Reviews
Watford Plectra Orchestra
O
n Friday November 8th last year, Watford Plectra
Orchestra gave its first concert for over six years; it
seemed a great success according to those who heard us! We
had been very short of players for some years but during last
year we attracted two fine mandolinists, one of whom played
with us in the ‘90s for a short time. This increase in numbers
improved our confidence considerably.
The Methodist Church where we practise every Friday,
invited us to play in church partly to ‘test our wings’ but also
to help raise money for a good cause. We put together an
easy going programme and rehearsed really hard to get it
right. The main challenge for us was not having a conductor
any more. Our long-time conductor and mentor, Jack Harris,
unfortunately had a fall last spring, just before his 96th
birthday (yes, music definitely keeps one young!). Although
he eventually recovered quite well, he wasn’t strong enough
to come back to us. However he was determined to hear us
play and managed to get to our concert. We were delighted
he was able to be there and it was quite like old times to see
him standing in front of us conducting our signature tune The
World is waiting for the Sunrise, both at beginning and end of
the programme. Happily he was very complimentary about
our playing and was so pleased we had succeeded in keeping
the orchestra going without him. He had conducted it for
over 40 years during which time he had also been conductor
of the original London Mandolin Ensemble; not being our
conductor any more had the