Cricklesingers Appoints New Musical Director

We are all absolutely delighted to announce that we’ve appointed Enda Henehan Musical Director of Cricklesingers Choir. Enda is a London-based composer, conductor, guitarist, and singer from Dublin Ireland. He
holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition & Guitar from Technological University Dublin
Conservatoire of Music & Drama and is currently studying for his master’s degree in composition at
Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music & Dance where he is the recipient of the TCL and Gareth Neame
scholarship awards.

His choral exploits have led him to appearances on national television in Ireland and the UK, touring
Andalucía in Southern Spain and participating in the model choir at the Choralp festival in Briancon,
France.

More recently, Enda has sung with the internationally renowned choir New Dublin Voices under the
direction of Bernie Sherlock with whom he was a finalist in the Choir of the World competition at the
International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales in 2022.

We are all very much looking forward to working with Enda on making Cricklesingers an amazing community choir.

Cricklereaders March 2023 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

March’s book chosen by Cricklereaders is The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, by Sheehan Karunatilaka. Winner of the 2022 Booker Prize, Shehan Karunatilaka’s second novel is a searing, mordantly funny satire set amid the murderous mayhem of a Sri Lanka beset by civil war.

Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet gay, has woken up dead in what seems to be a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. At a time when scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long.

But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has ‘seven moons’ to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was announced as the winner of the Booker Prize 2022 on October 17 at a ceremony in London.

Crowdfunder to Support Creative Conversations ESOL Project

Creative Conversations is an informal and fun way for migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, to improve their English language and literacy skills. The project delivers English classes alongside craft sessions where the students can practise their vocabulary and skills in conversations with their peers and teachers.

The projects aims to help students:

increase their understanding of English and give them the opportunity to speak and practise their language skills in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere
gain a sense of belonging and connection to the local community
increase understanding of life in the UK and to meet people of different ages and life experiences
communicate better with teachers, health care workers and other professionals
increase their support for their children’s learning both in school and at home
progress to further study, both of English at a higher level and of other subjects.

Can you help support this crowdfunder? LINK

January Jazz

Jazz in November was great – what will Jazz in January be like? You’ll have to come along and see!

The Brent Jazz Orchestra Quartet are back.  We can’t fit the full 17 piece orchestra in the library, but a hand picked quartet of musicians will perform a lively and entertaining set of swing, latin and bebop numbers. The perfect way to ease into your weekend. Those who saw them in November at the library will know they’re not to be missed!

There will be a donations bar, and pizzas can be ordered in advance. If you don’t see the pizza you like on offer, requests are accepted. We order from Basilico. Pizza sales end the day before the concert to give us time to place the order.

Brent Jazz Orchestra on Facebook

When placing your order, you will get a confirmation email – please check your spam for this as these often go astray. Rest assured that if your payment is successfully taken, you’ll be on the door list on the night.

Cricklereaders January 2023 – The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho

The book chosen for the first Cricklereaders of the year is local author Paterson Joseph’s The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho. You can hear Paterson talk about his book here.

Published by Little, Brown, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is a “gloriously written Regency polemic”.

Waterstones says: Meet Charles Ignatius Sancho: his extraordinary story, hidden for three hundred years, is about to be told.

I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more…

It’s 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man, especially one who has escaped slavery. After the twinkling lights in the Fleet Street coffee shops are blown out and the great houses have closed their doors for the night, Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse. The man he hoped would help – a kindly duke who taught him to write – is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the King, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain and lead the fight to end slavery?

It’s time for him to tell his story, one that begins on a tempestuous Atlantic Ocean, and ends at the very centre of London life. And through it all, he must ask: born amongst death, how much can you achieve in one short life?

From one of Britain’s best-loved actors, Paterson Joseph, comes an utterly captivating and haunting historical novel, telling the true story of a Great Black Briton.If you’d like to join the group, email cricklereaders@cricklewoodlibrary.org.uk for more details.

Next meeting: Sunday 5 February, 1030-1130

Cricklesingers Resumes 19 January

For those who’ve missed it, you’ll be delighted to hear that Cricklesingers resumes on 19 January.

All are invited to attend this evening when we’ll be meeting two potential new Musical Directors.

The weekly rehearsals will then resume from the beginning of February.

There is an affordable membership fee for the choir. You don’t have to have sung before, or be able to read music. We sing acappella harmony and you’ll never have to sing alone, unless you want to.

This is a great way to get into choral singing in a friendly and welcoming environment.

If you have not attended before, please register your interest here.