OrganFax Directory

Penrith and District Organ Society

Telephone Number :  01768 862761

Email address :  penrithorgansociety@googlemail.com

Contact name :  Ray Robson

Venue address : The Evergreen Hall, Bluebell Lane, Penrith , Cumbria, CA11 7LH

About Penrith and District Organ Society

Live Music from Top Artists

The musical spectrum is very wide, encompassing”classical”, “popular classical”, “show music”, “jazz”, etc. How you rank the styles is very much a matter of personal choice. The Penrith Organ Society aims to provide a programme of music which, while it might not always be exactly to your taste, will appeal to the widest audience, Thus, it is probably best described as “middle of the road”.

The majority of the guest artistes play a modern, two manual electronic organ.

Our Society

The society was formed in 1975 by a small group of players who wanted to share their musical interest and involve others in the pleasure of music performed on an electronic organ. They met in the Evergreen Hall (which is still our venue) but,no being large euough in numbers to warrant using the stage,they grouped themselves around the organ,which was located in the centre on the floor. They took it in turns to play and to discuss the various tips about how to get the best out of the organ,and general points of playing technique-what we would now call a “workshop”.

During the embyro stage there was no question of being able to buy a “club organ” but they were generously loaned an instrument by Creighton & Tweedle who, conveniently, had a shop, only about 100 yards away,that specialised in organs and pianos.

The first President was Robinson Cleaver who had previously been the resident organist at the Lonsdale Cinema In Carlisle.When he retired his place was taken by Mr Dennis Tweedie,one of the founder Members.

As the saying goes,”From small acorns come great oak trees”,and since those early days the Society has grown to its current strength of 93amd we reguarly attract between 10 and twenty visitors,some of whom travel from a 30 mile radius and sometimes from further a field. Not unexpectedly, the growth in the membership has come largely from people who love to listen to music well played on an organ, rather that from people who are competent amateurs themselves- though we suspect some Members are better players than they will admit!

In the early mid 1990s it became obvious that, if the Society was to progress further, ot would be necessary to invite better guest artistes and this policy, in turn, required an increase in subscription to fund it. Even now the subscription is only £25 a year, and with no extra admission charge, which makes it by far “The Best Value Entertainment In Town”! It would be invidious to quote names but, as a result of this policy, we are now able to attract artistes that are known nationally, and some internationally.

A more recent change introduced by the society has been a video camera/projection screen, one of the few such installations in the UK. This is described in more detail below.

Penrith and the lake district attract holiday-makers, some of whom time their vists to coincide with a particular artiste’s concert. Why not treat yourself to a long weekend combining walking, sightseeing and music?! there is plenty of local accommodation ranging from caravan sites, 4 star hotels to good “B&Bs”. You will find the Penrith Tourist Office on 01768 867466 or see below for website.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Venue

We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 8pm(except where shown in the Programme) in the Evergreen Hall, Bluebell Lane, Penrith, CA11 7LU. The Hall, which can perhaps be best described as a Community Centre, can comfortably seat 125 people and has a raised stage at one end. Tea and Coffe are available at the interval. Ample free parking is available after 6pm “right next door”, and there is good disabled access

Concerts

Generally 8.00pm to 10.00pm on the second Tuesday of the month but full programme times are available here

Admission

2009/10

2009/10 rates

Visitors £4.00 payable at the door (under 16s accompanied by adult £1.00)

Membership – £25.00 for the year

Contacts – Chairman 07766223497 – Secretary 01768 862761

Penirth Organ Society Email www.penrithorgansociety@googlemail.com

Interval, Tea or Coffee is 50p. Raffle extra

Penrith Tourist Office 01768 867466 – Email www.visitenden.co.uk

A ROUSING CONCERT TO CLOSE 2011

On Tuesday the Penrith Organ Society welcomed Mark Thompson, from Newcastle, who was making his fifth visit to play for the Society.   When Mark made his first appearance he was still studying at Durham University for his degree in mathematics but, in addition to his lectures, he was still able to keep up his musical studies, and even to play in a local band.   After he graduated, he had to make the difficult decision of whether to continue with mathematics or to devote himself to music as a career.   Luckily for the Society, he chose music!
Mark opened with the well-known Everything Is Coming Up Roses after which he followed with the novelty number Plink Plank Plonk , taken from the band leader Leroy Anderson, and two romantic pieces You Light Up My Life and That’s The Closest Thing To Crazy.
Having made so many appearances in the Evergreen Hall, the Members have seen Mark develop from being an accomplished amateur (he won the Young Theatre Organist Of The Year in 2002) to being not only a superb performer on the organ and piano, but also a very competent arranger and presenter.   In addition to playing for organ Societies around the UK and abroad, he now accompanies musical shows, teaches (piano and organ) and, as a light relief, plays in a local band each weekend.   A busy man – and he is still only twenty five!!
Traditionally, the Society’s December concert, while not being referred to as the “Christmas Concert”, always has a Christmas flavour.   Thus, Mark interspersed his programme with several well-known Christmas songs (mainly his own arrangements to give them a feeling of being different).  To mention a few, he included White Christmas, When A Child Is Born, Jingle Bells, Deck The Halls and, naturally, Silent Night and White Christmas.
During his last visit, Mark played a selection of extracts from twenty-six tunes he had put together, and titled The A To Z Medley, the name of each tune beginning with a different letter of the alphabet.  This time, he kept to a similar principle but the title of each tune included an item of food.  (He admitted his first love is music, but his second is food!!).  This was an unusual idea, but it formed a good method of ensuring a wide menu of tunes!
One of the best known past champions of the theatre organ was Reginald Dixon, a long time resident organist at the Blackpool Tower.  Mark dedicated his next selection to him, including some classics of yesteryear: I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside, Where Were You Last Night and If You Were The Only Girl In The World.  This selection was followed, after a complete change of tempo and registration, with several tunes from the well-known recording, collectively referred to as “Hooked On Classics”, starting with Flight Of The Bumble Bee (Rimsky Korsakov), Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke) and many others.
After the interval, during which coffee, mince pies and shortbread were served, Mark opened with two marches, Washington Post  and On The Quarter Deck followed by Twelfth Street Rag and a selection from “Les Miserables”.  As explained earlier, Mark is still only twenty five and therefore it was not surprising he still plays some “Rock” music for his own amusement and, as an example, he had chosen Shake, Rattle And Roll, and did he make it shake!?
By this time the witching hour was fast approaching and he announced that his last piece of the evening would be Carnival Of Venice; Mark’s arrangement and performance were outstanding.  It is a very fast moving piece that requires precise fingering which he demonstrated to a “Tee” to bring one of the best, maybe the best, overall performance of any tune the Society has heard in 2011 – perhaps has ever heard.
But, of course the audience showed their appreciation by “demanding” an encore, for which he played Nessun Dorma (Puccini) to bring the curtain down on the 2011 Season.   This concert must rank with the very best the Society has heard for a long time!
In line with the usual practice, there will not be a concert in January, but visitors will be welcome in the Evergreen Hall at 8.00pm on Tuesday 14th. February, 2012 when John Barnett will make his first visit to the Society.      For the full 2012 programme see www.organfax.co.uk/clubs/penrith/.

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Our Venue

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