flutes – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com author | illustrator | digital designer Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:39:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://shepline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cropped-shepline-white-on-green-square_512-32x32.jpg flutes – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com 32 32 The Longest Day: time flies https://shepline.com/2012/06/21/the-longest-day-time-flies/ https://shepline.com/2012/06/21/the-longest-day-time-flies/#respond Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:17:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=2165 I felt a bit old at band tonight. We welcomed Jenny back to the band. Jenny was one of the first flutes along with Hilary when I joined (along with Rhiannon and Linnette on second). We were trying to remember tonight when it was that she left the band – think it may have been before we all decamped from the condemned band hut in favour of the town music centre (from which we were evicted for … umm … making too much noise?!?), before ending up in the school.

However, in the intervening time Jenny’s had three children, one of which is eight! Is it really 12 years now, that I’ve been at Abingdon Concert Band. I guess I have got married and published a book…

]]> https://shepline.com/2012/06/21/the-longest-day-time-flies/feed/ 0 On the eleventh day of advent https://shepline.com/2008/12/11/on-the-eleventh-day-of-advent-2/ https://shepline.com/2008/12/11/on-the-eleventh-day-of-advent-2/#respond Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:20:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/on-the-eleventh-day-of-advent-2/ When at full strength there now seems to be an amazing twelve flautists in our band. This month’s concert should therefore stand as a watchword that one shouldn’t take lots of flutes for granted, for worryingly at tonight’s rehearsal there were only three flautists present and none of us were going to be of the three who were scheduled to play at Saturday’s concert.

Hrmm…

]]> https://shepline.com/2008/12/11/on-the-eleventh-day-of-advent-2/feed/ 0 Postcards from France https://shepline.com/2008/03/15/postcards-from-france/ https://shepline.com/2008/03/15/postcards-from-france/#respond Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:12:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/postcards-from-france/ I spent most of the morning cleaning my house, so that it would be all ready for its viewing tomorrow. Then I had my lunch – salmon fillet and vegetables, before changing into my concert garb and heading out to Abingdon for the afternoon rehearsal. It went remarkably well I thought – certainly much better than Thursday’s did. Following the rehearsal I killed some time in Waitrose doing my weekly shop to tie me over until Easter.

Emma arrived for the concert and took her place in the audience and I trooped out with the rest of band to play our music. Suite Francais was, errm, interesting when the entire flute section lost our way. I think we would have been okay if we had come in when we had meant to but it didn’t feel right.

The concert went off okay though, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. What Emma and I didn’t enjoy so much was the drive home through abysmally wet weather. Not nice. Not fun.

]]> https://shepline.com/2008/03/15/postcards-from-france/feed/ 0 There were one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight … nine flutes https://shepline.com/2008/01/31/there-were-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-flutes/ https://shepline.com/2008/01/31/there-were-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-flutes/#respond Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:13:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/there-were-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-flutes/ There were one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight … nine flutes
There were one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight … nine flutes strong!

I thought we might have been down to half measures on the old flautist front tonight, with a message from Rachel that she and Sarah weren’t going to be there, and probably not Debbie either. That is, I thought that until I got to band tonight to discover that we have another new player tonight. And apparently there’s another one wanting to join. Add to that Amy who is planning to return, and maybe six three piccolos when balanced out by six flutes won’t be all that bad?!!! *grins*

]]> https://shepline.com/2008/01/31/there-were-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-flutes/feed/ 0 On the fifteenth day of advent: festive frolics https://shepline.com/2007/12/15/on-the-fifteenth-day-of-advent-festive-frolics-2/ https://shepline.com/2007/12/15/on-the-fifteenth-day-of-advent-festive-frolics-2/#respond Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:14:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/on-the-fifteenth-day-of-advent-festive-frolics-2/ Saturday 15 December 23:14

Saturday morning, and I woke up in Berkshire. Emma and I drove back up to Bicester, meeting up with my parents for lunch, and – umm – not much else before I had to get changed and leave for the afternoon rehearsal. The rehearsal went well, and a little after 5 o’clock I nipped out and up the road to meet Emma and my parents at The Fishes for a bit of a meal before the concert. It transpires that I really shouldn’t leave Emma alone with my parents because of the stories that they have been telling each other about me, and ‘ganging’ on me. I want them all to get on, but honestly there’s getting on, and there’s getting on a little too much… *grins*

The concert itself was good. My first Christmas concert in the seven years that I’ve been with the band, the entire flute section tied tinsel round our instruments for added shininess and we had a mixture of words and music to start off Christmas: Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride and a fiendishly difficult but effective arrangement of The Nutcracker for Christmas cheer; a sprinkling of the fiendishly difficult and actually not all that interesting arrangement of John Williams’ music for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for that Christmas Day afternoon; and a nice serving of carols (the audience will stand and sing.

All too soon it was over; Mum and Dad headed back to the New Forest and Emma and I headed home…

]]> https://shepline.com/2007/12/15/on-the-fifteenth-day-of-advent-festive-frolics-2/feed/ 0 Christmas in October https://shepline.com/2007/10/19/christmas-in-october-2/ https://shepline.com/2007/10/19/christmas-in-october-2/#respond Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:50:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/christmas-in-october-2/ Yes, I know, mentioning Christmas even before Halloween? How could I? Scurrilous behaviour! 😉 But for some of us, we have to. Now that last weekend’s Proms-style concert is done and dusted, we have to turn our attention to Saturday 15 December and An Instant Christmas – everything you need to enjoy the festive season.

As such, last night, appropriate music was brought out including, Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival (never played this before on picc), and some excerpts from The Nutcracker (one of my favourite pieces of music ‘though as I’ve now discovered, fiendishly difficult to play.

]]> https://shepline.com/2007/10/19/christmas-in-october-2/feed/ 0 The Very Last Night Night of the Proms https://shepline.com/2007/10/13/the-very-last-night-night-of-the-proms-2/ https://shepline.com/2007/10/13/the-very-last-night-night-of-the-proms-2/#respond Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:45:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/the-very-last-night-night-of-the-proms-2/ Tonight’s concert was not quite like any other I have ever done. With a Proms-style, the Abingdon Guildhall was decked out in bunting, union jacks, and red, white and blue balloons, and the auditorium arranged around five long tables. We were seated on the stage, squished to one side with the other side taken up by the Abingdon Town Band.

When Emma arrived with her Mum, apparently I looked like I was terrified – a nervousness that she’d only seen in me before on our first date. Still, the concert went off to great success (including the un-rehearsed performance of The Blues Brothers).

With a BBC2 first half, following the interval we moved off into a BBC1 finish of flag-waving and pomp and circumstance with party-poppers and silliness… 🙂

]]> https://shepline.com/2007/10/13/the-very-last-night-night-of-the-proms-2/feed/ 0 Hereby you are all invited to… https://shepline.com/2004/03/19/hereby-you-are-all-invited-to/ Fri, 19 Mar 2004 10:23:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=456 ACBposter_20040319On Saturday 27 March @ 7.30pm, as part of the Abingdon Arts Festival….
Abingdon Concert Band
present
Gallimaufry: a Concert of Music

featuring…
Stage Centre — GOFF RICHARDS (b. 1944)
Andante Cantabile — PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)
Serenade Op.44 — ANTONIN DVORAK (1841–1904)
Singin’ in the Rain — NACIO HERB BROWN (1896–1964)
Prelude, Siciliano & Rhondo — Sir MALCOLM ARNOLD (b. 1921)
On the Quarterdeck — KENNETH ALFORD (1881–1945)
Sandpaper Ballet — LEROY ANDERSON (1908–1975)
The Grasshoppers’ Dance — ERNEST BUCALOSSI (1863–1929)
Suite Française — DARIUS MILHAUD (1892–1974)
Il postino — LUIS BACALOV (b. 1933)
Gallimaufry — GUY WOOLFENDEN (b. 1937)

Tickets £6 (£5 concessions)
and cds of past concerts will be on sale on the night

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