London Orpheus Philharmonic Orchestra “Mozart’s Requiem is a most fitting way to remember the terrible events that took place in London on 7 July 2005,” said Dr Roger Prentis, Chairman of LOPO. “We are honoured to be performing at St Botolph’s, just 20 metres from where the bomb went off at Aldgate in the City. Our musicians are giving their time freely both to help remember the day and to look positively to the future. The Healing Foundation, a wonderful charity involved in reconstructive surgery which helped some of the victims, will benefit from the money we raise,” he continued.
The concert will bring together people of all nationalities, backgrounds, beliefs and religions to remember all those affected by war and oppression and to look forward to a time of world peace.
During the concert, Dr Donald Dewar (University College Hospital, Specialist Registrar in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery) who worked on some of the victims will also share his thoughts. “Whilst the bombings would seem to demonstrate the worst of what people can achieve, the response demonstrated the immense kindness and compassion of which we are also capable,” commented Donald.
Seamus Kelly (St John’s Ambulance, Chief Commissioner London District) will say a few words about the involvement of St John’s Ambulance on the day as one of the first of the emergency services to respond.
Other speakers will include:
LOPO’s concert, featuring Mozart’s Requiem, will be at 7:30pm on 7 July 2006 at St Botolph’s (next to Aldgate Underground station) in the City of London. Tickets are £10 and LOPO has set up a special account to take donations from individuals and corporate sponsors.
Funds raised will go to The Healing Foundation, a UK charity that champions the cause of people living with disfigurement and visible loss of function by funding research into pioneering surgical and psychological healing techniques.
At the time of the concert, there will be an exhibition of Islamic art by Vaseem Mohammed at St Botolph’s. The exhibition will start on 6 July 2006 and concert attendees will be able to enjoy Vaseem’s work during the interval. The exhibition will be open from 10:00 to 15:00 Monday to Thursday. Vaseem has kindly agreed that “The Good Things,” one of his works, can be used as the image for the Concert.
Further information can be found at www.lopo.org.uk.
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The London Orpheus Philharmonic Orchestra, UK Charity 1113265, has been set up with the aim of raising money for charitable causes. The concept started with a concert that was run in March 2005 at the Barbican which raised £15,000 for the tsunami appeal and since then funds have been raised for, amongst others, a maternity unit in the Gambia, homeless in the East End of London and those affected by the Pakistan earthquake in late 2005. The orchestra is made up of professional and semi-professional musicians who give their time free of charge to help with LOPO’s fund raising objectives.
Repertoire:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Adagio and Fugue for strings in C minor, K546
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K626
LOPO will be performing with the London Orpheus Philharmonic Chorus
Conductor: Iain Sutherland
Concert details:
Date and Time: 7:30pm on 7 July 2006
Venue: St Botolph’s Church, EC3 (next to Aldgate Underground station)
Tickets: £10 on the door and in advance
Donations: LOPO has set up a special account to take donations from individuals and corporate sponsor
St Botolph’s Church is situated next to Aldgate Underground station in the City of London. It was used as a triage centre for victims of the 7/7 bombings and, after, as a base for the Emergency Services. The Church and its Rector, the Rev Dr Brian Lee, are committed to helping - and have the support of - the ethnically diverse local community.
St Botolph was the English Patron Saint of travellers, and has three surviving Churches in the City dedicated to him, all of which are situated next to the sites of the old city gates.
The Healing Foundation is a new national fundraising charity established to champion the cause of people living with disfigurement and visible loss of function by funding research into pioneering surgical and psychological healing techniques. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by disfigurement due to congenital abnormalities, disease or scarring from accidents. Surgical procedures also leave scars and patients can be left with severe psychological problems, which they and their families must overcome.
Simon Weston OBE is an Ambassador of the Healing Foundation, "I share the Healing Foundation’s vision. This charity is unique - a new, national body focused on research; spanning the boundaries of basic science, clinical care, the important area of psychosocial issues and information. We have the potential here for vastly improving the clinical outlook for patients. I urge you to support us."
Vaseem Mohammed, an Islamic artist who has an exhibition at St Botolph’s during the concert has kindly agreed that “Relief,” one of his works, can be used as the image for the Concert.
Vaseem Mohammed was born in 1966 and grew up in the East End of London. He has always been interested in the shapes, textures and atmospheres of his urban childhood. This fascination developed into a vocational interest in art during his mid-twenties when he enrolled at Tower Hamlets College to do an access course in Art & Design and then another in Creative Computing & Illustration. Since then, he has freelanced in graphic design and furniture renovation with decoration (using Islamic patterns), only to have found his niche in Fine Art which he has concentrated on for the past seven years.