Chairman’s Message to the Members of the
Friends of Orchestral Music
09 December 2018

Dear Members,

2018 IN REVIEW

FOM has enjoyed an exceptional year in 2018 and we thank you, our members, for being part of it.
We also thank our generous sponsors for their contributions to our events:

FOM’s 2018 New Generation Soiree Series was a huge success. Bowmans sponsored not only their stunning head office venue but their excellent chef and his team who provided sumptuous food, their exceptional wine cellar and wonderful staff to provide a glittering platform for our soirees. The music provided by the new generation artists was inspiring and this was made possible by FOM member Bill van Rensburg who sponsored all the performance fees for the 3 soirees.

Our quiz this year was hosted by Morne Wessels as quiz master and his team who generously waived their quiz fee.

Ian Burgess-Simpson Pianos sponsored the piano, including all transport and tuning costs, for our first soiree.

Once again Gerlinde Moser and Neville van den Berg of Remax made our Soiree and Benefit Concert Programmes all the more special with their cover designs and assistance with printing costs.
With regards to our Benefit Gala this year – we had flowers sponsored by XL Events and wine by Constantia Glen, La Chataigne, La Motte and Lourensford. We had an electric atmosphere with soloist Olga Scheps whose fee was co-sponsored by Norbert Furnon-Roberts. It was a sold out concert thanks to the CPO team who ran the seamless background organisation – most ably led by Shirley De Kock Gueller and supported by Louis Heyneman and the Board. All the proceeds of this concert went directly to the CPO which is in need of financial support going into 2019.

We were able to host the CPO rehearsal ticket sales once we were back at the refurbished City Hall with the help of Francisca, Rian and Louise and we are pleased to report an increased income for the winter and spring seasons – all of which will be paid over to the CPO.

In addition to our events, we were delighted when Judge Griesel marked his milestone 70th birthday by asking his friends to donate to FOM in lieu of gifts. This was such a thoughtful gesture – our sincere thanks to Judge Griesel.

We also received a generous donation again from The Rolf-Stephan Nussbaum Foundation which will help us achieve our goals in the year ahead, especially with regards to youth development and individual study. We are extremely grateful for their consistent financial support.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019
As part of our youth orchestral development portfolio, the FOM Committee has approved increased sponsorships to the following organisations:
Development programmes of the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre
Development programmes of the Beau Soleil Ifdyoli Project and Music Centre
Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra;
Individual Bursaries for students to attend the South African National Youth Orchestra Course and Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival;
Running costs for the Franschhoek Chamber Music Workshop;
Supporting local students with tuition, accommodation, travel costs and instruments;
Supporting students studying broad with return flights to South Africa;

We will update you regularly on events held by these institutions so that you can also join in their concerts and programmes.

We are excited to announce that Bowmans will again collaborate with FOM to present the 2019 Soiree Season and Quiz at their head office venue. We are in the process of establishing the soiree programme, artists and dates and will announce the details early in 2019.

FOM is in negotiation with Sun International to mark Youth Day 2019 in a collaborative event showcasing young classical orchestral music student talent.

Our newly established ability to issue SARS Section 18(A) income tax certificates has led to an increase in donations from members and we will continue to work with more donor organisations to seek collaborative ways of raising money for 2019.

LIFE MEMBERSHIP OF FOM
The FOM Committee is delighted to announce that it has conferred Life Membership on the following members in recognition of their extraordinary support of FOM over many years:
Ruth Allen
Shirley De Kock Gueller
Bernhard Gueller
Gerlinde Moser
Shirley Parkfelt
Ben Rabinowitz
Neville van den Berg

We sincerely thank all our donors recognised above; each and every member for their support;
and the FOM Committee for their dedication and hard work.

In closing, it remains for the FOM Committee to wish you all the best for 2019 and

Chag Urim Sameach
Happy Christmas
Happy Holidays

RODERICK STEVENS
Chairman
Friends of Orchestral Music (Cape Town)