Members
Vote for KOS!
Good news from our friends in the Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society … plus a call to action!
The Royal Philharmonic Society annual awards recognise star musicians, ensembles, and ventures in classical music “lifting hearts and minds across the nation”. Among these, the RPS Inspiration Award is specially presented to non-professional ensembles, “recognising local heroes who do so much year-round to bring people together through music”, and the winner is unusual in being chosen by public vote … which is where you come in, because KOS are on the short-list of four, and the only one of the four in Scotland! Click the image to see the good things that RPS has to say about KOS.
Please vote for KOS at this link, and pass this on the message to anyone else who might like to support KOS. Voting closes at 11am on Monday 2 February 2026 and the winner will be revealed at the 2026 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards on Thursday 12 March.
DGASS at Buxton
We’re delighted to announce that DGASS have been invited to perform “The Jury’s Out” at the prestigious International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival at Buxton next year. As you’ll see at this link, our performance at 2.30pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026 at St John’s Church, Buxton, is sandwiched between an HMS Pinafore sing-a-long and a pre-theatre talk about The Mikado.
Our 2025 production will be adapted to a semi-staged concert version with piano(s), and we’re hoping most of the première cast will be able to reprise their performances in Derbyshire. More details later – there’ll be rehearsals after Strictly Patience in order to get us back up to speed. Meanwhile, book the date (we’ll get a chance to rehearse at the venue on the afternoon/evening before the show), and start thinking soon about transport and accommodation.
We’d love to have supporters for our show, and you’d enjoy the rest of the Festival. For example, at the Opera House there’s a performance of The Mikado on the evening of our show, and our friends from the Edinburgh G&S Society are performing Iolanthe on Monday 3 August.
General booking starts in February, but the programme is available now at this link.
Strictly Patience rehearsals starting soon
The first rehearsal for Strictly Patience is Wednesday 27 August at Limekilns Parish Church. This will be preceded by a social event from 18:30. (Small donations of cake and biscuits welcome) This will give everyone a chance to catch up and to welcome new members. We’ll start singing around 19:30 with Musical Director Eddie MacLennan and Accompanist Carol Madden.
Printed vocal scores will be available to borrow at the rehearsal, but let Ellen Patrick know if you want a pdf score in the meantime.
Please bring along potential new members!
Rehearsals 2025–26:
Linda Milne (director) will be producing a rehearsal schedule, but the outline is:
Before Christmas:
- the Chorus will rehearse on Wednesdays 19:30–21:30 and there may also be the odd Sunday rehearsal from 14:00–16:00
- Principals will rehearse on Wednesdays 18:30–21:30 and there will also be some scheduled Sunday rehearsals from 14:00–16:00
After Christmas:
- the Chorus will rehearse on Wednesdays 19:30–21:30
- Principals will rehearse on Wednesdays 18:30–21:30
- both Chorus and Principals will rehearse 17:00–19:00 on Sundays from 4 January
Social and fund-raising events
Jack Archibald has announced plans for social and fund-raising events so that you can put the dates in your diaries!
Saturday 27 September: Ceilidh at Limekilns Parish Church. Music from Dunfermline Strathspey and Reel Society. £10 per ticket. Bring friends, family, drinks and a buffet contribution.
Saturday 18 October (19:00 for 19:30 prompt start): Quiz in aid of DGASS at Cowdenbeath Bowling Club, kindly organised for us by Kerry (costumes) and Lindsay (assistant stage manager). £10 per team (max 6 people per team). Aiming to bring at least 3 or 4 teams. Raffle prizes welcome. Irish Bingo. Treasure Trove. Great fun!
Big Raffle – £20 worth of £1 tickets to be issued to members soon. Winning tickets to be drawn at the concert (see below).
Sunday 30 November (afternoon): Seasonal Concert involving some of our members at Limekilns Parish Church. Tickets £10.
Friday 5 December (18:30 for 19:00): Christmas Meal at the Pitbauchlie House Hotel.
Christmas Carol Singing at Tesco (Fire Station): Thursday 11 December (16:00–18:00); Saturday 13 December (10:00–14:00); Thursday 18 December (16:00–19:00). Come for whole or part sessions. Singing friends are welcome too!
Ian Anderson will be signing people up for the weekly “Bonus Ball” draw. £1 per week till show week.
Getting prepared for Strictly Patience – 3
When the first version of this post was prepared, the “interesting fact remained” as characters in both last year’s show and next year’s might put it, is that was then exactly 300 days to our opening night of Patience!
[For those who are wondering “Why so many flowers?”, it’s because our Patience is cast as a florist/gardener rather than the milkmaid in Gilbert’s original]
Do please spread the word, and encourage folk not only to book the dates, but to join in the fun … every G&S show needs a chorus, and the team could include you and your friends. No previous experience is necessary … as it says on our Becoming a member page: “Mostly you need enthusiasm, plus a willingness to dress up, apply make-up, and generally be an idiot on stage!” We start back with our regular Wednesday rehearsals on 27 August at Limekilns, and hope to see you there.
What NODA thought …
Mike Pendlowski, District Representative for District SC7 (Fife) and membership secretary for Scotland, attended our Thursday première and reported on behalf of NODA:
The Jury’s Out is a new piece, re-imagined, adapted and extended, using Sullivan’s music and libretti taken from the pen of WS Gilbert – adapted where necessary, and arranged and directed by Linda D Milne, the creator of tonight’s show. Act One tells the story of Richard and Sally, through a typically Gilbertian convoluted plot, outlining the events that led up to the trial in the well-known and loved Trial By Jury.
The Overture (compiled from Sullivan’s music by Willie Campbell) offered the chance to see a synoptic time-line of the events leading up to the first act.
Set, variously, in a village, on board MV Pinafore, and in a woodland glade, arias and choral numbers from the G&S canon are appropriately inserted into the story by a strong cast of principals assisted by a chorus singing with the gusto we expect from DGASS, and costumed as characters from a variety of the operas.
Sally – the Trial By Jury Plaintiff sung by Jennifer Murray-Smith – worked extremely well with Theodore Rankine-Fourdraine’s Richard Cor – better known to us as the Defendant from the same opera. Jennifer and Theo’s voices, as always, allow the lyrics to be enjoyed by all in a crystal clear manner. Angela was sweetly sung by Sinead Beveridge, whilst Sir Marmaduke was given the Robin Ożóg treatment that regular attendees of Gilbert & Sullivan in Fife will know and love. Robin’s Judge in Trial By Jury never fails to impress each and every time I see it! Henry, Richard’s sidekick in Act One, later to be his Defence Council in Act Two, was given a characterful performance by Kenneth Maciver – the first but hopefully not the last time we see him within the ranks of DGASS. Mike Enright filled the part of Dr Daly (and all things clergy related!) with his extremely effective acting ability, hopefully not to be typecast in the future for all ministerial roles. In Act One, Martin Tarr gave a rounded and full-flavoured take on the part of Adam, and, together with his assistant Cyril (Andrew Murray) formed a very believable duo. Andrew’s acting and especially his facial expressions added immensely to the character. These last two gentlemen morphed happily in to the roles of Usher and trainee Usher in Act Two. However, just when we thought Act One was about to come down, we were treated to a guest appearance by Frances McCafferty – the Society’s Honorary president – in the role of the “other woman”, in this incarnation, Katisha. Frances’ voice and stage presence forming a formidable conclusion to the first act!
Act Two set in a Court of Justice opens with a cameo appearance by Linda Milne as the Court Cleaner before the Courtroom is taken over by our Act One characters brought together in, essentially, a performance of Trial By Jury, but one with a difference, with three appropriate songs imported from some of the other operas. We find all the villagers from the first act reappearing as Members of the Jury and fellow citizens in the public gallery. It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that all works out happily ever after in the end. Technical aspects of the production were in the safe hands of John Allen, whilst direction by Linda Milne and Musical Direction by Eddie MacLennan ensured that tonight’s World Premiere performance reached the high standard which we all enjoyed.
Linda introduces “The Jury’s Out”
You can register your interest by emailing Ellen.
Your next chance to see the Society on stage at Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline will be on 19–21 February 2026 in a sparkling production of Strictly Patience.
