Musical Medley: Concerts and what's on in the Doncaster music scene this October

Lunchtime Recitals

A welcome return to Doncaster Arts and Museum Society’s Lunchtime Recitals!

Long-running since 1964, the series of weekly lunch-hour recitals (formerly held at Doncaster Museum and Arts Gallery then, when the museum closed for reorganisation, at Priory Methodist Church) are back with an exciting series of performances from well known artistes.

These recitals were first established by Mr. Philip Scowcroft, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, and is still in the driving seat of the Society.

The first recitals are:

4 October: Peter Sproston, Pam Waddington-Muse, Amy Butler - Piano duets and vocal solos

11 October: - TBC

18 October: Matthew Palmer – Piano

25 October: Nicholas Fletcher – Guitar

1pm Doncaster Baptist Church, Chequer Road, DN1 2AL

Entry £5 on the door

Tickhill Music Society

The Society resumes its activities with a new approach. There will be the usual exciting programme of concerts from October until next summer, however, the dark winter evening concerts will be replaced by lunchtime events. More each month so watch this space!

In the meantime , for their opening concert of the season, the Society welcomes An Evening with Matt Beckingham

Matt has a varied musical career. From recording sessions at Abbey Road, performing for HM the Queen, arranging music for the London Symphony Orchestra, conducting the London Philharmonic Choir and playing in bands.

The evening takes place on Thursday 5 October, 7pm

St. Mary’s School Hall

St. Mary’s Road, Tickhill, DN11 9LZ

Entry £15 on the door (or £75 for the whole series)

Children FREE but must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information please contact the Society: 07880 507070 or via [email protected]

Sprotbrough Music Society

Margaret Fingerhut (piano)

“A pianist of consummate skill and thrilling conviction” was how Gramophone Magazine described this wonderful pianist. Margaret last appeared at Sprotbrough in 2006 in a memorable programme of ‘Music for the Dance’.

For this concert she will perform ‘Around the World in 88 Piano Keys’ which should prove to be immense fun! A whistle stop tour of the world courtesy of Grieg, Liszt, Bartok,

Piazzolla and many others to provide a huge range of moods and colours. This programme was a great hit at last year’s Ryedale Festival and no doubt prove equally popular in Sprotbrough!

Thursday 19 October, 7pm

St. Mary’s Church Hall, Sprotbrough, DN5 7RH

Tickets available on the door - £15

The Minster organ recital series resumes

Doncaster is fortunate to have such a fine instrument in the ‘mighty Schultze organ’ and everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy these lunchtime recitals by gifted musicians.

A truly wonderful way to pass an hour in the beautiful setting of Doncaster Minster. This month the recitalists are:

Friday 27 October– Marc Steven Murray, Bury

Marc was born and educated in Cape Town, South Africa with initial studies at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music. He is Director of Music and Master of the Choir School of St Mary the Virgin, Bury Parish Church, Foundation Organist and Organ Teacher of Bolton School, Director of Music for Southport Bach Choir, who are looking forward to

2024 when Marc will conduct the choir at the Bach Festival in Leipzig.

In 2010, Marc moved to the United Kingdom to take up the post of Director of Music at St Botolph’s Church (Boston Stump), Boston in Lincolnshire. Later that year, he also became conductor of Peterborough Opera. He has worked several Choral societies and operatic groups as well as conducting Peterborough Symphony Orchestra and accompanied

Cantemus Choir, Lesley Garrett and Aled Jones at Boston Stump.

As an organist, he has given recitals and played in concerts throughout South Africa, as well as the USA, Germany, Sweden, and the UK, including solo recitals in Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s and many others. So come along to what will be a wonderful performance here in Doncaster.

Doncaster Minster, DN1 1RD

1.10pm, free entry with retiring collection

Chorister recruitment is still underway so it’s not too late

Doncaster Minster continues to look for boys and girls aged 6+ to become the next generation of choristers. This is a unique opportunity for children to join the Minster choir as choristers and to receive a first rate musical education which includes: music theory, singing lessons and also piano lessons. Choristers rehearse twice a week and sing in

services on at least two Sundays a month, giving time for choristers and their families to pursue other activities.

So, if you love singing and would like to try your hand (or voice!) at becoming a chorister at Doncaster Minster, with the opportunity to continue the rich music tradition, then please do feel welcome to come along to an open rehearsal or ‘taster session’ inside this beautiful and historic building for the opportunity to sing with the existing choristers. There will

be the chance for you to speak with other choristers, staff and parents.

Please enter the Minster via the south side door, opposite Primark, for this last session for the time being:

Tuesday 3 October, 5 -6 pm

Please note that prospective children joining the rehearsals must be accompanied by an adult for the whole session.

For more information please contact the Director of Music, Darren Williams, at [email protected]

The Rotary Club of Doncaster present, live at the Minster

The Revolvers – The Sounds of the Sixties

Following on from success in previous years the Rotary Club are proud to invite you to another of their charity concerts. The Revolvers will perform music by the Hollies, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and many, many more favourites from the 1960s. It should prove to be a fantastic evening.

Proceeds are shared equally between the Children’s Air Ambulance (charity no. 1098874) and The Rotary Club of Doncaster Trust Fund charity no. 501344).

Saturday 28 October, 7.30pm

Doncaster Minster, Church Street, DN1 1RD

Advance Tickets £20 (£22 on the door) includes a glass of wine or soft drink during the interval.

Advance tickets available from

John Spalton – 07766258345

Buy in store at The Hanger Doncaster (DN2 5DX)

Or buy online

The New Hallgate Orchestra

‘Two’s Company’

Entitled ‘Two’s Company’ featuring two guest bassoonists, Isabel Dowell and David Baker, both of whom play in the Opera North orchestra, and who are presenting, in this concert, a little known concerto by the Baroque composer Johann Johansen.

They will also partnering some of the talented Hallgate orchestra players in similar concerti; Shirley Barningham in a concerto for Treble recorder and Bassoon by Telemann, and Fiona Keene will play the Cello in a concerto for Cello and Bassoon by Vivaldi.

Intriguingly violist Adrian Skelton will also be involved in this but how that works you will only find out at the concert! The beautiful slow movement of the concerto for two violins by Bach will also feature, the solo parts being taken by Charlotte Pinder and Tony Hobbs. The conclusion will be Vivaldi’s dramatic ‘La Tempesta di Mare’ concerto.

These will be punctuated by well known vocal duets, including the Cat duet of Rossini, the Barcarole from the Tales of Hoffman, the Flower duet from Lakme by Delibes by soloists Angela Hartley and Annie Nakamura as well as a Welsh duet presented by Gary Rowlands and Carey Williams, the latter directing the performances.

There will also be the usual copious refreshments, including various home-made soups, those popular sausage rolls from the Bala butcher and fruit pies to conclude.

So please join us – maybe bring a friend since ‘two’s company’ and don’t eat too much lunch beforehand.

Sunday 29 October, 3pm

Doncaster Baptist Church, Chequer Road, DN1 2AL

Entry £10 on the door, or whatever is affordable

On Friday 22 September the Doncaster Minster Organ recital series continued after the summer break by welcoming visiting organist Laurence Caldecote. He provided a varied and most enjoyable programme which began with Fanfare by John Cook, an English born composer who emigrated to Canada after serving as Organist and Choirmaster at Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon.

This piece announced the beginning of the recital, as one would expect a Fanfare to do, with two tuba themes with a quieter theme on the choir and flutes. Concerto in G minor by Matthew Camidge (one of four generations of organists at York Minster!) followed with a proud, stately Adagio movement moving through the lively Allegro with its fugal themes interweaving throughout and gentle rather reflective second Adagio movement featuring flutes.

The Gavotte movement concluded the concerto with its dance like rhythms which got many audience members feet tapping.

An interesting work played on manuals only. Minuet in C by Henry Smart featured the clarinet, flutes and oboes and also choir sounds, with many contrasts in dynamics and timbre to make for musical interest before the main theme returned again at the end. Buxtehude made an appearance with one of his free compositions, Prelude in D (Bux 139) comprising of little sections pieced together with contrasts in the sounds and dynamics used, this also included much for the feet to play and was full of musical interest. Handel followed with a piece to compliment the Camidge; Organ Concerto V in F, Op.4, with Mr. Caldecote playing both the orchestral and solo organ parts to great effect.

Elergy by the contemporary American composer James Biery (b. 1955) was next, based on a passacaglia in two bar phrases with variations in both pedals and manuals was both peaceful and reflective. One piece which particularly entertained the younger members of the audience was Leon Jessel’s The March of the Tin Soldiers showing a fun side to organ music and also how versatile the instrument actually is.

This piece included playful themes and resembled, in my opinion, the fairground organs of old. The whole recital was concluded with Sortie: Bolero de Concert by Louis James Alfred Lefebure-Wely, with its Spanish bolero styled themes. A wonderful recital which over ran time-wise but no one seemed to notice since we were all so thoroughly entertained!