Thursday Fortnightly - The Black Horse, Moss Bank, St Helens
New hosts Jim and Joan at the Black Horse up Moss Bank Road are starting an open mic night from January 8th. Very relaxed, acoustic/electric, free admission and REAL ALE at the bar!

Open mic night, acoustic / electric based, PA provided and even the odd guitar or two is available if you forget to bring your own.
Everyone welcome from solo performers to small bands who want to play either just one song or have many to choose from.

YouTube is offering musicians around the globe the opportunity to join a symphony orchestra via video through the world's first collaborative online orchestra. This is a chance to perform alongside world-renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, learn from composer Tan Dun and many members of the London Symphony Orchestra, and consult with pianist Lang Lang. All video entries will be combined into the first-ever collaborative virtual performance, and people around the world will select their favorites to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall in April 2009.

Dream Performance - new BBC programme seeks performers

deadline: 31 December 2008

A brand new entertainment programme is coming to BBC television in the new year. It’s not a talent competition and there are no judges or public voting - just a chance to shine. 'Dream Performance' is looking for people with a hidden talent they're longing to unleash or anyone who has always wanted to learn a new performance skill.

Came across this today. Sounds interesting. Are any schools in St Helens involved in it?

"Blastbeat is an award winning, fun & exciting, new Teen Music & Multimedia Business project offered to high schools around the world to teach entrepreneurial business skills, promote young musicians, and support youth communities on a local and global level."

http://www.blastbeat.org/

Our next music net meeting is this thursday - 4th december - 1.30 to 3.30 at the Citadel.

Everyone is welcome to our meetings. Music net welcomes everyone - all musical genres, abilities and interests.

We hope you can join us for coffee and biscuits and a chat about our future plans. What do you want to see from music-net next year?

The deadline for nominating someone for a Cultural Award is approaching. You have until Friday December 5th to submit nominations for St.Helens Council's new Cultural Awards. There are several categories open to performers and musicians as well as organisations. We're looking forward to hearing about all the talent working here in St Helens, and of course we hope you'll nominate music net for our achievements in promoting music within the Borough!

Further information from the organisers:

Reverberate - Music Leader Trainee

Are you a skilled musician based in St Helens? Would you like to learn how to use your skills to work with young people? If so then read on....

This is a short-term trainee position with the Reverberate band development programme.

The St.Helens Sinfonietta’s “in-house” wind ensemble, HarmonieMusik, derives its name from the German use of the word Harmonie to describe an instrumental group comprising, typically, two each of oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns, with or without a flute on top. This is not an easy combination to write for, as many composers have found. Saturday’s concert revealed that Mozart’s little-known contemporary, Antonio Rosetti, was one who didn’t quite get it right.

News from another media -

Whiskey Headshot is the union of four psychedelic souls conducting sonic experiments on board their flying pirate ship, resulting in music of undeniable beauty – their love of vintage avant-garde polished to a shimmering pop finish.

Forming in Liverpool the band have claimed the title of being the best unsigned band in the city after 2 years of writing, rehearsing and gigging all over the UK, collecting a growing army of friends & fans along the way.

On the back of summer recording sessions in both The Motor Museum and Parr Street Studios, Whiskey Headshot are proud to announce their end of year party at Liverpool’s Carling Academy, on Saturday November 22nd.

News from CVS about training coming up -

http://www.sthelenscvs.org.uk/downloadfile.aspx?GroupId=28615&cid=20255&...

Please find the link above to a number of training courses that we are running between now and early December.

If you live or work in St Helens we are offering a special offer of £10 per place, if you would like to take advantage of this please contact Lisa Brown either by telephone 01744 457114, or by email: lbrown@sthelenscvs.org.uk