The best laid plans of mice and men eh? No sooner have the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra agreed to a ballet themed concert than the University of Hatfield, who host the concerts, have their budget slashed by a whopping 25%. Because of the big concessions to ticket prices, the children’s concert always makes a loss: orchestras don’t come cheap! This has been absorbed by the university in previous years but now the orchestra will have bear the loss. Everyone is trying to find a solution to this emergency, but there is a danger, alas, that future concerts for children will simply be unsustainable. Whether my Ella Bella concert can proceed hangs in the balance…
On a more positive note, Orchard have approached the Marchioness of Londonderry, who is the great Prima Ballerina Doreen Wells, for an endorsement for Ella Bella, and she has agreed. Doreen Wells became hugely famous when she danced opposite Rudolf Nureyev, replacing an indisposed Margot Fonteyn, in the 1960s. Quite what the endorsement will be I’m not sure, but I’m very grateful to this wonderful and distinguished dancer for her kind enthusiasm for dear Ella Bella!
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