| 19th November 2010 |
SUPPER EVENING - The Story of Barbershop in Words and Music with Southern Brand  Southern Brand is a male voice quartet who sing unaccompanied Barbershop music in close harmony. They are members of the successful Bromley Harmony Club, founded over 30 years ago, who perform in south-east England and in Europe. The origins of Barbershop are with African Americans who literally sang in barber shops. The Barbershop revival started in 1938 and has gained momentum worldwide. Female groups exist and are equally popular. SOUTHERN BRAND will talk about the history of the style, and sing a variety of songs and ballads to entertain us. Price: £ 35.00 per head |
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| 25th March 2011 |
STUDY DAY . The Gilded Stage - A Social and Cultural History of Opera  Daniel Snowman "Here, nothing is played, sung or whistled but 'Figaro'. No opera is drawing like 'Figaro'. Nothing, nothing but 'Figaro". So wrote Mozart in 1787. How did that happen in an age before photography, radio, TV and mass media? Most histories of the art concentrate on revered creators and their works, but this study day goes beyond this and examines opera - an art form that attempts to combine all the others - in its wider historical context. There will be two lectures, each lasting 1hr 30 minutes each. From the birth of opera in late Renaissance Italy, we move to Louis XIV's Versailles, Handel's London, Mozart's Vienna, Verdi's Italy, Wagner's Germany, Gilded Age America and the worldwide spread of opera in the 20th century. DANIEL SNOWMAN is a social and cultural historian and has always had a strong interest in music and musicians. He is now Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Price: £ 35 |
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Past study days and social events
| 5th March 2010 - 5th March 2010 |
Study Morning - Ian Pickford, often seen on the Antiques Roadshow, on SILVER AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS Ripley Arts Centre, 24 Sundridge Avenue, Bromley BR1 2PX  Ian Pickford SILVER AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS. In order to fully appreciate and understand any piece of silver, it is essential to look at it in the context of social customs and ways of life of the period in which it is made. Why for example were such extraordinary objects as Clock Salts produced in the Tudor period, and what did it mean to be above or below the Salt? How was mustard served in England before 1760 and why would you have been happy to drink from a ‘poison cup’ in the 16th century? IAN PICKFORD is a frequent figure on the Antiques Roadshow, where he shares his knowledge of silver and its social customs. This study morning will use slides of contemporary paintings and objects to illustrate and bring to life the evolution of Social Custom and its influence on silver from 1066 through to the early 19th century. The morning will begin with coffee at 10am followed by an hour's lecture. We will have a further break for coffee and biscuits at 11.30 and this will be followed by the second part of the lecture from 12-1pm. We look forward to his visit which we are sure will interest many of us and hope for plenty of support from our members Price: £15 |
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| 19th January 2010 |
New members COFFEE MORNING This is intended to enable new members to meet the Committee and other new members in an informal setting. It will be held in the Bromley Court Hotel on Tuesday, 19th January, 2010. |
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| 27th November 2009 |
Supper Evening at Ripley Arts Centre, 24 Sundridge Avenue, Bromley BR1 2PX  Jeremy Barlow Nursery Notions: The Illustration, Music and History of Nursery Rhymes Copiously illustrated with slides and musical examples, the lecture will present the history of nursery rhyme books from the 18th century to the classic productions of Crane, Caldecott and Greenaway in the 1870s and 80s. There will be examples of the fanciful theories about origins developed by Victorian antiquarians. Sad to say, there is actually little evidence that ‘Ring a Ring of Roses’ has to do with catching the plague! JEREMY BARLOW specialises in music, theatre, dance and popular culture from the 15th to the 19th centuries. He is a performer and writer, and has made several CDs - for example Old English Nursery Rhymes with Broadside Band Price: £30 |
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These courses are available to members and guests, and non-members.
Hill Towns of Umbria in October 2010 <more>
Visit to the Hill Towns of Umbria from the 4th - 8th October, 2010.
AGM <more>
The AGM this year will take place on the first meeting of the new season Monday, 11th October 2010 (the 2nd monday of the month).
