Haydn's Scherzandi & Notturni is much enjoyed

Black Cat Music enjoyed listening to the Haydn's Society's rendition of Haydn's Scherzandi & Notturni. 

Sevenoaks Young Musician event is on Sunday

Black Cat Music and MusicPracticeRooms.com are looking forward with anticipation to the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition 2012 which takes place this Sunday 11th March at The Stag Community Theatre in Sevenoaks. The event starts at 10.30 am, concluding with Presentations at about 5.45 pm. 

Marketing Manager, Alice Dagger said, “ We are delighted to have the opportunity to be involved with the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition and wish all the participants the very best of luck for what we a sure will be a wonderful musical occasion for both performers and audience.” 

Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year is a competition open to instrumentalists aged 21 years and under and with a minimum Grade 8. The final heats of the competition take place on Sunday when the Sevenoaks District Arts Council presents the winner with a Silver Memorial Medal in memory of June Clements who founded the competition in 1995. 

Tonbridge based Black Cat Music supplies a comprehensive range of equipment for music, performance, practice and theatre including music stands, orchestral chairs, staging, choral risers, conductor’s equipment and music folders. In addition there is a range of theatre products embracing staging, tiered audience seating, make-up stations, costume racks and instrument storage cabinets. MusicPracticeRooms.com supplies sound-isolating, modular Music Practice Rooms for schools, recording studios and for home use. MusicPracticeRooms.com is proud to offer superb acoustic performance at an affordable price, enabling musicians to rehearse and perform in controlled acoustic environments. 

New brighter music stand lights from Black Cat Music

During March Black Cat Music is offering an additional 5% discount on the top selling Mighty Bright Duet 2 music stand lights. Dual LEDs provide smooth illumination across two sheets of music and the good news is these light bulbs never need replacement. Cool to touch and battery powered with no trailing wires, they are very safe to use. 

Utilising two fully adjustable LED head units, the Duet 2 can evenly light two pages of music thanks to optical grade lenses that avoid any hot spots. The new Duet 2 is twice as bright as the previous model and offers four selectable light levels. Sensor switch operation allows, one, or both LEDs to be turned on with just a gentle tap. An extra strong clip attaches the Duet 2 to any music stand and with two flexible arms, the lighting heads can be fully adjusted as required, or bent to a compact position for ease of storage. 

Three AAA size batteries offer up to 20 hours continuous operation. Alternatively an optional AC adaptor additionally allows a series of Duet 2 units to be connected together for lighting control for band or orchestral users. 

Full details of this offer are published on the Black Cat Music web site.

New dynamic frame chair supports natural movement of musicians

The new Nota conBRIO chair available from Black Cat Music is built on a dynamic, flexible frame that encourages and supports a musician’s natural movement. 

The Nota conBRIO chair was developed following years of discussions with educators and musicians who were looking to progress the functionality of existing music posture chairs. Inventors, Wenger explained, “with the variety of postural positions required of musicians, and brain, mind, and body research establishing significant links between movement and learning we knew we had to develop a dynamic chair.” The Nota conBRIO chair, with its cantilever frame, is as much a “teaching tool” as a chair. Built on a dynamic frame that encourages and supports the musician’s natural movement, it promotes the engagement of the musician’s entire body in the musical performance. It also further enhances the chair’s ability to mimic a standing posture - the posture that is the strongest and most supportive - when in a seated position. “There’s never been a music chair that provides such a stable, yet fluid foundation and the means to so co-engage in the musical performance” said a Wenger spokesman. Another smart feature is music directors can mix and match the ConBrio with the traditional Nota chair as the look and footprint of the chairs allow them to work together, even inter-stacking the two models of chairs on the same cart. 

The current Nota chair has been received positively in the market and is providing great benefits to its users. With its passive ergonomics, it enables the musician to sit in a variety of positions and be supported or encouraged to sit with good alignment. The dual position seat allows them to sit back and have the support of the convex shaped backrest or they can sit forward, perching on the front edge of the chair. Many musicians prefer this position but most chairs aren’t designed for this -- the Nota chair is -- with a forward “flat” position and also with the rounded waterfall front. Whether sitting straight in the chair or angled - as so many musicians do - musicians will be encouraged to sit with good posture. The narrow convex back really makes the Nota chair unique. The narrow back provides support but doesn’t get in the way of the musician playing, even when sitting angled on the chair. 

The introduction of Nota conBRIO chair now offers the option of dynamic or static ergonomically designed chairs, or a mix of both that can happily be used together. 

Music Folders extra discount during February

Music education and performance equipment specialist Black Cat Music is currently offering Music Folders with an additional discount. This offer only applies during February, so anyone looking to take advantage of this money saving opportunity to kit out their choir or orchestra with a matching set of music folders is urged to act promptly. 

The elegant music folders benefit from hardwearing leatherette covers, brass bound corners and hand-stitching, designed to provide protection for music as well as looking smart during concerts. At a modest extra charge music folders can be customised with gold-blocking with the name and crest of the choir, band or orchestra, to further enhance the group identity. There is a choice of styles with expanding pockets or retaining strings for choirs and expanding pockets, pencil pockets and windows for orchestral use. Music folders are available in a choice of three colours – Concert Black, Royal Blue and Cardinal Red. 

Full details of this offer are published on the Black Cat Music web site. 

Tourmaster risers still performing well after 20 years

“Having retired, I still like to do something in my own area. We have two choirs in our Music Centre - a children's choir and an adult choir, together with numerous bands and orchestras,” said Philip King. The former Head of South Derbyshire Music Service was taking time out from a busy schedule at the Music Centre in South Derbyshire to talk about staging for choirs and in particular Wenger Tourmaster Risers supplied by Black Cat Music. “Singing is a visual thing as well. It may sound nice, but if you can't see people its not so good”, he said. Now Conductor of the Cantabile Choir, Philip King reflected on the decision to invest in Tourmaster Risers dating back nearly twenty years to a time when as he explained, ”the boxes we were using for staging were difficult to carry around and also they were a bit cumbersome. They just didn't work very well. If parents, in particular come to a concert, they want to see their children performing.” Careful study of the Black Cat catalogue in due course led to the decision to make the investment in Tourmaster Risers. Talking about the ownership experience of Tourmaster, Philip commented, “storage is minimal really, they fold down easily and we can store them upright. For moving them around we just use a van, its very easy, they are on wheels and so quick to put up it’s unbelievable. The way they have been designed is just great for us, so we use them in many different venues.We can't fault the Tourmaster Risers at all. It is coming up for twenty years now and I am sure they are fit for another twenty. We use them very regularly and there are no faults at all with them. Philip concluded, “Black Cat Music should feel very proud of this product, because we certainly feel that as customers we get a good deal from it.” The full interview with Philip King and the Tourmaster Risers being used in concert can be viewed on the Black Cat Music video chanel and onYouTube.

Price discount on conductor’s stand

During January Black Cat Music are offering the Wenger Preface Conductor’s music stand at a 10% discount compared to the usual price.

Already affordably priced thanks to elegant design and clever engineering, the Preface Conductor’s stand still benefits from plenty of useful features. This stylish conductor's stand enjoys a large desk, a sleek, non-scratch black surface, and dual posts offering superb stability and strength. Although robust it's also extremely lightweight and easy to use and store. The tilting desk permits easy angle adjustment while integrated storage keeps all the conductor's needs nearby and out-of-sight. In fact, it's been exquisitely fine-tuned to give conductors more stand for less money. Plus each stand comes with a 5-year warranty.

For full details of the Preface Conductor’s stand and to take advantage of this special offer visit www.blackcatmusic.co.uk