About

Live Music from Top Artists

The musical spectrum is very wide, encompassing”classical”, “popular classical”, “show music”, “jazz”, etc. How you rank the styles is very much a matter of personal choice. The Penrith Organ Society aims to provide a programme of music which, while it might not always be exactly to your taste, will appeal to the widest audience, Thus, it is probably best described as “middle of the road”.

The majority of the guest artistes play a modern, two manual electronic organ.

Our Society

The society was formed in 1975 by a small group of players who wanted to share their musical interest and involve others in the pleasure of music performed on an electronic organ. They met in the Evergreen Hall (which is still our venue) but,no being large euough in numbers to warrant using the stage,they grouped themselves around the organ,which was located in the centre on the floor. They took it in turns to play and to discuss the various tips about how to get the best out of the organ,and general points of playing technique-what we would now call a “workshop”.

During the embyro stage there was no question of being able to buy a “club organ” but they were generously loaned an instrument by Creighton & Tweedle who, conveniently, had a shop, only about 100 yards away,that specialised in organs and pianos.

The first President was Robinson Cleaver who had previously been the resident organist at the Lonsdale Cinema In Carlisle.When he retired his place was taken by Mr Dennis Tweedie,one of the founder Members.

As the saying goes,”From small acorns come great oak trees”,and since those early days the Society has grown to its current strength of 93amd we reguarly attract between 10 and twenty visitors,some of whom travel from a 30 mile radius and sometimes from further a field. Not unexpectedly, the growth in the membership has come largely from people who love to listen to music well played on an organ, rather that from people who are competent amateurs themselves- though we suspect some Members are better players than they will admit!

In the early mid 1990s it became obvious that, if the Society was to progress further, ot would be necessary to invite better guest artistes and this policy, in turn, required an increase in subscription to fund it. Even now the subscription is only £25 a year, and with no extra admission charge, which makes it by far “The Best Value Entertainment In Town”! It would be invidious to quote names but, as a result of this policy, we are now able to attract artistes that are known nationally, and some internationally.

A more recent change introduced by the society has been a video camera/projection screen, one of the few such installations in the UK. This is described in more detail below.

Penrith and the lake district attract holiday-makers, some of whom time their vists to coincide with a particular artiste’s concert. Why not treat yourself to a long weekend combining walking, sightseeing and music?! there is plenty of local accommodation ranging from caravan sites, 4 star hotels to good “B&Bs”. You will find the Penrith Tourist Office on 01768 867466 or see below for website.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Venue

We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 8pm(except where shown in the Programme) in the Evergreen Hall, Bluebell Lane, Penrith, CA11 7LU. The Hall, which can perhaps be best described as a Community Centre, can comfortably seat 125 people and has a raised stage at one end. Tea and Coffe are available at the interval. Ample free parking is available after 6pm “right next door”, and there is good disabled access.

Concerts

Concerts generally start at 8pm and end soon after 10pm – depending on the length of the encore!- Visitors are welcome to all concerts include the A.G.M. . Full programme times are available here

HOW TO FIND US

* If approaching from the North or the South, exit from the M6 at junction 40, and head for Penirth, getting into lefthand lane marked A592 on the roadway. After about 200 yards go “across” the mini roundabout, pass Aldi and the Railway Station on the left and the Castle ruins on the right. At the next mini roundabout turn left for about 100 yards to the next mini roundabout, where you turn right (Morrisons Supermarket will be on your right). Ignore the first (narrow) road to the right but take the next right, which is very close – about 25 yards -marked “car park” . Evergreen Hall is on the right hand side of the carpark .

* If approaching from the North East via the A69, keep on the A69 untill you reach the M6 at junction 43. Turn South on the M6 to junction 40 and follow instructions above.

* If approaching from the North East via A66, keep on the A66 untill it meets the M6 at junction 40. Then follow the instructions above as if you had reached junction 40 from the south.

Hope you have a good journey and we look forward to meeting you!

Admission

2009/10 rates

Visitors £4.00 payable at the door (under 16s accompanied by adult £1.00)

Membership – £25.00 for the year

Contacts – Chairman 07766223497 – Secretary 01768 862761

Penirth Organ Society Email www.penrithorgansociety@googlemail.com

Interval, Tea or Coffee is 50p. Raffle extra