Thank you for your help and support over the first part of our 2022-23 season.

It has not been an easy time for us. In common with many other organisations we have seen a decline in audience numbers and overhead costs have risen substantially.

The financial support that you give us is important. We continue to look for grants and sponsorship but these are hard to come by and your help is vital. Some of you also contribute your time as SMT volunteers, both front-of-house and in the background, and we are extremely grateful to all of you for your invaluable help.

Despite setbacks we attracted reasonable audiences to our concerts in the autumn. The Carducci String Quartet continue to delight and the visit from the European Union Chamber Orchestra gave us the opportunity to hear a quality orchestral performance for the first time since the Covid period. We were privileged to host the first performance of ‘Shropshire Lass’ – a narrated evening celebrating the life and work of Mary Webb. We finished with another excellent concert from Ex Cathedra which drew a capacity audience. The collection that we organised at the end of the evening raised the sum of £1,015.50 for the Shropshire Supports Refugees charity.

Our winter break has now started and the next concert will be on 27 January when we will be welcoming Tim Garland and Jason Rebello for an evening of jazz. This programme has received rave reviews – it’s not to be missed. The season will continue with performances from Latino Classical and a lunchtime concert from Milos Milivojevic – brought back by popular demand after his stunning concert last year. A final Carducci concert features the life and work of Shostakovich.

The season will end with three stunning concerts: Roderick Williams, one of the country's most sort-after baritones, will be with us on 14 April. His programme will include Schumann’s Dichterliebe. We will be making reserved seats available for both Patrons and Friends at this concert. In May we feature a concert organised by Steven Devine, the Artistic Director of the English Haydn Festival which will look at the world of music in the late 18th century. The season will finish in June with the Summer Music by Candlelight concert from Ex Cathedra.

Again, we thank you for your support and we wish you a very pleasant Christmas, looking forward to more music and to seeing you in the Near Year.