North West Early Music Forum Chairman’s Report 2013/2014
1. The Annual General Meeting of NWEMF in April 2013 resulted in the following committee:
Presidents: Roger Wilkes, David Allen
Vice President: Andrew Mayes
Chair: Mark Flinn
Secretary: Ruth Stock
Treasurer: Martin Steward
Newsletter Editor: John Huthnance
Membership Secretary: Gill Lowden
Members: Elizabeth Dodd, Peter Syrus, Clive Walkley, Bob Foster
2. NWEMF has had another busy year. The following ten workshops and events have run:
April 2013: Bach and beyond: Peter Syrus
May 2013: Purcell: Evelyn Tubb
June 2013: German Baroque: John Butt
September 2013: Gentlemen of the Chapell: Alistair Dixon
November 2013: Music from the time of Henry VIII: Ralph Allwood
February 2014: Fire and Water: Martin Westhorp
March 2014: Worldes Bliss: Sara Stowe
March 2014: Rosenmüller Vespers: James Weeks
May 2014: Scarlatti Stabat Mater: John Hancorn
Workshops and events have been successful and feedback has been positive. We have run workshops across the region: from Natland in Cumbria to Newcastle under Lyme. Some workshops, however, have run with quite low numbers and the Carnforth event planned for October had to be cancelled. The Rosenmüller Vespers workshop in March was jointly run with MEMF, on behalf of a combined membership of over 350, but attracted only 32 singers and players. Sadly, the Summer School planned for 2013 failed to attract sufficient interest.
3. Plans are now well under way for future workshops: the website has up-to-date information available between newsletters. We are anticipating workshops with (amongst others) Peter Syrus (June), Philip Duffy (September) and Clive Walkley (October), and the committee is meeting this month to plan a full schedule of workshops into 2015.
4. NWEMF membership totalled 125 in May 2014 compared with 137 in March 2013.
5. The committee has met three times: in April, September and January. We are keen to expand the number and range of workshops and events: please contact committee members or myself. We will seek to maintain a balance between “popular” events which are likely to recruit good numbers and events for smaller and specialised forces, such as this year’s Medieval music event.
6. I would like to thank all members of the committee for their support this year and for the invaluable work they have done in organising and running events.
Mark Flinn Chair
NWEMF May 2014
