The phoney war is over

We've reached that time in the year when a new season ceases to be a speck on the horizon and you can start to see the dust as the stampede approaches. I often think (forgive the metaphor) that during the middle of the summer that it's a bit like a phoney war, when you know the action is not far off but it all feels a bit too remote to worry about.

Not that it should be a cause for concern, of course. I mean - the start of a new season is cause for celebration, not a reason for diving for cover. Having said that, 2009-2010 has resulted in a rapid shortening of my finger nails because it's my first season as programmer. The initial signs are very positive but when you've invested several months in putting a season together and marketing it then each weekly sales report gets greeted with a bit of apprehension.

And things are going to get busier, too. We now have a new Managing Director, Robert Sanderson, which has meant that we can now move ahead with actioning all those plans we've been harbouring for several weeks and months. The first for me is a series of short lunchtime concerts that will take place every month from the Autumn to the Spring. We haven't done something like this before so I know it's going to take a fair amount of time to establish it. And we're also looking at creating another performance space in the top level bar area of the concert hall - now there's a challenge! Add to that the new After:Hours performances (tied to four of the main Classics concerts) and some new strands of music - blues, jazz and world music - and it looks like being a busy year ahead.

And this means that my job title will change, too. From now on I'm the Music Programme Manager, which reflects the wider range of music I'll be working on. But in case that's a cause for concern, I can assure you that Nottingham Classics will still be the main focus of my work and I'll be looking at ways in which the series could develop over the coming seasons.

Mmm. I can definitely hear the hoards approaching over the horizon now (or was that the Tram?) so that's all for now. Now where did I put that Muddy Waters CD?