Entitled Music of the Americas, this day is at the Bechstein Room of the Wigmore Hall, from 10 until 4.  Morning and afternoon coffee/tea is inclusive. Lunch can be taken at any of the several nearby eating houses, or you can bring your own sandwiches.  The outline programme for the day is

1000    Registration and coffee

1020    Introduction by our Chairman, Gwen Wright

1040    Paul Farren, Hackney U3A:  The sounds of Latin America

1130    Stan Freed, U3A in London:  Gershwin on the Concert Platform

1215                            Break for Lunch

1345    Karl Bettelheim, U3A in London: The Symphony in the USA in the 20^th century

1430                            Tea and biscuits

1445    Stan Clingman, U3A in London: The Great American Songbook 1920-1950

1535    Gwen Wright will lead Discussion and Summing Up

The Contributors

Gwen Wright is in her last year of office as London Region Trustee, and is Chairman of the London Region of U3A. She will chair the day and lead the concluding discussion.

Paul Farren’s background in Latin American music dates from hearing his first gramophone record – a Cuban rumba – at the age of 3. As well as amassing a huge collection of recorded material, Paul has also played the music on a variety of instruments, has helped to found such groups as Achalay, and has visited 8 Latin American countries, discovering the individual characteristics of their national music.

Stan Freed has coordinated music appreciation groups for U3A since time immemorial, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of music.  His tastes are catholic, and embrace both serious and light music.  His presentation on Gershwin today discusses the more serious aspects of this great composer, focussing on his music for the concert hall.

Karl Bettelheim will explore a vast but relatively neglected topic by focusing on 2 American composers in depth and reviewing some others. He brings to his topic a lifelong love of music, and special interest in exploring new trends. A PhD in biological sciences, his wide experience includes spells in Austria, China, New Zealand and Australia. He currently tutors a U3A London class on the symphony in the 20^th Century.

Stan Clingman leads classes on music theatre for U3A in London. He describes his hobbies as listening to jazz and classical music, playing Mozart and Beethoven on the piano, collecting antiquarian books and maps, and American fiction. His presentation today will explore the stories and songs of the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, and Cole Porter.

The Wigmore Hall is conveniently located near Bond Street tube station, and Freedom Passes rather than driving to the venue is strongly recommended. Parking is limited and expensive, and regretfully we cannot confirm disabled parking. The Bechstein room is located on the lower ground floor, and is accessible by lift.

An application form for this event, priced at £17 per head, follows this notice, and return of the form together with your cheque, will confirm your place. There are no tickets – simply turn up and register on the day.

 U3A LONDON REGION MUSIC STUDY DAY: THE SOUNDS OF AMERICA

                         WIGMORE HALL 22 MARCH 2014

                                       Application Form

I/we would like to come to this study day, and return this form together with my/our cheque (£17 per person) payable to London Region.

Name(s)…………………………………………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………….

Telephone/email………………………………………………………………………

Your U3A………………………………………………………………………….

I understand this confirms my participation at the event; no further tickets will be issued.

Please return this form, together with your cheque, to Don Moore at 31 Lanherne House, 9 The Downs, Wimbledon SW20 8JG, or by email attachment to don.moore@blueyonder.co.uk (telephone 020 8946 3264 for urgent queries)

Important notes

*          If the event is fully subscribed when your form is returned, you will be      notified and placed on a waiting list. Your cheque will be returned if you are       ultimately unsuccessful.

*          If for any reason you are unable to attend, please notify Don Moore           immediately so that wait-listed members can be accommodated. A refund of         your fee cannot however be guaranteed.

This free history walk focuses on Quakers who were in business in the City from about 1660 to 1850.

Led by a Quaker, this walk explores the little known contribution Quakers have made to the business and commercial life of London and the United Kingdom.

We start at the Bank of England, and wander through Lombard Street, Gracechurch Street, Bishopsgate and finally along Worship Street to Bunhill Fields Burial Ground and Bunhill Quaker Meeting House.

A walk of about three miles, with frequent pauses [and a coffee stop] to hear about the people and places as we pass through.

After lunch at about 1345, your guide will take you to the Guildhall Clock Museum, where there are examples of a Quaker clockmaker’s work.

If you wish to stay for the visit to the Clock Museum, there are plenty of places to have lunch locally near Bunhill, or  bring your sandwiches to eat the in garden.  You would also be most welcome to join in a light, shared lunch with Bunhill Quakers, which starts at 1315.  We finish the walk at about 1530.

Please EMAIL   londonquakerwalk@gmail.com   to reserve your place.

Numbers are limited on each walk.

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More courses starting early 2014 from leading UK and International Universities.

Are you interested in the past lives of South West Londoners? Are you interested in researching and writing about them?

 Following on the success of the South West London U3As’ Shared Learning Project which led to the production of the booklet “Out and About in South West London” earlier this year, we are proposing to research the past lives of South West Londoners with a view to producing a similar booklet. The project will begin in January 2014 and will be completed by April. Meetings will be held in Kingston as before and we will proceed as follows:

• Members of the team will decide on the people who they wish to research. They will probably work in pairs and decide between them a theme such as people from politics, music, science, literature etc.
• As a team we will have to decide on the parameters of the research as there is an almost inexhaustible fund of notable people.
• The historical figures to be researched will come predominantly from people who lived in Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth.
• Each section of the booklet will be written by members of the team.
• A final section of the booklet would incorporate walks showing where the subjects lived/were born/ died, so some research into the accessibility of places mentioned will be necessary.
• We will meet fortnightly starting on 15^th Jan 2014 until 26^th March from 11am – 1pm in the Community Room at John Lewis in Kingston.

If you enjoy researching and visiting places and have an interest in the history of South West London this could be the project for you.

Access to email with some computer skills is essential – as is a commitment to attend all the meetings. As always with U3A SLPs your enthusiasm is paramount!

It is expected that the project will appeal to U3A members living in South West London but this is not a pre-condition.

For more information and an application form, please email Sue Leigh at smleigh@hotmail.co.uk . Applications close 15 November 2013.

A Study Day on  Literary SW London     Thursday Nov 7^th 2113.      Registration 10.30am.   11.00am  – 3.30pm At the Snuff Mill, Morden Hall Park, Morden

The theme of this study day is Literary South West London. It will interest those who enjoy reading a good book as well as those who want to know about the lives of local authors. The programme is varied and the three speakers have local connections.

Programme:

Talk 1    Local aspects of Virginia Woolf’s works especially the novel “The Waves”.

Speaker: Julia Courtney (ex OU lecturer)

Talk 2    The lives of some local authors including H.G Wells and Edna O’Brien.

Speaker:  Sue Rolfe of the Putney Society

Talk 3   Being a writer.

Speaker:  Michelle Paver. Local award winning Wimbledon based author whose book include the series Chronicles of Darkness and Dark Matters (a ghost story for adults)

Getting there:

Trams from Wimbledon Station to Phipps Bridge

Buses from South Wimbledon and Morden Underground Stations and Wimbledon Main Line Station.

Car parking available in grounds of Morden Hall Park (National Trust). Entrance in Morden Hall Road.

Cost for day £8  (cheque payable to Merton U3A)

Literary SW London Study Day Ticket application

First Name ………………………………………   Surname  …………………………………………

U3A ………………………………………………………………….

Telephone number ………………………………….

Confirmation of a place will be given by email OR in an enclosed self addressed envelope

Email (if needed for confirmation )  ……………………………..  [tick if appropriate]

Or

Enclosed SAE  ……………………………………  [tick if appropriate]

Cheque of £8 enclosed? ………….

Please send ticket application with £8 cheque to Merton U3A, 78 Copse Hill, Wimbledon, SW20 0EF by 25^th Oct.

 Please note that lunch is available at the cafe on the site. There is also a garden centre there, and the grounds of Morden Hall Park are well worth a wander (weather permitting)

Literary-SW-London-Study-Day-Ticket-application-3