in the art of recorder playing, but not to subsidise branch meeting-places, the cost of which has to be met from branch subscriptions. In a resolution to Conference, it was proposed that a leaflet should be produced giving guidance on performing rights and musical copyright. It was agreed that it would be better for the Society to tell members where to get information rather than publish its own interpretation of the law.

Members attended Special Playing Days in Glasgow (21 October) and Hawick (27 May). 

The Scottish National Recorder Festival was at Alva on Saturday 16 June and was organised the Aberdeen Branch. The conductors included Jim Carey, who conducted his arrangement of Gershwin’s A Foggy Day, and Margaret Hall who conducted her composition Allsorts. The principal guest conductor was David Grosvenor, Musical Director of the York Guildhall Branch. 

Our Summer Evening was on 18 June, when we played in Augustine Church to an audience of family and friends. The collection of £116 was sent to Maggie’s Centre. 

Sandy Howie, former Joint Musical Director and regular guest conductor of the branch, made a substantial donation of approximately 200 items of recorder music to the branch. We are very grateful to Sandy for this most generous gift. 

Hawthorns Music has published Margery Gibb’s composition for recorders, Buckstone Byways. 

As always we must thank our Musical Director James Carey, Assistant Conductor Henriette Bos and our guest conductors for making our weekly meetings so enjoyable and successful. 

E. Finlayson 
September 2001

Last updated 12 November 2012