SOUTHWARK AND SOUTH LONDON SOCIETY OF ORGANISTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2016

The Society’s AGM was held on the 18th April 2016 at St Stephen’s Norbury and Thornton Heath thanks to Andrew Chadney, Committee member and organist at St Stephen’s.

Demonstration of the organ by Andrew Chadney

The organ is a 2m/p instrument by Brindley and Foster (a third manual was prepared for but the instrument was considered so effective that the choir manual was never added) and was installed high up on the north wall of the chancel and was dedicated in May 1914. A trumpet was added to the Great organ in memory of a young man killed in 1917. Two more stops were added circa 1965 by JW Walker. the NPOR details are Details on NPOR http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=D08220

Andy played two pieces to show off the organ, they were:

•  Fantasia in C minor – JS Bach (5min)

• Fantasia on Ein Feste Burg – Denis Bedard (12 min)

Click on the pieces to hear them.

Chair’s report

Marilyn Harper, our Chair,  ran the meetings and gave a special welcome to former Chairman Ray Luckett, now made an Honorary Life Member of the Society. We were delighted that Ray was able to join us for the evening and he enjoyed an enthusiastic round of applause.

Marilyn thanked the many supporters of the Society and described the activities that had taken place in the year and made a tribute to Cathie Shore, and energetic force for good on the Southwark RSCM committe and founder of the travelling choir Poscimur . You can download her actual speech by clicking here Chair’s speech

Treasurer’s report

The main message from these accounts is that we continue to be in a reasonably healthy position.  In 2015 our income exceeded expenditure by about £450; and overall our assets (cash in bank account) increased to about £7500. On membership numbers: the number of members (as we have reported to the IAO) at end 2015 was 63. This was a little less than at end-2014 (67).  During the year there were two additions and six deletions. A copy of the accounts is on the following link:  Accounts

Our Honorary President, Harry Bramma, spoke at the end about the role of technology today and it use and misuse with organs and argued that it should not get in the way of  the human touch.

 A film of Harry giving talk can be seen by clicking his photo of clicking on this link   

The day ended with an ‘open’ organ.