history
Green Room Music is a society devoted to engaging professional artists to play classical music in Tunbridge Wells. It sprang from an earlier organisation – The Green Room Club of Royal Tunbridge Wells – whose objective was rather different, to provide a theatre and arts centre in the town similar to those springing up elsewhere at the time in towns such as Canterbury and Chichester. A public meeting at the Elizabethan Barn in October 1964 resulted in February 1965 in the formation of the Green Room Club with Sam Whiteley as chairman and Hans Romney as deputy chairman. The new committee soon established that existing buildings such as the Opera House, the Corn Exchange, or the Great Hall were none of them ideal for modern requirements. Sam Whiteley’s professional commitments took him from the district so in 1966 Hans Romney took over as chairman
When it became clear that the club’s principal objective would not be quickly achieved and there could be a falling away of interest, Hans Romney suggested that something should be done to retain the interest of club members and at the same time demonstrate the depth of local support for professional drama. So were organised the first excursions to other towns which had theatres.
An early suggestion for a musical evening resulted in a fairly informal guitar/folk recital held in the basement of a pub on the Pantiles. Despite spartan conditions the event was thought sufficiently successful for something more up-market to be attempted and a number of concerts were put on at various places. The dearth of suitable venues in the town became apparent. The only one with a good piano was the Assembly Hall but that was considered too big and expensive for the likely audience. The first formal GRC concert was held in April 1967 at the Elizabethan Barn. Despite its shortcomings the Elizabethan Barn was the venue for a number of memorable music evenings – including one never to be forgotten occasion when the management booked a pop group to play at the same time, in the bar upstairs. Words were said – and to hear Hans saying ‘words’ was something else not readily forgotten! Other venues such as St John’s Church Hall and The Spa Hotel were used.
The standard of recitals soon became high and the response from the increasingly numerous audiences was such that it was decided to risk a full season 1970/1, at the Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoons. At first it was felt necessary to reduce the effect of a small audience in a big hall by placing the piano in the body of the hall and grouping seats in an arc about the performers to create a more intimate atmosphere. The series became a considerable success. World famous interpreters regularly appeared at GRC recitals and audiences grew so that on some occasions the stage was used and even the gallery opened. Among those giving recitals at the Assembly Hall in those early years were such renowned artists as Louis Kentner, the King’s Singers, John Lill, Yehudi Menuhin, John Ogden, the Academy of St. Martin’s in the Field (with Neville Marriner directing), Gina Bachauer, the Amadeus String Quartet, Carl Dolmetch, Julian Bream, and Annie Fischer. Memorable recitals by Janet Baker, Paul Tortelier, and Alfred Brendel were ‘sell-outs’ (when the Assembly Hall seated 1,100). From the beginning the club supported promising new professional talent, a policy it has always maintained.
In September 1977 it was decided that the theatrical and musical wings of the club should become separate organisations. This followed a recommendation from the National Federation of Music Societies that the club could acquire charitable status (with resultant tax advantages). The Green Room Theatre Club still flourishes with outings by coach to plays and musicals. Green Room (Music) Club of Royal Tunbridge Wells, as the concert promoting body was known, adopted a simple constitution based on the NMFS model; membership was by purchase of a season ticket.
In the 1960s and 1970s there was a considerable appetite in the public at large for classical recitals and the club could call upon support from NFMS, South-East Arts, and the Tunbridge Wells Council. Raffles, coffee mornings and generous donations by members also contributed valuable income.
By the early 1980s the mood was much less favourable to the promotion of chamber recitals, audience levels fell, official funding became tighter and star performer’s fees rose, so careful management was required. It was a blow to the club when in January 1982 its dynamic chairman Hans Romney died. He was succeeded as chairman by Jimmie Hinves who said that, "the pattern that Hans had set is being firmly followed by his successors. This rests on the twin foundations of insisting that every concert must be of indisputably high standard and that the club must be financially secure. Hans was himself a lawyer and an accountant and he brought his professional skills into play to create an organisation of which the town could be proud". It is worth mentioning that Hans was one of those who founded a competition which became, in 1979/80, the International Young Concert Artists Competition of Royal Tunbridge Wells with which the Green Room (Music) Club has had close links, and has over the years, provided GRMC engagements for some of the prizewinners.
One of the first fruits of Jimmie Hinves’ chairmanship was the creation of a new GRMC venture of which he and committee member Ron Burch were prime movers - to bring to Tunbridge Wells a midweek series concentrating exclusively on music not otherwise likely to be heard in the town. The Unfamiliar Music series started in October 1982 with encouraging support from Southern Arts, music charities and a small number of supporters. Although not exclusively concerned with modern music, it attracted an exciting range of new work, often experimental. Works by now better-known composers were often first performed at these concerts. They were mostly given at Trinity Theatre and Arts Centre (a redundant church rescued and transformed as an arts centre opening in the summer of 1982). Howard Jones was the first series director; Jeremy Dale-Roberts took over in 1983 until 1988; Veronica Slater assumed the directorship until 1994 after which time Nick Redfern took over. All this time they were ably assisted by Marion Goulden. This enterprising series was often seen as a feather in the cap of GRMC. Reviews of these concerts sometimes occurred in the national newspapers. At them anything was possible – 12 tone, electronic, 16th century vihuela, and the beginnings of minimalism were heard. The views of local reviewers reflected the mixed responses of members of the audience. The series changed name to ‘Discoveries’ in 1992. It never attracted large audiences but for the faithful few was unmissable. In 1996 the Arts Council brought in new criteria for funding which required audience size to be a factor and as a result the GRMC committee had to reluctantly close the series.
In 1996 the composer Dr Malcolm Lipkin who had been Music Advisor to the club for many years (and still continues in this capacity) agreed to become Patron of GRMC.
The Unfamiliar Music/ Discoveries series was not the only additional contribution the club made outside its Sunday afternoon series. Extras included the Martinu centenary concerts; the Bartok string quartet concerts which engaged the then young and up-and-coming Brodsky Quartet to play the six Bartok quartets (some of which they had to learn for the occasion); Brazilian pianist Jose Feghali gave the first recital on the new ‘Grand’ at Trinity which GRMC had partly funded; and The Spell of Schubert – four concerts given by the Parnassus Ensemble. The suitability of Trinity as a venue for classical recitals made it attractive to GRMC as the home for its Sunday afternoon series and from January 1987 these regular concerts have taken advantage of its excellent acoustics.
The millennium began sadly for GRMC when it lost the guiding presence of Jimmie Hinves who died in March 2000. He was a man whose genial, conventional exterior concealed a man of imagination, joyfully open to new and unusual music but whose enterprises were grounded on the sound economics learned from his business life in the City.
Over the years the management structure of the club has evolved to meet the changing circumstances of the musical world and the personnel of the committee. In 1993 Jimmie Hinves, due to health reasons, had stood down as chairman but continued his vital work as Administrator as a committee member. He was soon given the specially created post of President of GRMC. The job of chairing meetings and steering the club was accepted by Dennis Smith who, in 1993, became the club’s fourth Chairman.
In 1994 the society decided to call itself Green Room Music and also to publish a Newsletter three times a year. Arthur Boyd edited this until 1998 when Bob Hardcastle took over. Another venture to help bridge the summer gap between the concerts was the Summer Soiree. The first one took place in a member’s house and garden in July 1995. It became an annual June or July fixture at various venues in and around Tunbridge Wells. A concert of not too serious music was followed by a light (but not too light) buffet – first glass of wine free – and the event proved to be popular and evolved when it was combined with the Green Room Music AGM so that in 2005 and 2006 the AGM was followed by a concert followed by a buffet and this arrangement, called the Summer Festival, seems likely to be continued.
The work of organising the concerts had been taken over in early 1987 by Arthur Boyd and he was appointed Series Director, which post he held until 1996. He handed over to Louise Sparkes who ran the series until the year 1999 when she left to start a family and Gabrielle Molloy took over as Series Director. Due to pressure of her business commitments she had to stand down in 2005 and Barry Miller took over as interim Series Director until Amanda Smith became our Series Director in October 2006. It is worth mentioning at this stage that all members of the GRM committee, while bringing a wide range of professional skills do so in an entirely honorary capacity.
Green Room Music has always been keen to encourage young people to appreciate and learn about classical music and become involved with its creation and performance. Among initiatives to this end were competitions for young composers living in and around Tunbridge Wells. The first, for violin and piano, was held in 1998, judged by Levon Chilingirian, Clifford Benson and Malcolm Lipkin and was won by Geoffrey Paterson; the second, for guitar, held in 2000 was judged by the Pro Arte Guitar Trio and Malcolm Lipkin – junior, aged up to18, was won by Joanna Williams – senior, 19-21, was won by Peter Harden; the third competition, for a choral, solo, or vocal ensemble, held in 2003 was judged by members of New English Voices and Malcolm Lipkin – junior, 16-17, was won by Ivor Bonnici – senior, 18-19, and overall winner was Samuel Dwinell. After morning workshops the winning compositions were professionally performed as part of the Sunday afternoon series.
In 2005 Green Room Music was the beneficiary of a donation from the Hans Romney Memorial Trust and with the money it was decided to set up the Hans and Mary Romney Memorial Prize under which an annual prize is awarded to further the study of music in Secondary Schools. Schools within a radius of ten miles of Tunbridge Wells town centre are invited annually to nominate candidates for the Prize in that year. The successful student is chosen on the strength of AS-level examination results. A monetary prize is then awarded to the winning student in that year and to the Music Department of the student’s school.
Further information available from Green Room Music Archivist on 01892 664511