RACHMANINOFF SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS
Upcoming events: Members' Weekend, 10-12 September 2010, near Leicester, UK
This year's members' weekend, which will include an AGM, will be held at Beaumont House in Oadby, 3 miles from Leicester (UK) on 10-12 September 2010. This event is for ALL our members, regardless of age, nationality or musical ability. There is something for everyone to enjoy - and we really are a friendly lot! Once you have been, you will almost certainly want to return. We will be delighted to welcome again members from Italy, Romania and the Netherlands, as well as the UK.
The programme - overview
Friday 10 September
The Weekend will start at 17:00 with registration, followed by dinner, and then the Society's Annual General Meeting. The notice and agenda for the AGM can be found on the Members-only section of this site.
Saturday 11 September
The morning programme will include, among other things, a talk entitled 'Rachmaninoff’s near contemporaries – an exploration of music on CD by Russian composers of Rachmaninoff’s time', by Rachmaninoff Society co-founder and Trustee John Lockyer.
The day will also include two perennial favourites - the music quiz (this year presided over by Dutch member Willem Scholtz) and the auction of donated CDs, sheet music etc, the proceeds of which go entirely to the Society's funds.
Saturday will be crowned by a piano recital by 20-year old Ji Liu (pictured, right). Ji is currently with Prof. Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music. He previously studied with Dmitri Bashkirov in Madrid, and also studied piano and conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Ji will play a varied programme of Scarlatti, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. |
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Sunday 12 September
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The venue
Our weekend will be spent at Beaumont Hall - part of the University's Student Village/Conference Centre (not on the main campus of the University of Leicester which is closer to the City). Beaumont Hall is ideal for our group size and offers comfortable en-suite residential facilities located in a charming leafy setting in Oadby (on the outskirts of Leicester) - beautifully set in the University Botanic Gardens.
For those who have not previously attended one of our weekends, a few words of explanation are in order. The advantage of this type of accommodation for an event like ours is that once you have arrived, everything is on site. No worries about accommodation or meals, no more travelling: you can simply relax and enjoy what is usually a very full programme of events, frequently supplemented (when the day's formal programme is done) by impromptu performances and discussions over a drink from the in-house bar. The day starts with breakfast. We then get our programme under way but before long there is a break for morning coffee or tea. Lunch on Saturday and on Sunday is provided. Afternoon tea and biscuits keep us going until the 3-course evening meal that is included on Friday and Saturday! Departure is after our Sunday lunch so there is ample time to get home for work on Monday morning.
The costs
The cost for the weekend will be £158 per person. Prices include all food and refreshments from the evening meal on Friday to Sunday lunch (excluding drinks purchased at the bar or in the dining room), and a contribution to piano hire and tuning, and to the performers' travel expenses etc. All rooms are en-suite. They also all have single beds (sorry! We had no choice in the matter...) - we will try to give all couples adjoining rooms.
The booking details are on the members-only pages of this site. Not yet a member? No problem - joining the Society is easy...
Getting there
Leicester is very convenient for most people - just off the M1 motorway (map at www2.le.ac.uk/maps/road). There is ample parking.
The nearest railway station is Leicester, on the main London to Sheffield Rail line (frequent services just over 1 hour away from London St Pancras), with excellent long-distance bus connections. Taxis or buses are always available for the 3 mile journey to Beaumont Hall.
Convenient airports include Birmingham, East Midlands, plus Luton & other London airports.
Full travel details and how to find the venue will be provided on confirmation of your reservation.
WE HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU THERE!
Past events
2010
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A full account of our most recent study afternoon, organised with the Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra, will be posted on this site soon. We are very grateful to the Friends of the Philharmonia for all their help in organising the event, which was attended by nearly 100 people, in a beautiful room overlooking London's sights at the Royal Festival Hall. We were delighted to hear the fabulous pianist Nikolai Lugansky in conversation with writer and broadcaster (and Society member!) David Nice. The focus of the event was the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. |
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2009
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Chetham's School of Music hosted the Society's 2009 International Conference, on 25-27 September. It focused on Rachmaninoff's Transcriptions.
Click here for a full account of the Conference, complete with pictures and videos. It now includes a 'taster' from the Masterclass given by François-Joël Thiollier! You can also check out what one of our lecturers, BBC broadcaster David Nice, thought in his blog.
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2008
In November 2008 the Rachmaninoff Society and the Friends of the Philharmonia Orchestra jointly organised a study afternoon focusing on Piano Concerto No.3. This event, held at the Royal Festival Hall in London, UK, featured pianist Simon Trpceski. Read more...
Read an entertaining account of our Members' Weekend and Annual General Meeting in Pendrell Hall near Wolverhampton (UK) in September 2008.
2007
Find out about our Conference in New York City, which featured our Founding President Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Read about our “Rachmaninoff Recreated” April 2007 Retreat in New York.
Updated 20 August 2010