I’ve been discovering again where to distribute flyers and posters for concerts in Bristol. By keeping my eyes open for opportunities I’ve found various shops and other places near where I work which can take them and display them prominently. I also used a contact in the university’s Modern Languages department to get some publicity for ‘Viva!’ into the Spanish part of the department.
One place for putting flyers which I really miss is Bristol Classical Discs. I was very sorry to return to the area after a few months away in 2002 to find that this shop had gone. As well as being a useful source of information about forthcoming events and local musical groups, it was particularly well stocked for 20th-century and choral music. Fortunately Bath also has a very good CD shop.
Another obvious place is the University’s Victoria Rooms. I used not to like going in there because the behaviour of the porters was enough to induce paranoia in the most confident; they would be in conversation as you walked through the door, but immediately stop when they saw you and stare at you until you left – even if you were just inspecting the table in the lobby with publicity on – as though you were a management spy or a dangerous criminal whose activities they’d just been discussing. When I last went in they’d been replaced by other porters who knew how to observe visitors more discreetly and not make them feel intimidated.
I’ve got into trouble recently for turning up to sing at services at the last possible minute. Now here is a challenge: I’m aware that parents of young children are in general a group which the Church of England has difficulty getting to attend church frequently. Are there many other mothers of two young children out there who turn out most weeks to sing in the choir at a 9 a.m. service (that’s the service, not the practice!)? I bet you’d have to go some way to find any, but I’d be interested to be proved wrong.