MfE’s move from shared office space at High Pavement into a newly restored Georgian building, derelict for the past five years, brings the organisation and its Bookwise second hand bookshop together under one roof, in a part of the city enjoying a new lease of life and a vibrant arts culture. The building is also home to the music shop, Classical CD.
At any one time, close on 2000 musicians of all abilities will be singing and playing with MfE, formed in 1983 as the Nottingham Choral Trust by Angela Kay, its committed, energetic and innovative artistic director. Open access workshops, performing groups and high quality concerts are all part of a successful mix that has brought acclaim from the critics and recognition from the East Midlands Arts Council.Profits from Bookwise, the brainchild of MfE’s chairman, Andrew James, help to sustain MfE’s music-making activities. There’s already a thriving branch in Southwell, staffed, as is the Nottingham shop, by volunteers. Angela Smallwood, a board member of MfE and the Hockley shop’s volunteer manager, is discovering already what a great place it is to be selling books.
“We get students, day trippers exploring all the characterful individual shops round here, film buffs from the Broadway Cinema and booklovers of all ages,” she said. “They’re all on the lookout for something different and enjoying discovering hidden gems on our shelves at bargain prices.”
The building has undergone extensive renovation by Mr James, an architect who has been involved in regeneration projects in the Lace Market since 1975. The bookshop is on two floors, almost doubling the amount of stock previously on sale, and with dedicated office space for the volunteers as well as for MfE’s permanent staff.
“We would never have been able to achieve so much without the army of volunteers who help with all our concerts and courses, both adult and youth, and of course Bookwise is just one example of how people giving up their time can help so much with the generation of funds,” says Angela Kay. “It means that Music for Everyone can plan for the future with confidence.”
Of the organisation she created, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2012/13, she comments, “It only seems like yesterday that I had the idea of running a singing weekend resulting in a concert – and now look at us, 30 years on. So many concerts, so many people of all ages and abilities enjoying making music together, so many friends made by so many people. It’s wonderful. “
And what a celebration we’re going to have – special concerts and courses, and new outreach work in city schools, as part of the Nottingham Music Hub. We’ve got a special feature coming up in the BBC East Midlands magazine programme, Inside Out, and a new piece for choir and orchestra specially commissioned for its first performance at our 30th anniversary concert in June 2013, where it will be recorded and broadcast on Radio 3. Quite a year!”
From 3rd of September the MfE office will be based at the following address: 10 Goose Gate Nottingham NG1 1FF. You can contact MfE on the temporary mobile: 07905787380
