From the Chair of the Society, John Webber:

Good wishes for a Happy New Year, that it will be better than 2021 in so many ways.

Our next two meetings are approaching rapidly:

Saturday, January 15th. at St. John’s Church, East Dulwich Road, SE22 9AT:

Education Day with our special guest, Anna Lapwood. It is necessary to book your attendance at this meeting; most places have been taken, so you will need to contact me at once if you still wish to come. Full details of this event were sent just before Christmas and can also be found here. The Bromley and Croydon Association of Organists will be sharing the occasion with us, during which bursaries will be awarded to nine members who are beginning organ tuition. We start at 2.00p.m. and are suggesting a donation of £5 to cover our costs.

Saturday, February 19th. at Penge Congregational Church, 172 High Street, SE20 7QG:

This is our annual composite recital and will begin at 2.30p.m. Several members have offered to play a piece, although most have yet to supply full details. We have space for a few more players, but we may have to restrict numbers; your piece can be up to six minutes. I have attached the organ’s specification here. Please let me know the title and composer of your chosen piece, with a word about yourself and a sentence about the piece, including its length. You can access the organ, by arrangement with me, on Tuesday and Friday, February 15th. and 18th. between 6.00 and 8.00p.m. and on the day of the recital from 11.00a.m. A few slots have already been taken. Please let me have these details, if you’ve not already done so, by Wednesday, January 26th.

Both events will adhere strictly to guidelines about safety: please sanitise your hands on arrival, wear a mask (possibly not if you are playing) and keep to rules about distancing. At St. John’s, the chairs will have been set out accordingly, so please do not move them. Before you play the organ at the two venues, please use the sanitiser which will be provided.

We have several other meetings planned this year, from March 14th. to November 19th. Information has been circulated and will be mentioned in future newsletters, but today I wanted to focus on the January and February events, which have involved a good deal of preparation by several people.

Finally, another (but non-SSLSO) event looms up: booking is not essential, but is recommended; do look online for more information:

Organists Online & Music in Bloomsbury Organ Day
TROCADERO AND TOWN HALLS
Music for Theatre, Town Hall, and Symphonic Organs
Saturday 29 January 2022

During the day, there will be an ongoing sale of music, CDs, and other displays

The next newsletter will be sent out on February 5th. You are welcome to send me news of events and items of interest to members; Richard Pilliner will do a Round-Up of recitals when there are enough to list and I can forward details to him.

With all good wishes,

John