Post Production Meeting

To: Indian Queen participants and other IB members.

Indian Queen Post-Production Review Meeting
7:00 pm on Sunday 16 November 2008
at
Gunnersbury Triangle Sports and Social Club
Triangle Way
Rear of Princes Avenue
Acton, W3 8LN. map link

Agenda
1. Welcome, introductions and prize-giving (!)
2 The Indian Queen reports and discussion
2.1 Organisation (General Organisation; Location; Refreshments; Publicity)
2.2 Performances (Music; Staging; Rehearsals)
2.3 Finance (Box Office; Grants; The Final Reckoning)
3. Future productions and events - general discussion
4. Any Other Business

For the items under 2 there will be short reports which will lead into questions and discussions around those general areas. Click on links below for copies of the written reports produced so far:

Production Report - Bar Report - Publicity Report

If you have something to say do come along (or email Tom with a point you want aired). Remember that the primary purpose of the meeting is to do things better next time, in other words, to learn.

We really do want to hear from you. People who didn't take part can make contributions too.

---

Extraordinary General Meeting - 27th September 2008 at 5:30pm in The Quakers after the rehearsal

All members were invited to an Extraordinary General Meeting on 27th September at 5:30 pm to agree the new constitution and elect Trustees.

To read the new constitution, click here

The members that were elected as trustees are as follows (roles required by charity commission in brackets) :

Laurence Slater (Chairman)
Caroline Slater (Secretary)
Chris Hobson (Treasurer)
Bernard Stevenson
Philip Johnson
Tom Beaton

Helena Brown and Janet Oates will still be very much involved in Isleworth Baroque as Musical Director and Assistant Musical Director but are not able to stand as trustees as they will - from time to time - be paid professional fees for their work with the group.

 

---

Extraordinary General Meeting - 8th July 2008

We held an Extraordinary General meeting on Tuesday 8th July to decide whether to apply for Charitable Status. The vote was unanimously in favour. We will therefore be pursuing this and will need to call another EGM to vote for trustees.

---

Twickenham Festival 2008

We performed a rolling programme in the function room above The Fox, Church Street, Twickenham, on 21st June 2008, much as we did last year: a programme of Baroque music for 45 minutes at 2 o'clock, repeated at 3 and 4 o'clock.

Thanks to Janet for organising and driving this through - it was great fun, although a bit exhausting!

---

IB Quiz no 1

1. In Blow’s Venus and Adonis, how is Adonis killed?
2. In which city did the Camerata meet, developing ideas about monody and stile recitativo?
3. What do these opera characters have in common: Vespone, Pu-Tin-Pao, Dr Crabbe?
4. The Siege of Rhodes is considered by some to be the first English opera, staged by William d’Avenant in which year?
5. Who would be given a warm bath before having their jugular veins pressed until they fell into a faint?
6. Where was Cavalli born?
7. What are scattered on Dido’s tomb?
8. What instrument is St. Cecilia reputed to have invented?
9. The Concerto di Donne was the rather scandalous musical secret of whom?
10. Berlioz, Busoni, Dusapin, Gounod and Boito all wrote operas about which legend?

Enter the quiz now - only £3 - and you have a chance of winning a CD of Purcell's The Indian Queen.

Closing date for entries - extended till the end of June

For entry form, click here

---

Sad News

Tom Beaton wrote...

"If you have not already heard you will feel as shocked as I was to learn about Cindy's recent death.

For those of you who didn't know her she was very active with Stopgap Theatre over several years and Isleworth Baroque talked her into taking on the production role for us when we put on King Arthur in 2005. She did it again for Dido and Bastien & Bastienne in 2006, and we had hoped that she would carry on with us for many years, but when Robert got a new job in Oxford they moved there.

Robert will be known to some of you who didn't know Cindy because he sang bass in Helena's Tuesday class for a few years."

In the May newsletter, Tom gave an update:

"When I sent out an email to tell IB supporters that Cindy had died I had an immense response. Tom Brooks our stage manager wrote back saying "I am saddened to hear this news. It was great fun to work with Cindy, who got things done in her own inimitable style. She always added a bit of class to whatever environment she found herself in, almost a regal quality and way of carrying herself. I treasure the memory of Cindy in Fawlty Towers at Isleworth Public Hall, she was a talented actress."
Chris Hobson noted, "It is a tribute to her that, since she and Robert left London, we have struggled to replace her. Absence has made us realise how much she contributed to Isleworth Baroque"
Eight of us sang the final Dido and Aeneas chorus, With drooping wings ye Cupids come, at Cindy's thanksgiving service at St Michael's Sutton Court in Chiswick, which was followed by a champagne reception in the church hall."

---

Concert at West Middlesex Hospital 5th April 2008

Saturday 5 April 2008 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm West Middlesex hospital main entrance hall/atrium. This is the date that I said previously was provisional. It has now been confirmed. We will perform for patients, staff and visitors as they mill around or pass through. The original idea was for the programme to be a shortened version of the members' concert, but additional pieces may be required if some people are not available (though in the circumstances of the concert some repeats would probably be acceptable). Tom is coordinating the programme. Please help by getting in touch with him rather than waiting for him to contact you, either to say you will do your members' concert piece and/or to offer an extra. (Tom 020-8568 3756). If you took part in the members' concert but can't or don't want to do this one could you let him know too, so that he knows where we are sooner rather than later.

---

The Creation by Haydn 24th April 2008

Thursday 24 April 2008 at 7:30 pm. Holy Angels Church, High Street, Cranford Norwood Green Singers perfomed parts of THE CREATION by Haydn, led by our own Helena Brown with Lindsay Bridgwater . They would like 2 or 3 more singers to augment the choir, and are hoping that our orchestra would like to join in, too. All music can be borrowed, for this. Helena said, "If you don't know it, it is a wonderful piece." Rehearse on 17th April, so keep both those evenings free. Contact Helena.

---

Members Concert: 2008

Catherine McManus organised a splendid Members Concert in the Function Room of the Fox Pub in Church St, Twickenham on Friday 15th Feb 2008.

---

Annual General Meeting 2008

The AGM was on Sunday 27 January - 8:00 pm at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, rear of Princes Avenue, W3 8LN

---

Twickenham Festival 2007

We raised over £100 singing at the Twickenham Festival this year - see flyer below for details.

---

Extraordinary General Meeting
Sunday, 15th April 2007 at 7.00 pm
Friends Meeting House, Quakers Lane, Isleworth, TW7 5AU

Agenda.

1 Apologies for absence

2 Funding Isleworth Baroque's 2007 production of La Calisto

3 Any other business

------------------------------------------------------------------
To all members,

This meeting has been called by the committee for the membership to discuss funding of this year's opera which we intend to stage in October 2007.

Last year it cost us £5,319 to put on Dido and Bastien.. Income from participants was £1,305 with £4,014 coming from ticket and other sales and our own reserves in the bank.

This year we have not yet managed to find any sponsorship or grants. Previously we have generally raised sufficient extra funds from grant giving bodies, and two years ago the amount we raised was sufficient to provide a reserve which carried us through last year as well. But there is now insufficient cash in the bank to continue with our plans for this year's opera unless we come up with an alternative plan.

One suggestion is that members should seek 50 donors of £100 each, perhaps offering tickets if required. Any surplus after production costs could be refunded to donors.

Other funding suggestions will be welcome at the meeting. We want this year's production to go ahead, and we are sure you do too, but we have to be satisfied that the bills will eventually get paid. Please come along, buzzing with ideas,and help to make sure that this year too, 'the show will go on'.


Call a committee member if you want to bounce an idea around - whether you are coming to the meeting or not.

Helena Brown (chair) 020-8580 8429
Caroline Slater (vice-chair) 020-8943 5261
Alison Sands (secretary) 020-8992 3171
Chris Hobson (treasurer) 020-8948 0791
Cindy Belshaw (producer) 020-8994 2085
Tom Beaton (membership) 020-8568 3756

---

Annual General Meeting - 28th Jan 07 8pm