7.30pm, 19 May at St Mary's, Eaton Bray - Box Office: 01525 222283

The performers include one of the top local choirs, The Linsdale Singers, an orchestra of local musicians and some highly talented young soloists whose voices first developed under the guidance of the Bedfordshire Youth Opera.

The performance promises great things. Please come along and enjoy what should be a fantastic evening. Tickets for allocated seats, priced at £7.50, £10 and £12, available from the Box Office – 01525 222283.

For full details, see Messiah at St Mary's Eaton Bray.

Dear Student/Parent/Carer

Summer Junior Strings Course 2012

We are pleased to tell you that there will be an additional Junior Strings Course taking place this year during the Summer term 2012, organised by The Bedfordshire Music Trust. The course will run from 16th-17th June 2012.

The cost of the Junior Strings Course will be £40. If you/your child would like to attend please complete the attached form and return it with the course payment to: Youth Music Junior Strings Course, Bedfordshire Music Trust, The White House, Odell Road, Sharnbrook, Bedford, MK44 1JL. Cheques should be made payable to Bedfordshire Music Trust. (Please note we are unable to reimburse your course fee if you cancel within two weeks of the start date, or during, the course).

In cases of financial difficulty, the "Friends of Bedfordshire Youth Music" organisation may be able to support your application. The Friends are keen to help all those who might be eligible for financial support to attend the Youth Music courses. Should you require financial assistance, please make an application direct to FBYM at www.fbym.org.uk. Once your application is accepted you should then send a cheque for the full course fee to Bedfordshire Music Trust and the Friends will reimburse you for the relevant proportion directly.

If you have not attended one of these courses before, we do not hold auditions for this group. However, we do ask that you check with your instrumental teacher first before applying and confirm that you have your teacher's recommendation on the application form. Please complete the attached form in full indicating their instrument and grade equivalent. Please return the completed form with payment before Friday 25th May 2012.

We look forward to seeing you in June.

With best wishes
The Bedfordshire Music Trust 

Contact Julia Smith
Tel 07811 425872
Email admin@bedfordshiremusictrust.org.uk

GROUP COURSE DATES/TIMES VENUE

Youth Orchestra Course: 22nd - 25th July 2012 Bedford Prep School
Concert: Thursday 26th July Bedford Corn Exchange

Second Orchestra Course: 22nd - 25th July 2012 Mark Rutherford Upper School
Concert: Thursday 26th July Bedford Corn Exchange

Third Orchestra Course: 21st - 23rd July Bedford School
Concert: Tuesday 24th July Bedford School

Concert Band Course: 21st - 23rd July Bedford School
Concert: Tuesday 24th July Bedford School

Wind Band Course: 22nd - 24th July 2012 Mark Rutherford Upper School
Concert: Wednesday 25th July 2012 Mark Rutherford Upper School

Fourth Orchestra Course: 22nd - 24th July 2012 Mark Rutherford Upper School
Concert: Wednesday 25th July 2012 Mark Rutherford Upper School

The cost of the Youth Orchestra Course will be £95 (as it is a longer course) and the other courses will cost £75. For further information please contact Bedfordshire Music Trust.

Email: admin@bedfordshiremusictrust.org.uk

The Junior Strings Course is for violin or cello players who have reached Grade 2 or above.  Students spend the Saturday and Sunday practising a selection of music and  then get the chance to perform in a full concert on the Sunday afternoon.

The 4th Orchestra is for more experienced violin, viola and cello players who have reached Grade 3 or above.  It takes place over 3 days, starting on the Saturday with a final concert on the Monday evening.

The Chamber Course runs for 3 days, from Saturday to Monday, and is for students who have reached Grade 4 or above.  Players are allocated to chamber groups according to their standard and experience and we run a number of groups from beginners right up to advanced with each group getting individual tuition from experienced teachers.  On the last day the groups get a chance to perform their pieces. 

You don't need to audition for Junior Strings or 4th Orchestra – but please ensure your teacher has agreed which would be the most suitable group for you to join.  And for the Chamber Course most students will already be playing in one of our orchestras but if you have not been on any of the courses before please get in touch and we can make sure you get in the most appropriate group.

The cost of the Junior Strings Course will be £40, the cost of 4th Orchestra is £60 and Chamber Course is £65.  The course timetable is as follows. So please get in touch as soon as you can so we are able to reserve your place. Hope to see you there.

Contact Julia Smith
Tel 07811 425872
Email admin@bedfordshiremusictrust.org.uk

We are running three orchestral and two concert band courses between 17 – 21 December and have had an excellent response so far but still have plenty of places. So if you are interested in taking part please print off and complete the attached application form and return it by post as soon as possible with your course fee.

These courses are an excellent opportunity for young players to experience the joy of playing in a large orchestra or band, under the direction of specialist staff. The course timetable is as follows:

The cost of the Christmas Course is £75. If you would like to attend please fill in the attached application form and return it, together with your fee, to Youth Music Christmas Course, Bedfordshire Music Trust, The White House, Odell Road, Sharnbrook, Bedford, MK44 1JL. Cheques should be made payable to Bedfordshire Music Trust.

If you have not attended one of these courses before, or you have played in one but would like to audition for another please let us know on the form which group you would like to join and we will arrange a suitable time for audition. If you have any questions or need any help please contact Julia Smith by email or phone.

Julia Smith
Tel: 01234 783054 or 07811 425872
Email: admin@bedfordshiremusictrust.org.uk

Attachment: Christmas 2011 Course Application Form

The Christmas Courses are being held at Wootton Upper School and Holywell Middle School, Cranfield on the 17^th to 21^st December.  We've just held the first round of auditions but don't worry if you have missed them or if you have still not sent in your application form.  There are plenty of places available if you would still like to apply.  Just send your application form, together with your fee, to Youth Music Christmas Course, Bedfordshire Music Trust, The White House, Odell Road, Sharnbrook, Bedford, MK44 1JL.  The cost of the Christmas Course is £75. Cheques should be made payable to Bedfordshire Music Trust.  If you have mislaid or not received an application form you can email Julia Smith at admin@bedfordshiremusictrust.org.uk  or call us on 01234 783054 with your contact details and we will send you one.

The Christmas event is very a much test of whether it is possible to keep these courses running.  At the moment it looks as though a way can be found to secure their future, but for that we do need all the support we can get, particularly from students and new players signing up.  As you will all know these courses are a fantastic opportunity for young players to experience the joy of playing in a large orchestra or band, under the direction of our wonderful conductors and tutors. They are also a great way to make new friends.  And playing in these groups will give you skills and confidence that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Unfortunately this October it was not possible to run the usual half term events - Junior Strings, 4^th Orchestra or the Chamber Course.  But we are starting to plan the events for next year and hope to arrange these courses for Spring half term.  So please look out for announcements.  If you want to be on our mailing list for future events please email admin@bedfordshiremusictrust.org.uk with your contact details.  Hopefully we will have a new web-based registration scheme in place for next year, which should cut down the time and effort taken to handle course registration – all of which helps us keep the costs down.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone for your continuing support.

Nick Wood
Bedfordshire Music Trust

We plan to run three orchestral and two band courses between 17 – 21 December. Unfortunately, we have not been able to schedule the 4^th Orchestra course this term although current 4^th Orchestra members are still requested to complete the form provided with the course letter (that will be arriving with students soon) as we hope to be able to offer a 4^th Orchestra course during the spring term.  4^th Orchestra members may also audition for 3^rd Orchestra for the Christmas Course (see course letter for further details).

As with the Summer Courses there will be no transport provided but we have tried to choose course locations that make travel as easy as possible. To help with car sharing arrangements the Friends of Bedfordshire Youth Music are facilitating a car sharing information scheme through their web site: www.fbym.org.uk. Information can be found by following the links on their home page and using the password supplied in your course invite to enter a secure area.

The courses can only function if sufficient students register to take part so please do book your place as soon as possible so we that we can confirm numbers.  Depending on numbers we may combine some of the groups. However, we will endeavour to keep you/your child in a group of equivalent standard.

In cases of financial difficulty, the "Friends of Bedfordshire Youth Music" organisation may be able to support your application.  The Friends are keen to help all those who might be eligible for financial support to attend the Youth Music courses, including those struggling to make ends meet while involved in Higher Education. Should you require financial assistance, please make an application direct to FBYM at www.fbym.org.uk.