Dear Members and Friends 

I'd like to remind you of our forthcoming concert on Sat 25th Sept 2021 at our usual venue St John's Methodist Church Argyll Road Whitstable at 7.30pm.

We are starting our new season with a violin and piano recital from Charlotte Rowan (Violin) and Charlotte Stephenson (Piano). It's a wonderful programme with works by Grieg, Schubert/Liszt, Mendelssohn and others.  Charlotte is acclaimed for her virtuosity and masterful command of the violin. Born in Scotland, she was invited aged 16 to study at the Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, USA, graduating with honours. Whilst studying in the USA she was invited to perform for the Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor, for Baltimore Chamber Music Society and at the Smithsonian Museum in the Washington Performing Arts Series.

Our 2020 season was curtailed halfway through due to the Covid restrictions so we are delighted to be able to welcome everyone back for the start of a completely new season. 

The Restrictions have now been lifted sufficiently to allow concert going as it used to be! Nearly everyone in our audience will probably have had both their "jabs" and I am confident people will take sensible precautions. Though it is no longer compulsory, please feel free to wear a facemask if you feel more comfortable with this and obviously please do not come if you have any Covid symptoms. I was lucky enough to attend one of the BBC Proms in the Albert Hall the other evening  and it was wonderful to see such a large audience enjoying the concert and socialising during the interval. I even bumped into a member of the Whitstable Music Society as I was going in!  

John Walker, Chair.

When we rearranged our season for 2021/22 we agreed to pay our musicians 50% of their concert fee upfront to help with the really awful effect the pandemic has had on musicians' livelihoods and they were really appreciative. 

This greatly depleted our funds so it was very gratifying when one of our members wrote to say that she was so pleased with what we had done to help the musicians that she was sending us 50% of her season ticket cost for next season upfront to help with our finances. Sure enough a few days later a cheque for £42.50 arrived. This was such a thoughtful response for which we are very grateful.  If anyone else feels moved to replicate this please make a cheque for £42.50 payable to Whitstable Music Society and send to Gill Smyth, Sardine Cottage. 6 Cushings Walk Whitstable Kent CT5 1EZ and we will credit this to the cost of your season ticket later in the year. 

Our new brochure will be coming to you in the Spring of next year and we hope that all our Members and Friends will be pleased and delighted to return to live chamber music once again after such a difficult year. 

John Walker, Chairman

We have spoken with all our musicians and fortunately they are all in agreement with this idea and have been able to confirm their availability for the new dates from September 2021 through to April 2022. The programme and dates for your diary are therefore as follows:

• Sat. 25th Sept. 2021 Charlotte Rowan (Violin) Charlotte Stevenson (Piano)
• Sat. 30th Oct. 2021 The Tippett Quartet with Emma Abbate (Piano)
• Sat. 27th Nov. 2021 The New London Chamber Ensemble (Wind Quintet)
• Sat. 29th Jan. 2022 The Odora Piano Trio
• Sat. 26th Feb. 2022 The Kosmos Ensemble 
• Sat. 26th Mar. 2022 Elizabeth Bass (Harp) Katherine Bryer (Oboe)
• Sat. 30th April 2022 Lara Melda (Piano)

We are very grateful to all our members and regular concertgoers who have been so understanding while we try to steer through this difficult situation and we very much hope that you will continue to support us in the New Year.

We will print our revised brochure in due course to send to you in plenty of time for the new season. If you are a regular season ticket holder we hope you will purchase your season ticket in the normal way. This gives us the confidence to commit to our musicians - sometimes up to twelve months ahead.