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MCMS e-news – June 2009

Welcome to the latest issue of MCMS's email news bulletin. Several items relate to events coming up this month, so don't delay looking at those. This bulletin doesn't attempt to give you all the details when they are available on a website: underlined links take you to relevant web pages, so make sure you explore them!

Make sure also that you get a brochure for Connecting Creativity, this year's MCMS/ArtServe conference at Swanwick. This will be our first conference since the launch of ArtServe and it's designed to appeal to anyone involved in worship arts. Planning continues on the musical aspects and we will contact you again by email as soon as further details are available.

Watch out for the launch of ArtServe over the coming weeks and months - brochures will be distributed with a number of major church publications, and also at the Methodist Conference in Wolverhampton. If you are not an MCMS member, this will be your first opportunity to sign up to ArtServe. MCMS members who have paid this year's subscription are already members of ArtServe: if a spare brochure comes your way, please pass it on!

Finally, please let us have your news and events for publication. The more items we have, the more frequently e-news will appear. In this issue:

MCMS/ArtServe Conference 2009
Singing day in Sheffield
Music in the Global City
Lecture recital in Sheffield
Celebrity organ recital
MAYC orchestra & singers in Birmingham
BMYC and NMYBB dates
New hymn collection - response to consultation
Website of the month
Links and contacts

ArtServe logo

Connecting Creativity
MCMS/ArtServe Conference 2009

This year's conference runs from Friday 30th October to Sunday 1st November at The Hayes Conference Centre. The programme for the weekend includes both musical and non-musical themes, along with a third strand which looks at some of the practicalities of organising worship. A limited number of day visitor places are available for the Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis.

Our leaders for the weekend include:

Writer and liturgist Marjorie Dobson and hymnwriter Andrew Pratt will offer creative writing workshops and advice
Jacqui Hicks has wide experience in the visual arts and will lead multi-sensory workshops on the Psalms. Jacqui's new website is Creative Spirit
Chris Williams from CCLI will demystify copyright issues
The Revd Julie Hulme leads a workshop entitled "Bread in our hands"
The Revd Wayne Grewcock, director of Twelvebaskets, a creative resources organisation
Stuart Ferguson, Christian "entertainer"
The Revd Piers Lane, tutor at Cliff College will give the keynote address.

The brochure and booking form have been mailed to MCMS members and creative arts contacts. We have worked hard to make sure this conference will appeal to a broad spectrum of creative arts interests. The musical content of the weekend is still being developed (yes, there will be plenty of singing!) and an updated brochure will be available for download as soon as further arrangements can be confirmed. Meanwhile, if you have not already received the brochure and would like a copy emailed to you, please click here.

Enquiries about booking arrangements should be addressed to Gillian Pengelly (029 2045 3968).

Music in the Global City
Training day organised by the London District
Chelsea Methodist Church, 155a Kings Road, London, SW3 5TX
Saturday 20th June,  10.00 am - 4.00 pm

Do Methodists really sing their theology? - come and see. An inspiring and exciting day to explore the role of music in the global city. In the morning, the Revd Ian Howarth will speak on the the challenge for worship and life, and the district chair will lead a plenary session on why do we use music in worship? In the afternoon there will be a number of workshops to explore the theme further. To book your place contact with Julia Moorhouse.

Lecture recital - Moonlight and Roses
Tuesday 23rd June, at 7.30 pm, in Sheffield Cathedral

An illustrated lecture and recital is to be given by Anthony Gowing, assistant master of the music at the cathedral, on Edwin Lemare, one-time organist of Sheffield Parish Church. Tickets cost £5.00 for the concert only, or £10.00 for concert and buffet; prior booking is essential for the buffet. For further details/booking forms, contact the cathedral on 0114 275 3434, or go to the concerts and events page of the Cathedral website.

Celebrity organ recital
Olivier Latry (organist of Notre Dame, Paris)
All Saints’ Parish Church, High Wycombe
Tuesday 23rd June, at 7.30 pm

Works by Boëly, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Widor, Vierne, and improvisation. Admission £15. To reserve seats contact Graham Davies (director of music at All Saints) 01494 450808. High Wycombe is 30 minutes by train from Marylebone.

Olivier Latry also performs in the West Midlands on Thursday 25 June, and in Croydon on Thursday, 26 November - see the Organ Recitals website for details.

MAYC Orchestra and Singers
Charity Concert in Birmingham Town Hall
Sunday 28th June, at 7.00 pm

The Orchestra & Singers will be performing alongside the Phoenix Singers and the East of England Singers in the recently renovated Town Hall. The main work in the programme is The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace by Karl Jenkins, which will be performed with its original video footage on large screen. The remainder of the programme consists of light and entertaining music. For details of how to book see the O&S website or the Town Hall website. This concert is in aid of Action for Children.

NMYBB concert dates

The National Methodist Youth Brass Band exists to further the musical aspirations and experience of young brass players in a Christian environment. Concert dates for the rest of 2009 are:

BMYC concert dates

The British Methodist Youth Choir enables young people to share the Christian faith through music, and encourages local churches and young musicians in the use of music. BMYC visits Methodist Churches around the UK performing concerts and contributing to services. The choir is made up of Christians aged 16-27, but not exclusively Methodists. Concert dates for the remainder of 2009 are:

Further details are available on the BMYC website.

New Methodist hymn collection

The Music Resources Group (MRG) response to the consultation period which ended in January has been published in the Methodist Recorder, and is also on the Methodist Church website (scroll down this page). The MRG believes that an extra year is required to finalise the draft and will recommend to this year's Methodist Conference that the draft collection is brought to the 2010 Conference.

Website of the month

Usedorganmusic.co.uk, run by Roger Molyneux, buys and sells second hand organ music and related material. The catalogue can be downloaded from the website and updated catalogues are issued quarterly. You can register to be notifiied about each update. If you have visited this site in the past, note that Roger Molyneux has recently launched a completely new website.

Methodist worship bands

Wherever did you get the impression that MCMS is just a club for organists and "traditional" musicians?! MCMS exists to support all forms and styles of music in worship. Rob Newton, who is a member of the MCMS Executive Committee, wants to contact all Methodist worship bands and music groups. To get this project off the ground, we need your help. We are well aware that most band leaders, and even many music group leaders, have no involvement with MCMS. But you know who they are (or know someone who does). Please forward this email, drawing attention to this item, and ask them to visit Rob's worship band page on our website and make contact with him.

Subscriptions

If you are an MCMS member and have not yet paid your subscription for the current year, please note that the covering letter accompanying the recent issue of Notes includes your subscription request. It would be most helpful if you could pay without further reminder. We naturally hope that you will wish to renew your membership, but if for any reason you will not be renewing, please let the Membership Officer know so that we don't have to contact you again.

Help needed

In connection with the development of the new creative arts organisation, we are looking for people willing to join the following two working groups:
If you, or anyone you know would be interested in joining one of these groups, or if you would like to have a bit more information, please contact John Bailey (0114) 236 7196, or write to him at 23A, The Quadrant, Totley, Sheffield, S17 4BD.
Links and contacts

MCMS website
Join MCMS download an application form (PDF format)
Organ advisory service
Worship bands
Creative Arts (Methodist Church website)
Connexional music advisors (Methodist Church website)

Training events: Christine Lawley (01403) 257406
Annual conference: Gillian Pengelly (029) 2045 3968
Organ advice & instruments in worship: Philip Carter (0117) 977 9152
Worship bands: Rob Newton (01509) 233396
Long service certificates: Margaret Higson (01204) 852538
Membership: Michael Boxall (020) 8669 9744
"Notes" and all other enquiries: John Bailey (0114) 236 7196
Help our mailing list to grow

Please encourage church music colleagues to register for MCMS e-news by sending an email to e-news@methodistmusic.org. They will then be kept in touch with significant events and developments in the world of church music and other creative arts. Email addresses are not revealed to anyone else.
About MCMS e-news

MCMS e-news goes to MCMS members and others who have supplied us with an email address, and is a service to the whole church. Do you have a special event to publicise? Send items for inclusion to the membership officer. Wherever possible, please include a link to a relevant website and/or an email contact. Contributions should have some relevance to church music or other worship arts. MCMS does not guarantee publication and reserves the right to edit any copy received.

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