Dear Friends,

Cantorum Choir's Concert of Easter Music on Saturday 1st April 2006 at 8:00pm will include Rutter's Requiem and various motets the choir will be singing on the tour to Venice.  The venue is at St Lukes’ Church, Norfolk Road, Maidenhead. Tickets £8.50 (students £6.50) and are available from Stationery Depot, The Parade Cookham and Post Office Stores Cookham Dean, Box office 01628 525371. So if you cannot join us in Venice, then do come along we would love to see and perform for you some beautiful pieces of choral music.

Cantorum's Tour to Venice, 7th - 11th April 2006 is all set to be one of the most exciting tours we've ever taken on, with magnificent performance venues in - arguably - the most beautiful and romantic city in the world!

Choir (and partners) will fly out on Friday to stay in accommodation just off St Mark's Square. During the long weekend we hope to perform three/four (to be finalised) concerts and services, but we’re also looking forward to plenty of ‘R&R’ enjoying the beauty and magic of Venice.

At present, our performance schedule (to be finally confirmed) is as follows: -

8th April 2006 (Saturday) 6:00 pm

Evening concert in the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

9th April 2006 (Palm Sunday)

6.45 pm Service in the Basilica of San Marco (St Mark's itself)

10th April 2006 (Monday of Holy Week) 10:00 until 12:00

Morning Recital in Palladio's waterside church of San Giorgio Maggiore

Any money we raise from this tour will be donated to charity. We're currently finding out about the 'Venice in Peril' Fund, set up in Venice itself by Lady Clarke Molyneux.

Summer Concert

On the 18th June we shall be performing Rutter’s Wind in the Willows as a pre-recorded broadcast for this year’s Cookham Summer FM - with, we hope, a local celebrity narrator. Your support for this concert will be extremely welcome in creating an ’ambience’  for the broadcast. Tickets for this event will be on sale at our 1^st April concert.

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Most of you are aware that, apart from performing for you and enjoying ourselves in the process, we aim to raise money each year to support local charities. This year we’ve chosen to support the Thames Valley Hospice and the Air Ambulance. I’m pleased to inform you that following your kind donations at our Christmas Concert and including Cantorum’s own support we’re now able to make a donation of £350 to each charity.

Last year we raised £760 at the 'Two Requiems' concert in October. As promised, we donated this straightaway to the DEC Pakistan Earthquake appeal fund. We'd like to thank all of you, and the members of the orchestra, too, for your exceptionally warm and moving generosity.

Finally, I‘d like to draw your attention to our future concert schedule listed below, and particularly to our Valentine’s Sumptuous Supper. This is a very popular biennial event, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

May I take this opportunity on behalf of the Choir to thank you all again for your continued enthusiastic and generous support - for which we are so grateful.

Kind regards.

Nick Weait

Cantorum Chairman