Wendy Marks Woodwind Tuition, Freeland, Nr Witney, Oxfordshire
“On a lovely sunny evening in July, the Joint Summer Concert by Freeland Orchestra and pupils of Wendy Marks was a gloriously happy, community event. Nearly every seat was taken in the village hall as friends, family, neighbours, residents and visitors enjoyed the cheerful repertoire from the 18 strong orchestra and solo performers. The orchestra made a lovely big sound through dance tunes by Delibes, Strauss, Morand and Karl Jenkins, perfectly punctuated by some excellent percussion playing. The brave soloists all played really well, many of whom had only been learning a short while. All of this was the rewarding result for the enthusiasm and hard work of conductor/teacher and accompanist Wendy Marks. Well done! With free admission and cakes at the interval, I can safely say that a good time was had by all. There is nothing quite as heart warming as watching keen amateurs, young and old, put their practice into performance, so look out for the winter concert at the beginning of December, and feel the warm glow of pride from the grandparents sat next to you!” Morag Crowther
“I arrived just in time to take one of the few remaining seats in a full house for Freeland Orchestra’s concert. For what is a relatively new venture, it seems that this orchestra has created a good following, because their last concert was equally full. The audience no doubt contained many family and friends, but there were other equally appreciative people there as well. It was particularly encouraging to see a number of young people listening intently, too.
The concert featured items from the orchestra and pupils of Wendy Marks, the founder and conductor, and showed off the talents of players from 9 to, oh, perhaps 70 years old! The younger performers all played solos, accompanied by Wendy on keyboard. Confidence was high, with some accomplished performances on flute, oboe and clarinet. There was some very musical playing, showing much promise.
I know from teaching experience that adults find it harder, generally, than children to perform solos. They often prefer to play in larger ensembles, like the orchestra. However, there were solo parts coming through very strongly from within the orchestra, showing some good playing and projection. There was a great sense of enthusiasm all round, resulting in a strong sense of ensemble and musicality from the whole orchestra.
Growing numbers of wind players in the orchestra mean Wendy is forming a wind band in January. The success of the orchestra looks set to spill over into another good community group, benefiting players and listeners alike. The New Village Hall Fund is also better off after this concert, thanks to a retiring collection. This was a very enjoyable evening, and villagers should try to catch the next concert.” Doug Lamb
Programme:
Claude Debussy -
Antonin Dvorak -
Antonin Dvorak -
Emmanuel Chabrier – Joyeuse Marche
July 3rd 2009
December 4th 2009
“A packed village hall on Friday 2nd July witnessed the final concert before its demolition and the building of a new hall for 2011. With her energy and enthusiasm, no one has done more for Freeland music than Wendy Marks, so it was appropriate that in this last concert she conducted music played by two of her 'creations', The West Oxfordshire Winds (WOW) and The Freeland Orchestra.
The first half was a varied combination of pieces for WOW, from Henry Mancini's Pink
Panther theme to Bernstein's The Great Escape. The members, twenty-
After the interval, the twenty-
So a successful and enjoyable concert to mark the end of one era for the hall but the start of a new era for the two orchestras under Wendy Marks.” Alastair Lack
Orchestral Programme:
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring -
Two movements from Jeux d'Enfants -
1. Trompette et Tambour
2. La Toupie -
Gabriel's Oboe (from The Mission) -
Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 & 5 -
Radetzky March -
CONCERT REVIEWS
July 2nd 2010
“Despite the freezing weather and treacherous roads, resulting in the late arrival of half the brass section, an audience of around 100 people came to Eynsham Village Hall to enjoy a very entertaining evening of light classical, modern show tunes and festive favourites performed by West Oxfordshire Winds and Freeland Orchestra.
In the first half the Winds gave us an enjoyable mix of pieces from Mozart to Wallace and Gromit Theme, including performances by several ensembles and some great solos. After the interval the Orchestra played some familiar classical pieces and ended with a popular selection from South Pacific.
It was lovely to see such a broad range of instruments and performers and all musicians, and the parents of the younger players, would like to extend their thanks to Orchestra conductor Wendy Marks for this fantastic opportunity to play the instruments they love in the company of like minded people. A retiring collection raised over £100 for the new Freeland Village Hall.” Keith Skerrett
West Oxfordshire Winds’ Programme:
Kalinka -
Southern Comfort -
Wallace and Gromit Theme -
Snow White Medley -
Orchestral Programme:
Occasional Overture -
Ave Maria -
Minuet and Trio (From the Jupiter Symphony) -
Perpetuum Mobile -
South Pacific Selection -
December 3rd 2010