2024 / 2025 Season

20 Sep 2024 (StDenys) Graeme's private passions

This evening, GRAEME KAY kicks off our 2024-25 season with an introduction to music by the artists and composers who have meant most to him over 50 years.

 4 Oct 2024 (Online)  Round about 50

Sadly, a few of our greatest composers didn't reach their half-century, but plenty of them reached that milestone. This afternoon, DIANA TIZZARD will be dipping into works created by both well-known and less familiar composers around that time of their lives.

18 Oct 2024 (Online)  The Chairman's choice *

This afternoon, SRMS Chairman DAVID ANDERSON will present a range of music that has tickled his earbuds over the past year. His musical tastes are quite broad, so he will do his best to find something to offend everyone J

 1 Nov 2024 (StDenys) MEETING CANCELLED! *

Roadworks that have seriously overrun their original schedule are blocking easy access to St Denys Church Centre and causing significant traffic congestion at busy times, so a planned talk by Chris Topley has been postponed to 30 Jan 2025.

14 Nov 2024 (St D - Afternoon) MEETING CANCELLED! *

The completion date for roadworks that are seriously affecting access to the St Denys Church Centre has now slipped to December, so a planned talk by Martin Grossel has been cancelled.

15 Nov 2024 (Online)  English landscapes in music *

In place of his cancelled St Denys talk on Gustav Holst, Dr MARTIN GROSSEL will present an online talk featuring English landscapes in music.

29 Nov 2024 (Online)  Benjamin Britten and St Cecilia

The 22nd of November is Saint Cecilia’s day. She is the patron saint of music and musicians. What a fitting day it was in 1913 for the birth of the musician Benjamin Britten. This afternoon, albeit one week late, JILL MEAGER will present a programme of music appropriate to that auspicious day.

12 Dec 2024 Chilworth Afternoon Xmas party *

Darleen and David Anderson welcome all members to a Christmas party at their home in Chilworth.

 9 Jan 2025 (St D - Afternoon) Elgar and Stanford: an unhappy relationship

It is 100 years since Charles Villiers Stanford died, an event which has been marked with notable performances of his music at both the Three Choirs Festival and at the Proms. Elgar and Stanford were in many respects opposites and a frostiness always existed between them that poor Stanford never really understood. Tonight, SRMS Treasurer DAVID PEARCE will attempt to put the matter in perspective and let us hear some of Stanford’s glorious music that seldom reaches our ears in today’s concert halls.

17 Jan 2025 (Online)  Members' choice

To facilitate presentation over Zoom, members are asked to submit their musical selections in advance to David Anderson. We would prefer each piece to be no longer than 12 minutes and a short introduction would be appreciated. The choice of what to play will be determined by the steam-powered SRMS random selection machine....

30 Jan 2025 (St D - Afternoon) Recent releases *

This talk by SRMS Vice Chairman CHRIS TOPLEY will be based on recently released recordings that have had favourable reviews in either the Gramophone or BBC Music Magazine.

 7 Feb 2025 (Online)  Yet more meanderings

SRMS Secretary ANN MATTHEWS is once again planning to wander through her CD collection and online sources, looking for pieces she thinks we would find interesting. She normally manages to unearth some unusual and unfamiliar items.

20 Feb 2025 (St D - Afternoon) Glenn Gould - genius or eccentric?

This afternoon, SRMS President MICHAEL JAMESON reassesses the career and recorded legacy of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. One of the most influential yet controversial personalities of 20th Century music-making, Gould’s legendary recordings of JS Bach’s keyboard works are still renowned for their technical clarity and brilliance but many of his other performances still provoke fierce critical debate. This presentation will try to debunk some of the myths surrounding Gould and his legacy, and explain why his impact is still widely felt today.

Please note that there will be a £1.00 surcharge per person for this meeting 

 7 Mar 2025 (Online)  "Our never-to-be forgotten friend Rosa Newmarch"

Guest presenter PETER AVIS gained an MA in Visual and Performing Arts from King's College, London, and made his debut on Radio 4 in 2010 as the presenter of a programme entitled Rosa and Leoš, which was based on one of his King's College essays. This dealt with the visit to London in 1926 of Leoš Janáček, a visit which had been arranged for him by Rosa Newmarch, who for many years wrote the programme notes for Henry Wood's Promenade concerts. Peter's second appearance on Radio 4 resulted from an invitation from its arts programme, Front Row, to talk about Arthur Wood, the composer of the signature tune used by The Archers.

21 Mar 2025 (StDenys) High definition - Part 9 *

In addition to SACD recordings and high-definition audio downloads, SRMS Chairman DAVID ANDERSON is always on the lookout for the best quality Blu-ray video recordings he can find. All videos will be displayed on a large screen using a digital projector.

 4 Apr 2025 (Online)  Topley's assortments

Continuing a confectionery theme that began in January 2023, SRMS Vice Chairman CHRIS TOPLEY will once again dip into his bag of tasty musical treats to entertain us this afternoon.

25 Apr 2025 (StDenys) 20th century Paris *

PHILIPPA BAMBACH's chosen topic is far too big for one talk but this evening she aims to give us a taste of the exciting melting pot that existed in Paris through the various political upheavals of the 20th century.

 2 May 2025 (Online)  Leopold Stokowski: a voice from the past

Despite adopting a strange ‘Hollywood’ accent during his many years in the USA, Leopold Stokowski was British through and through and started his career as an organist in London. His reputation as a conductor and arranger remains outstanding, if idiosyncratic – his Bach arrangements still being very listenable. Stokowski conducted many American orchestras, but he is noted particularly for his time with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He gave his last Proms concert at the Albert Hall in 1963. SRMS Treasurer DAVID PEARCE was present on that occasion and will give us a selection of Stokowski’s art.

16 May 2025 (StDenys) Members' choice

During this meeting, attendees will be chosen at random to present their own choice of music. Everyone is therefore invited to bring along a selection of their favourite recordings. The items to be played should last no more than 15 minutes and a short introduction would be appreciated.

30 May 2025 (Online)  The enduring fascination of the Ballets Russes

BRIDGETT VANE trained as a dancer and dance teacher, and has been professionally immersed in theatre arts throughout her life. This afternoon, she will focus her attention on the Ballets Russes, one of the most famous dance companies in the world.

 6 Jun 2025 (StDenys) Musical memories

So many memories are evoked by certain pieces of music as far as JILL MEAGER is concerned. This evening, she will share some of them with us; the good, the bad and maybe even the downright stupid!

20 Jun 2025 (Online)  Music at Wolsey's Cardinal College

When Cardinal Wolsey founded Cardinal College (later to become Christ Church) in Oxford in July 1525, his constitution for his new college included 12 lay clerks and 16 choristers to be led by an organist and choirmaster. Music was to play an important role in the life of the new college and Wolsey wanted someone exceptional to head the choir. He recruited John Taverner for this position. The choir’s part-books from this time have survived and give a detailed insight into the music which was being performed during the early years of the foundation, examples of which will be explored this afternoon by Dr MARTIN GROSSEL (a fellow of Christ Church).

 4 Jul 2025 (Online)  Annual General Meeting

All members are asked to make their best efforts to attend the AGM. Important decisions are made and votes taken which can fundamentally affect the future operation of the Society.