Take a day visit to the once top secret code breaking centre during WW2. There is so much more that I didn’t include. I can only recommend you go for a visit yourself as the atmosphere is amazing. I simply took my video camera and filmed everything possible. Remember during the wartime all this was top secret. Loose tongues costs lives.

Clacton Arts & Literary Society  visit on Wed 20 May 2009

There is a petition to keep this museum, check it out:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Blet…

Clacton & North East Essex Arts & Literary Society

Just released Programme for 2009/10 Season

CLACTON & NORTH EAST ESSEX ARTS & LITERARY SOCIETY

The final presentation in the Society’s 2008/2009 Season was a return visit from the superb vocal group – Cantabile – The London Quartet. This a cappella singing group have achieved proficiency in producing different styles of music. The result was an eclectic programme which transported the audience from Sixteenth Century Part-Songs to a medley from that classic Disney cartoon ‘Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs’.

Cantabile comprise Richard Bryan (Counter-Tenor), Steven Brooks (Tenor), Mark Fleming (Tenor) and Michael Steffan (Baritone), who first sang as an a cappella singing group during their student days at Cambridge. They began with Perpetuum Mobile Opus 25 by Johann Strauss (The Younger).This musical joke served as a showcase for the vocal dexterity that the group possess. The mood changed for their rendition of Weep O Mine Eyes, a plaintive 16th Century Part Song and which produced a rich choral sound belying their quartet composition. My personal highlight of the first half was the performance of Summertime from Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess This moving aria written by Gershwin, in his own style of Afro-American spiritual, was faultless. Richard Bryan’s singing evoked the feeling of the southern American cotton plantations.

The second half opened with a ‘Homage to Harmony Groups’. The group’s arrangement of Dry Bones was a brilliant amalgam of music and comedy which exemplified their versatility and was immensely appreciated by the audience. The piece de resistance of this half was without doubt ‘The History of Western Music’- a whistle stop tour of one thousand years of Western Music. Their inclusion of Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 was innovative and they achieved a chilling rendition of this tone poem which has been so engrained in recent popular culture by Stanley Kubrick’s use of it as the main theme in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Once again Cantabile brought to the Society an evening of innovative musical entertainment underlining their virtuosity and creativity. An enormously enjoyable performance from this talented and personable quartet.

The evening was sponsored by Boydons Estate Agents of Colchester & Frinton-On-Sea.

Robert Pearce

Locum Press Officer

Sorry folks John Suchet is unable to attend on Monday 2nd March

He will be replaced with a good music programme for you to enjoy

Doug C

Benedict Allen, a brilliant storyteller and explorer, burst upon the Arts and Literary Society on Monday evening with a non-stop commentary of his adventures in the Amazon basin and the rain forests of that area.   It was breathtaking just listening to his mishaps and near death experiences, such being chased by assassins in canoes, who kept missing him when they lost control of their boats;  his terrible decision to kill and eat a dog when lost in the rain forest so that he could survive.   We had graphic details and pictures of his initiation ceremony in Papua New Guinea and, many years later, the dreadful time when his guides stole all his equipment and left him to die.   But he didn’t!

During the second half of his show, he took us to Siberia and his attempt to cross the vast icy plains to Alaska.   This was a truly remarkable story and we were shown so many photographs of his husky team of 10 very individual dogs, so hard working and so very endearing.  He got lost in a snow storm and lost his dogs, but they went in search of him and he of them – they found each other – and Benedict abandoned his attempt to reach Alaska so that he and his dogs might survive.    This was a very exciting and memorable evening with a charming and articulate raconteur.

The sponsors for this evening were Fred Olsen Travel Ltd.
 

                                                           Audrey Owens
                                                                Press Officer

The Arts and Literary Society was doubly blessed on Monday evening when Tim Dickinson and James Sherlock presented ‘From Bach to Broadway’ without any Bach and plenty of Broadway. This engaging and versatile duo gave us arias from Mozart and lieder by Schubert. Tim’s rich baritone voice was truly beautiful and James was an amazing accompanist. He proved his brilliance when performing solos on the piano, from Gershwin to Chopin.

After the interval, it was Broadway and other well known and loved songs from the shows. They could have gone on all night but unfortunately, did not. However, we did hear a plaintive love song, written by Tim and played on the guitar and a wonderful jazz interpretation of Somewhere over the Rainbow by James. They ended their concert with Some Enchanted Evening. Certainly, it was just that!

The sponsors for this evening were Wingham Wyatt Investment and Estate Planning of Braintree.

Audrey Owens
Press Officer

The Arts and Literary Society was treated to a double portion of snow on Monday evening when the Snows presented their show ‘An Audience with Peter and Dan Snow’.
 
    This lively pair took us through their television series of the Battles of the 20th Century, highlighting the battles of Amiens in 1918, Midway in 1942, Stalingrad in 1942/43, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East War of 1973, the Falklands and Kuwait.  It was surprising how much we did not know about most of these conflicts and fascinating to learn about them.
 
    After the interval, the Snows talked about their lives and the many interesting things they did.   They also answered many questions from the audience.   Dan told us about his great grandfather, who had been a General in the First World War and what had happened to him.

    We were also greatly entertained by Peter when he explained about the swingometer of general election night fame, how it had originated and how it has changed with the introduction of computer graphics.

Altogether it was a lively evening greatly enjoyed by the audience and the sponsors for this evening Coronation Toyota of Kirby Cross.   
                                                            Audrey Owens
                                                                Press Officer

The 11th presentation of the Arts and Literary Society was ‘Our Life in Birds’ by David Lindo and Mike Dilger,   This double act gave us the life histories of both presenters showing how they came to be interested in and to make  life long careers in bird watching.    Both had started their interest in birds when very young, David in London and Mike in Stafford.    We were shown videos, one of David in his favourite haunt, the parkland around Wormwood Scrubs, with the large numbers of birds to be found there, some common and some not so common.   We saw Mike filming the night jar in flight and in close up.    Perhaps the most fascinating film was of the peregrine falcon family nesting on a high ledge in Manchester.   The RSPB had screens at ground level to show visitors what was happening far above them.   These birds fly at 200 mph and their prey, the pigeon, has no chance of escape.   As an amusing finale David and Mike showed the 100 metres dash which they ran for the One Programme on BBC.   David was the winner!

The sponsors for this evening were Marks Mobility Centre of Holland on Sea.

                                                            Audrey Owens
                                                                Press Officer

The 10th presentation of the Arts and Literary Society was a remarkable insight into weather.  Bill Giles OBE, one of the best known weather men at the BBC, gave an extremely interesting and informative talk on our weather, which is, of course, a major topic of conversation in this country.   He started by showing us slides of the various cloud formations which appear regularly in our skies and explaining what they mean to our weather.   It would appear that we have more funnel clouds which are the basis of tornados than America but they are not so violent.   Then he talked about global warming and showed a video of what could happen by 2050 in the West Country.   This was quite a worrying scenario and his further descriptions of the steady increase in temperature made a very thought provoking evening.

Interspersed with the serious side of his talk, we were given various insights into how the weather is presented by BBC television and radio and the odd things which happen.   This was illustrated by a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the weather centre, videod some 10 years ago when several well known presenters were learning the job, they do not look a day older !

The sponsors for this evening were Regent Furnishers of Holland on Sea

                                                            Audrey Owens
                                                                Press Officer

13^th January 2009

After the interval, the delights continued as they rendered some of the most famous arias, duets and ensembles from the best known operas. These included Brindisi, La donna et mobile, Barcarole, the wonderful duet from Pearl Fishers, the Habanara and Toreadors song from Carmen, finishing the evening with Nessum Dorma, performed by the entire cast.

The audience and the sponsors, Health Plan Consultancy Services of Colchester, cheered and clapped and insisted on an encore – this was O Sole Mio – fantastic.
Audrey Owens
Press Officer