Oxshott & Cobham

Oxshott and Cobham Music Society is 70 years old this season and has an exceptional season planned.

Details are available on the Concert Season 2011 -2012 page.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Will remain at £50 per annum with the customary concession of £3 for applications sent to our membership secretary, Glynis Kortright, by the 1st September 2011. Young people between 8 and 25 may continue to attend concerts free of charge.

PATRONS: The scheme will continue on the same basis as last year.

SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVE SCHEME: For this season only - two complimentary tickets for the first concert in the season will be given to those who join before 1^st September 2011.  

HELP is always very welcome and essential for the smooth running of concerts. The Society has no paid members and so all the preparation and organisation for each concert has to be done by the membership. Please indicate on the Application Form the duties you would be willing to assist with on a rota basis, particularly on concert evenings. Information about help required is shown below.

Last year we raised our subscription, and members actually voted for increases on a regular basis, more in line with inflation – however given the current recession it was decided not to raise the subscription this season. The intention of giving those who sign up for membership before 1^st September 2 free tickets for our first concert is that these tickets are used to bring along 2 friends/acquaintances (hopefully who have not previously attended our concerts) and encourage them to join. If they do, they will pay a reduced fee (£40) for joining for the remainder of the season – which includes 2 Celebrity Concerts which alone would normally cost £36. Holders of these special Incentive tickets will be asked to give their address for future publicity purposes. At our AGM, Suzanne Connor, our Artist Liaison Officer suggested that we all encourage not only our friends – but also acquaintances at church, in the bridge club, bowls club, at the allotment, in Probus etc etc to come and join. You would be doing them a favour by encouraging them to join, as I personally believe that the OCMS cannot be beaten musically or socially as value for money.

Chris Mapleton – Chairman, Oxshott and Cobham Music Society                                    2^nd July 2011

Details of help required by the Society.

The Society needs to have sufficient volunteers. The intention is to call upon each volunteer only once a season. This can only happen if there is a substantial response by members to this request. The jobs are not onerous. Please tick the appropriate boxes on the enclosed form.

1. Publicity - both advertising and pre/post-concert – ideas and thoughts + help welcome.
2. Setting up church/hall etc prior to concert – this takes place usually at 5pm and involves arranging the tables and chairs in the foyer for ticket, programme and drinks sales and in the hall for artists’ meal and the interval refreshments.
3. Rearrange church/hall etc after concert – the major part of this job is to make sure the church and hall are left as found! Only occasionally after the Celebrity Concert must chairs be repositioned. In the hall, the tables and chairs both there and in the foyer area need to be replaced in the cupboards in the hall. There are two teams of members to attend to the church and the hall. 10 minutes is all that is needed

You will not be asked to do the whole of these jobs alone! Several people will be involved and more when it is likely to be a more than usually well attended event.

4. Fire steward duty – we are required by the church to provide 2 fire stewards at each concert. They have to sit in the side aisles close to the 2 fire exits. The committee is aware that this is a great imposition for members, however we take the safety of members very seriously, and therefore encourage members to volunteer for this duty, on the basis that they will not be asked to perform it more than once in a season
5. Door Management – normally from 7.15pm on concert days – two members to check tickets as the audience enters the church.
6. Stage Management – to ensure that chairs, music stands etc are in the right place at the right time for the different items during the concert.
7. Help with lighting/amplification – from 7.30pm and during concert. The operation of the public address system during concerts, and appropriate dimming of lights during performance. Training is available.
8. Serving interval drinks – report at kitchen at 7.30pm for instructions
9. Selling programmes and drink tickets – from 7.15pm on concert days
10. Providing refreshments for artists – a pre-concert meal (preferably hot in cold weather) in the church hall for the performers. It is necessary to arrive with food at approx 5.30pm to lay table and re-heat food. The artists usually eat at 6.15pm. The Society reimburses the costs.
11. Providing accommodation for artists – providing B & B accommodation, usually for 1 or 2 overseas artists.
12. Page turning (for pianists) - Sometimes the task may include an afternoon rehearsal with the pianist. More members volunteering would be welcome.
13. Host/help with a record evening – record evenings involve preparing about 90 minutes of music of one’s own choice       and appropriate interval refreshments and tea/coffee. Numbers can be restricted to the space available. If a member does not have the accommodation but could provide the music, or could provide accommodation and/or refreshments but not the music – please also tick this box.
14. Distribution of publicity – our brochures are the best advertisement of our Society. We circulate these to libraries and other places such as doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries, council offices, notice boards, shops, indeed anywhere where people have to wait and maybe read.
15. Providing lifts – some of our members have a problem in getting to concerts and record evenings. If members are willing to provide a lift for someone in their area or on their route, please advise us.
16. Assist with the Society’s education programme – members will know that the Society‘s education initiative provided some classical music to over 1500 children in Elmbridge in a previous season. To do more of this valuable work, members other than the committee need to become involved.