Hello fellow Pinkies!
Last Thursday was the latest meeting of the strategic planning group for the London festival in 2009, it was fast moving and very successful as well.
Top of the agenda was the draft agreement to be signed by the three choirs(LGMC, Pinksingers and Diversity) and Various Voices London Ltd. This document lays out the commitment of the three choirs and that of the festival company in order to produce a successful and profitable festival. In short it gives each choir ownership of the festival and what is expected in return. It was agreed that the document was a very competent first draft and it’s gone off to have the few amendments that we recommended.
We are still waiting for the company formation to be finalised with Company House and ! in the mean time I have been asked to get the ball rolling on the opening of the company bank accounts. I have also offered to keep the initial accounts for the festival company. They must think I’m mad because no one had any objections! May be I am, I’ll let you know in a years time.
The group of three who have the mammoth task of collating all the choirs information have sent out their first contact emails and letters, in various languages and are waiting for all the replies to come in. This first contact is just to get confirmation of the details we hold for each choir and to see whether they are contemplating attending the festival.
Finally an event at the National Portrait Gallery on the 12th July, part of the Sing London event was discussed. It is to be a casual singing event of no more than twenty singers drawn from the tree choirs, all performing under the Various Voices banner. The idea is for the group to wonder around the gallery at the special event, pausing by preselected portraits and singing a suitable song that goes with the subject of the picture. The main task for the singers is to encourage the public in the gallery to join in, so the songs will be popular ones people can sing along to. This is a joint event with the NPG and details are well under way. It should be a fun night for those that volunteer and will bring some good publicity for Various Voices.
There is another meeting next week, before a delegation go to Frankfurt on the 12th May to report on progress at the Legato meeting.
Finally, we have a visit from Martin Brophy, the chairman of Various Voices London, before rehearsal this Sunday at 1.30pm. I hope as many of you will attend as possible as it will be a good opportunity to ask any questions you have about the festival and our choirs involvement.
So I’ll see you all there.
Simon