Russian musicial treat in museum

Russkaya Cappella
Glasgow’s Russian choir
presents
‘Musical Echoes of Russia’

A free event at 

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery
Sunday 18th March at 3.00pm

A programme including sacred compositions by

Bortnyansky, Glinka and Gretchaninoff, as well as Russian folk songs

Directed by Svetlana Zvereva and Stuart Campbell
Malcolm Sim, Organ
with a special guest appearance by the members of
the Children’s Singing Studio of the Glasgow Russian School

Glorious invite

Singers who want to be part of the West End Festival’s musical extravaganza, Gloria IX, are invited to join the rehearsals starting on Thursday 5 May – voting day!

In its ninth year, Gloria will be performed in Glasgow Cathedral on Thursday 16 June and in Wellington Church, University Avenue, on Thursday 23 June.

‘We welcome as many choir singers as possible,’ said Alan Kitchen who will accompany the choir on the organ and who has provided three brand new hymn arrangements for choir, organ and percussion. ‘They can take part in either or both concerts and should be able to attend at least MOST of the rehearsals.’

Organ solos will be provided by local organists Malcolm Sim and Jonathan Salmond.

Directed by Ian Anderson, the choir will explore five centuries of choral music. The programme will range from 16^th century masters such as Byrd and Tallis, through Bach, Handel, Mozart and Haydn and via 19^th century masters Mendelssohn and Stanford into 20^th century music by John Rutter and Bob Chilcott.

Rehearsals will be held in Wellington Church starting at 7.45pm on Thursdays 5, 12,19 and 26 May and 2 and 9 June as well as final rehearsals in both venue.

Interested audiences are invited to rehearsals as well as the concerts where ‘audience participation’ is promised on the night. Contact:Alan Kitchen via Wellington Church email:wellingtonchurch@btinternet.com or Tel: 0141 339 0454. ‘Or simply turn up at the first rehearsal on Thursday 5 May,’ said Alan.

Join Gloria V111

Singers who would like to raise their voices in a massed choir to sing Gloria V111 – Faure’s Requiem and the Hallelujah Chorus among other pieces -   are invited to attend rehearsals each Wednesday from now at 7.30pm in the Southpark Avenue hall of Wellington Church in G12 8LE. The celebration of choral and organ music will be held in Glasgow Cathedral on Thursday 17 June and in Wellington Church on Thursday 24 June. The choir is under the direction of Ian Anderson with Alan Kitchen at the organ.

Worship singing of a different kind will be enjoyed at the Findlay Memorial Church in Clarendon Place at St George’s Cross on Sunday 16 May at 8.30pm when a Spring Praise Night will be held.

Talented musicians of all kinds – vocal, instrumental, individual or collective – have a chance to compete in Sky 1′s next tv search programme – Must Be the Music. The open competition will have auditions in Glasgow on Tuesday 25 May at the Theatre School in West Regent Street. 

Open to all musicians no matter what type of music they play, the series is determined to tap into the UK’s rich stream of creative music talent.  Full details on website: www.sky.com/music

Easterhouse Baptist Church to open £320,000 annexe

Easterhouse Baptist Church will officially open the doors of its new annexe at the end of the month.

The church, which has been part of the Easterhouse community for 50 years, will open the two-storey, £320,000 building – which has a multi-purpose space, servery and crèche – in an official ceremony for MPs, MSPs, city dignitaries and community groups, on 27 November.

While the building on Westerhouse Road will be dedicated by the congregation on Sunday, 22 November, with a special service and performance of the God Is With Us Choir, a general public open day and bakery sale will be held on 28 November.

Pastor Sandy Weddell, who has ministered at Easterhouse since 1980, said: ‘We have witnessed incredible changes in the last 30 year and it is our hope that the new church complex might be an oasis for many.’

The annexe, which was built with funds raised by the congregation, will become the home of a weekly youth initiative organised by Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse.

Men sing loud!

Clydebank Male Voice Choir gave their audience a treat at a recent concert in St John’s-Renfield Church in Kelvindale in aid of a childcare and educational centre in India established by two members of the congregation.
In his witty and informative way, Conductor Ronnie Simpson introduced the choir’s dozen songs and four soloists. The range of music was wide – from classic to calypso and touched the heart strings of the appreciative audience. Many who heard the choir for the first time that evening, have marked their next concert in the diary – Thursday 3, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December in Clydebank Town Hall.
Introduced by Ann Ormerod, who with the late Jen Fisher established the connection in 1999 in Chetpet in Tamil Nadu, South India, the Kelvindale concert raised well over £700 for the Chetpet project.

Following their year long working visit to the area in 1999/2000 the two friends determined to support the local Society for the Welfare and Awareness of Poor and Leprosy Affected People which was directed by social worker Masilamani.
They raised funds for a childcare and education centre in the town. Following Jen’s death in 2002, Ann established PICT – Projects India Charitable Trust – to realise the original vision and to administer Jen’s legacy and to raise additional funds in a joint venture with the Society in Chetpet.
The Ann and Jen Nursery and Primary School was opened in April 2006 with accommodation for volunteers and overseas visitors. It provides education for more than 100 children and is also a community and education centre for adults, especially the mothers of the pupils. Further information on the work of PICT can be found at: www.pictscotland.org.uk