Stepping into the breach ...

Stepping into someone else’s shoes is always difficult, especially when it comes with a huge amount of emotional stress. This is the Maldon Orchestra’s 75th anniversary year and it should be a series of fun and celebratory concerts to mark that achievement. Upon receiving the news that our Music Director, Ron Bewers would be unable to conduct, it fell to me to just carry on. Like it is that simple! I had eight weeks to tame my emotions and get used to the idea of moving from the back of the Orchestra to stand at the front to conduct 37 players through our first concert of the year in Boreham Village Hall on Saturday 2nd March at 2pm … but I was not alone …

We had already decided that the theme for this concert would be Music from the Movies. We already had a fair number of tunes rehearsed to a very high standard. All I had to do was guide the players through the rehearsals and through the concert.  There were definitely times when I really didn’t think I would be good enough but with the support of the members, the Management Committee and our Music Director from his computer keyboard, the Orchestra performed an amazing programme of entertaining music to a near capacity audience.

With a program which included such numbers as A Tribute to Mancini, Gabriel’s Oboe, You’ve Got a Friend in Me and  Somewhere Over the Rainbow, the Orchestra demonstrated why it is such a huge success. Colin Bellett was on hand to add to the proceedings and the concert has been deemed a great start to the year raising much needed funds for the Restoration of St Andrew's Church in Boreham.

We now have time to plan, prepare and practice ahead of our 75th Anniversary concert in the Stage Hall of the Plume in Maldon on Friday 12th July when we hope to be joined for the evening by the Maldon Youth Orchestra. The MYO are a part of our 75 year history and we are delighted that they have agreed to perform with us.