THE BMLS GTG – AGM & GTG

October 9 th -11 th 2009

After a very hectic couple of days flying back and forth to Dublin, Ellisa, Bobby and I arrived at the Falcon Hotel, Stratford upon Avon on Friday afternoon to begin our own weekend of commemoration to Mario Lanza, fifty years after his passing.

After we put our luggage into our rooms, we met up with Vernon Lane in the Verona suite for a well needed glass of wine and chatted with quite a number of people who were already there. Vernon had already been extremely busy setting up the gold bust of Mario, plus three lovely large photographs of Mario which he had blown up especially for the Birmingham concert and our GTG which he placed on easels so everyone could see them. He also brought his crystals of Mario which are always displayed in a lighted cabinet, plus his laptop computer, all of which go towards making a very interesting display for the members to view. (I know Jackie said it took him an hour to load the car in Birmingham to bring everything to Stratford!) I know that all his efforts are much appreciated by all who attend, and we thank him so very much.

Our evening began with pre-dinner drinks and then everyone taking their seats at their designated tables (I had to do table plans as there were almost 100 members attending on the Friday and over 100 on Saturday and so could not have people wandering about looking for spare seats like lost souls!) It all worked well, after only one person changed, which was good.

It really was wonderful to have to welcome so many guests from abroad, Ellisa and Bobby first and foremost of course, but also we had a great contingent from the Belgian Mario Lanza Friends club this year, 15 members in total, wonderful! It was especially good to see once again Charles and Nellie Probst from Geneva, Switzerland, and Rudy Steuns and Denise Voets along with the rest of the Belgian group. A special guest from Belgium was soprano Jasmine Daoud who came with her parents and who would entertain us so beautifully on Saturday evening. Also making a very welcome return from Germany, our dear friend, Anneleise Kleibrink (nee Luck). It was so good to see her again after so many years.

(On Saturday we also welcomed our dear friend Derek Mannering who flew in from Dublin, and Susan and Helmut Klee from Cologne, Germany, and also Olga Kouwenburg from Holland, but we missed Cees, hopefully next time?) One person was very much missed during the whole weekend, and markedly so. Our very own and much loved Vice-Chairman, William Earl. We had all hoped that Bill could be with us on this very special weekend, but unfortunately it was not to be, and his presence was sorely missed by many. You were there with us in spirit, Bill, and we didn't forget you!

After welcoming our guests the buffet was ready to be served, this was the first time we had tried this as we are normally served at the tables. It proved to be a great success from what I have been told, with something for everyone's taste. After dinner, as we had a number of people present for the very first time, I asked Ellisa and Bobby to accompany me on a ‘walkabout' to meet all the members, both new and old alike! Fortunately I managed to remember all but one name (and then I did get the first initial correct!) so that wasn't too bad! Naturally everyone was thrilled to meet and talk with both Ellisa and Bobby, some members having known them for many years. It took a great deal longer to get around all the tables than I anticipated, in fact it was 11.00pm almost when we finished! I had planned to show the DVD which was shown at the concert in Birmingham but I felt it was much too late, besides, everyone was chatting together so I didn't want to break it all up!

The next morning dawned bright and clear, and I know Ellisa and Bobby said they would take a walk around the town if the weather was good, which they did! Quite a number of members came and looked at the various stalls which had memorabilia, CD's, books, photos and the various raffle prizes on display before taking their seats for the morning's programme to start.

Saturday morning is always the business side of the BMLS and the Foundation, with both holding their annual general meetings one following on from the other. After completing all the formalities, the BMLS had several long service certificates to read out for members who were attending plus a number to post to those not able to be with us. We only had one forty year to present this year and that was for Mike Murphy.

The Society had previously presented a cheque to the MLEF for £1500 which included £500 from the sale of the DVD ‘A Life in Pictures' the proceeds of which all go towards providing monetary awards for the young student singers who are all very grateful for anything we can do to help further their studies, (and Mario's Dream!).

After closing the business section of the day, we had a welcome break for lunch after which George Thomson did his usual auction. Thanks to both George and Frank O'Hara for their efforts, and to everyone who donated items. Particular thanks to Brian Goddard who donated his entire LP collection plus a Royal Variety Performance poster and also Victoria Turner who sent a copy of one of her books, thank you both. I then handed out all the long service certificates and cheques to those members who were present, plus called on Mike to receive his 40 years service gift. To all these members we give our thanks for your steadfast loyalty and service to Mario and the BMLS.

I then announced the various raffles that we were operating, as besides the main one, we had two further specials. The first being two portraits of Mario exquisitely painted and drawn by Barbara Farnsworth. The second raffle was for a full set of CD's of Mario's Coca –Cola Shows which had been sent to me especially for the GTG to raffle for the Society. We also had two copies of the new CD ‘Serenade – A Mario Lanza Songbook' which Derek Mannering had donated. We thank all these wonderful people for their generosity, and Barbara for her continued and dedicated support with her unique talent .

We also had a very special contribution this year from John Fisher, who did something completely different and unique for this special year's event. John had been working on this project for over 4 years, and it resulted in a most stunning work of art in the form of a cartoon format biography of Mario. (See separate article and how to purchase your copy) John had his own stall for members to look at his beautiful work and also purchase copies of this limited edition. Stunning and amazing, John!

On cue, our guests of honour, Ellisa and Bobby Bregman then joined us to much applause. Not long afterwards, our other special guest, Derek Mannering, also joined us, just in time for Ellisa and Bobby to cut the 50 years Commemorative cake which had been provided for us by member Jeffrey Benton. Jeffrey had promised us a cake at one of our earlier committee meetings and we thank him so very much for his generosity. It was made and decorated by Jeffrey's sister, Sadie, and most beautifully executed too! It also tasted every bit as good as it looked! After everyone had finished taking their photos of the above, we settled down to a showing of the little movie ‘The Day I Met Caruso' which garnered so much appreciation last year. Jeffrey Benton once again introduced the film and told everyone a little about it and its lead actor, Lofti Mansouri. After it finished, once again there were raptures of enjoyment from many, Ellisa, Bobby and Derek all loved it and asked for copies which I will send to them shortly. Then it was time for tea and cake!

We didn't have much more time of the afternoon session left, but we couldn't have Derek with us and NOT listen to his delightful Irish brogue! I invited him to talk about the two new CD releases he has been involved with (see articles on same), plus he chose a track from the ‘Serenade – A Mario Lanza Songbook' which we then played called ‘Siboney' and Derek then told the story of how he bought this 78rmp record many years ago and was so thrilled by it! Naturally we could all have continued listening to Derek speak for much longer but unfortunately it was time to vacate the Verona suite in order that it could be made ready for the evening dinner and entertainment..

We reconvened at around 6.30-6.45pm for pre-dinner drinks before the evening concert was to begin. There is an excellent report on the concert in a separate article by member Pat Putt, so I will not duplicate the information.

After the concert we had a lovely dinner, after which we held the raffle draw. First to be drawn was Barbara's beautiful portrait of Mario in the ‘Lucia di Lammermoor' outfit, which was won by Derek Wheldon. This raffle raised £105 for the MLEF. The full set of Coca Cola shows on CD was won by first time attendee Trevor Denman, and I'm sure that win made his visit all the more memorable! The two CD's donated by Derek Mannering were won by Anneleise Kleibrink, (nee Luck) and Ted Annan. The total for the second raffle was £114. The main raffle then took place in the form of a tombola to save time and this raised over £200, so thank you to all who contributed, both with donations and in the buying of tickets. Most generous, as always.

We then were scheduled to see the DVD which we played at the Tribute Concert at Birmingham, but someone asked David to sing a Celtic song, which he duly obliged. That started the ball rolling! What followed next was nothing short of incredible! Jasmine got up and so did Andrew, and song and aria followed song and aria, without any rehearsing, and sometimes even just following the music from Jasmine's music book! Ellisa had it absolutely right when she said ‘It's like we're having a party!' It was so impromptu and so much fun! Needless to say we didn't play the DVD! Everyone without exception gave them a standing ovation! No one wanted the evening to end, but it was coming close to midnight, and another day was dawning.

Sunday mornings are always sad, as we have to say ‘Arrivederci' to many friends, some whom we won't see until next year. However, we still have our usual morning gathering, when one lucky member gets to choose their ten favourite tracks to be played which George Thomson puts on CD for that person. This year the lucky lady was Freda Cooper, and we sat and listened as Mario sang as only he can, and you could have heard a pin drop in that room whilst that wonderful voice enthralled us. The draw for next year's winner was done by Ellisa, and the winners were Charles and Nellie Probst from Geneva, Switzerland, so we hopefully look forward to them joining us again to share their choices with us!

All too soon it was over, Derek Wheldon thanked me for the organisation of the weekend, and I in turn thanked the rest of the committee, without whom nothing would happen. Vernon Lane is amazing, he is technician, photographer, display manager, you name it, he does it! Without his help we couldn't do one quarter of the things we do, so an enormous ‘thank you' from all of us. Jackie Lane and Wendy Stilwell, they do everything else! They are in charge of the raffles, the photograph sales, the memorabilia sales, and anything else that needs doing basically! Wonder women, both of them, and I thank them for all their hard work over the year.

W e must all thank our very special guests, Ellisa and Bobby Bregman and Derek Mannering for coming all the way from the USA to be with us in this special year. It was a hectic few days, but they were very enjoyable. Thank you also to our three wonderful singers, you can all come again any time at all, we look forward to it! To all the people who came from the Belgian society, also Charles and Nellie from Geneva, Annie and Helmut and Susan from Germany, and Olga from Holland, we just loved having you with us and we hope you will also return sometime soon! Thank you to all those who attended for the very first time, we hope that you too, will come back again another year. To all our regular attendees, thanks a million for always being so loyal and steadfast, your support and generosity knows no bounds, and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. To all who contributed in any way, we thank you, and Mario thanks you. God Bless Always.

Commemorative cake donated by Jeffrey Benton

Ellisa and Bobby cutting the cake

Bobby, Ellisa, Derek and members enjoying the afternoon activities

David, Jasmine and Andrew

The Mario Lanza Get Together October 2009

Pat Putt

For the past ten years my husband John and I have enjoyed the Mario Lanza Get Together, with the British Mario Lanza Society.

Sometimes the evenings were quiet when after our evening meal we would sit and talk while at the same time listening to Mike Murphy singing gently and beautifully on other occasions we would have stars from the world of Opera such as Giann Lucca and his beautiful wife who gave of their time to entertain us and show that Opera is not for the wealthy few but for all those who appreciated beautiful music.

As 2009 was the fiftieth anniversary of Mario's passing, this year we would have the pleasure of Ellisa and Bobby's company to help us celebrate a great man and his voice.

This particular week-end we also had a great many visitors from Belgium, Germany and Switzerland among them, I noticed as I am not blind, that there was a stunningly attractive girl with them little did I know on Friday evening how this your lady was going to impress and surprise me.

On the Saturday evening we prepared as usual for our evening meal only to discover that before we ate there was to be a concert, Oh! What a wonderful evening we had in store and, yes, once again our GTG was going to have a surprise in store for us all.

Over the past few years we have become rather numb with celebrity magazines filled with wannabee and anorexic celebrities and talent concerts filled with people who have no gift whatsoever. So, to have Jasmine Daoud, Andrew Bain and David Faulds was indeed a pleasure.

There was an excited air of expectancy in the room as we looked toward the top table and saw the beautiful young lady from the previous night accompanied by two young men. One was obviously Scottish as he wore a Kilt and the other young man wore a dark suit. The excitement grew especially when we were given a little message from Pam “Odette says that she was going to prove that Brussels had more than chocolates to export.” And Jasmine proved just that, her voice was among the most natural and beautiful I have ever heard, she has an intrinsic ability to reach all the true notes. Jasmine is also blessed with a natural charm and grace, as she walked between the tables smiling and clearly enjoying herself she not only entertained us but also made the group feel that they were very much a part of her. We were not outsiders listening; no, every one of us was a part of her family that of the world of music, though I am not an aficionado of the theatre world, I know this girl has far to go.

Andrew Bain was like no Dentist I have ever met before, not only good looking but like Jasmine, filled with a talent and an ability to entertain. He too could reach all the right notes, in fact when I joined in with him at their impromptu sing song I felt that I could sing too – this really was wishful thinking on my part. Again, a young man so full of life and with his smile I know every female heart was a flutter irrespective of age, between Andrew and David, I had my own problems. I could see the nervousness on his face at the start but once both the young men realised that we as a group were no ogres they settled in and sang for more than their supper.

On seeing David and his pretty young wife I rather guessed they were from Scotland, perhaps it was the kilt and the beautiful dress his wife was wearing. Again, he like Andrew was both charming and good looking, afraid that the cold he had might hamper his voice in some way. Andrew too was nervous but once he got into his stride and was doing something he liked his voice filled the room around us with all the pleasure that only really good singers can give and these boys surpassed my wildest dreams.

Once they had done their solos these three wonderful people sang together and though they had only just met, no one would have guessed it. Their voices blended together like honey and butter on hot toast, they melted into one and ran down our spines sending up chills of pleasure. My husband and I would love to see the three of them in a concert together, what enjoyment they would give.

How proud must Ellisa and Bobby be, knowing that these three young people came together not only because they have voices, but in honour of one man, the person who filled their souls and hearts with the love of music. Someone they could only have heard of from parents and grandparents yet it is he they came to honour at the week-end, Ellisa's father, the wonderful and great Mario Lanza, a person whose life though short, did leave behind a legacy that is today still followed by the young men and women who really do have TALENT.

Home