News
MUSIC MATTERS!! St James’s Church Orchestra and Family Service Summer hols are nearly over folks and I hope you’ve all enjoyed them. I am psyching myself up for another 12 months of exciting music at St James’s with you all. It’s too early to report on A-level and GCSE successes so please let me know how you have done when you get your results. Some musical successes to report - three have passed Grade 2: Josh Plant (drums), Ellie Garnett (flute) and Olivia Sharpley (piano), and special congratulations to Charlotte Bird for passing Grade 8 Singing. Any more, or if I’ve missed anyone out, please tell me. First Family Service of the “new” season is on Sunday 27th September. This is a Harvest Service so we shall be playing some of the usual harvest hymns, among others. I will be organising music early in September, so keep an eye on your e-mail. After this service, there will be a short musical quiz lasting about 20 minutes. Please stay and take part – it might be a bit of fun. It will have some slightly scientific connections….? WOPPS Scheme Many of you in primary schools will have benefited last year from the WOPPS scheme to encourage instrumental playing. I will be talking to Mrs Bedford at Birstwith School when term starts. Don’t be surprised if you see me in school looking for musicians hiding in the corners! A Soggy Social on the Sixteenth (of July) Well – we had to spend the Plant Stall money somehow – so full marks to all who turned up at Lentonhurst to a memorably wet BBQ, youngsters and grownups alike. PCC members were lucky – they had the excuse to leave early for a meeting! It was great fun though and no-one seemed to mind getting wet. A happy end to the “year”! “Spring into Summer” Events The Supper Concert by Marika van de Meer and Beryl Pankhurst on the 4th July was enjoyed by 80+ people. The music and the supper passed all expectations, although those of us who had heard Marika and Beryl perform together before knew that we were in for a real treat. Many thanks to all who contributed to the event in any way, which raised almost £600 for Church Funds. We are also grateful to the Nidderdale Festival Society and particularly to Tim and Mary Whitney for allowing us to host this event. The Harrogate International Festival concert on 21st July was also a spectacular success. Young professional musicians Hannah Marcinowicz (saxophone) and Daniel Swain (piano) wowed the audience of over 100 in a dazzling display of music. The organisers of the HIF were very generous in their praise of our church and of the welcome that both they and the performers received. HIF donated £100 for the use of the church and we took £40 in donations for refreshments – thanks to all who gave or helped with this. If you weren’t able to be there, please read my review of the concert which is printed elsewhere in the magazine. John M 770412 or johnm2107@talktalk.net Harrogate International Festival Young Musicians Concert St James’s Church, Birstwith, Tuesday 21st July It’s a far cry from the sophistication of the Wigmore Hall, London’s prestigious recital venue, to rural Nidderdale but it appeared to be a seamless transition for young artistes Hannah Marcinowicz (saxophone) and Daniel Swain (piano) who had recently given a recital there a month or two ago. Their programme of music for sax and piano spanned three centuries, some of it written specially for the instrument and some of it adapted from other instruments but all of it able to demonstrate the quite astonishing versatility of this instrument, so often neglected outside the world of jazz and popular music. Ms Marcinowicz is a young artiste of outstanding talent and the range of expression she was able to obtain from the alto and soprano instruments that she played during the concert was a total delight. Jules Demersseman’ Fantasy on an Original Theme, a work written in the early days of the saxophone gave a foretaste of what was to come with its dazzling virtuosity, in sharp contrast to Debussy’s evocative Syrinx, originally published for flute. Two equally contrasting pieces in the second half showed Ms Marcinowicz’s complete mastery of her instrument. The slow movement of an early eighteenth century oboe concerto by a member of the Marcello family arranged for soprano saxophone sounded even more poignant than on the original instrument and the suite of pieces by twentieth century composer Pierre-Max Dubois which followed took us through the musical styles of a whole range of European countries. In this piece, the rapport between saxophone and piano was first class, allowing us to hear Spanish dances, Hungarian czardas and even Parisian taxis in a riot of virtuosity and good humour. Nor should Daniel Swain’s accompaniment be allowed to pass unnoticed. Throughout the recital, he played with great sensitivity and the balance between saxophone and piano was always excellent. In addition, Ms Marcinowicz’s enlightening, and often humorous, comments on some of the pieces enhanced the occasion. The performance of these two young players showed us how privileged we were to hear the fruits of such talent in Nidderdale and we can only hope for more of the same in the future. John Mitchell BIRSTWITH TENNIS CLUB ARE LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING US TO PLAY SOCIAL TENNIS OR TO PLAY FOR ONE OF THE TEAMS PLEASE CONTACT:CAROLINE SMITH TEL NO: 01423 771272 FOR MEMBERSHIP DETAILS JUNIOR COACHING ALSO AVAILABLE FLOODLIGHTING THE CHURCH Did you know that one can sponsor the floodlighting of our Church to celebrate a special occasion? For example:- A Birthday, Wedding, Anniversary, Christening etc. What does it cost? Only £10.00 per evening. (This covers the cost of electricity as well as a useful donation to Church Funds). Who does one contact? Norman Castle on 01423 772455. P.C.C. Charitable Giving for 2009 Charitable Giving is an important part of the life of the Church family of St. James’ Birstwith. This month the PCC has agreed the allocation of funds to charities for 2009, as suggested by the charities sub-committee. The fund for allocation is £1300 to be shared between the following charities: Tanzania Church Partnership Association £350 – this follows a request from Mary Jobling for support of the project on which she has been working in Tanzania providing education and support for a local community Speakability £250 – the donation to be made to the local branch of this Stroke Support association Camphill Family £250 – the community at Danby, near Whitby, providing accommodation and training for people with disabilities Caring for Life £225 – the Anglican organisation based at Cookridge, providing support for the vulnerable and those at risk of being abused Teenage Cancer Trust £225- the donation to be made to the Unit at St. James Hospital, Leeds The PCC continues to support the Lawson family, our CMS partners in Tunisia, and this year the collection from the10 a.m. service on 9th August was donated for use with their work. We will use the Carboy in church for emergency appeals. If anyone has a request for a future donation for a charitable organisation, Anglican or other, please contact Trudi Pardoe 01423 781038 and it will be discussed when the Charities Sub-committee meets again. Trudi Pardoe for Charities Sub-committee WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?? This is the beginning of an occasional series of articles about young people who have grown up in Birstwith. For those who knew them them, we hope it will be interesting to hear what they are doing now. If you would like to send in some news about your son or daughter, young relative or friend, please do so. I DID IT ! ! The Edinburgh Marathon was on one of the hottest days of the year. Although we ran a beautiful scenic route by the sea, some of us had no water for nearly ten miles, as it had been stolen the night before. However, I knew I had to keep going and ran the whole 26.2 miles for mum and the British Hearth Foundation. So many of us know someone who is affected by heart disease. The offline donations from my Edinburgh Marathon have gone to our local Harrogate area BHF. This year, with the help of Betty's, our local BHF have supplied specialist equipment: a General Electric Mac5500 ECG diagnostic system for Harrogate District Hospital. I'm doing the Robin Hood Half-marathon in September; again for British Heart Foundation. There are collecting tins at Birstwith and Darley shops. Please help me to make a difference. Thank you so much, Catherine
|
Meditation please send items to include in our meditation page.
When you have a quiet moment. Click here
Dear Rev. McLean-Reid
I am writing to you and including this picture of my painting of your church.
I I have been doing research
on my Great Grandfather, John Lowcock and came across an article about
him "Online" in an article titled "A Short History of St. James's
Church Birstwith. My mother always spoke about how he was blind and
was a farmer and an organist, but I didn't know about the information in
this article. According to the article he played the music in
your church on a harmonium at first. This was probably around
the late 1860's to 1870's' but I don't have a date.
It states that the first organ was obtained in 1873. He had a farm and apparently walked along the riverside, unaided, twice every Sunday to play music for the services. This oil painting was commissioned by my uncle Jack Lowcock in 1975 and was painted by John Corcoran, my 2nd cousin's husband . My Uncle Jack passed away in Thunder Bay Ontario Canada in 2003 just before his 96th Birthday.
I was given this painting which I treasure and thought I'd send a photo of it. I am so happy to discover a little more about the relationship between my family and the Church in this wonderful painting. My grandfather, Robert Jackson Lowcock, was the 2nd eldest of John and his wife Margaret (nee Jackson) 's 13 children. John's father had sent him to a school for the Blind in Yorkshire, where he learned his music He must have been an amazing man!
Sincerely
Barb Ivison
Delta' British Columbia Canada.
