The Friends

The Friends of St Alphege Music

Who are we?

In short, The Friends of St. Alphege Music is the Supporters Club of the St Alphege Church Choir. Its members are:

	Choir men, ladies and their families,
	the parents of the boys and girls, and other family members,
	the ex-trebles who have graduated from the ranks of the boys to sing with the men, and their families
	ordinary members of the congregation

in fact, anyone who has an interest in the musical life of St. Alphege, Solihull.

Our Programme for the next few months:

The FRIENDS of St Alphege Music SPRING 2007

Wednesday 24 January at 1.10 pm in St Alphege: organ recital. Refreshments available from 12.45 pm. Admission free, but donations invited.

Saturday 24 February, 7.30 pm at St Catherine’s Church, Catherine de Barnes. Quiz Evening Tickets £8 / £5 (children under 14) from Viv Dobson on 0121 704 9196 and Peter Hall on 0121 711 3924.

Wednesday 28 February at 1.10 pm in St Alphege: monthly organ recital.

Sunday 18 March at 7.30 pm in St Alphege: the Leo Quartet (CBSO players) play music by Mozart and Beethoven. Tickets £10 ( under 16 free), to include a glass of wine, available from Alan Kirkby on 0121 705 5780.

Wednesday 28 March at 1.10pm in St Alphege: organ recital.

Wednesday 25 April at 1.10 pm in St Alphege: organ recital.

Wednesday 23 May at 1.10 pm in St Alphege: organ recital.

Wednesday 27 June at 1.10 pm in St Alphege: organ recital.

Saturday 30 June: Gatehouse Concert. CBSO Principal Flute Marie-Christine Zupancic accompanied by Nigel Stark will give a recital, to be followed by supper by candlelight, at the Barston home of Jane and John Emmett. Tickets £ 20 available from John Emmett on 01675 443274.

Why do we exist?

Our aims are fairly straightforward. They are:

	To support the work of the choir in practical ways
	To ensure funds are available for the musical education for the choir members.
	To have some fun and enjoy ourselves
	To encourage others to enjoy the musical tradition that the choir maintains

The friends have been in existence for over 25 years and continue to provide this practical support by raising money in a variety of ways

	By holding musical events that we hope will appeal to the church congregation and the wider community. We usually put on two or three concerts each year.
	By having fund-raising and social events such as Quiz evenings, sponsored events, Barn Dances – anything that will raise money.

How much do we raise and what do we do with it?

We raise about £4200 each year, so we’ve raised around £100,000 since being formed and we spend it on the choir.

Our biggest items of expenditure over the past year or two have been:

	The Music Desks for the Choir in Church – nearly £1400
	Subsidising the training courses for the Choristers, both boys and Girls. Our subsidies come to more than £1000 per year, and we usually aim to pay for half the cost of all training.
	Replacing some of the more worn Cassocks and Surplices, many people may not realise that Cassocks are £100 each.
	Re-Gilding of the cherubs on the organ case as our Millennium project.
	Voice training for both the gentlemen and the boys of the choir.

The Friends of the Music are on the lookout for more members. Membership is £5.00 for an individual and £7.50 for a family. If you would like to join then please e-mail us at stalphegechoir@btinternet.com and we will mail out details and an application