The next meeting of OLAT will be next Tuesday 22 April, 7 pm at the Town Hall and on Zoom.
We will be looking at what to support with our funds, what is happening with NECAT and clean water for the hillside communities.
Planning the Sponsored Swim which will be on Wednesday 2 July, 4 pm to 7 pm at the beautiful Hinksey Pool – we have flyers to display, see attached, and discuss how to publicise the swim. Do make a note in your diary! Swimmers and helpers needed on the day!
The Misa Campesina will be on Sunday 7 September or Sunday 5 October – we will confirm the date after Easter.
we have been a bit quiet since the misa campesina, as we had no major event to shout about, but we’re still meeting every once in a while to discuss meaningful things to do to help the people of Leon in Nicaragua. The next meeting will actually be tomorrow, Tue 25th, at the town hall, starting 7pm.
Oh, and it also happens to be the AGM. So do come numerously.
The second and last rehearsal for the Misa Campesina Nicaraguense will happen at Blackfriars on Saturday morning from 10 to 12, and the mass itself will be on Sunday at 9:30. Any musicians or singers who would still like to join should definitely come to the rehearsal.
As part of our partnership with Leon, the Misa Campesina has been sung in Oxford once a year since the 1980s, only paused for the Covid years.
This year, we’re a bit later than usual, but the date is coming up soon, it will be the Sunday 1st of September, 9:30 am at Blackfriars. As usual, all singers and musicians are encouraged to join the choir and the band respectively. There will be two rehearsals on the Saturdays before, ie 24.8. and 31.8, 10-12 at Blackfriars. More details closer to the dates, but save the dates!
The twinning concert on July 13 starring our Nicaraguan friends Jose and Cesar was an amazing success, and on top of the rehearsals and concerts the pair also spent time on community outreach and getting to know Oxford and a little bit of London as well.
Now they’re back home and there are so many impressions to remember, so we’ll do a few blog entries looking back at all the excitement. First of all, a few more photos from the rehearsals at the New Road Baptist Church – stay tuned for more photos and video content:
Our guests from Nicaragua, Cesar and Jose, safely arrived on Thursday and are now busy with rehearsals for the concert of the international youth orchestra coming up on Saturday 13th.
On their first full day in Oxford they already gave a couple of performances at the Oxford Folk Club:
Cesar playing guitar here but at the Carmina Burana concert he will be playing the cello.
The next meeting of OLAT is on Tuesday 25 June at 7 pm at Oxford Town Hall and on Zoom.
This meeting will focus on our Sponsored Swim next Friday 28 June, 4 pm to 7 pm – help needed to set up from 3 pm – please contact me if you can help!. Please see flyer attached and display if you can. This is our biggest fund raising event of the year and is to support the visit of the musicians and also to support NECAT (Nicaragua Education Culture and Arts Trust).
We will also be preparing for the exciting visit of the two young classical musicians from Nicaragua to play in the Youth Twinning Orchestra in July. Cesar and Jose will arrive on Thursday 4 July and return on Thursday 18 July. Young musicians aged 12 to 25 from Oxford’s twin cities will rehearse together 8 – !3 July, culminating in a performance of Carmina Burana at Oxford Town Hall on Saturday 13 July, 7 pm! Cesar on Cello and Jose on Violin will play in the orchestra and also visit schools and community centres. It will be an amazing experience for the young musicians and good to have a cultural exchange from Nicaragua! Many thanks to their hosts for enabling this to happen – Sue Matthew, Jan Marshall, Dr Latifa Noman and Angela Alban. The orchestra will be led by John Lubbock, conductor of Orchestra of St John’s:
Our Fund-Raising Swim is on Friday 28 June 2024, 4 pm – 7 pm at our usual pool – Hinksey Heated Outdoor Pool, Abingdon Road, Oxford OX1 4RP. We are very grateful to More and the staff at Hinksey Pool for their hospitality.
This year we are raising funds to bring two young classical musicians from Nicaragua to Oxford to play Carmina Burana with the Youth International Twinning Concert on 13 July 7 pm at Oxford Town Hall. We are also raising funds for NECAT, an educational charity for disadvantaged children in a poor area of León.
This is our most important fund-raising event of the year! We really need you! León needs our support more than ever in these challenging times, and we want to keep this link with a city in the global south going! We can learn from each other and enjoy the Latin American culture!.
You can swim between 4 pm and 7 pm. The “official” opening will be at 5 pm.
Please note that if the above time and date are not convenient you can still take part in your own time and location between 28 June and 12 July.
Half of the money raised will go to NECAT – Nicaragua Education Culture Arts Trust:
The Nicaragua Education Culture and Arts Trust, a UK registered charity, raises funds for sponsorship of after-school clubs and other educational projects and for the relief of poverty in impoverished communities in Leon, Nicaragua. The projects use the medium of culture and the arts as a vehicle for this education.
Whether you have taken part in lots of Sponsored Swims and will be trying to equal your personal best, or whether it will be your first time taking part, whatever you raise small or large will help the cultural exchange and also make a big difference to poor children in León and help to keep the centre going! Refreshments will be provided for swimmers and helpers. Let’s hope that the sun shines!
The next meeting of OLAT is on Tuesday 7 May at 7 pm at Oxford Town Hall and on Zoom.
This is going to be an exciting meeting as we are planning the visit of two young classical musicians from Nicaragua to play in the Youth Twinning Orchestra in July. It will be an amazing experience for the young musicians and good to have a cultural exchange from Nicaragua! The orchestra will be led by John Lubbock, conductor of Orchestra of St John’s:
We are still taking our presentation about life in León into schools and plan to bring the musicians into schools. If you know of a school that would be interested, do get in touch.
We are going to hold the lovely Misa Campesina at Blackfriars on Sunday 1 September, at the 9.30 Mass.
We are planning the Sponsored Swim at Hinksey Pool but have not yet got a date.
There will be an Oxford International Links social on Saturday 8 June 6 pm – 11 pm at the Coach House, Headington Quarry to raise funds for the Orchestra event, do make a note of the date, more details to follow.
Thank you for your continued interest and support for León! Hope to see you on 7 May, all welcome!
sorry for the late notice, but the OLAT AGM is happening tomorrow,
Tue 30.1. at 7pm at the Town Hall and also on Zoom.
We will be looking at how the last year has gone and how to maintain links with León, raise our profile and future fund raising and will Elect Officers for the coming year.
After AGM business we will discuss the Twin Cities Youth Orchestra Project 7 – 14 July, when young classical musicians from Oxford’s Twin cities will come together to play Carmina Burana at the Town Hall on Saturday 13 July. We are very excited that we will be bringing two young Nicaraguan musicians – Jose who plays violin and Cesar who plays cello – to Oxford. They will have a week on the Orchestra Project and then a week visiting schools and places of interest.
We also hope to have the Misa Campesina later in the year.
Oxford León Association 