I am sure most Amigos will remember 2009 – 2010 when we celebrated the twentieth birthday of our association in some style. The concerts throughout the season were excellent and the celebratory dinner was on the terrace was spectacular. At the end of that year I thought we had reached our zenith and that we would find it difficult to do better than that. One year later and we have marked the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Cultural Centre. Oh me of little faith! 2010/2011 has proved to be an equally remarkable year for the Amigos.

We began in September with two lovely concerts from Yevgeny Sudbin who was brimming with vitality and happiness having very recently become a father for the first time. He was so proud and so devoted that he could hardly wait to get home after each performance to be with his beloved family once again. How fortunate were we to have this very gifted young man come and play for us once again?

October saw a highly successful first time visit from Constantin Sandu and Horia Vacarescu playing piano and violin respectively. With any luck we should be able to tempt Sandu back again at some time in the future. No less excellent was Horia Vacarescu although it will probably be much more difficult to recapture such a Will o’- the – wisp. Also in October we rallied support for a concert which was given at the auditorium at Vale do Lobo by our then prospective protégé, Antonio Cebola. The subject of the demise of Antonio will be brought up later in this report.

As usual in November we held our AGM. It was well attended and all went smoothly. All the officers of the Association were prepared to stand again and were re-elected en bloc. Anneli Lindroos was also co-opted onto the committee of the Direcção. Afterwards we had our young musician’s Gala concert when Joana Ballmann, our sponsored student of the last four years at the Conservatory in Cologne, played her excellent final concert for us. Joana has since graduated successfully from the conservatory in Cologne. Later we were the guests of Marie and the team at the Cultural Centre for a delicious and sumptuous supper.

For our Christmas and New Year concerts we were delighted to hear the piano playing of Joana Gama. These seasonal concerts were as always well attended and come as welcome break in the middle an otherwise hectic season. There could have been no one better way to celebrate the first of the Cultural Centres 30th Anniversary concerts than the winsome Katya Apekisheva. Her piano concerts in late February and early March were magical and very well attended. Katya is great fun to have around, always fizzing with ability and vivacity.

In March we had the pleasure of welcoming back Uta Kerner, Violin, Sunita Mamtani, Cello and pianist Julian Reim. This talented trio of friends have been to São Lourenço several times before and they are just as harmonious off the platform as they are on it. Germany produces some of finest musicians in Europe and it was delightful to have them back and hear them again.

At Easter time we had the pleasure of hearing our dear friend Piers Lane once again, and this time he brought with him the world renowned Clarinettist, Michael Collins. No wonder I began my report by saying that we may have even eclipsed the success of 2009/2010. To have these two world renowned musicians was something of a coup for us. Piers as well as playing with major international orchestras around the world still organises his acclaimed annual Music festival in Brisbane as well as a series of concerts at the National Gallery to celebrate the life of the late Dame Myra Hess. Michael Collins has now extended his consummate talents and become the Principal Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia.

In May we were quite delighted to see the lovely pianist, Sa Chen once again. We first met SaSa when she came to the Cultural Centre in May 2009 and we were all quite captivated by her youthful personality as well as her superb playing. Since then her career has blossomed spectacularly and she is very much in demand. For all that, when she knew that Marie was asking her to be part of the thirtieth anniversary celebrations of the Cultural Centre, she enthusiastically agreed she would come. Such is friendship.

June turned out to be a wonderful month for the Amigos. On the second day of the month the Amigos had arranged a dinner party on the terrace São Lourenço to celebrate the anniversary when Marie and Christina were our principal guests. The catering was contracted to fellow Amigo, Annelies Ruegebrink who undertook to provide the tables, chairs and the staff needed to accommodate some fifty enthusiastic participants who were to enjoy a Latin American themed evening under the stars. The evening began with a choice of cocktails accompanied by the sounds of a guitar and an accordion and then on to dinner at exquisitely decorated tables and chairs in red, black and white where everyone enjoyed an excellent dinner in romantic surroundings. To further add to the glamour, Annelies had generously provided an attractive pair of young tango dancers who danced with true Latin passion between the tables at intervals throughout the evening. We are totally indebted to Annelies for her masterful arrangements and for giving us a truly lovely occasion.

Our concerts in June came from another good friend, the masterful violinist, Jeroen de Groot. This time he brought a new pianist with him, Bart Van de Roer. We have had the pleasure of hearing Jeroen many times over the years, but perhaps he has never been in better form than this year when he and Bart seemed to find between them an excellent balance, one bringing out the best of the other.

June also provided us with a totally unexpected surprise when, out of the blue, we were introduced to Ana Beatriz Ferreira. Anne Kaasa, the Lisbon based, Norwegian born, pianist who has played excellently at the Cultural Centre and was instrumental in finding Joana Ballmann as our last sponsored student turned up trumps once again. As most Amigos will remember, we had hoped that our next sponsored student would be Antonio Cebola but very sadly, as he was not able to gain a place at any music school and we found ourselves without a suitable recipient for our Young Musicians fund; until that is, Ana Beatriz came along. Helga and I interviewed this charming and confident young woman who had already gained a place at the Royal College of Music in London to study piano but was desperately seeking further sponsorship to make her dream come true. After the interview she performed short concert for the committee and duly impressed us all. Since then she has moved to a RCM Hall of residence in central London and begun her studies. She has written ecstatic letters to us saying how appreciative she is of our support. She is a truly worthy beneficiary of our fund an as usual, after the AGM, our young musician will play for the Amigos and later, there will be an opportunity to meet her.

The committee have continued to be an enormous support throughout the year. We have met regularly, the meetings have been constructive and enjoyable, and everyone has shouldered the wheel. Once again we have been blessed with excellent press coverage of our programs and the concerts have been well attended throughout the year.

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Dear Amigos,

We have accidentally set ourselves a very difficult task this year. We like to schedule what we think might be the best concert of the year, somewhere towards the end of the season to encourage everyone to renew their subscriptions. However, in September we began our new year with two concerts which surpassed all our expectations. So much so that many people have said that the Sinaiski Trio gave the finest concerts they had ever heard at São Lourenço. They were truly excellent, but they are a very hard act to follow. Incidentally Evgeny Sinaiski is the son of the renowned Vassily Sinaiski who conducted the hitherto neglected and highly acclaimed performance of Sir Hubert Parry’s (of Jerusalem fame) 5^th Symphony at the London Proms last year, although he is better known as the conductor of the Mariinsky Opera and home of the Kirov in St Petersburg. Evgeny loved the Algarve so much when he was here that he has ambitions to set up an International Youth Concert Academy Algarve in 2012. It is a very ambitious project and as yet only in embryonic form, but anyone who would like to have more information or be a part of this wonderful idea should make a point of being in touch with me as soon as possible..

On the other hand, we have great expectations for next week too when we shall have the opportunity to welcome two more new faces to the Cultural Centre. Teresa Krahnert and Ninon Gloger arrive on Monday and will play two concerts for violin and piano. The programs look fascinating and should please just about everyone, containing as they do, a goodly mix of familiar favourites and less well known pieces to inspire and keep us on our toes.

On Friday November 18^th the Amigos Annual General Meeting will take place and as usual, it will be followed by an opportunity to hear our new protégé, Ana Beatriz Ferreira who has just begun her three year course at the Royal College of Music in London. Ana Beatriz is a charming, clever and courageous young woman who qualified and was accepted for a much coveted place at the Royal College of Music in London. With the help of her family, the Amigos and other kind and generous sponsors, she has barely scraped together sufficient funds to put her through the course and she will still need to find further funds to see her through. Do come and listen to her and who knows? As they say these days; every little helps.

The Christmas and New Year concerts (28^th December and 4^th January) are looking good this and by way of a change we have lined up two virtuosos of the guitar. Miguel Drago and Pedro Frias will play programs called ‘A Arte da Guitarra’ the details of which I will advise at a later date. The music should be good and it is definitely something to look forward to.

Finally, I must report a tragedy and so I have left it until the end. We all know the sisters Joselia and Amalia who have for countless years formed a vital part of the team at the Cultural Centre. They are a part of from a large Almancil family. Recently the head of the family, their father, passed away and so perhaps a light hug or a friendly commiserating smile would be appropriate if you are intending to come to concerts next week.

Kind regards,

Barry

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Dear Amigos,

What a great year this has turned out to be. Many of us thought that the 2009/2010 season in celebration of the Amigos 20^th anniversary would be difficult to follow. But as we come towards the close of the 2010/2011 season marking the 30^th birthday of the Cultural Centre, it seems that we might have even surpassed ourselves. At the end of May we had the pure joy of seeing and hearing the lovely Sa Chen again. If anything, she has become even more charismatic since the last time we saw her. Not only was it heaven to hear the way she made the piano sing, it was delightful to see her face and whole body so completely absorbed in the music as she was playing. She in a dear person and we have cause to hope that she will return to the Algarve again one day.

On the 2^nd of June we held an Amigos summer party. We hardly needed an excuse, but it was to celebrate the first thirty years of the Cultural Centre, our musical home. It was a perfect warm evening and guests were greeted by a selection of cocktails and canapés accompanied by Argentinian music from a guitar and an accordion. Dinner was announced and we moved up to the top terrace where we were seated at white cotton covered chairs adorned with scarlet sashes arranged around five tables each seating eight or nine people. These were charmingly set out with white cloths complimented by red napkins, red chargers and red glasses; it looked stunning.

The food was delicious and the atmosphere during the entire evening could not have been better and naturally, Marie was our guest of honour. It must be mentioned that fellow Amigo, Annelies Ruegbrink and her company Concept Catering took care of all the catering arrangements. As a gift she arranged for two young professional dancers to entertain us at intervals throughout the dinner with charming yet passionate Tangos. Thanks to Annelies for her generosity and a deep bow of respect for her ability to be a superb party organiser. It was a great evening.

So now we come to the last set of concerts of the Amigos year when our old friend Jeroen de Groot returns with his lovely Amati, 1660 violin to be accompanied by Bart van de Roer at the piano. Everyone will have received the program by now and with luck, those not on the mailing list will have picked up the information from one of John Pereras excellent press releases. I can see that the Classists will probably opt for the Wednesday concert while the Modernists may be inclined to prefer the program on Saturday. Either way, do come and please bring your friends along too.

Margaret Jackson will be sending out your renewal reminders very shortly and although we will have no special reason for a marking any major events during the period after September 2011 to the end of June 2012, the arrivalUberHHH    of the Sinaiski in the middle of September should ensure that at least we polish off our celebrations for thirty glorious years of the Centro Cultural with aplomb.

Kind regards,

Barry

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Dear Amigos,

I hope everyone enjoyed the concerts from Piers Lane and Michael Collins. Personally I loved the programmes and hearing them play together; a comfortable and easy alliance between two great professionals if ever there was one and I am only sorry that they forgot to bring copies of their rapturously reviewed CD with them, but then I am sure we are all friends of Messrs Amazon.

Now I am going to be a bit grumpy. Reservations for the Lane/Collins concerts came fast and furious, so much so that we had to turn away not only guests but Amigos as well. Sadly though, eight Amigos who reserved the first concert did not turn up, nor had they cancelled their seats, meaning that some of the waiting list of twelve missed out completely, costing the Amigos as a whole 200 Euros. To a lesser extent the same situation occurred at the second concert as well. A word of advice. If for any reason you are not able to attend a concert which you have booked, please cancel the reservation, even if it at the last minute. Also please try to make your reservation either by e-mail or directly with Christina or Marie.

Sa Chen is due to play for us on May 23^rd (yes it’s a Monday) and the 25^th and you will shortly receive he program. It will be two years since her last visit and to be honest, I never dared to hope that she would find the time to play for us again, but such are the charms of Marie. If you heard her last time you are bound to want to hear her again. If you didn’t, well now’s your chance.

Our last (but certainly not least) concerts of the membership year will take place on the 15^th and 18^th June when our good friend Jeroen de Groot will play violin accompanied by Bart van der Roer at the piano. But before that we shall have our summer celebration to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Cultural Centre.

Last year we celebrated twenty glorious years of the Amigos de Música with a delicious dinner outside on the terrace dressed in our finest formal attire. Many people had asked if we would consider making the evening an annual event but on considered reflection we concluded that it would be almost impossible to recapture the same magic in an identical format and that, while we agreed that something must be done to mark this important occasion, in these nationally straightened times a more informal dinner would be appropriate. To that end, on Thursday the 2^nd of June and once again on the terrace of the Cultural Centre, we have arranged a festive, alfresco dinner based on a distinctly Latin American theme. Guests will be greeted with Margaritas and like last year, we hope to be able to dine under the stars, but this time to the sound of an accordion and a guitar. The dress code will be  ‘Summer informal’, but that will not exclude those who might care to dress with a hint or two of Latin passion. What fun!

Kind regards,

Barry

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Dear Amigos,

How lucky we were to have three such delightful young musicians to play for us and how well they played too. Uta Kerner, Sunita Mamtani and Julian Reim are old friends whose continual upward progress we have been able to follow over recent years and I think it is fair to say that we have never heard them play better. Trios and Quartets represent some of the most intimate music ever written and it was marvellous to see and hear the three of them playing together so well.

As you will already know from the program which you have received as well as the excellent press coverage, (thank you John) we have Piers Lane and Michael Collins coming to play at São Lourenço next week. Piers is one of our very special guests who has delighted us on several occasions in the past, but knowing that we would be in the middle of our Cultural Centre’s  30^th Anniversary season, he has quite excelled himself by bringing with him the world renowned clarinettist Michael Collins. The concerts take place on the 12^th and 14^th and if you have not done so already, I urge you to make your reservation at the earliest opportunity.

Those attending the last couple of concerts will have already noticed that our catering providers have changed. If the initial response and the lack of leftovers is anything to judge by, it has to be assumed that we have made a move for the better. Fingers crossed that the weather will hold next week and give us two pleasant evenings when we can enjoy the Cultural Centre courtyards at their best. Talking of which  . . . . .

On previous occasions I have mentioned the 4^th June as the evening on which we would hold a Summer Party to celebrate the 30^th Anniversary of the Cultural Centre but due to due to a conflict with another event on that date, we have moved the Amigos party to Thursday the 2^nd of June instead. In view of the runaway success of our alfresco Black tie dinner last year many have proposed that we repeat the event again, but with such fond memories still fresh in our minds it has been decided that although we shall once again enjoy an excellent dinner on the terrace the dress code this time will be ‘summer informal’. The full details and an application forms will be included in the next Newsletter.

Earlier this year Marie and I were given a delightful surprise when Sa Chen confirmed that she would be able to accept our invitation to play for us again. It was in May 2009 that she came to the Algarve for the first time. We were lucky to get her then and knew that she had an exceptional career just over the horizon, a career which has since taken wing and soared into recognition and fame. Sa Chen was to have given concerts at São Lourenço on the 25^th and 28^th of May but due to her massive work schedule we have recently had to amend those dates to Monday the 23^rd and Wednesday 25^th. As the great majority of us are retired, it seemed wiser to us to accept these dates than let the chance to hear this great young talent slip through our fingers.

Kind regards,

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Thank you to those who kindly e-mailed me to say how much they had enjoyed the recent concerts given by Katya Apekisheva. I forwarded them on her in the sure knowledge that she would enjoy reading those sweet morsels of praise as much as I had. Have no fear, she is keen to come back and it is good to have the prospect of that bright little star twinkling on the horizon of our 2013 guest list.

Everyone will have received the programmes for the concerts in March and April and we move on now from one musician who was born in Russia to three who were born in Germany. On Thursday the 24^th of this month we look ahead to the masterful playing of the violin and cello duo, Uta Kerner and Sunita Mamtani. On the 26^th they will be joined by pianist Julian Riem. The three have played together regularly over recent years; a tried and tested partnership which as always can be relied upon to produce the finest results.

Next, our Easter concerts on Tuesday 12^th April and Thursday 14^th when we welcome back Australian born, Piers Lane. Piers is a very special old friend who still miraculously manages to find the time to come to the Algarve in the middle of his massive career. This time he has excelled himself by bringing with him the phenomenally gifted and successful clarinettist, Michael Collins. As some may already know, these two distinguished musicians recently made a CD which was subsequently enthusiastically reviewed in the Sunday Times Culture section.

This is turning out to a truly ‘good news’ letter as I pass on to you yet another positively encouraging piece of information. As you will remember, for several years we helped support Joana Ballmann during her studies at the Conservatoire on Cologne. The last time we saw her was when she came to play for us, superbly as it turned out, after our AGM in 2010. Joana has written to tell us that having sat her finals in February, she has been awarded Germany’s top grade, a 1.1, or to put it another way, as far as she could go. She goes on to tell us that she is being encouraged to take part in master classes in Sâo Paulo, Brazil in July and that she is also considering the possibility of studying for her Masters degree at the University in Sâo Paulo as well. How good it feels to have played a small but positive part in Joana’s life.

Since I hope we are all feeling so optimistic, here is a date to put into your diaries. On the evening of Saturday the 4^th of June the Amigos will hold a summer dinner party. There are several options open, but to date we have not committed to any particular venue or exact format for the event which means that anyone with a particular preference or bright idea has until 19^th of March to make the plan known. Please call or e-mail me and or any of the committee and tell us what you think.

Kind regards,

Barry

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Dear Amigos,

The two concerts from the pianist Joana Gama were a wonderful way to see out the old year and welcome in the new. We were delighted with her and if the attendance on the 4^th of January was anything to go by, so was everyone else. She prepared her programmes with great care and I am sure we can look forward to seeing her again at some time in the future.

There was some very sad news in December when a dear friend and Amigos supporter for as long as I can remember, Steno Strazzeri passed away. Many will recall him. He was always well dressed, always a gentleman and always had an opinion, be it praise or criticism. He liked music to be cantabile and preferably played pianissimo. He would often take Marie or I to task if he thought the musician or the composer they were playing was too loud or if the music was atonal. But he always had the best interests of the Amigos at heart; indeed it was Steno who commissioned the little wooden shoes made to insulate the feet of the piano thereby helping to reduce the resonance. He was a thoughtful and kind man and he will be missed by us all.

On now to brighter things; Katya Apekisheva is due to return to São Lourenço to play her first solo concerts for us on the 27^th February which I can now confirm will take place in the evening, followed by another on the 2^nd March. In the past she has come along to accompany Jack Liebeck but this time we are going to take advantage of her wonderful solo career. As I write this, Katya is performing in Russia and the programmes she intends to play for us are something of a mystery, but as she is Russian and as she is there at the moment, maybe that gives us a clue?

I am also very pleased to say that since the last newsletter Piers Lane has just confirmed the very best news of all. The concerts will be on the 12^th and 14^th April and he will be bringing with him the remarkable Clarinet player Michael Collins. If Mr Collins has not appeared in your sights before, a sort trip to Google will confirm just how fortunate we will be to have such a potent and seriously talented pair of musicians in our midst. The other item which can now be confirmed is the dates of the Sinaiski Trio from Russia who will play at the start of our new season on the 13^th and 17^th September.

At the AGM there was mentioned the possibility of holding another Amigos Summer Party, probably at some time in June. To date there is no further information as to exact date or possible venue, but it is hoped that by the time of the next Newsletter more information will be to hand. Until then,

Kind regards,

Barry

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I must thank all the friends who responded to my call my arms in the last Newsletter and went to hear Antonio Cebola at Vale de Lobo. After his Masterclasses with Paul Crossley in London, his playing was more assured and his presence on the platform was markedly improved. He still has a long way to go but it is thrilling for us all to be involved with his progress.

The other event last month was our AGM, and yet again I am indebted to the goodly body of folk who took the time to venture out on such a wet and miserable evening. All the officers of the three committees involved were due for re-election and it was pleasing to note that not only were they all prepared to stand again, but that they were all re-elected en bloc. In fact the only change to any of the committees was the welcome addition of Anneli Lindroos as new blood within the Direcção. Presentations were made to the team at the Cultural Centre for their help during the last year and Marie Huber was also rewarded with a stylish scarf for all her kindness. After the business of the day there was an excellent piano recital by Joana Ballmann after which, at the kind invitation of Marie, there followed a delicious and as usual, very amicable supper.

The next concerts will take place on the 29^th of December and the 4^th of January when pianist Joana Gama will make her Cultural Centre debut. Joana was born in Braga and at the age of five she was enrolled at the Calouste Gulbenkian Conservatory of Music. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London and eventually obtained her Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of Evora. The printed program should be in the post to you, but as a foretaste I can tell you that on the 29^th she will play Liszt and Satie, and on the 4^th Chopin, Vila-Lobos and Ginastera.

2011 will mark the 30^th anniversary of the opening of the Centro Cultural de São Lourenço and to celebrate the significant event we have tried to put together an especially ambitious series of concerts which as well as including some of our most illustrious old friends will also introduce us to new ones. You will find I have enclosed an outline of the concerts planned for next year. As many of you will already be aware, we have had great difficulty of pinning down some of the dates but I think you will have to agree when you take a look at it that it has been worth the wait. We have been so impressed by Katya Areishkeva over the years when she has accompanied Jack Liebeck that we have rather overlooked the fact that she has a very well established solo career in her own right. Uta, Sunita and Julian have always given us excellent evenings of music, and Piers, well yes, he promises to come in April and bring a distinguished friend, but when, and who remain to be seen. For Sa Chen to have accepted our invitation is just amazing; she is so much in demand all over the world. A look at the concert schedules on her web site makes one wonder how she manages to take it all in. What a coup! Jeroen and his new accompanist Bart will, I have no doubt, give us lovely concerts and then we come to September and October. The Trio in September are all Russian but come from different locations Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and there is a Cello, so another airline ticket. The Duo from Lubeck  in October are famous and promise to be outstanding. We are in for a great year.

With Good Wishes for a very Happy Christmas and a contented New Year.

Barry     

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Dear Amigos,

I hope everyone enjoyed the last two concerts from Constantin Sandu and Horia Vacarescu. Marie and I certainly did and I suspect, remembering the happy look on the smiling faces as people left after the final encores, most others did too. Although at this stage no dates have been mentioned, we have mentally added them to our list of good people to ask to come back to play at the Cultural Centre at some time in the future.

The Annual General Meeting will be upon us on the 26^th but before that there is another date which is just as important to all the Amigos. On Saturday 13^th November our protégé Antonio Cebola will give his debut concert at Vale de Lobo.

During October, with the help of the Amigos and the some of the balance remaining in the Mundo Crastino Meliori foundation fund we were able to arrange for Antonio to have a series of seven private Masterclasses from Maestro Paul Crossley in London. The program he will play is the culmination of that hard work. Along with the Amigos, Vale de Lobo is now an equal sponsor in the future development of this very bright and extraordinarily talented young pianist and so I urge all Amigos to give this event their fullest support. The concert begins at 19.30 and will last about an hour. It consists of works by Bach, Liszt and Chopin and there will be no interval. Tickets which cost 15 Euros are available now from the Cultural Centre and later at Vale de Lobo. The auditorium can seat over 200 people and we do not want to see it looking half empty, so please come along and bring your friends. The timing of the concert makes it a perfect occasion after which to go on for supper.

So dear Amigos, Please take this is as a red alert and come to the concert on the 13^th. Remember that we along with Vale de Lobo and other charitable parties, have and will continue to have, a seriously vested interest in the progress of this young man with the intention of doing whatever is possible to help him establish himself as a fine pianist on a national platform and who knows, maybe an international platform as well.

At last we get to the AGM for which everyone should have received the forms and information in the post. As usual the meeting will begin at 6.30 and will be followed at about 8 pm by a Gala concert when we shall have our final opportunity to listen to the progress of our sponsored student Joana Ballmann. Afterwards the Amigos have once again been invited to supper with Marie and the Cultural Centre team. It always seems to be a pleasant and jolly evening although it is not unknown to be accompanied by torrential downpours leading drivers having to make a mad splashing dash to their cars on their way home. Umbrellas perhaps?

Kind regards,

Barry

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Well what a spectacular way to begin a new season?  It was back in June 2005 that Yevgeny Sudbin last came to play at São Louenço. He was twenty five then and we thought he was excellent. But look at him now, a huge international career established,  married and totally blown away by the  recent arrival a baby daughter and playing with glittering brilliance. In all my years of concert going at the Cultural Centre I have never felt that huge wave of enthusiasm and appreciation from an audience at the end of each section of the concert. And as for his encores!

Everyone should have already received the program for our October concerts and if they have taken a look will have probably noticed that there is a strong thread of Romania running through both the musicians and the pieces of music they have chosen to play. In the first concert on the 20^th we shall hear them play the famous Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata followed in the second half  by the less well known but highly romantic Enescu Sonata opus 6. The second program on the 23^rd is also awash with romance too and the sentimental Chausson Poéme may bring many a wistful tear to the eye at the end of the first half, although Bartok’s Dançes populares at the beginning of the second will call for serious self control if foot tapping is to be avoided.

And so we come to November and on the 13^th we shall have the opportunity to listen to Antonio Pedro Cebola when he gives a concert at the auditorium at Vale de Lobo. This is not an Amigos event but I am sure many of us remember him from the Paul Crossley Master class series last year and will want to hear this outstanding young man play again. I have had sight of his proposed program and although perhaps I shouldn’t, I will tell you in advance that he will be playing the Bach/Busoni Chaconne. The Liszt Sonata in B minor. Chopin Nocturne Op.27 no.2 and the spectacular Chopin Andante Spianato et Grande polonaise brillante op. 22

On the 26^th November we shall hold our Annual General Meeting. This year we are due to have elections and anyone who would like to stand for office should start selecting their proposers now. The AGM will be followed by the now customary Gala concert when we shall hear for the last time from Joana Ballmann. Our sponsorship has now run its course, Joana has come to the end of her studies at the conservatoire in Cologne and I am sure we will all want to wish her every success in the challenging years ahead. Finally, as if yet again to confirm our successful twenty year relationship with the Cultural Centre, the Amigos are invited by Marie and the team to join them for a post concert supper.

Finally a little further advance information. On Wednesday the 29^th December and Tuesday the 4^th of January we shall have the pleasure of listening to piano recitals from Joana Gama who comes from Lisbon. Oh my goodness, Christmas so soon?

With good wishes,

Barry

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