30 Years of Great Music

To all Amigos/as

From Helga Hampton                              September 1, 2020

Dear Amigos,                                                                                                           

Welcome  to the 2020/21 Concert Season ! 

Let me be a bit business-like in structuring this first Newsletter of the new season and introduce it with the short notice that it will only deal with the September concerts:

1. September concerts
2. Concert programmes (attachment)
3. Safety Modifications  (attachment)
4. Plea for Collaboration

• AGM Convocation
• Amigo Extra:  Recital of Tiago Rosario at Teatro Lethes
• AOB

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1. Your response to my invitation to join us in our courageous project to restart live music at Os Agostos was great, over and above all expectation !  I thank you for your confidence and for your enthusiasm.  In all this, however, the greatest satisfaction I derived is from fact that you are all well, safe and ready to come out to confront the grave challenge this pandemic poses to the performing arts, and mainly to “our” particular passion:  classical music.

1. We shall kick off befitting this Beethoven year in grand style.  Alexander Schimpf, the German pianist not unknown to the Amigos, is playing for us on Tuesday, September 15^th the last three sonatas by the Great Man, and for Thursday Alexander chose an imaginative array of works by Scarlatti, Schubert, Medtner and Ginastera.  Something to look forward to. I am attaching to this Newsletter the complete concert programme, not only for your information, but also for you to print-out. Bring this print-out with you to the concert – for safety reasons we shall not distribute the printed version on the concert evening.

• Please also consult the next attachment:  “Safety Modifications” –  for print-out, too.  In all of our joyful anticipation to finally have some live music to enjoy again, I must not be remiss in reassuring you that we did everything to make our venue safe.  In my last Newsletter I explained the move from our Os Agostos Adega Auditorium to the Marquee in order to adhere to distancing regulations.  In the Safety Modification leaflet, all other hygiene and safety rules are explained. PLEASE heed all advice!  Only with your individual collaboration and combined help can we stay safe – each one of us is responsible. Imagine if our gatherings resulted in a corona virus cluster in the Algarve !!!!

• Collaboration is the key word for safety, but let me expand on this one more level: Having moved out from our auditorium into the Marquee we find ourselves in a completely different ambiance and scenario. Classical music has never been performed in this relatively vast space and a piano* has to be brought in. We are all together in an experiment !!!! Please be alert, be aware and let us have your impression, not verbally on the concert evening – WE HAVE TO OBSERVE DISTANCING RULES !! – send me an email. This is very important for our work on future programming.

* The piano on which Alexander will play, is an identical Yamaha model, but loaned. Ours we could not safely transport across the rough cobblestone terraces.

• Our AGM is usually held just before the new season’s first concert, but this year, for obvious reasons, it will instead be a virtual meeting, to be held on 22 September 2020. John Levitt, the President of the AGM, has sent out the convocation together with the reports by various officers and committees as well as a proxy form.  If you have any queries on these reports or accounts, please send them by email before September 22, 2020 so they can be answered online.

Attendance at the meeting is not expected, which will be chaired by John Levitt together with the small number of proxies forming the meeting to ensure that points raised are discussed. Fill out and return the proxy together with any items you think should be on the agenda or you would like your Management Committee to consider.  This is important, because we need and value your in-put.

• Amigo Extra:  Sunday, October 18^th 2020 was set aside for the next Amigo Extra when our sponsoree, Tiago Rosario, will give us a piano recital in Teatro Lethes in Faro at 19:00. Please put the date in your diaries – details will be sent out soon.  Cristina will then expect and accept your reservations.

• In AOB:  I would like to give you detailed information about our upcoming monthly concerts and artists at a later date. The present epidemiological situation in Portugal is making me somewhat hesitant to do so now, and I think I can rely on your understanding. Bear with me.

Stay safe, stay in touch and if it is still hot, stay cool.  I am writing this from refreshing cool London.

Best regards,

Helga Hampton
President
ASSOCIAҪÃO DE AMIGOS DE MUSICA at Os Agostos
E-mail: helga.hampton@gmail.com
www: http://www.amigos-de-musica.org