hago - newsletter October 2005
This is a web-archive of the Newsletter we emailed to our newsletter subscribers in October 2005
CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
CONCERT NEWS
DIARY
WEBSITE NEWS
RECRUITMENT NEWS
GUITAR NEWS
FOR OVERSEAS VISITORS
PUBLICITY
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
As always, this free newsletter is a small-scale plain-text production to keep you in touch with what's happening in hago - we always include links
into our main website where you can read more, see photos and explore still further, so do click when you see a link!
CONCERT NEWS
We're part of a fund-raising concert for the Cecily fund on November 12th.
It's our first concert in Petersfield, and if you want to come and hear us, lots of other acts, and learn more about the Cecily Fund, oh, and have a
supper too, check out www.stmarymagdalensheet.org.uk/social.htm
We're also playing in December, both publicly and privately.
We're very pleased to be raising funds again for The Rowans Hospice, but also for Christ Church Portsdown, in a concert in Widley on December 10th.
There are details at www.hago.org.uk/2005/12/ plus information on how to get tickets.
DIARY
2006 - May 13th
We return to Chichester and team up with WSGC and internationally acclaimed guitarist Amanda Cook for a repeat of the joint concert of 2004 that so
delighted a massive audience. Hear our new repertoire and our new sound.
2006 - June/July
We're welcoming Cambridge Guitar Orchestra back - more details later.
WEBSITE NEWS
The sad death of Ronnie Barker, and the joke caption we had given one of our photos from 2003, saw many people in Google searching for "Fork Handles",
and our site, which ranked second in Google for that search, and now, despite many obituaries on the web, still manages to range seventh, was over-run
by visitors.
That, plus the debacle over the Spinnaker Tower, about which we had a page of local news, has seen our website traffic fly through the roof....
We've served 43,000 pages this month so far, with hits to our website every minute of every day, day and night.
Those outside the area of Portsmouth might not know much about the Spinnaker Tower, which was, believe it or not, supposed to be open on January 1st 2000, not October 18th 2005.
But it's open, and you can be among the first in the world to see the view from the top - just click on www.hago.org.uk/spinnaker-tower/ and come to the top with us on the hottest October 27th in the UK since records began...
RECRUITMENT NEWS
Our two new players are settling in well - come and meet them in our new photo at www.hago.org.uk
We're still looking for a Grade 7+ player to come and take one of our altos, so please keep your ears to the ground.
GUITAR NEWS
There's a new set of photographs on the hago website explaining the mysteries of that peculiarly classical thing, the guitar string knot. And even if
you're fully adept at changing strings, have a look at the neat little knot we do at the pegbox end - it might be new to you. Visit www.hago.org.uk/faqs/
Our third alto arrived - we mentioned last time that we were getting a second hand one to take as a spare.
In fact our MD collected it from Heathrow Airport, and it's proved to be such a fine guitar, that we've ordered another (brand new) from the same manufacturer.
As a result, we're using one of our existing Raimundos as our concert spare, and have a second one that we want to sell.
So if you know of someone wanting an alto/requinto (it depends on the gauge of strings used) in beautiful condition, plus a hard case, please get in touch by replying to this. The list price is £585 and we're looking for offers around £400 - rosewood and spruce, as played when we won the Guitar Orchestra Competition of GB, so it has historical value too <grin>
FOR OVERSEAS VISITORS
Do enjoy our Spinnaker Tower feature - we mentioned it above - you can see Portsmouth Dockyard in the photos, and you'll see HMS Victory, in dry-dock,
and HMS Warrior, in moorings.
PUBLICITY
As a non-profit making orchestra, many of whose concerts are for charity, we are always on the look-out for chances to raise public awareness of what
we do, preferably at no cost, of course. If you are aware of opportunities to publicise what we do, please reply to this newsletter and send us details
- thanks!
Till soon,
Sincerely
Everyone at hago