The Branch had 29 members, 6 fewer than the previous season (2 new members and 8 non-renewals). We met on 34 Monday evenings from September to June for combined playing. One-to-a-part groups met in each other’s houses.
On 26 October we welcomed Geoffery Emerson, conductor of the Yetholm Sinfonia and formerly conductor of the South Side Community Orchestra, as our guest conductor.
Our Christmas Evening was on Monday 14 December, when we played to an audience of family and friends in Mayfield Salisbury Church. The conductors from the Branch were Peter Wraith and Andrew Short and we were joined by members of the Edinburgh Community Education Evening Class conducted by Margaret Hall. The collection made a profit of £134.43 which was donated to Shelter.
After the Christmas break we welcomed Arthur Nicholson to the branch to share conducting with Peter and Andrew. On 25 January we hosted a joint meeting of the Branch and the Edinburgh Community Education Evening Class conducted by Margaret Hall and Peter Wraith.
On Saturday 27 March we hosted a playing afternoon conducted by Steve Marshall, from Gloucestershire, composer and arranger of music for the recorder. We were also delighted to welcome Steve’s wife Ann Marshall, one of whose compositions was in included in the programme. We were joined by visitors from other Scottish branches and by members of the Edinburgh Community Education Evening Class.
The National Recorder Festival took place on 8 and 9 May at Orwell High School, Felixstowe. The Branch did not have a delegate at the Society’s Annual Conference on 9 May, but Andrew Short attended as Chairman of NYRO. The full minutes, reports and accounts of the Conference can be found here. A summary of the minutes follows.
Elections. April Munday (Wessex|, David Powell (Glasgow) and Tessa Rolph (Nottingham) were elected to the Committee. Helen Hooker succeeded Eileen Silcocks as Musical Adviser to the Committee.Subscriptions. The central portion of the subscription for 2010-11 was increased by 50p to £19.00 (full member), £29.00 (household member) and £14.50 (student).Future Festivals: The following arrangements were noted: 2011 Somerset Branch, 16-17 April, Cheddar, Somerset. 2012 Guildford Branch. 2013 Ireland Branch.
On Saturday 22 May, the Edinburgh Branch hosted the Scottish Recorder Festival at Mayfield-Salisbury Church in Edinburgh. The Festival Committee consisted of Mabel Cooney (Secretary), Judith Stenhouse (Bookings Secretary), Peter Wraith (Treasurer), Eileen Finlayson (Chairperson). The guest conductor was Marion Doherty, who directed sessions of massed playing at the beginning and end of the festival. For the rest of the day there was a choice of music, graded easy to difficult, conducted by Mary Bonsor, Marion Doherty, Ed Friday, Vreni Fry, Marg Hall, Ian Inglis, David Powell and Eileen Silcocks. Shops displaying instruments and music were open throughout the festival and there was a performance by the Scottish Recorder Orchestra conducted by Eileen Silcocks. The event was a great success and was attended by 67 adults and 2 children. We are very grateful to all those who helped both beforehand and on the day.
On Sunday 23 May, Marion Doherty led a conducting workshop at the Gillis Centre, Strathearn Road, Edinburgh. The workshop attracted three participants, two from Edinburgh and one from Glasgow. The Branch is especially grateful to the volunteer players who came along to be conducted and without whom the workshop could not have taken place.
Branch members attended Special Playing Days in Glasgow on 27 February and Durham on 6 June and a masterclass and massed playing session lead by Piers Adams in Aberdeen on 24 March.
Our Summer Evening was on Monday 7 June when we played to an audience of family and friends in Augustine United Church. The conductors from the Branch were Arthur Nicholson, Peter Wraith and Andrew Short and we were joined by members of the Edinburgh Community Education Evening Class conducted by Marg Hall. The collection raised £165.27 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. We are grateful to Arthur, Andrew and Peter for all their hard work in conducting the branch during the 2009-2010 season.
Eileen Finlayson
September 2010