Note of course that the Gala Concert and the AGM have now taken place. Full concert details for 2010 are now available elsewhere on this website. The upcoming concert is on Saturday the 30th January, featuring the London Mozart Players and the Tiffin Boys' Choir. Go to concert pages for more details.

Dear Member,

We last wrote to you at the end of July to let you know of certain changes which Thames Concerts is undergoing.

We are very happy to inform you of an extremely positive response from the Royal Borough of Kingston to our plans, which involve a changed structure to the organisation and taking a new look to our provision of concerts in Kingston, especially in the light of the proposed redevelopment of the Parish Church in 2010/11.

We look forward to taking you through some of these changes at the AGM, which is planned to take place at 7 pm on Wednesday 14^th October in the Lecture Theatre at Tiffin School. The formal notice of this meeting is on a separate page of this website. There is ample car parking on site, and we very much hope to see you there.

The new season – which features the London Mozart Players, Maggini Quartet, Howard Shelley, the Rodolfus Choir and much more besides (and which also incorporates a special Festival of Youth Orchestras in July 2010) - will be launched formally at a special gala event which we are holding on Saturday 31^st October.

We are hoping to make something really special out of this event. The Nash Ensemble, whose line up of players for this concert is second to none, will be performing Mendelssohn’s ever-popular Octet and the Brahms String Sextet in B flat (you may remember the LMP Sextet playing the G major sextet a couple of seasons ago) on a special stage in the centre of the church, surrounded by audience with guaranteed excellent views.

The event is in aid of All Saints’ Appeal, and forms an important role both in reinforcing Thames Concerts’ excellent (and long-standing) relationship with the church and in showing our support for this important redevelopment which the historic building so urgently needs.

As such, tickets are priced at £25 for front nave premium seats, £20 for south aisle and choir premium seats, £10 for unnumbered rear south and north aisle seats, and £5 for student and unwaged organ bench seats. “Premium” in this case refers to a guaranteed sightline, comfortable chair, and best acoustics – and also come with an invitation to a champagne and canapés reception at the East End from 7.00 pm. The concert itself begins at 7.30 pm (note the new start time).

You will be receiving (and seeing around the place) flyers for this concert in just under a few weeks’ time – but we wanted to alert you to the date now, and to give you the opportunity for priority booking. As ever, please contact Nicolette on 07984 417278 to secure your seats for what I am sure will be a very special event.

We are very excited at the way in which the new-look Thames Concerts is beginning to shape up, and look forward to being able to share this with you at the AGM and at the Gala Concert. We hope you will be able to join us.

Alun Evans, Acting Chairman

Simon Toyne, Artistic Director