Please note that theThe Music Appreciation Group now meets at Lymm Baptist Church in Ligher Lane from September through to July.
Time: 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm (doors open at 1.45 pm for prompt start).
There is a short break for refreshments.

The objective of the group is to enhance members’ enjoyment of all types of music through a series of eight meetings each season. We listen to a variety of music presented by members and guests, and we also have visits from performing groups from time to time. We also invite specialist speakers to help us to broaden our knowledge of the musical repertoire,

We currently have spaces and look forward to welcoming new members to our group.

If you would like more information please contact Diane O or Roger D.

MEETINGS THIS SEASON

10th September 2026

Knights to Remember : recollections of outstanding British conductors
Our new season kicks off on Thursday, 10th September with what promises to be a fascinating talk by member ALISTAIR BEATTIE. A long-serving viola player in the BBC Scottish Symphony, Alistair worked with top conductors in the UK and abroad. In his talk, he looks back on the pleasures — and challenges — of playing under the baton of seven British conductors, all of whom became knights of the realm: Alexander Gibson, Andrew Davis, Simon Rattle, Adrian Boult, Malcolm Arnold, Mark Elder and Donald Runnicles. The talk will be illustrated by recordings of these Knights to Remember in action.

8th October 2026
Th influence of Jazz on Classical Music
An illustrated presentation by group member ALISTAIR BEATTIE.

12th November 2026
Live performance
We welcome back musicians from the University of Manchester (full details to follow).

3rd December 2026
Benjamin Britten 1913 - 1976
Dr Annika Forkert from the Royal Northern College of Music marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the pre-eminent British composer of the 20th century, who died in December 1976, with a talk including recordings of some of his finest compositions.

14th January 2027
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 - 1827
To mark the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death we welcome Prof Barry Cooper from the University of Manchester, one of the UK's leading authorities on the composer. Prof Cooper will illustrate his talk with examples of many of the composer's finest works.

11th Februry 202
My Favourite Contemporary Composers
Our own group member Helen MacDonald particularly enjoys the music of present-day composers. In her presentation, she picks out some of her favourite examples including works by Philip Glass and Carl Jenkins.

11th March 2027
Live periormance
We welcome back musicians from the University of Manchester (full details to follow).

8th April 2027
From Wunderkind to Father of Film Music
The Austrian composer Erich Korngold (1897 - 1957) moved to America and became one of the most influential film music composers in the history of Hollywood. Alistair Beattie's talk includes examples of his prolific output.

6th May 2027
Great artists letting their hair down
Placido Domingo singing Neapolitan songs; Kiri te Kanawa singing Gershwin; Jonas Kauffman singing songs from the movies. Group member Eve Miles gives an illustrated presentation on such ‘cross-over’ artists demonstrating their impressive versatility.

10th June 2027
Themes and Variations
We are fortunate that many composers (Brahms being a prime example) were (and continue to be) adept at producing variations on themes by their predecessors that subsequently became masterpieces in their own right. Roger Dowling presents some outstanding examples and we hear some of the humbler pieces from which these masterpieces emerged.