Aspley Heath 17th - 19th May 2019
The merry month of May saw all the Ladies converging on a new (to us) concert venue – namely St. Michael’s Church in Aspley Heath / Woburn Sands.
Friday evening was dedicated to sectional rehearsals, as we had found this to be very worthwhile in Oxfordshire, but we were practising in the church itself all day Saturday. There is something very nice about being able to practise where the concert is going to be held, with no rush to get set up and sound checked at the last minute. Space was certainly at a premium, but we managed to move the piano, interweave all the stands and avoid the feet of the music stands disappearing down the ventilation grids!
The audience was small and select, but we did a lot of chatting to them in the interval and all were most enthusiastic and appreciative – even Debi’s accordion teacher Tim who scrutinised every note she played! – and they were particularly enthusiastic about the cakes!
Sunday morning we were up at the crack of dawn as we were transferring to the village hall in Eversholt for the day and needed to pack all the cars before we left. The journey over was spectacular! We drove through Woburn Park and there were deer everywhere you looked. The village hall was beautiful – it is obviously used for weddings and it had a minstrel’s gallery and a bride’s room, complete with bride’s chair! We were delighted to be welcoming Janet, a lady percussionist – or rock chick drummer in her other life – who arrived complete with full kit and proceeded to wow us with her playing, particularly her sensitivity in some of the quieter pieces. Everyone had a big smile on their face and felt totally relaxed, and it certainly showed in our playing. Jane was in her element with a whole new section to conduct. I think we are all hoping that she will decide to join us permanently. So…………the No1 Ladies move up another step and into a totally new dimension. Future audiences – prepare to be amazed!!
Our next weekend will be in September in Chirk, which will be a rehearsal only weekend to take on board new repertoire and – hopefully – percussion! Yay!
