Music and Drama Committee

2018 Events

To find out more please visit the Forthcoming Federation Events page

Music and Drama Report for 2017-2018

‘An American in Paris’, Peter Lawrence, Singing and Plays

What do all of these have in common, you might ask.

Well these are some of the events organised by the Music and Drama sub-committee on behalf of the Federation for you to enjoy during 2017.

The year began with the first of two play reading sessions. We began reading ‘Autumn Manoeuvres’ by Peter Coke, which was continued in the second session in September and was completed in the February 2018 session. Alongside this we read (no you don’t have to get up and act! Just enjoy reading!!) several one act plays, helped of course by tea and homemade cake or biscuits!

March saw a trip to London to see the West End hit musical ‘An American in Paris’. Fifty - two members and non- members enjoyed the performance and even had time for a little retail therapy and lunch. This year we are taking two coaches to see ‘42^nd Street’ at Drury Lane in May and June and I am sure they will have a great time too.

In May we organised our very successful concert event-‘Colours’. Our Federation choir sang several beautiful songs with a solo from Paddy Trevelyan of ‘Lavender Blue’ There were several songs for the audience to join in including- ‘She wore Red Feathers’ and ‘I’m a blue toothbrush’. The drama group presented two very amusing playlets based on the poems ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ by Roald Dahl, with additional script from our own Pat Collinson, who also wrote the closing poem ‘Paint box’ and ‘The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God’ by J. Milton Hayes. A great evening was had by all helped with homemade supper of course.

Our next event was held in August when, the Federation Choir leader, Patricia Mason held a ‘Singing Workshop’ in Lavenham. This workshop was full very quickly and many of the participants were there for the first time. Patricia helped the ladies develop their voices with fun exercises and with plenty of singing of favourite songs from classics to pop. The sub committee have arranged for the third ‘Singing Workshop’ to be held at Lavenham on Wednesday 29^th 2018 at 7.00pm at Lavenham Village Hall. I hope you will come and join in the fun.

Peter Lawrence is a retired police officer and Denman tutor, and he came to Lavenham Village Hall in November 2017 for ‘An Audience with Peter Lawrence’. This event was a two- course lunch, provided by the Federation’s excellent Catering Team, followed by an illustrated talk by Peter about the ‘Art on the London Street’s’. There are wonderful sculptures along the River Bank and on benches in the Streets and Stations as well as the well-known statues in Trafalgar Square and the Cenotaph. Many of us had walked past these wonderful pieces of art and never even noticed them. Peter will be returning on Friday 28^th September 2018 at the New Ash Green Centre, Thurston for ‘An Evening with Peter Lawrence’. This will be a cheese and wine event when his talk is ‘From the Krays to the Crown’- about his life as a policeman.

Our final event for 2017 was the annual Carol Celebration at St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds. Despite illness and a very cold and snowy night over 200 members and non-members joined the Board of Trustees, the Sub-committee members and the Federation choir to sing carols, listen to fun readings and an ethereal Harp solo, played by Anne Chorley. The weather did cause problems for our readers but their places were ably taken by other board and committee members, our past Chairman Elizabeth Lansman and a WISH. Our WISH (WI Supporting Husband) was Graham Higgins, husband of our present Chairman, Julie Higgins, who regaled us with fun anecdotes in her Christmas Greeting. The welcome and closing thoughts were given by Reverend Lawrence Smith, Curate of St Mary’s Church. The Federation choir under the leadership of Patricia Mason and accompanied by, the church organist, Adrian Marple sang four beautiful carols. It was a lovely way to start the Christmas season and the church is already booked for the 2018 Celebration on Monday 10^th December at 7.30pm.

As you can see it has been a busy year and next year will be as well. There is one more event already booked for 2018 and that is a ‘Murder Mystery Evening’ with a Fish and Chip supper. This will be on Friday November 23^rd at Risby Village Hall. I hope we will see you all there.

Our Federation Choir has had a busy year with the concert in May and the Carol Celebration in December. Patricia Mason has guided her singers in some difficult pieces this year and the choir have blossomed. They have been accompanied at rehearsals this year by Ellie Martindale and Eileen Carrington. We have had to say goodbye to Ellie as she has gone to university and we wish her well and Eileen has stepped down for 2018. We are now looking for a new accompanist – so if you would like to be considered for this please get in touch- the choir are a lovely friendly bunch who love to sing and really do need you! If you like to sing, then please join our wonderful choir. This year they have offered a free taster session for your first visit and this will continue this year too. They meet at Park Farm on Thusday evenings at 7.30pm, please contact the office to find out the dates.

All these events could not be organised without the hard work of the Music and Drama sub-committee of Jill Gooch, Julie Higgins, Pat Collinson, Ros Melvin, Linda Gridley and Lesley Lagden. During last year, Barbara McDonald, Linda O’Dell (the Federation Choir Representative) and Jo Kemp were also very active members of our team. Unfortunately, have all stepped down this year and we would like to say a big ‘Thank You’ for all their hard work. We have been pleased to welcome two new committee members – Finuala Symons and Hilary Foreman, who are already working hard in organising events.

I have mentioned the Music and Drama the sub-committee throughout this review.  I am sure some of you are unsure what we actually do so I will explain. We are a voluntary group of members who meet every two months to plan and organise events linked to Music, Drama and the Performing Arts as fundraising events for the Federation. As a team, we have ideas of what we think should be in these events and often take part either performing, making the refreshments or anything else we can.  The Choir have a representative who liaises between Patricia Mason and the members for events they take part in and over their rehearsals. If you think you would like to be involved with our sub-committee, then please come along to observe one of our meetings and meet the team. To find out when our meetings are please contact The Federation Office.

I would also like to thank Elizabeth Lansman (the previous Chairman) and our present Federation Chairman, Julie Higgins and the Board of Trustees for their continued support and support throughout the year and of course all the ladies who run the Federation office at Park Farm for all their work and support in the office. Without them our events would be much harder to put on.

Finally I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of the events we have put on in 2017 and I hope we will see you again this year 2018.

Janet Brown

Chairman Music and Drama Sub-committee

Events for 2018

December 2017

On Monday, 11th December we performed at the Suffolk West Federation's Celebration of Carols at St. Mary's Church, Bury St Edmunds.

As well as leading the carols we sang four pieces, The Angels' Carol by John Rutter, Thou must leave thy Lowly Dwelling by Hector Berlioz, I sing of A Maiden by Mary Sarson and This Little Babe by Benjamin Britten.   We thank church organist Adrian Marple for accompanying us.

At the musical interlude Anne Chorley played Carols on the Harp - The Angel Gabriel, Little Jesus Sweetly Sleep, Ding Dong Merrily on High and Silent Night.  

With the Carol Singing and the readings as well we had a lovely evening which marks the start of Christmas and the festivities ahead.

October 2107

We are well into our rehearsals for the Carol Celebration at St. Mary's Church, Bury St Edmunds, on Monday 11th December at 7.30pm.    The Carol Celebration is always a very enjoyable evening which marks the start of Christmas and the Festivities ahead.  
Tickets £3.00, please buy in advance through your WI as they are not available at the door on the night.

May  2017

Spring Concert

Our Spring Concert ‘Colours’ was well attended and after months of rehearsals and together with a small group of ladies who formed a Drama group for the event, it resulted in a great evening of laughter, acting, reading and singing by the choir and audience.   Ellie Martindale accompanied us well and Patricia, our Choir Leader, encouraged everyone to join in with the singing, with her enthusiasm you just had to!  During the interval drinks and refreshments of delicious desserts were served.  We said our farewells to Ellie who is going to University and will be persuing a career in music - we wish her well for the future.
Our rehearsals have finished for the summer.  We re-start in September to rehearse for the Carol Celebration on Monday, 11th December.   New members always welcome, why not come along come along for a free taster session.

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Suffolk West Federation Choir Background & History

Surprisingly, members are often not aware that we have a Federation Choir, which has been in existence in its present form since approximately the 1980's.  At that time there were a number of small choirs in the Federation area, including the Bury St Edmunds singing group, Great Barton, Chevington and Brandon.

In the early days we tried to bring all the choirs together for the Carol Celebration, by getting them all to learn the same pieces and sing them together on the night, though this was not always successful. Most of the smaller choirs closed down as time went on and so the Bury singing group grew into the current choir.

In those days we had to find practice rooms with a piano as there was no piano at Whiting Street. Among the places we used were Trinity Methodist, Bradfield Methodist and Northumberland Avenue church hall.  Judy Jurkiewicz accompanied for many years and later on we found Barbara Hardwick who is our current accompanist. After several appeals, a piano was donated to the WI house by Barbara Robson, when she moved to Norfolk, and this is still in use with us at Park Farm.

In the early days we moved the Carol service around the Federation, from Bury to Mildenhall. Long Melford, Hadleigh and anywhere else with a large enough venue. We then decided to centralise in Bury St Edmunds and stayed at the Cathedral for 20 years. This ended when they told us we could no longer have our regular Monday night booking and we moved up the road to St Mary's church which has now become our new venue.

Angelina Johnson was the Federation Choir Master from 1980 until her sudden and unexpected death in August 2014.

The current Federation Choir Master is Patricia Mason who has a wealth of experience in schools and as choir director of the St Edmunds church choir.

May 2105 - The Federation Choir at their first rehearsal with Patricia (front row, second from right)