fanfare
Fanfare ~ the magazine for Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Association is a voluntary organisation supporting the work of Conservatoire students.
Spring 2020
Birmingham City University
Welcome to the spring 2020 edition of Fanfare Magazine
Contents 2 | Welcome from the Principal
17 | Movement training at RBC
4 | Six months with the Percussion Department
18 | Conservatoire news
6 | An interview with John Rutter
20 | Alumni news
8 | Every Musician Matters
22 | Thank you to all our supporters
It is hard to conceive of a stranger time to be writing a foreword for a publication which celebrates all the vibrant activities that take place inside a conservatoire. As I write, not only have Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s doors been closed for six weeks but there is no set date for them to reopen.
In common with arts organisations across the world, RBC has suffered the frustration of being forced to cancel some wonderful live concerts and theatre productions which had been a long time in the planning. We are aiming to re-programme as many of these as possible when our shared ordeal is finally over!
Looking through the pages of this issue of Fanfare it is clear how much we all miss the day-to-day interaction that only physical presence can bring. Yet, throughout this traumatic time, RBC’s staff have been incredibly busy delivering online tuition, working towards student graduation and planning for a multitude of post-lockdown scenarios.
By the time the Autumn edition of Fanfare is published I truly hope that the Conservatoire has been able to reopen its doors and return to the multifarious happenings which make it such a special place to work and study.
10 | Alumni spotlight: Susan Heaton-Wright
Until then, I wish all students, staff, friends and supporters of RBC a safe passage through the difficult days ahead.
14 | RBC Learning and Participation Programme
During this extraordinary period the internet has - literally - been a life saver and almost none of the aforementioned activities could have taken place without it. RBC was already well placed to go straight into long-distance learning as we had become expert in the required technology both through our outreach programmes and, especially, through our acclaimed ARCO project which has been providing weekly online lessons to its young students in South Africa for several years.
Professor Julian Lloyd Webber Principal, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
James Cheadle
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Front cover image of the Conservatoire’s Folk Ensemble performing in the Bradshaw Hall.
12 | Alumni spotlight: Corey Campbell
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ARCO students in rehearsal at Morris Isaacson Centre for Music during ARCO live teaching week. ©JFC Studio
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Six months with the Percussion Department Before I took on the job as Head of Percussion I was a Visiting Tutor at RBC for a couple of years. I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of the day-to-day running of the department, what projects the students were involved in, and what the big events of the year were. But nothing could prepare me for just how busy our amazing students are. Here is a snapshot of the year so far for our department.
December With everyone getting in the Christmas spirit, we wheeled two marimbas and some drums over to the Woodman Pub to kick off a new series of gigs. As a result of a series of classes I’ve been running, the students now plan and present a performance in the Woodman each term. It’s tiny up there, but it gives them a great chance to play solo and small ensemble pieces to an audience with a pint in hand. They finished the set with an arrangement of Santa Claus is Coming to Town!
September I spent the first two weeks of the month frantically getting up to speed with everything the department had planned. There was a lot in the pipeline! At the start of the year, most of the percussion students had a much better idea of what was going on than I did as their new Head of Department (thankfully!).
and we had the first of many visits from Indian Classical Tabla master Dalbir Singh Rattan.
Lots of regular activities started up at this point, including one-to-one lessons, classes with our Visiting Tutors, auditions and rehearsals for orchestral projects, but there was one hot topic in the department – what’s the programme going to be at Centrala?
February
Centrala is an amazing art-gallery/cafe/warehouse in Digbeth that provides the perfect space for the kind of cutting-edge performances for which RBC’s Percussion Department has become renowned. Now in its third year, the Millennial Percussion Centrala series is highly regarded for its groundbreaking ambitious repertoire featuring audio, lights and screen in collaboration with our stage management colleagues. In short, the message was that I needed to get the programme right!
Just as I started to get the hang of things, we were thrown into another busy month. Half of the students gave a performance of Messiaen’s Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, filling the Symphony Hall stage with gongs and bells. The second Centrala gig finished with a stunning performance of Anna Meredith’s Brisk Widow (a duet for drums and spotlights), and the students constantly perform in everything from Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, to opening a Commonwealth Games culture event hosted in the Bradshaw Hall.
At the end of the month, four of our students travelled to Munich to give a concert with our International Solo Percussion Consultant Alexej Gerassimez and his students at the Musik Hochschule.
October Just as rehearsals kicked off for the Symphony Orchestra’s first outing of 2019/20, I announced to the students that I had pianist Katherine Tinker on board to produce the Centrala gigs with me. We’d decided on the two ‘main event’ pieces – Alexander Schubert’s Star Me Kitten and Anna Meredith’s Brisk Widow (If you’ve got a spare half hour, check them out on YouTube…you won’t regret it!)
January We launched into 2020 with the Percussion Prize, which was won by Erasmus student Arturo Reina Gomez. This month the students were involved in three outreach projects; one at RBC and the other two on tour. They headed to Sandbach and Hexham for two days of workshops, working with presenter-extraordinaire Owen Gunnell.
Never afraid of spreading themselves too thinly, the students also auditioned for the two CBSO side-by-side schemes we run, and started rehearsing for the first AfroCuban Jazz Orchestra gig of the year in collaboration with the Jazz Department. I went to their gig in the Jazz Club (always on the last Friday of the month); it was incredible!
In addition to the usual one-to-one lessons and classes, we hosted Adelaide Ferriere, Le Yu, Calum Huggan and Guy Schalom for masterclasses.
November This is when I realised how busy it can get! Our 12 students were involved in nine orchestral projects during November, and alongside that, masterclasses started up with some of the biggest names around. We held our first ever Skype masterclass with Dame Evelyn Glennie, had orchestral classes from the likes of Pat King (Welsh National Opera), Chris Bradley (Opera North) and Jonathan Herbert (RTE National Symphony Orchestra),
After writing it all down, I feel like I still haven’t done our students justice. All these projects are just a fraction of what the percussion students are up to week after week. These six months as Head of Department have certainly been a learning curve for me, but I can’t think of any better preparation for the industry than being a part of this hardworking, happy team.
In one of the busiest weeks of the year, we took over Centrala, performing one of the most ambitious programmes yet, including two world premières. Then, two days later, it was the first open day of the year (and first ever for me!), where the students gave awesome performances in Boult’s Bar and up in the Percussion Department. 4
Toby Kearney Head of Percussion 5
An interview with John Rutter Last Easter, the renowned composer and conductor John Rutter led the Conservatoire’s Chamber Choir and Orchestra in a concert of seasonal music alongside his own Requiem. Salwan Cartwright-Shamoon, a Master’s student in Vocal Performance, had the opportunity to sit down and interview him during his time at RBC. composer and who could actually have become rather renowned. He was a pupil of Charles Wood and had been his composition student at Cambridge in the 1920s, towards the end of Charles Wood’s life. Edward Chapman imparted what I now realise were probably quite a lot of Dr Wood’s ideas about composition. These included: solid craftsmanship – being on top of the technique; letting the inspiration take care of itself; exercising good taste and judgement; and doing the best job you can. I think those traits were passed on to me. That was a transformational experience because it made me feel that composition was entirely normal. And, of course, I realise that in a lot of schools you wouldn’t necessarily encounter that very positive attitude towards composition. My best friend at school was John Tavener – a very noted composer indeed. We were both taught by Edward Chapman and he sent us out into the world with the belief that we should persevere in composition and be true to ourselves. The advice he gave me (which he probably gave to John Tavener as well) was ‘write the music that’s in your heart.’ And, if you’re any good and what you write is written from the heart, with a bit of luck it will touch other hearts as well. I was very lucky that by the time I finished school, in a way, my path was set. I went on to study music at Clare College, Cambridge, and, during my time there, I had the good fortune to be taught by David Willcocks, the renowned director of King’s College. At the end of one of our weekly classes in harmony and counterpoint, he invited me to bring some of my compositions to his rooms in King’s the following Monday morning. I put together a little pile of some of my manuscripts, which happened to include several Christmas carols that I had done the term before for a college concert at Clare. The first thing he looked over was a piece called The Shepherd’s Pipe carol. After looking through it, he looked up at me and asked, ‘Would you be interested in this being published?’ I was rather taken aback and replied, ‘Really?’ David Willcocks then decided to take my whole pile of compositions and show them to the senior editor at Oxford University Press later that day in London. That was his publisher, where he acted as editorial advisor for all the choral music. So, on Monday he went down to London and spent the afternoon at Oxford University Press and on Wednesday I got an offer of publication in the post. Well, there’s a transformational moment for you, because in one leap I’d gone from aspiring composer to published composer. I would never have had the nerve to show my work to a publisher but I didn’t have to because David Willcocks did it for me. That was extraordinary. I don’t know whether in the end a publisher might have heard about what I was doing. I rather doubt it; I was only a student.
What is music for you? Music is my life – simple. I think the thing about music is, as with chess or mathematics or certain other callings in life, you don’t choose it, it chooses you. That’s an old cliché but I think it really is true. I suppose music is the thing that just makes my life make sense really. I can’t imagine my life without music. Every day is different. There are always new challenges, and although there are many setbacks and disappointments and hurtful reviews and all the bad things, and of course plenty of economic insecurity, if you’re doing something that you love, that makes up for an awful lot. What would you say the most transformational point in your life was? I would single out various landmark moments along the road. When I first joined a choir at school and it was clear that I had a musical gift – that was a significant moment. One of the things I liked about choral singing was that you were part of a team. I was useless in a football or cricket team, but I was some use in a choir, and there was a nice feeling of being able to work with others. Teamwork is very satisfying and doesn’t feel so solitary. So, maybe that was when the seed for my love of choirs was first sown, in those early years when I was probably no more than six or seven years old. An important transformational period came in my teenage years when I had the good fortune to have a music teacher at school called Edward Chapman, who was himself a
Would you say that your role in music and as a composer could be seen as a service? Oh yes, absolutely. Most composers have felt like that. Benjamin Britten expressed it very strongly saying that a composer should serve his community. I don’t think composers are meant to work in isolation. The idea of that is a very 19th century one: the artist in the garret, the visionary that’s sort of separated from the real world and lives in a world of dreams and wonders. Well, Bach wasn’t like that, and neither was Handel. They were practical guys who grappled day-to-day with choristers who hadn’t learned their notes, or the opera singers who got temperamental, in Handel’s case. Or the impresario who walked off with all the proceeds of the latest opera leaving you penniless. You actually do live in a community as a composer, and I think that you should be at its service rather than telling it what to do – I see it as a very connected relationship. The way I look at it (I don’t think this is my thought, but I think it’s true) is that the relationship between a composer and the rest of the world is like a three-legged stool: there’s the composer, the performer(s) and the audience. Those are the three legs of the stool, and if one of those legs is not there, then the stool collapses. I wouldn’t myself ever be inclined to write in a vacuum. I wouldn’t ever think, ‘I’ve got to get this piece written and then I’m going to put it in a cupboard. I don’t care if no one ever performs it.’ I doubt there have been any composers who have really felt like that. It’s true that Bach wrote things like The Art of Fugue, but he wanted it published, so he certainly wanted people to study and play it. I think the connection between composer and audience is an important one, but it’s not one where I would ever advise a composer to write down to their audience. Don’t despise your audience: they may actually be more discerning than you think! Connect with an audience but don’t reach down to them. That would be advice that I would give. But, of course, you’re lucky if you make any sort of contact anyway, so maybe the reaching out has to happen, but I would just say preferably not in a downward direction.
Do you feel like your music is music that serves the community, or music that needs to come through you as a vessel, or a combination of both? I think, yes, you want to serve your community or to serve the situation. If you’re writing church music, I think you are hoping to serve and adorn the liturgy of that service. You need to be aware that you are in church and that what you are writing is not there just for its own vain sake but to be part of what those present will look upon as an act of worship. I have written a lot of church music and I think that aspect is important. Now, the second question: are you just a vessel as a composer, where some higher power is actually guiding your hand? I don’t know. What I think any composer will tell you is that we have no idea where our ideas come from. People would put different interpretations on it depending on their philosophic and religious stance. I mean, some people would say, as Haydn did, that all their ideas came from the good Lord. Now that’s a viewpoint that you probably wouldn’t have found Wagner to be very keen on. But, in the end, it’s so mysterious. As a composer you’re given a brief. You’re asked, ‘Can you set these words and do it by next Tuesday? It’s going to be for a choir of forty voices, and they’re a little bit weak in the tenor section so don’t make it too difficult’. That gives you a start but where do you really begin? You start with a blank sheet of paper, and little by little it fills up. We don’t really know how we get there. As composers, all we can do is create conditions where if Saint Cecilia does come by with an idea, you’re at least revved up and ready to go to your desk. You’re like a taxi with the engine running and Saint Cecilia comes by and says, ‘Oh, here’s an idea. Run with it.’ It’s no good if you’re asleep or if you’re mowing the lawn that day. And so, most composers and word writers, novelists and poets and so forth, usually believe in discipline. They’ll say, ‘I’ll put in ten hours a day, and I will be at my desk at 9 in the morning and that’s that.’ The hardest bit is always the first bit when you’ve got absolutely nothing. Once you’ve got a nugget you can work with, a germ, a seed, then you can build on it, and sometimes it goes in unpredictable directions. The way that I sometimes explain it is similar to the way that a sculptor works. You start with a massive lump of stone and it’s not until you start hacking away at it with your chisel that you realise what it is that’s taking shape. And bit by bit, the statue within the lump of stone does begin to take shape as you work on it. That’s sort of how it is with composition. Are we afraid of that process? Yes – scared rigid, every time starting on a new piece. I think Stravinsky said, ‘nothing compares with the dread of the empty page.’ And he was not exactly lacking in good ideas. It always starts with nothing and then you end up – hopefully in good time for your deadline, but sometimes you’re just there under the wire – with a complete piece. If I were to stop and ask, ‘well, how did I get there?’ I really wouldn’t be able to tell you. Interviewed and transcribed by Salwan CartwrightShamoon: ‘On behalf of the Conservatoire I would like to thank John for his time and willingness to do this interview’.
This interview has been significantly reduced in size for publication.The full interview can be read online at: salwancs.com
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Every Musician Matters Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is committed to offering its students the best possible education, as reflected in the 2019 National Student Survey (NSS), where RBC achieved the highest score of all UK conservatoires for the second year in a row. Sponsor a Student In full, it costs a student on average £20,000 a year to study at the Conservatoire. Tuition feels, rent, travel, instruments and other necessary expenses can have challenging financial implications for our students, and the daily training regimen required to be successful leaves little time for extracurricular employment.
Commenting on the NSS result at the time, Professor Julian Lloyd Webber said, ‘It is the teaching and learning within the Conservatoire that continues to be our top priority, and we are delighted to receive this ringing endorsement from our students once again’. Offering a world-class education to all, regardless of financial circumstances and background is at the heart of what we do. We are pleased to be able to offer around 60% of our 700 music students financial support in the form of bursaries and scholarships, but there are many more who still need assistance.
We feel we have a duty to offer more scholarships to those in need as we know from experience that without such support many students would not be able to take up their place at RBC.
“This scholarship came as a lifeline. It allowed me to concentrate on my studies rather than worry endlessly about being able to afford my rent and be able to feed myself.” Charlotte Meredith, supported by the Jack and Suzy Fryer Scholarship.
“Receiving the letter notifying me I had received a scholarship award was a magical moment. Not just does it provide a financial sense of security, but also a feeling that there are others investing in your future and that the hard work put in so far has been worth it.” Charles Francis, supported by the DMC McDonald Foundation.
‘It is the teaching and learning within the Conservatoire that continues to be our top priority, and we are delighted to receive this ringing endorsement from our students once again’. “I have made indispensable links and contacts with Conservatoire staff and students as well as outside organisations. The facilities that are available here are modern and fresh, and the quality of teaching is second to none.” Thomas Stoneman, supported by the Leverhulme Trust.
This year, we will be launching our first ever Sponsor a Student appeal with the aim of covering the full course fees for five home (UK) undergraduate students for the duration of their four-year studies. To help raise the £200,000 required, the Conservatoire will match pound for pound all donations (including Gift Aid) up to a total of £100,000, thereby doubling their value. But we need your help to reach our £100,000 target.
Thomas Stoneman
“Having this scholarship means that I am able to focus on my own playing and preparing for my work in orchestras. I have also been able to undertake various auditions to continue to broaden my reach as a freelance violist, and feel increasingly better prepared for a trial should a vacancy arise.” Rosamund Hawkins, supported by the Headley Trust. Rosamund Hawkins
Charlotte Meredith Charles Francis
For some, knowing that you are making an immediate impact on a student’s future will be reward in itself. However, we also offer invitations to performances featuring your supported student, and we will send you regular updates on their progress throughout their time at the Conservatoire. Individual named scholarships are also available in recognition of donations of £5,000 or more per annum. Help us to nurture and encourage the next generation of professional musicians, and support them in realising their potential and fulfilling their dreams.
Safeguard their Future The Conservatoire has long-established links with Birmingham’s globally renowned music organisations, giving students unparalleled opportunities to learn from professionals across the city and the chance to forge connections that will be invaluable for their future careers.
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Sponsor a Student today! For more information, please contact Amy Self, Development Officer at amy.self@bcu.ac.uk.
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Alumni spotlight: Susan Heaton-Wright Susan Heaton-Wright studied a Postgraduate Diploma, specialising in operatic performance, from 1994-96. She has since had a fascinating career as a performer, teacher and, most recently, an awardwinning entrepreneur, having set up Viva Live Music. How did your early career start? I was already performing outside college in recitals, concerts and staged performances. I toured Wales as Pamina in a production of The Magic Flute, sang all over the country in oratorio concerts and recitals, and performed in France, Spain and Italy. I received a scholarship from the Italian Government to study in Italy, and whilst there studied operatic performance and the language. Concert highlights included singing Songs of the Auvergne at Symphony Hall, Verdi’s Requiem (soprano soloist) for numerous choral societies, and performing as the soprano soloist in The Messiah at Durham Cathedral. I also sang a number of operatic roles: Tatyana, Micaela, Mimi and Electra (Idomeneo) for medium-sized companies, as well as a concert performance of Verdi’s first opera Oberto, singing Leonora in the Linbury Studio, Covent Garden. I also premièred a number of roles and solo parts in contemporary music, including a Pehkonen piece for the Birmingham Festival Choral Society and for the ENO Works. I worked very hard to generate opportunities; not only putting on performances myself to learn new repertoire, but also contacting concert and recital promoters and organisers. I remember meeting a very well-established musician at the Conservatoire who said that, despite having a busy diary and a good agent, he still wrote three letters EVERY day to promoters and previous clients to generate new leads. As a result, I worked very hard at the ‘business development’ side. Of course I had to send letters, and now it is easier being able to send emails! I was truly thankful for every opportunity I received.
When did you study at the Conservatoire and what was the experience like? I joined the then Birmingham Conservatoire as a 26 year-old postgraduate in 1994, having previously studied Geography at Durham University. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to attend the Conservatoire, and also to have the opportunities that were given to me there. Quite soon after I started, I sang Tosca in a concert performance of Act 3, with Sir Mark Elder conducting. What an experience! Then Marenka in The Bartered Bride and the soprano solo in Britten’s War Requiem at Birmingham Town Hall, as well as other internal workshop productions and recitals. But also, in my first week, I met another mature student who introduced me to the backstage manager at Symphony Hall, as they had a vacancy. I had the amazing opportunity to look after some of the world class musicians performing there, and I also heard more music and learnt a great deal about performance.
What did you do in your later career, how did your career develop? I gave up singing in 2003; I had a son and found it challenging balancing motherhood and a music career. But when my son was a baby, I set up a teaching practice in my home. I was already a QTS (Qualified Teacher Status), so felt comfortable teaching, and I also received invaluable advice on setting up the practice from the ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians). This fitted in really well with my life with a small child and was really enjoyable. I was constantly being asked to arrange music for people’s parties and business events, so in 2005 I set up Viva Live Music and for 15 years have arranged music for events in UK and Europe. Clients have included Royalty, senior politicians, celebrities and multi-national companies, 10
at some incredible events and venues. In 2007, I was asked to train teachers in vocal health, and friends (who weren’t performers) kept asking me to help with their presentations and speeches in business. I then set up a training business, originally called Executive Voice, training individuals and teams in presence, public speaking and impact. I developed my own public speaking skills and now speak professionally as well as training. I have worked in a number of high profile organisations including RBS, Accenture, Shell, Astra Zeneca and AXA. In 2018, after my son went to university, I had more time and trademarked my own communications model, Superstar Communicator™, which I use in all my training. A lot of this is related to my experience of performing, and skills that I have translated to be relevant to business clients. What awards/recognition have you received? At music college I was awarded a singing prize. My music business has received awards for customer service, and I was recently named as a Top 100 inspirational female entrepreneur in 2020 (one of my corporate clients nominated me in secret!) I am also a Fellow of the ISM. What advice would you give someone studying now? I remember sitting in the old Adrian Boult Hall on the first day, when the Principal welcomed us. He said something that has been repeated by the amazing Martin Lewis; that there are four elements of being successful: talent (and that is a given if you are at an amazing conservatoire like the RBC), hard work, focus AND luck. It is a genuine privilege to have music in your life, and whatever path you decide to take within the music business, remember that it is a business. It is all about the client who is paying you; being polite, helpful, going above and beyond to ensure they have a great experience and, above all, being professional, punctual and prepared to go a long way. Genuinely enjoy what you do, as I have, and good luck! What are your future plans? I still run Viva Live Music http://vivalivemusic.com; I have re-branded my speaking coaching business to Superstar Communicator and I have clients all over the world – it is amazing how you can train people virtually! I also have more plans to speak overseas: the next confirmed speaking engagement is in Holland.
I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to attend the Conservatoire, and also to have the opportunities that were given to me there. 11
Alumni spotlight: Corey Campbell Corey Campbell (BA Acting, 2013) is the Founder and Creative Director of Strictly Arts, a physical theatre company that devises work that is engaging, thought-provoking and unique. In 2018 Corey was made an Honorary Member of RBC and in 2019 he was announced as one of three Creative Leads who will oversee the Belgrade Theatre’s production programme for Coventry’s year as City of Culture in 2021. I do everything I do, and he’s one of the main reasons why we created Strictly Arts. He’s since passed away, and I still miss him every single day. I actually met him because of bad behaviour, when I was on probation. He basically took me in and became a real father figure to me – I really don’t know how to articulate how much he meant to me. I’ve got MearesIrlen Syndrome, which is a bit like visual dyslexia, so when I finished school, I wasn’t able to read or write, and David taught me how. He also gave me my first monologue, which I used for my audition to get into drama school. In fact, everything I’ve ever used that monologue for, I’ve got the part! I did some really bad things during that time when I think about it, but David never left me. He always had time for me, always loved me, and always forgave me. So when he died I didn’t know what to do. I was confused, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, and I didn’t really want to act any more. But one of the things that David instilled in me was the importance of owning your narrative, your story. He was always saying that this new call for black and minority ethnic people had been done before, and he would never let me fall for anything tokenistic or stereotypical. I kept thinking about that, and that’s when I decided to start my own company – so we could tell our own stories. At the time I didn’t really know anything about how to run a company. I didn’t even really know how to direct yet – I’d only just finished learning how to act. But what was lovely was that my whole year at RBC got fully behind it when it came to launching the company. The first show we did at the Belgrade Theatre was Green Leaves Fall, and everyone was doing it in honour of David. I actually prefer Green Leaves Fall to Freeman, if I’m honest! But I’m really proud of all of the shows we’ve done, because the whole company started from nothing.
Corey Campbell
What did you enjoy about your time at RBC? (BSA as it was then!) One of the huge things for me was meeting people I wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to meet, and spending time with people that I wouldn’t normally spend time with. In the area that I grew up in, everybody was working class, but at drama school I got to meet people from all different walks of life, and learnt how to empathise with different struggles and challenges. Did you make any lasting connections, and work with anyone from RBC after graduation? One of the key friendships I made was with Henry Bays. Funnily enough, I couldn’t stand him while I was at drama school! He was from a really different background to me and wound me up no end. But eventually the art brought us together, and he’s now become one of my closest friends. I invited him to my wedding and I’m going to be main groomsman at his wedding as well. We still argue, but we really respect one another now. And that’s what it’s all about – that’s why the Strictly Arts logo is in different colours and has the cogs working together – everything we do is about how the arts can unify people. My other really good friend from my time at RBC is Danièle Sanderson, Course Director of BA Acting who co-directed Freeman with me. She’s a phenomenal human being. But, to be honest, as Strictly Arts became a graduate company, I stayed in touch with pretty much everyone in my year! Past and present students still contact me today.
What have been your highlights and successes since starting Strictly Arts? I don’t consider any of Strictly Arts’ accomplishments as my own – everything we’ve done belongs to the company as a whole. That being said, one of the big highlights for Strictly Arts was going to Peru. We met people from a different country that have their own hang-ups and difficulties, and performed Freeman for them. To see how it resonated with people halfway across the world was phenomenal, and not only that, they were so inspired that they actually created a response piece straight away during the time that we were there, and it was a masterpiece. It’s amazing to be so far away from home but still feeling like we can connect via the arts. But that’s what we do, and that’s why we’re called Strictly Arts. It’s all about the art – nothing else matters.
When did you set up Strictly Arts and who with? Why did you choose to set up a theatre company? Someone who I met before I started at RBC but who was with me on my journey throughout was the late and great David Vann. He’s the reason why I act, he’s the reason why 12
Try always to have fun. Create, invent, be inspired and also aim to inspire others. There have been loads of other great achievements. We’ve travelled all over the world now – I think the only continent we haven’t visited is Antarctica! We won awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we sold out venues on our very first tour, we received a five-star review in the Guardian, and more than 15,000 people have seen Freeman. For a little company with 300-odd followers, that’s not bad! What challenges have you faced since graduation? Loads! I’m not a fan of agents, so let’s start there. The first thing I came up against was narrative. There were some narratives that I didn’t want to be part of, but I had to get paid. So that was my first problem – a lot of the work that was coming in, I just wasn’t interested in – artistically it didn’t satisfy me. However after David Vann died, it changed my whole perspective. I think if he was still alive, I’d probably have had a very different career and a very different answer to this question. But when my perspective changed it kicked my brain into gear and now if I want something, I take it. Nothing can stop me. Beforehand, I was still kind of waiting for something, if that makes sense. Also, admin is still a bit of a challenge for me. Anything that involves writing is still a struggle. Even when I write plays, as anyone I’ve worked with will tell you, it will all be in my head and other people will say, “I need it on paper”, while I’m trying to get them to improvise! What advice would you give to actors thinking about auditioning for drama school, or just starting their training? Particularly if it was someone like you who came from a background where it might not occur to them to apply to drama school. It’s difficult, but I would say, don’t be afraid of your preconceived notions of what an establishment like Royal Birmingham Conservatoire might be. It’s a big title, isn’t it? The Queen awarded it a Royal title, there’s a “toire” at the end – it’s pretty heavy stuff. But the people there give genuine care and attention to helping you to be the individual you want to grow to be. They really do take the time to make sure they don’t just churn out factorysetting performers. They allow you to be yourself, and they nurture that. I would also say put in as much work as you can. Unfortunately it’s an industry that doesn’t sleep, so you have to put in the hours. And lastly, try always to have fun. Create, invent, be inspired and also aim to inspire others. What was it like to receive an Honorary Membership? So here’s the truth – when I first got told I was receiving it, I didn’t know what it was! I went there with all my rodeo – my family, loads of people. I had to take my little cousin suit shopping an hour before because he’d turned up looking real rugged, so we all went and bought some clothes from the Palisades shopping centre.
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But then when we got there, one of them started recognising people like Andrew and Julian Lloyd Webber, and that’s when we realised that there were some serious cats in the building. There were people there who were getting awards for really big things that they’d done, so suddenly it started to feel serious. It meant a lot to me that the place that had helped to birth my excitement for acting was willing to recognise my work in any form. I didn’t feel worthy of it, but I was really grateful. And it’s really opened doors for me, I can tell you! Since I started putting those letters after my name, everybody answers my emails! What are your plans for the future? I’m now the Co-Artistic Director of the Belgrade Theatre, along with Balisha Karra and Justine Themen, overseeing the theatre’s production programme for Coventry’s year as City of Culture in 2021. Our Artistic Director Hamish Glen is still here, so it’s a very complicated dynamic. My plan is to re-establish what it looks like to be an Artistic Director of the future. It can’t mean the same as it did 10, 15 years ago, because that would just be depressing. The work that we’re trying to do is about making sure that the West Midlands in general and the Belgrade Theatre in particular are ahead of the times. The Belgrade engages really well with its community already, but I want to take that one step further. As a Co-Artistic Director I want to reimagine what it means to be part of a regional theatre presenting work that emerges from its community, alongside professional work that engages with its community. And that needs to be all the way through the programme, with everything side by side on an equal footing, rather than in a hierarchy of shows. I also want to make sure that we’re working in the best way we can be interdepartmentally, to make sure that I’m interacting with different departments in the right ways. Luckily I think I get on well with most people! In February I co-directed Crongton Knights with Esther Richardson from Pilot Theatre. Crongton Knights is an adaptation of a great novel by Alex Wheatle which follows the journey of a group of young people aged 15-16. It explores identity in young people, and how they feel trapped in their communities because of postcode wars going on around them. Eventually something happens that means they have to venture out of their community, and the experience binds them together. It’s a really urban, youthful story, encompassing beatboxing and typical Strictly Arts movement style. In March I’m thrilled to be returning to RBC to direct Born Bad, Debbie Tucker Green’s Olivier Award-winning play about an urgent battle cry for answers, where a mum, dad, daughter, two sisters and brother collide; some keeping deathly silent, some shouting voraciously, all uncovering hidden skeletons in long-closed closets. I can’t wait to come back to where it all started and work with students who are about to graduate and set off on their own careers – it’s a really special project for me.
RBC Learning and Participation Programme As the Department for Education launches their consultation on a new National Plan for Music Education, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Learning and Participation programme continues to make an impact on young people through major partnerships and programmes with music hubs, schools and community organisations across the UK.
Kodály Inspired Music Learning We encourage students to broaden and develop their practice and pedagogy throughout their time at the Conservatoire and beyond. We are thankful to the Weingarten Foundation for the support to run our Kodály Inspired Learning Programme. This year, two practitioners have been leading workshops exploring the creative use of Kodály teaching and learning methodologies in two inner city primary schools. Hillstone Primary School in Shard End, Birmingham; and Lightwoods Primary School in Oldbury, Sandwell. The Year 2 students of both schools have been learning to sing and create music with their teachers and teaching assistants. In addition, during this academic year, there are three Kodály Inspired Learning days at RBC, led by the world renowned practitioner Lucinda Geoghegan. The first day was a sell out, attended by 45 musicians and music educators from across the UK. Each event is open to music educators, musicians, early years practitioners, school teachers, teaching assistants, community leaders and anyone else who works with and wants to inspire young people. They focus on topics such as ‘singing games as a springboard to musical literacy’, ‘engaging children from all backgrounds and supporting them on their musical journey’, and ‘looking at age appropriate activities and repertoire’. The Kodály Inspired Learning Programme was presented at a Birmingham Music Education Partnership conference at Midlands Arts Centre in January 2020, and we expect to be engaging with more than 15 primary schools across the city in the next academic year through a professional development programme, enabling school teachers and teaching assistants to deliver participatory music sessions regularly in school.
Opera Nation Young Singers visited the RBC Spring Opera
In 2018/19, RBC’s Learning and Participation programme impacted on more than 5000 young people, engaged 120 of its students and staff, and delivered over 50 learning activities. Our programme, one of the most diverse and extensive of its type, creates inspirational musical learning activities for young people. Here are a few examples of where RBC is working to bring quality music education provision to young people and communities across the UK.
performing ensemble for education and community contexts, flash mobbed classrooms (neither students nor classroom teachers knew about it!). We then performed two packed out Schools Concerts in the afternoon.
Opera Nation In December 2019, we started recruiting for our Opera Nation programme. ‘Opera Nation’ is a unique partnership with The Royal Opera House, and brings together young singers from across the West Midlands. Working with six West Midlands Music Hubs we have engaged with 165 young vocalists and recruited 60 young people aged 14 to 18 for a residential course at Ingestre Hall, Staffordshire in the near future. Opera Nation has seen professional musicians from the Royal Opera House and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (part of Birmingham City University) nurture young people’s vocal, musical and stagecraft skills. A final 30 young singers will be selected to begin a programme that offers up to four years of professional mentoring, training and support, starting in Summer 2020. Opera Nation is the first programme of its kind in the West Midlands, and offers aspiring young singers a sustained investment into their musical journey and a path into professional training. As well as engaging with professional musicians from RBC and ROH and young vocalists from across the West Midlands, Opera Nation also mentors and trains students from RBC in skills to enhance their professional development. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire students on Opera Nation help with confidence building, team building, vocal support, and many other things that will help the development of pedagogy and vocal practice in our students. Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire commented “Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Opera House share an ethos of inclusion and widening participation, and we’re delighted to be launching this fantastic opportunity to nurture young singers from diverse backgrounds. Opera Nation will make a significant contribution to the musical development of young people across the West Midlands.”
‘Sounds of Play’ - Birmingham Early Years Music Consortium Music has an impact on all ages and at all levels. Since September 2019, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has been a partner in the Birmingham Early Years Consortium programme called ‘Sounds of Play’, an initiative funded by Youth Music with 18 partner organisations supporting and developing Early Years music provision across the city.
In Harmony We work closely with In Harmony - Telford and Stoke, a social development programme delivered through music in Telford and Stoke since 2012. We support In Harmony’s mission to transform the lives of children and families in deprived communities through ensemble music-making, helping to make music the centre of the community and something that whole families and the wider community can come together and enjoy!
The Consortium aims to improve music provision for children up to 5-years old and their families across the city. It works with Early Years practitioners and musicians, offering training and providing a more coordinated approach to music-making opportunities for young children. RBC student instrumentalists are invited to participate in the programme, so that they understand more about the importance of music in the Early years. Organised placements and shadowing opportunities for students will continue to embed Early Years performances and training into day to day life at RBC.
This year our LEAP (Learning and Participation) Ensemble are helping to launch the In-Harmony programme in new schools across Telford and Stoke. On Thursday 27th February 2020 we visited Hollinswood Primary School in Telford, where the LEAP Ensemble, RBC’s dedicated 14
Year two children learning how to read and write rhythms through the RBC Kodály Inspired Learning programme
RBC’s LEAP Ensemble Flash mobbing classrooms
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Movement training at RBC Dr Polly Hudson is Head of Movement in the Conservatoire’s Acting Department. She is a teacher, artist and dance activist and has made performance and screendance works that have been shown in the UK and internationally to critical acclaim. As well as teaching movement at RBC, Polly also supervises MA and PhD students in their research. We are also the only drama school internationally where a certified Skinner Releasing Technique teacher is a member of the Movement Department – I teach the Technique to students across undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Dr Polly Hudson
Studies span a variety of movement and dance techniques, all designed to support the student actor in progressing towards efficient movement and a deep understanding of their own embodiment in performance. They include:
Julian Lloyd Webber getting to know young musicians at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, The Royal Opera commented “We believe that every singer and talented young person should have access to professional training and support, and we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. This free programme is designed to remove barriers to music and vocal training that young people may experience, be they social, geographical or financial. Our vision is to reach the widest possible range of talent and give crucial support to young people in the early stages of their careers. I look forward to seeing the next generation of opera singers emerging from this programme over the coming years.” Abigail Kelly opera singer and ambassador for Opera Nation commented “By removing barriers to training, initiatives like Opera Nation empower young people and ensure that every young person, regardless of their background, has access to music and a musical education. Having grown up in Birmingham, this project is close to my heart, and I look forward to working with young people across the region to mentor and support their futures. Whether those involved go on to be professional singers or take different career paths, this accessible programme provides a wonderful opportunity for young people from across the West Midlands to work with many talented professionals and offers them unrivalled insight into the art form.”
If you have an idea, or if you would like to find out more about the Learning and Participation Department and its work, please email Richard Shrewsbury, Head of Learning and Participation. richard.shrewsbury@bcu.ac.uk George Kirkham, Learning and Participation Assistant Richard Shrewsbury, Head of Learning and Participation March 2020
Movement work in the Conservatoire’s Acting Department focuses on the notion of the embodied actor, and on integrating good alignment and movement skills into and across all of the students’ studies. Students study somatic practices and body awareness techniques such as Alexander Technique and yoga, as well as improvisation and movement-devising specifically designed for actors; integration is key to all of the work that students experience. We are the only drama school where students study Feldenkrais Method as an underpinning of their movement training, and are fortunate that Danièle Sanderson, Head of Undergraduate studies in Acting and Course Director for BA (Hons) Acting, is a qualified Feldenkrais teacher. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson 2017 production. Image by Graeme Braidwood
Contemporary Dance techniques
Skinner Releasing Technique
Feldenkrais Method
Stomp
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Social and period dance Stage combat Yoga
Some students arrive with little prior movement experience and the amount of movement-based classes can at first seem daunting; but we are not training dancers (even though some of our students are outstanding dancers). The training offered to students is at a level that all can engage in, and is delivered in such a way that engenders creativity, positivity, and a clear link between this work and their wider training. Movement classes are daily – a cornerstone of our actors’ training – and are a combination of physical experience and opening up creativity. Students often go through rich processes in their personal development as a consequence of the movement and dance practices that they study with us. Movement work appears in all of our productions, either in an integrated and understated way through students’ fantastic embodiment on stage, or more explicitly in the form of physical theatre productions, and musical theatre shows. Dr Polly Hudson Head of Movement, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Little Women 2019 production. Image by Greg Milner
Our programme, one of the most diverse and extensive of its type, creates inspirational musical learning activities for young people. 16
Movement devising for actors
Improvisation and Contact Improvisation
We believe that all people regardless of age, race, gender, ability or socio-economic background have the right to high quality music, arts and cultural education. We are passionate about helping people to use their art for the good of their local community and society as a whole. More information about our Learning and Participation programme can be found at www.bcu.ac.uk/ conservatoire/about-us/learning-and-participation The RBC Learning and Participation continues to grow and deliver life-changing musical experiences for a range of young people and communities. However, sustaining this provision takes a significant amount of funding, partnerships and support. We are really grateful to our major funders and donors for their backing and are always open to new conversations and ideas for outreach.
Alexander Technique
Conservatoire news Great Birmingham Brass Fest
32 Sonatas, 32 Pianists!
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stellar line-up of international brass superstars came to RBC in January for a festival of concerts, hornhangouts, masterclasses and participatory events. The festival provided an opportunity to get up close to some of the world’s finest brass players including Philip Cobb, Katrina Marzella and Peter Moore, take part in a side-byside performance with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Band, and play in a massed tootle led by the legendary Berlin Philharmonic horn player, Sarah Willis.
o celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, RBC pianists presented the 32 Piano Sonatas chronologically in a single day on Tuesday 18 February, playing in our Bradshaw Hall between 10am and 10pm. The highly accomplished performances more than met the challenge of Beethoven’s immense canon of works, and we’re proud that RBC was the first music college to take on such a marathon!
Sir Daniel Day Lewis receives an Honorary Doctorate
Spring Opera: The Enchanted Island Our Vocal & Operatic Department presented a unique cross-faculty collaborative opera project in March, The Enchanted Island. Written in 2011 for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, The Enchanted Island is a baroque caprice weaving together the very best of Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau and other great composers in a magical tale which finds the characters of A Midsummer Night’s Dream rubbing shoulders with those from The Tempest.
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scar-winning actor Sir Daniel Day Lewis was presented with an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University in February, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the acting profession, during a special ceremony held at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The award was presented to coincide with the opening of a new exhibition which honours the work of Sir Daniel’s grandfather, film producer Sir Michael Balcon. The honour was conferred by Vice-Chancellor Professor Philip Plowden.
The opera took place, for the first time, in an old button factory in the Jewellery Quarter known as The Engine Room Space. The project brought together students from Fashion who designed and made bespoke costumes for the whole cast, under the supervision of Louise Chapman. RBC’s Vocal & Operatic Department also worked closely with students from Visual Communications, the sets being designed by current student, Simin Ma. Staff from Acting were also significantly involved; graduate Stage Manager, Rebecca Critch managed the production, overseen by our very own Jacqui Findlay.
Nicola Benedetti Masterclass
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n February we were delighted to welcome world-famous violinist Nicola Benedetti for a special masterclass with our students in the Bradshaw Hall. Not long before her visit to RBC, Nicola received a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Nicola Benedetti - Credit- Andy Gotts
32 pianists Sir Daniel Day Lewis
Opera Nation
Jimena Maldonado wins Hildegard Competition
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n December 2019 Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Opera House launched a new programme called Opera Nation, to help develop the next generation of opera singers in the West Midlands. By offering a series of free workshops, residential courses and professional support for young people aged 14 to 18, Opera Nation seeks to discover the opera singers of tomorrow, whilst also establishing a long-lasting talent development structure in the region. The four-year initiative is the first programme of its kind in the Midlands, and offers aspiring young opera singers a sustained investment into their musical journey and a path into professional training. The RBC and ROH will also work with schools and music services to target talented young people who require mentoring and professional support in order to allow them to pursue careers in music.
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ongratulations to RBC PhD student, Jimena Maldonado, who was chosen in February as one of the winners of the 2020 Hildegard Competition in New York.
Tom Stoneman appointed as Musical Director RBC commemorates the Holocaust
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oyal Birmingham Conservatoire’s LEAP (Learning and Participation) Ensemble performed alongside 250 young people from schools across Birmingham and Coventry as part of CORE Education Trust’s ‘Echo Eternal’ programme in February. Echo Eternal is a commemorative arts, media and civic engagement project delivered in schools for children of all ages, inspired by the testimony of British survivors of the Holocaust.
Opera Nation workshop by Hannah Kelly
Jonathan Kelly performs with our Symphony Orchestra
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n January we welcomed Jonathan Kelly, formerly of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and now Principal Oboe of the Berlin Philharmonic, to perform Richard Strauss’s Oboe Concerto with our Symphony Orchestra.
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Tom Stoneman, the first student to win a place on Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s new MMus in Brass Band Conducting, has already landed a Musical Director position with the Shirley Band in Solihull.
The Enchanted Island by Nick Robinson
Errollyn Wallen receives CBE
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ongratulations to Composition Tutor Errollyn Wallen, who received a CBE for services to music in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.
Amos Miller Teacher of the Year
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e were delighted that our Head of Brass Amos Miller was named ‘Teacher of the year 2019’ by the British Trombone Society in December!
Applied Theatre students take part in I:DNA art installation Applied Theatre Students were commissioned to write and perform a series of monologues as an ‘invisible theatre’ addition to an exhibition on display in Millennium Point earlier this year. The exhibition, a collaboration with theatre production company STAMP and the University of Warwick, was called I:DNA and explored research around genetically transmitted illnesses. First Year Applied Theatre students popped up throughout the presence of the piece and presented short extracts from the testimonies of people interviewed as part of the background research to the exhibition.
Birmingham City University launches BCU Voices choir
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n January Birmingham City University launched BCU Voices, a choir open to all staff and students at the University of any singing ability and experience – from complete beginners wanting to find their voice, to experienced singers wanting to sing in a relaxed and fun environment. Rehearsals are held on Thursdays at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. For more information about joining, contact Jeremy.clay@bcu.ac.uk
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Alumni news Acting alumni return to RBC as Eric and Ernie show tours
Thomas Holt Caulcott (1927 – 2019), Administrator BCU Honorary Fellowship conferred in 1990
MA Acting graduate appears alongside Glenda Jackson
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Charlene James writes Dr Who episode
Claire Barnett-Jones’ operatic achievements
onty Stephens and Ian Ashpitel graduated from Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (now RBC) in the late eighties. They returned to RBC in February to film a feature for BBC Midlands Today about their show An evening of Eric and Ern which is touring the UK in 2020.
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n episode of Dr Who aired in February was co-written by award-winning British playwright and screenwriter Charlene James, an acting graduate of RBC. Alongside Chris Chibnall, Charlene wrote the episode ‘Can You Hear Me?’ which was episode 7 of series 12 of the longrunning, cult TV show.
A Acting graduate Linda Hargreaves had a featured role alongside academy award-winning actor Glenda Jackson in the BBC feature-length drama Elizabeth is Missing, which aired in December 2019.
Tom Holt Caulcott, RBCA Member, was born on 7 June 1927 in Wolverhampton and educated at Solihull School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He did National Service in the RAF from 1948 until 1950, when he entered the Civil Service and served in the Treasury, chiefly in divisions controlling expenditure, but including a period as Private Secretary to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Edward Boyle. conditions of service in the local authority world such as the National Joint Council for Administrative, Professional, Technical and Clerical Grades; the Burnham Committee (teachers’ pay) etc. This post involved being joint Secretary of the British section of international government bodies: the International Union of Local Authorities and the Council of European Municipalities. He was appointed Chief Executive of the City of Birmingham in 1982. The City Council of Birmingham, the largest urban authority in the country, in the 1980s had a staff of 55,000, an annual revenue budget approaching £1 billion, and a capital expenditure annual programme of £150 million. Tom’s time in Birmingham saw major developments like the Birmingham International Convention Centre, including Symphony Hall, and the three largest urban development grant schemes in the country. In his book Forward: 100 years of the CBSO, Richard Bratby writes: “The civic redevelopment plans that emerged in the mid-1980s initially centred on the International Convention Centre, but the city’s Chief Executive Tom Caulcott was sympathetic to the CBSO’s cause, and expert at leveraging European funding”. Birmingham was involved in getting substantial grants from the European Regional Development Fund and, as Chief Executive, Tom led the team in negotiating with Brussels (the European Union). He retired from the post of Chief Executive in May 1988. Following his retirement from public service he was self-employed as a management consultant. From 1988-1994, he was on the Board of Hanover Housing Association, latterly as Vice-Chairman. From 1991-1995, he was an elected independent member of South Shropshire District Council (Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee 1993-95) and a Board member of West Midlands Arts 1996-97. Tom, an Honorary Fellow, Institute of Local Government Studies, Birmingham University, was made an Honorary Fellow of Birmingham City University, then Birmingham Polytechnic, in 1990. He died on 29 December 2019.
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019 was an amazing year for RBC vocal graduate Claire Barnett-Jones. In September she was announced as one of the new Harewood Artists at English National Opera, and at the end of October she received the Lilian Baylis Award 2019, which is presented to a singer under 40 who has shown outstanding potential in the field of opera. Tom Holt Caulcott
Philip Morris joins Royal Court Theatre
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ongratulations to Applied Theatre graduate Philip Morris who joined The Royal Court Theatre as a new Trainee Director.
London Marathon in support of RBC’s ARCO project
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BC alumnus, Project Manager and former ‘Running Viola’ Alistair Rutherford is currently in training for the now delayed London Marathon in October 2020. He is aiming to raise £1,500 to cover transport costs for nine ARCO students to attend the prestigious Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival later this year.
Rhian McLean joins fellow RBC graduate in The Kite Runner
For more information about ARCO, or to support Alistair’s appeal, please contact: alistair.rutherford@bcu.ac.uk.
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cting graduate Rhian McLean has joined the 2020 tour of The Kite Runner. She joins fellow graduate Andrei Costin in the cast.
Graduate in Shaun the Sheep Movie
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cting graduate Amalia Vitale voiced Lu-La in the Shaun the Sheep movie Farmageddon, which was released in October 2019. Amalia also starred as Charlie Chaplin at the Birmingham Rep in February 2020, in The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel.
Charlotte Bray wins Ivor Composer Award
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n December 2019 alumna and Honorary Member Charlotte Bray won an Ivor Novello Composer Award award in the solo or duo category for her piece Invisible Cities.
Alistair on his way to victory at the Liverpool ½ Marathon on March 15th in a time of 69:50.
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He had a year’s sabbatical leave from the Treasury on a Harkness Fellowship in 1960-61 and studied at Harvard University and the Brookings Institution, Washington DC. He returned to the Treasury in 1961 and was appointed Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Selwyn Lloyd. He continued in this post, with Reginald Maudling as Chancellor of the Exchequer, up to the general election of October 1964 when he was promoted to Assistant Secretary and made Principal Private Secretary to the First Secretary of State, George Brown, Department of Economic Affairs. Tom returned to the Treasury in March 1965 as head of the personnel division, dealing with issues of recruitment and conditions of service across the Civil Service. In 1970, he was appointed Under Secretary in charge of Machinery of Government Group. As such he was responsible for the planning of the creation of the Departments of the Environment and Trade and Industry, the establishment of the Property Services Agency and other major government organisational issues such as the dispersal from London programme. This period covered the major governmental changes under the premierships of Wilson and Heath. His experience included a comparative study of government organisation in other countries, notably Sweden (report in Public Administration). In 1973, he transferred to the Department of the Environment as the Principal Finance Officer, Local Government Finance Policy, responsible for general relations between central and local government and the annual Rate Support Grant Settlements. He left the Civil Service in 1976 and was appointed Secretary of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities – the Association which then represented all the Metropolitan District Councils, London Boroughs and the then still existing Greater London Council and Metropolitan County Councils. He was an employers’ representative on the major national negotiation bodies for pay and
Tom Caulcott at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Adrian Boult Hall, on 22 July 1983
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Thank you to all our supporters Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is extremely grateful for the generosity of all its donors, and would like to recognise those individuals, organisations and trusts who have supported it since March 2019:
Individual Donors
Jane Williams & Bob Walker
S S Baden
and all those who wish to remain anonymous
Andrew Banks Claire Barnes The Estate of Royston Beech Ian Bentley Dr Keith Bradshaw OBE DL Tony & Veronica Bridgewater A J Briscoe Paul Butcher Stuart Denning
Legacy Fellows Tony & Veronica Bridgewater John Gripton & Rosemary Phillips Marita Morrison Jeremy Patterson Richard Rathbone Jane Williams & Bob Walker
Professor Christopher Dingle
Foundations and Organisations
Stephen Eales
Awards For Young Musicians
H J Edgar
Cheltenham Ladies College
Alan Fairs
Churchill Music
Dr Laura Fan
Orchestras for All
G Gregory
PRS Foundation
John Gripton & Rosemary Phillips
Signatur
Tony Hales CBE
The John Avins Trust
Elizabeth Hobbs
The Michael Bishop Foundation
John Hobbs
The Brooks Van Der Pump Charitable Trust
Mark Hopton Sean Kelly Donald Main Hazel Mew Kerry Milan Marita Morrison A R Phillips Andrew Rackham Richard Rathbone Margaret Tait Judith Taylor A C Turner The Family and Friends of Gwyn Williams
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Association The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Trust
The Sheila & Colina Hodge Memorial Fund
The John Mayer Fund
The David Vann Scholarship Fund
The Winifred Micklam Fund
The Weingarten Kodaly Fund
The G F Hodson Fund
The Phil Miller Prize Fund
The Corton Hyde Early Music Scholarship Fund
The Doris Newton Music Club Prize Fund
The Joseph Weingarten Memorial Trust
The Renna Kellaway Fund
The Margaret Pascoe Scholarship Trust Fund
The DMC McDonald Foundation Fund The James Maddocks & June Mills Trust
The Elizabeth Rollason Trust Fund
Support Us!
Universal Music UK Sound Foundation
If you are interested in finding out more about any of the activities highlighted within this issue of Fanfare, if you would like to support the Conservatoire more broadly, or if you are thinking of including Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in your Will, please contact:
In addition, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire wishes to acknowledge the valued contribution of the following trust funds which continued to support its students during the current academic year.
Robin Leonard Director of Development Tel: 0121 331 5534 Email: Robin.Leonard@bcu.ac.uk
Trust Funds The Ambache Prize Fund Gabriella Liandu (soprano). ŠGreg Milner photography
Stage management setting props for Trelawny of the Wells. ŠGreg Milner photography
The Roy & Margaret Beesley Fund
The Gibbons Family Trust The GMC Trust
The Bradshaw Fund The Anthony Edward Brookes Trust The B Brown Memorial Fund The Malcolm John Bullock Fund The John Campbell Fund The Ella Mary Cheshire Fund The Conservatoire Endowment Fund The A Corfield Trumpet Prize Fund The Gordon Clinton Fund
The Headley Trust The Hinrichsen Foundation The Leverhulme Trust The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation The DMC McDonald Foundation The Denis Matthews Memorial Trust The David Morgan Trust The Music and Dance Scheme
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The Dr Stanley Wood Fund
The RBCA Fund
The Michael Beech Fund
The GDST Shrewsbury
The Gwyn Williams Bursary Fund
The Wolfson Foundation
The Ashleyan Opera Award Fund
The George Cadbury Fund
The Dame Gillian Weir Prize Fund
The Steve Elliott Development Award Fund The Jack & Suzy Fryer Fund The Gazder Fund The Delia Hall Accompanist Prize Fund The Eveline Harrod Bequest The Marjorie Hazlehurst Pianist Trust Fund
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The School of Acting’s production of Trelawny of the Wells. © Greg Milner photography
Issue 10, Spring 2020
Birmingham City University