British Composer Societies
The EMF has launched a new initiative for British
Composer Organisations
The British Composer Organisation Scheme offers British Composer Societies, Trusts, Museums and Foundations the opportunity to reach out to their members and, more widely, to EMF supporters – proven enthusiasts of English music – through a specific publication (which accompanies the EMF Newsletter, The Spirit of England), as well as through dedicated pages in Spirited, the EMF Gazette. These act as fora for those associated with English music, containing details of the Composer Organisations, including joining information, news and notices of forthcoming events. The Scheme also offers heavily discounted advertisements in EMF publications (including the Programme); an online calendar; a dedicated website page; and aims also to create closer links between the Organisations and to foster a wider understanding and appreciation of this genre.
All British Composer Organisations are being invited to join the Scheme for an annual subscription of £40 to cover administration costs. Upon joining, an Organisation will be able to disseminate information (both its own news and any important composer-related events that the Organisation wishes to publicise) through the afore-mentioned EMF publications, which should also help to draw new members to it. Adding details of concerts to our online Events Calendar (accessed through this page) may also help to reduce the number of concerts and related events taking place on the same day (an all-too-frequent occurrence!) which, as we all know, can reduce audience numbers.
Any Organisation wishing to join this Scheme should contact Em, and any individual who wishes to receive this information should also contact Em.
CURRENT MEMBERS:
The Armstrong Gibbs Society
The Rutland Boughton Music Trust
The
Delius Society
The Elgar Society
The Elgar Birthplace Museum
The Holst Birthplace Museum
The Herbert Howells Society
The John Ireland Charitable Trust
The Stanford Society
The Sir Arthur Sullivan Society
The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society
Peter Warlock Society
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www.armstronggibbs.com President: Ann Rust (née Gibbs) Secretary: Angela Aries; e-mail: angela.aries@btinternet.com The Armstrong Gibbs Society aims to act as source of information on the composer, to promote performances of his music and generally raise awareness of Armstrong Gibbs’s work nationally. The trustees meet three times each year. For details of forthcoming events, recordings available, catalogue of works and membership of the society, please visit the website or contact the secretary at the above address. |
www.arthurbliss.org The Arthur Bliss Society was founded in 2003 with the aim of furthering the appreciation, understanding and knowledge of the music of Sir Arthur Bliss (1981–1975). The President of the Society is Ian Venables, with Peter Ainsworth, MP and Terry Barfoot as Vice-Presidents. Further details of the Society's activities and of forthcoming concerts of Bliss's music are to be found on our website. For membership enquiries, e-mail the Membership Secretary, Mrs Jill Smith, at jillsmithclady@aol.com or by telephone on 01242 578688. |
www.rutlandboughtonmusictrust.org.uk Trustees: R. Sherman Boughton (Chairman); Brian L Boughton; Ian Boughton (Administrator) The Rutland Boughton Music Trust was established by members of the composer’s family in 1978 as a registered charity to encourage performances and, more particularly, sponsor recordings of the works of Rutland Boughton (1878–1960). From 1989 until his death in 2008, its President was Dr Vernon Handley CBE. The Trust’s financial resources depend on royalties and fees generated by performances and broadcasts as well as generous donations from individuals and other charitable organisations. The Trust is not a membership organisation but interested parties can receive news of its activities through a Newsletter which is published bi-annually, and can either be downloaded free of charge from the website or by post through a small annual subscription. Over the years, the Trust has sponsored a number of recordings which began with the release of Boughton’s most well-known work, The Immortal Hour, on the Hyperion label. More recent recordings include a range of symphonic works and songs on the Dutton label. Details of all recordings available are listed on the website. The Trust has also supported concerts and events throughout the UK where the music of Rutland Boughton has been performed. For further information, contact Ian Boughton at 25 Bearton Green, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1UN; telephone: 01462 434318; email: Boughtontrust@btinternet.com. |
www.havergalbrian.org The Havergal Brian Society exists to promote knowledge about the composer and his music. Recently completed projects include publication of Havergal Brian on Music Vol.2 by Toccata Press and the reissue of the Sir Adrian Boult 1966 performance of The Gothic Symphony on Testament Records. For membership details, please contact the HBS Membership Secretary, 37 Leylands, 2 Viewfield Road, London SW18 1NF; hbschairman@tesco.net; or see our website. |
www.delius.org.uk The Delius Society was founded in 1962 and holds regular meetings in London and the Midlands. There is also a flourishing, autonomous, branch in Philadelphia. The Society’s aims are to develop a greater knowledge of the life and works of Delius and, as appropriate, those of his contemporaries; to promote and encourage performances, broadcasts and recordings of his music; to encourage the study of Delius’s life and works and to organise musical functions for members of the Society and the general public. The Society is independent from, but works closely with, the Delius Trust. Members of the Trust are active in the Society and their wide knowledge is a great asset. The Society publishes two substantial Journals per year and two shorter Newsletters. The year 2012 will mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Delius in Bradford and plans are under way to make this a very special year. Membership enquiries should be directed to The Honorary Treasurer and Membership Secretary: membership@thedeliussociety.org.uk. Further details will be found on the website. |
www.elgar.org Email: info@elgar.org The Elgar Society was formed in 1951 to encourage the study, performance and appreciation of the works of Sir Edward Elgar and to foster research into his life and legacy. Branches across the UK and overseas bring members together through meetings, lectures, recitals and visits. Membership enquiries: David Young, 29 Badgers Close, Horsham, East Sussex RH12 5RU; email: membership@elgar.org or telephone 01403 263119. |
www.elgarmuseum.org The Elgar Birthplace Museum, Crown East Lane, Lower Broadheath, Worcester, WR2 6RH Tel: 01905 333224; email: birthplace@elgarmuseum.org Director: Catherine Sloan The Museum gives a fascinating insight into the life and music, family and friends, development and inspirations of Sir Edward Elgar. The Museum also has an excellent research facility. Sir Edward Elgar was born in the cottage on 2 June 1857: in accordance with his wishes, Elgar’s daughter Carice established a museum there after his death in 1934. The facilities were extended in 2000 with the opening of the Elgar Centre and today the museum enables visitors from all over the world to enjoy a unique insight into the composer’s life, family and friends, influences and sources of inspiration. |
www.holstmuseum.org.uk 4 Clarence Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 2AY The Holst Birthplace Museum is the Regency terrace house where Gustav Holst, composer of The Planets, was born in 1874. The story of the man and his music is told alongside a fascinating display of personal belongings, including his piano. The museum is also a fine period house showing the upstairs-downstairs way of life in times past, including a working Victorian kitchen and laundry, an elegant Regency drawing room and a charming Edwardian nursery. In 2010, the Holst Birthplace Museum celebrated its 35th anniversary. |
www.howellstrust.org.uk President: Sir David Willcocks Chairman: Dr. Martin Neary Secretary: Andrew Millinger, 32 Barleycroft Road, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. AL8 6JU Tel: 01707 335315 Email: andrew.millinger@virgin.net The Herbert Howells Society was formed in 1987 at the instigation of Ursula Howells, the composer’s daughter, and is based at Westminster Abbey, where the composer’s ashes are buried. The aims of the Society are to promote the performance, publication and recording of Howells’s works. Recently, the Society has been involved in arranging the publication and recording of Sir Patrick Spens (which had not been heard since its first performance in 1930), and first London performance by the Bach Choir. |
http://www.musicweb-international.com/ireland/ireland.htm The John Ireland Charitable Trust was formed in 1968 to promote awareness of Ireland’s works through recordings, performances and publications. Activities of the Trust include: funding of annual performance competitions at nine major music colleges in the UK – these competitions have recently been extended to two universities in the USA; and supporting selected recordings not only of Ireland’s music but also that of other British composers. Support is also given, where possible, to recitals and festivals featuring Ireland’s work. The Trust has commissioned arrangements and editions of Ireland’s music by Geoffrey Bush and the late Christopher Palmer. A catalogue of John Ireland works, compiled by Dr. Stewart Craggs, was published by OUP in 1993 (available from the Trust). The Trust maintains a large archive of copy manuscripts, printed music, recordings and memorabilia. All of Ireland's known manuscripts, previously held by the Trust, are available at the British Library and can be consulted there by appointment. Early recordings, including interviews with Ireland and the composer as performer, are available at the National Sound Archive, again by appointment. Following an approach by the Trust to English Heritage, arrangements have been made to place a ‘Blue Plaque’, in recognition of the composer, at 14 Gunter Grove, Ireland’s London home for many years. For further information please write to: Bruce Phillips, John Ireland Trust, 20 Third Acre Rise, Oxford OX2 9DA; tel: 01865 862524; email: brucelphillips@googlemail.com. |
www.thestanfordsociety.org The Stanford Society was established in March 2007 as an international society to honour the life and music of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford who lived from 1852 to 1924. The aims of the society are to encourage and support the increased performance and recording of Stanford’s music, both in the UK and overseas. For membership enquiries, contact Stephen Frost, 110 Beauval Road, London SE22 8UH. |
www.sullivansociety.org.uk The Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, founded in 1977, exists to make Sullivan and his music better known and understood. We publish a Magazine three times a year and hold annual residential weekends devoted to the composer and his music. Our main work is the promotion of top class recordings of Sullivan’s major works. In the past few years these have included The Golden Legend, The Prodigal Son and The Contrabandista on Hyperion and, most recently, Ivanhoe, on Chandos. For membership information, contact: Doreen Harris, 71 The Heights, Foxgrove Road, Beckenham BR3 5BZ Tel: 020 8650 7979; email: doreenh52@btinternet.com. |
www.rvwsociety.com President: Michael Kennedy Chairman: Em Marshall The Society, representing England’s foremost symphonic composer, encourages and supports RVW-related concerts, recordings, festivals, and events as well as recordings of lesser-known works by the composer through our own recording label, Albion Records. Benefits of membership include a regular Journal which contains scholarly articles as well as interesting news, events and reviews of the latest concerts and CD releases, together with a select discography. There are opportunities to meet socially, with invitations to special events and advance information of future concerts, as well as concert ticket discounts and discount purchasing of RVW-related materials. Upon joining you will be given a £5.00 voucher towards any Albion CD or publication. For membership enquiries, contact the Membership Secretary: davidbetts@tudorcottage.plus.com or by post: Dr David Betts, Membership Secretary, The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, Tudor Cottage, 30 Tivoli Road, Brighton BN1 5BH. |
www.peterwarlock.org Our Society, founded in 1963, works steadily to increase knowledge of Warlock’s work and a Newsletter is published at least twice a year. Our project – for all Warlock’s music and writings to be in print – is near completion, and Society events include an annual Birthday concert at one of the music colleges (around 30th October), and jaunts to places with Warlockian legends. We are always pleased to help members gain access to Warlock material. If you are interested in finding out more, please address enquiries to: John Mitchell Woodstock, Pett Bottom, Canterbury, Kent CT4 5PB Tel: 01227 832871; or email: john.mitchell12@btinternet.com. |
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