Wendy Marks Woodwind Tuition, Freeland, Nr Witney, Oxfordshire
“What a pleasure it was to listen to this talented group of musicians conducted by Wendy Marks, who performed a wide range of music from Alessandro Scarlatti, William Boyce, Franz Schubert, Bedrich Smetena and Irving Berlin. The concert, held in the Village Hall, included pupils of Wendy Marks as soloists whose ages ranged from 10 to 66 years on oboe, flute and clarinet.
Our sincere thanks go to Wendy Marks who not only conducted the orchestra but treated us to a beautiful oboe solo.
Thank you to the members of the orchestra who, with Wendy, gave their time to prepare and present such a delightful concert.” Jill & Ray Evans
“On Friday 5th December Freeland Orchestra held its Christmas concert in the Village
Hall. It was very well attended with over 80 people, including the musicians, in
the hall.
When I arrived, just before the start of the concert, I was struck by the
very cheerful and expectant atmosphere and this happy mood remained throughout the
concert.
During the evening we were treated to a varied and warmly applauded programme
by Freeland Orchestra. This was interspersed with solo pieces played by pupils of
Wendy Marks, the conductor of the Orchestra. It was particularly interesting to hear
these pupils perform as they were all at different music grade levels. I thought
they made a lovely and convincing sound and seemed to be much at ease with their
instruments i.e. Flute, oboe, cor anglais and clarinet.
I thoroughly enjoyed the evening
and look forward to the Summer Concert on Friday 3rd July 2009. “ Hanne Webster
July 11th 2008
December 5th 2008
“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
CONCERT REVIEWS
July 3rd 2009
“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
December 4th 2009