Congleton Youth Orchestra
Welcome to The Baton
July 2025 - News Letter
Term dates
New Strings Tutor
You are all now aware thatne is leaving us at the end of this term. She has been with for a very long time and will be sadly missed. We wish her all the best her new position.
However, we are delighted to tell you that have appointed a new Strings Tutor who will be joining us for a couple of handover rehearsals June 21st and July 5th before taking up his appointment in September. His name is Jerome McGuinness, and he is a graduate of the RNCM. Some of you may have already met him during one of the LMT weekends. He particularly enjoys folk medieval music, as well as teaching, performing, and composing. He runs a folk group and Sinfonia for the LMT and is really looking forward to being part of the CYO team. We are sure he will enjoy his time with CYO.
Jerome McGuinness (Strings Tutor)
Exciting Fundraising News!
We have recently been accepted as a participant in the Tesco
Stronger Starts fundraising opportunity for July/August/September.
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If your family, friends, or relatives shop at Tesco, please ask them to choose CYO as their chosen charity and help us generate valuable funds to repair some of our instruments. It costs you nothing but will help us enormously.
The David Daniel Award 2025
This award is set to be presented at our concert on July 12th. Who will the deserving recipients this year? This award is given annually each July, with the selection criteria focusing on the most improved musical ability during a full academic year from September to June, along with excellent attendance and commitment to CYO. The award will take the form of a financial voucher, which may be redeemed by the recipient for upgrading their own instrument or for additional private instrumental music tuition. The award is funded by a special grant made in memory of David Daniel MBE by the Congleton Inclosure Trust.
Reminder of Concert Dates
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Saturday, July 12, 2025 - Town Hall, Congleton.
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Sunday December 7, 2025 - Town Hall, Congleton.
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Saturday, March 28, 202 - Town Hall, Congleton.
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Saturday, July 11, 2026 (Provisional) - Town Hall, Congleton.
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P.S. We will NOT be taking part in the LMT event at the Town Hall on Friday 27th June for those who attended the weekend at Chester.
Message from the Trustees and Staff of the CYO
The Trustees and Staff wish to congratulate everyone on another tremendously successful year. Have a lovely summer and we will see you all on September 6th.
To find out more scan the QR code using your phone's camera --->>
Jane Walker
(Strings Tutor)
Message from Jayne
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Musicians, Before I leave my post String Tutor, I want to say thank you for the past 11 years. Thank you for all the rehearsals, all the practice hours, all the concerts, and your continued commitment to CYO. I extend my gratitude to the trustees, helpers, and tutors; I’ve had a great time working with you all and witnessing the hard work you do to not only educate but also shape the future musical landscape. Although I’m stepping down as String Tutor, I’m actually just exchanging one role for another, and I’m very much looking forward to following my son’s musical as a parent helper. I cannot wait to see what you all play next, and I’ll be cheering for you every step of the, but from the audience this time. Fondest musical wishes, Jayne W-D
Message from Charlotte
As we prepare to wrap up another year with the Congleton Orchestra, I want to take a moment to say a big thank you to every single one of our young musicians. Watching you all grow in confidence and musicality continues be a real privilege. Your dedication to showing up week in and week out, on precious weekends, to come and play music together is wonderful. I’d also like to extend my thanks to the tutors, trustees, and wonderful volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Your time, patience, and passion are what make this orchestra such a success. Some personal highlights were: - An excellent performance of Dvorak's New World, first movement. What a fantastic way to end that half of the concert, and with such a technical piece of music! - Selling out our 30th anniversary concert. Wow- Squeezing in two orchestral weekends the year. Seeing you all play alongside other orchestral musicians and creating such a good performance in a short space of time is so admirable. Thanks again, and see you all for another year of CYO in September! Charlotte.
