REIGATE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY FORTY YEARS ON
The Reigate Philharmonic Society (RPS) has been bringing fine music to Reigate and its surrounding areas for forty-two years. So it is fitting that its Founder and Artistic Director, Christopher Slater, should be its chairman for another year.
He formed the RPS in 1964. He and his wife Pat, had just moved to Reigate and, in the Autumn of 1963, he organised a piano recital in a private home to judge what support there might be. He became artistic director and, engaged all the artists with the help of Pat and his father, Harold Slater, who was the secretary.
The Society has had many distinguished presidents, such as the Countess of Munster, Lord Sumner local MPs Sir John Vaughan-Morgan and Sir Geoffrey Howe QC, and Ruth Dyson, harpischordist. The current president is John Stone, 'cellist, former secretary and chairman, whose wife Nancy was also secretary for many years. After serving as secretary for nine years, Mrs Shirley Knights is now Box Office manager. The new secretary is Mrs Joan McLeod.
The first chairman was local solicitor, Graham Silverton, and he was be one of the guests of honour at the 40th anniversary concert on Saturday, October 9, 2004.
At various times, events were held at St Mark's Hall and St Mary's Church Hall in Reigate and The Central Methodist Church, and the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill. Then in 1986 the headmaster of The Reigate Grammar School, John Hamlin, invited RPS to use their concert hall, where they have been held ever since.
Now the RPS has some of its concerts in the Recital Room of their new Music Department, which has excellent acoustics and a new Yamaha piano.
More than 185 concerts have been presented in the intervening years by many well-known musicians.
Over the years, a host of different instruments have been featured in the concerts. In the seventies the world's foremost recorder player Carl Dolmelch, oboist Leon Goossens and clarinettist Jack Brymer performed. In 1987 an American Allen Digital computer organ was specially installed in St Marks Hall for a concert by organist Robin Kimber.
World famous percussionist James Blade OBE, who started in a circus band and graduated to playing with the likes of Sir Thomas Beecham played for the RPS. He was accompanied by his wife, Joan Goossens, a member of the famous musical family.
Ruth Dyson, harpsichordist and clavichordist of international reputation, was a Professor of Harpsichord and Piano and a Fellow of the Royal College of Music. She was well-known to radio audiences and made recordings of early keyboard instruments for the BBC Archives.
There were many memorable concerts. For example, in February 1974 husband and wife concert pianists, Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick, played two pianos, three hands. Cyril Smith had earlier suffered a stroke when on tour in Russia, which deprived him of the use of his left hand. But he fought back and continued to perform with his wife.
Other famous pianists include Colin Horsley, Bernard Roberts, Malcolm Binns, Howard Shelly. Martino Tirimo, Tadworth's Alan Brown and Reigate's Kevin Kenner, who illustrated his concert with slides and poems.
One of the Society's aims is to encourage young people, just starting out on musical careers. A fine example of this is Freddy Kempf, who was BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1992 and played for the RPS in November 1993. Now a top-flight concert performer, he played in "Classic FM Live" at the Royal Albert Hall this April.
Rachel Masters, who was winner of the Young Musicians Platform Award in 1979, played for the Society in April 1980 and went on to become principal harpist for the National Youth Orchestra.
There were some amusing incidents, like the time when concert pianist and TV quizmaster, Joseph Cooper was presenting "The Schumann Story". He got locked out of St Mary's Hall in Chart Lane during the interval, which caused much consternation.
All types of music have been presented. The first jazz concert was held in October 1988 when Gerry Brown and the Mission Hall Jazz band played and, more recently, The Neville Dickie Quartet playing stride jazz proved tremendously popular.
In 1968 the society invited The Jaye Consort of Viols to play secular music of the 13th and 14th century on a hurdy-gurdy, medieval fiddle, pipe and tabor, organ shawm, ministrel's harp, bagpipes, ancient trumpet and nakerset!
Two Victorian evenings have been staged. One in January 1977 and the other in November 1999 when Reigate's musical couple, Sarah Jane Dale and Anthony Morris, sang songs of the era.
Always innovative, in April 1972, RPS asked Daphne Oram, who worked for the BBC, to play electronic and computer music. This was held at what is now the East Surrey College.
The 1976-77 Season was an outstanding one, when clarinettist Jack Brymer, recorder player Carl Dolmetch, 'cellist Maureen Lovell accompanied by RPS Artistic Director, Chris Slater, and Madrid-born harpist Marisa Robles graced the platforms.
It was as a result of the Coull String Quartet playing in St Marks Hall in November 1983 for RPS that it was offered its present venue. In the quartet was viola player and old boy of the Reigate Grammar School, David Curtis.
One of the initial objects of the society was to present orchestral concerts, so in 1964 Slater formed the New Chamber Orchestra.
On April 20 1985, that same orchestra, conducted by Slater helped RPS to celebrate its coming of age. The 21st Birthday Concert coincided with the 300th anniversary of the birth of Bach, Handel and Scarlatti, whose work featured in the programme.
To mark its 25th anniversary in 1989, his orchestra - then called the Slater Sinfonietta - played again, with Carole Presland at the piano. She also played for the celebration of Mozart's Bi-Centenary in 1991, and again in 2003.
In 2004, to celebrate the 40th anniversary, Slater re-created that first orchestral concert presented by RPS in 1966 with the same orchestra. They played the same programme, with Slater again at the piano, playing the Mozart Piano Concert no. 12 in A, and it was a great success.
During the 2004-5 season, the Society presented its first-ever international artist, when Viennese 'cellist Orfeo Mandozzi, accompanied by local pianist, Caroline Clipsham performed the first concert of 2005.
In February 2006, the Society had its most successful concert ever, when an Ensemble of The London Mozart Players performed to a packed and most appreciative audience. This was to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the composer's birth and was probably one of the first of hundreds of celebration concerts, countrywide.
This was followed in March by a fabulous evening of arias from the opera, presented by four delightful singers and the Director of the National Opera Studio.
