19 Jan 2012 - It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of our dear friend and CCO Hon. Treasurer John Baker.

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18 Jan 2012 – Following our donation to the Royal British Legion, the Clacton Branch Secretary Jamie Robinson has expressed his gratitude in the letter you can read below (click picture to enlarge).

 

 

 

 

 

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14 Dec 2011 – Dovercourt Christmas Lights look beautiful this year. We supported Harwich and Dovercourt Partnership Christmas Lights Appeal with part of the proceeds from our concert held on 17th July 2010 in Dovercourt. Following that concert we gave an equal amount to support The Harwich Society Bobbitts Hole nature appeal.

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9 Dec 2011 – CHARITY NEWS – We gave £250 to Tendring Branch of SSAFA – Forces Help and £50 to Clacton on Sea Branch of Royal British Legion following last concert (Remembrance Sunday).

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7 Nov 2011 – CCO NEWS about Remembrance event on the Clacton Gazette

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CCO wish to acknowlege  the tremendous loss which our community has suffered through the recent and very sudden death of our dear friend Peter Cobb.   The Orchestra could not have wished for a better friend, he will be sadly missed.

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The season of CCO coffee concerts have gone very well and has been much enjoyed by players and audiences alike. St James’ Church  Little Clacton was holding a flower festival over the weekend of 23rd- 24th July, this made a wonderful backdrop for the players pictured below.

Parkers Garden Centre, Frinton on Sea was again a colourful backdrop for our players who entertained a large audience in the Garden Centre’s tea room on Sunday 28th August 2011

The Summer concert held at the parish church in St Osyth village on Saturday 16th July was very well attended and an altogether most enjoyable event. Two soloists were showcased, Katerina Venables – principal clarinittist with CCO, who performed the 1st movement of Bernard Crusell’s 1st Clarinet Concerto,  and guest player Anna Durance who performed Albinoni’s  Oboe Concerto No 7.   Both were technically  excellent, very musical and performed with great panache and style.  The concert opened with Rossini’s overture  The Theivish Magpie which beautifully imitated the impish magpie and culminated in a rousing finale.  The second half of the concert was devoted to Dvorak’s Symphony No 9 “From the New World”, a huge work for this amateur orchestra to undertake.  Conductor Francis Garland excelled himself, the attention to detail which he has brought to rehearsals paid dividends, the players under the leadership of their exxcellent leader Ruth Baker were on top of the music and played with sensitivity and great feeling, responding to their young conductor’s  firm hand on the performance.

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The Viennese Cafe New Year Concert on Sunday 30th January 2011 at the Princes Theatre was a triumph for the Orchestra.  Tickets sold out, sadly we had to turn away patrons.  The ‘street scene’ layout in the theatre was a revelation and extremely popular.  Gradually our audience accepted the informality and strolled to the refreshments table at their leisure.  Most unfortunately sickness struck our baritone, but members and friends stepped into the breach and performed in the solo slots to much applause. A wonderful start to the year! See photos of this concert on Photos page

If you have an idea you want to share with us please feel free to contact brendajellis@yahoo.co.uk

2010 was a very busy year for Clacton Concert Orchestra and certainly a year during which we have made great efforts to get out into our community and share our passion for music!  This effort will be continued next year when we are joining forces with other music makers, both soloists and groups, who share our great passion and want to entertain.

Coffee Concerts are small gatherings of players from Clacton Concert Orchestra showing their various skills in combinations of duos, trios and up to octets, some players using instruments which are not seen in the usual orchestra setting. Three concerts have been held over the summer months, Jaywick Martello Art Centre, Hearts Delight Garden Centre and lastly Clacton Library where, during the afternoon, there was a footfall  of some 400 people, most of whom stayed to listed and join us in a cup coffee and a piece of cake!   These concerts are free of charge and there is no obligation to sit, a come and go as you please event with donations welcomed.

Another new venture was Harvest Festival at Wivenhoe Congregational Church where a small group of our players, under Francis and with Ruth,  provided music for the service.  Members of the Church kindly provided a supper after the service which gave our players an opportunity to share, to listen and to inform. We shall most certainly return to Wivenhoe!

We will certainly be adding coffee concerts to 2011 diary and will reach out in our community and perform music in whichever way we are asked and needed!