Beatles Concert on February 13th.  Whatever type of music you like, it's probably included in this concert which is for charity and includes a very wide range of local talent from rock groups to solo singers to full orchestra. If you live anywhere near Milton Keynes, come along for an enjoyable evening.  The WLO has commissioned Malcolm Crane to write  special medley to open the second half of the concert and rehearsals have begun. 

Christmas concerts are very predictable, usually, but this time a few surprises entered the WLO programme at Stantonbury Theatre.  We have a very loyal audience who consider the WLO concert an integral part of Christmas and book all the seats well in advance of the show. Mike Crofts our conductor started by congratulating one lady for being the very first to buy her ticket - back in July !

We were joined by the Wolverton G&S chorus, with additions from the Music Makers, so among the carols and medleys of Christmas tunes we had a rousing "Zadock The Priest" and some good solos and small group singing. And there's always a good reception for "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson specially requested by Elsie, our 92year old violinist. Yes, 92, and as alert as ever.
Another first was Tim our top clarinettist playing a movement from Mozart's Clarinet Concerto - a fine performance.

The OU carol concert is also predictably full of carols, with the OU choir conducted by Bill Strang. Besides joining the audience carols, they gave a fine performance of "Ecce Concipies" by Jacob Handl
and "O Magnum Mysterium" by Morten Lauridsen. 
In this concert sketches lighten the mix. We were treated to "The Apprentice Angel" discussing why he could not help Gabriel on a secret mission and "Tuition Fees" in which Joseph phones a help line to discuss finance for his as yet unborn child's university education. Explaining who the father of the child is causes some problems for the form-filling clerk at the other end of the line.
And there was "Sleigh Ride" again, played as the audience left.

The July 2010 WLO concert in Newport Pagnell was the usual mix of light music; music from shows and films, and old favourites. However, this concert was special because not only were we conducted by Malcolm Crane before he retires, but several of the pieces played were Malcolm's own arrangements. Malcolm has worked in the Milton Keynes Music Service for many years and is known to generations of players.
The Newport Pagnell venue is a beautifully modernised and redecorated church, hidden away behind the shops and perhaps not noticed even by locals who walk past every day.

The Open University Orchestra Concert in October was rather more ambitious, being Carl Nielsen's first symphony  and the Overture to Greig's Karelia Suite.  Neither of these is particularly easy and the Nielsen in particular has some tricky rhythms. In the event both went well and there was some fine solo work, also a good horn chorus in the Neilsen that went particularly well.
This was the last concert with Graham conducting and we wish him well in retirement in Norfolk. Can't help thinking some Norfolk orchestra could do well to recruit him once he has settled and is looking for some music participation.

OUO concerts are limited to the one hour of lunch break at the University, which suits us as a longer concert would be hard to rehearse properly, rehearsals also being 1 hour at lunchtime on Fridays.

The OU venue is the Old Lecture Theatre, now renamed "The Hub Theatre" following recent building work. It holds about 200 people and is almost always full to capacity for concerts.

The WLOs next concert is the ever-popular Christmas Concert at Stantonbury Theatre on December 12th. This tends to be sold out some long time before the day and "returns" are rare. The WLO has been playing a Christmas Concert for many years and a very loyal audience has built up for it.  The Wolverton G & S Society provide the chorus and have also produced solo singers on many occasions.
Among the carols and Christmas specials like Sleigh Ride will be Zadock The Priest and a movement from Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, which should be a highlight of the evening.