Highnotes, Summer 2013

The Making Music membership magazine | summer Issue 2013

Grant whispering Secrets for successful funding applications from the BBC Performing Arts Fund • PAGE 8

Crowdsourcing Meet the orchestra that lets the audience choose the repertoire • PAGE 17

Summer schools Find out how a short course could make your summer more musical • PAGE 10

ALLCOMERS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SUMMER SCHOOL Take a journey in an exhilarating and uniquely supportive environment exploring a wide variety of repertoires and forging new and enduring musical friendships.

This unique summer school provides a multiplicity of opportunities to engage in new musical experiences both as participant and audience. CoMA summer school has track record of being ‘inspiring’ and ‘life changing’ for music teachers, students and amateur musicians alike.

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Contents & editorial

Contents News

5 In brief 6 Around the UK Features

8 Grant whispering 10 Summer schools From our team

12 Projects 14 Membership 16 Volunteers Members

17 Blow your trumpet 18 Readers’ page If you have any suggestions for articles or you would like to contribute to Highnotes, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Henry Bird on 020 7422 8291 or editor@makingmusic.org.uk Copy deadline for the next issue of Highnotes, Autumn 2013, is 10 June 2013 Any views or opinions expressed by external contributors may not necessarily represent those of Making Music Highnotes is the official journal of Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies, 2-4 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3NW 020 7422 8280 info@makingmusic.org.uk www.makingmusic.org.uk A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 308632

We hope you enjoy the summer edition of Highnotes.

As 2013 progresses I’m looking forward immensely to the wealth of celebrations, by our members and others, of the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth. Britten truly was an all-round musician – he was a brilliant pianist as well as being an unbelievably inventive composer – and he has certainly earned his place in the panoply of British superstar musicians.

One of the things I admire so much about him is the way he engaged with community music making. He was one of the first modern composers to understand and respond to the amateur scene, and unlike many of his contemporaries, he was more than happy working in draughty village halls with groups of keen non-professionals. So much of his music was written with amateurs in mind.

Making Music is now a very broad church, and is no longer the purely classical music organisation that Britten would have known. But we must never forget the huge contribution to British music making that he made.

Whatever your own group’s musical persuasion, I hope you enjoy performing and/or listening to Britten’s music during his centenary year, as I believe he truly does offer something for everyone.

Registered Charity in England and Wales no. 249219 and in Scotland no. SC038849 If you need us to make any of this information more accessible, please call Making Music on 020 7422 8280 or email info@makingmusic.org.uk £6 where sold, annual subscription £15 (3 issues) Designed by Cog Design Typeset and printed by Gemini Press Advertising by Space Marketing: 01892 677740

Robin Osterley Chief Executive, Making Music

Residential Courses Summer Schools Concerts Talks Early Classical Jazz/Light Folk/Gospel www.benslowmusic.org T: 01462 459446 E: info@benslowmusic.org Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9RB

A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 408404. Reg Charity no. 313663

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news

in brief 1,400 events for Britten 100

Concerts are planned around the globe to mark the English composer’s centenary

Benjamin Britten would have turned 100 this year and, to celebrate the highly influential composer’s anniversary, musicians from Tokyo to Toronto will be hosting concerts and events as part of a project entitled Britten 100.

Around 1,400 events have already been listed on the Britten 100 website, in what the Britten Pears Foundation claims to be ‘the most widely celebrated anniversary of a British composer ever seen’. Some of the most famous orchestras, opera companies and conductors in

the world will be staging events, and UK voluntary music groups will also be playing their part, including Making Music members the Sheffield Chamber Orchestra and Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra among others.

A particular highlight will be a simultaneous performance of Friday Afternoons, involving 75,000 schoolchildren across the UK, on 22 November – Britten’s actual birthday.

It’s not too late to get involved!

Visit www.britten100.org to find out how your group can take part.

Choirs get set for Voices Now 2013 The Voices Now festival, a celebration of singing and choirs, will return to London’s Roundhouse this summer The Roundhouse will be alive with song between 20-23 June, as some of the UK’s finest choirs and singing groups descend on the iconic north London venue for the third Voices Now festival. Among the highlights of this year’s event will be the premiere of City Songs, a new commission from Ēriks Ešenvalds with words by Emma Jones and narration by Imogen Heap (pictured). Member group Green Street Blues will be among the performers of this piece, having won a competition run by Making Music last year.

Those who have attended Voices Now in previous years will know to expect singing in spaces throughout the Roundhouse, and this year will be no different as the Making Music Open Stage returns to showcase a diverse range of amateur choirs in the foyer and upstairs bar.

To find out who’s performing, or to buy tickets, visit the Voices Now website: www.voicesnow.org.uk.

“WeGotTickets has proved to be a very valuable addition to our box office.

If you want to increase your ticket sales, sign up immediately!”

Keele Concerts Society

WeGotTickets donation

Online ticket retailer WeGotTickets has made a generous donation of £2,625 to Making Music. The donation will be used to further develop the organisation’s member training programme.

WeGotTickets and Making Music have been offering members an online ticketing service, whereby members can upload their events for free to a dedicated area on the WeGotTickets website, since 2008.

20% of booking fees from this page are donated to Making Music.

If you’d like to sell tickets through WeGotTickets, simply register your group at www.wegottickets.com/ makingmusic.

Goldman Ensemble subsidy

Above left: Benjamin Britten with Peter Pears Photo: Victor Parker Image courtesy of www.britten100.org Below: Imogen Heap

Following an anonymous donation, professional chamber group the Goldman Ensemble has offered to perform its critically acclaimed piece Piano Recital (Piano Not Included) for promoters at a subsidised rate.

Described as ‘chamber music with comedy’, the piece is scored for the ensemble’s unique instrumentation: violin, horn, tuba, vibraphone and xylophone. The ensemble will match whatever a society offers to pay for the performance, meaning groups can book a top-flight ensemble to perform at a knockdown price!

To take advantage of the offer, visit www.goldmanensemble.com.

Concert coughs ‘twice as likely’ A German academic claims to have proven that people are more likely to cough when watching classical music (particularly slower or more quiet pieces) than they are during normal life.

More here: bit.ly/WBtvaK.

Summer 2013

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5

NEWS

AROUND THE UK Yorkshire and the North of England

Making Music’s team in Yorkshire and the North of England recently added its voice to the campaign to stop Newcastle council cutting arts funding by 100% over a period of three years. Volunteers in the region researched into how the cuts would impact Making Music members, and Regional Manager Sue Bradley took part in a debate via Newcastle’s Cultural Partnership.

While plans for cuts to particular arts organisations are still in place, as a result of the campaign the council will now invest in a cultural fund for the city, although this will still represent a 50% cut compared to previous levels of funding. www.makingmusic.org.uk/ yorkshirenorthofengland Scotland London

Brass routes It’ll be all go for Southwark Children’s Brass Band this month, as they perform at the grand opening of the Edible Bus Stop People can often be heard complaining, ‘you spend ages waiting for a bus, and then two arrive at the same time’. But a bus doesn’t normally come along with a brass band performing on the top deck, a trend that Southwark Children’s Brass Band will be bucking on 18 May in a special event in south London.

The band will be playing on an open-top bus along the 322 route through south London for the Edible Bus Stop, an initiative aiming to create London’s first ‘edible’ bus route by transforming disused spaces into community gardens. Tony Wicks, the band’s Chair, said, ‘this 6

HIGHNOTES Summer 2013

is a fantastic opportunity for us to help promote a very worthy cause. What could be better than having a brass band on a bus?!’

Everyone is welcome to attend – full details at www.theediblebusstop.org.

Elsewhere in the capital, Streetwise Opera, the awardwinning arts and homelessness charity, premiered a new production at the BFI Southbank in April. The Answer to Everything, commissioned for the group’s 10th anniversary, combines an operatic film with a live performance featuring a cast of 120 homeless people. www.streetwiseopera.org

Above: Streetwise Opera members in action in The Answer to Everything Photo: Rebecca Lupton Below right: Shona McMillan

Shona McMillan is starting to motor as our new Scotland Manager, with additional responsibilities for Northern Ireland: ‘I am delighted to take up this role and welcome the opportunity to assist members in making and promoting music.’ From Edinburgh, with strong connections to the Highlands and Ireland, Shona is a singer, cellist and fiddle player with a background in arts project management. She is also a photojournalist and broadcaster.

NEWS

West

There will be a series of genrespecific networking opportunities in the West region over the coming months, aiming to help members increase participation and build their audiences, as well as providing an opportunity to get together and try new styles. So if your gospel choir would like to perform with an African drumming group, or your orchestra would like to work with a contemporary music ensemble, let us know.

We will also be hosting training sessions on audience development and fundraising.

To find out more, or if you want to let us know about projects you are already involved in, please contact our Outreach and Diversity Officer at carl.stevens@ makingmusic.org.uk

Did you know? You can promote concerts and events on the Making Music website using our events calendar.

Submit your group’s event at: bit.ly/ YQ6lQb

South West

Iford Arts anniversary Iford Arts is putting on a special season to celebrate its 20th anniversary this summer For the last 20 years, member promoter Iford Arts has hosted concerts in the Peto cloister in Wiltshire’s Iford Manor, a venue described by the Times newspaper as ‘one of the loveliest places to see opera’. The group’s 20th birthday season features concerts between June and August, ranging from a new production of Verdi’s La Traviata to a series of jazz concerts as part of the Iford Jazz Proms. Visit www.ifordmanor.co.uk for details.

There was another chance to catch some jazz in the region earlier this year, as Bristol held its first ever International Jazz and Blues Festival, featuring such performers as Lillian Boutté and John Scofield. The festival saw member group Exultate Singers form part of a 180-strong choir, which performed Duke Ellington’s Sacred Songs in the grand setting of the Colston Hall. Find out more at: bristoljazzandbluesfest.com.

South East

This February, Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra held the final of its 26th Young Soloist Competition, which was open to young musicians from all over the UK. The standard of performance was very high, although Michael Foyles’ particularly accomplished performance of the first movement of Elgar’s Violin Concerto secured him the £800 cash prize. Michael will now be performing with the orchestra at its summer concert on 23rd June in Eastbourne. www.eso.org.uk

EAST

Hawes-play for member choir Above right: Musicians performing at Iford Manor Photo: Rob Coles

Wales Leading brass ensemble the Cory Band has partnered up with Making Music to launch a new youth initiative. The Cory Academy will provide weekly teaching support to players in 10 youth bands in Rhondda Cynon Taf, as well as encouraging schoolchildren to join their local bands. In turn, it’s hoped that the project will help brass bands in Rhondda Cynon Taf and beyond to develop their membership and audiences.

Sheringham and Cromer Choral Society has been awarded funding for a commission from Patrick Hawes The British composer, a former Classic FM Composer in Residence, will write a major new choral work to be premiered by the choir in 2014. The funding, which will come from Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme, gets the group well on its way to achieving its fundraising target.

Nathan Waring, Musical Director, says, ‘This is definitely a once-ina-lifetime opportunity and we are hugely honoured that Patrick

Hawes has chosen to work with us.

As a community choir, we intend to involve as many local people as possible in this project.’

The piece will be premiered on 12 July 2014 in Norwich Cathedral, in commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. The group also intends to publish the piece so that it is available to other choirs. www.sheringhamandcromer choral.co.uk Summer 2013

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feature

Grant whispering Miriam O’Keeffe of the BBC Performing Arts Fund shares her secrets for writing successful funding applications Last year the BBC Performing Arts Fund awarded over £250,000 in grants to community organisations across the UK. The grants went to choirs, choral societies, orchestras, drumming circles and even some community rock groups. To select the final 47 successful groups, we had to assess more than 300 applications.

There is fierce competition for funding at the moment, and it’s obviously disappointing to put work into an application and be unsuccessful. Here are some tips to help get your group’s funding application to the top of the pile. Good luck!

1. What makes you special? You need to have a clear idea of the purpose of your group. What are you doing that would make us want to fund you? What is unique about what you do? Write down a list of all the things that you offer and try to find a couple of compelling reasons for us to award you funding.

2. What do you want to do? Before applying, have a conversation within the group to decide what you’d like to do. This need not be specific to an application, but quite often where applicants fall down is by not having a coherent plan that shows where the funding they are applying for fits within their overarching vision. Instead of looking for funding and trying to fashion an application to fit what you think funders want, think about what the best thing is for the group and then go out and find the funding to match.

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3. What is your profile? One of the first things that many assessors will do is look for your group online, so think about what you can do to engage with people using Twitter and Facebook, or on your website. Some trusts and foundations no longer accept direct applications and will approach groups that they wish to fund, so make sure they can find you. It’s also worth going a step further and attending networking events, creating relationships with potential donors and funders (even if you are not ready to apply) and making sure that you are ‘on their radar’ by inviting them to your concerts.

4. Who should you apply to? Think about having a subcommittee that can develop a fundraising strategy. Do your research on who funds groups like yours. There are online resources such as GRANTNet (www.GRANTNet.com), and you can also get advice from your Making Music area manager. Also, keep an eye on who is funding your peers! Prioritise your time and do your homework.

5. And finally … be ready to be successful!

We love ambitious projects that will really stretch a group, but consider what the impact will be if you are successful. Are you ready to take on the project? Is it achievable? When writing the application, consider the practicalities and the impact on your group.

www.bbc.co.uk/performingartsfund

Above: Choir with No Name, which was awarded funding through the BBC Performing Arts Fund’s Community Music Scheme Photo: Ollie Smallwood

“Decide on the best thing for the group and then find the funding to match”

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AIMS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SCHOOL at Eastbourne College AUGUST 18th – 25th 2013 The seventh Summer School for Singers run by Neil & Penny Jenkins will take place once again in Eastbourne College, Eastbourne. There will be a variety of classes for choral singers, with the large groups performing Britten’s Spring Symphony and Poulenc’s Gloria and Motets in honour of their composers’ anniversaries. Smaller groups will work on A Ceremony of Carols, the Liebeslieder Waltzes, French madrigals, and the music for Compline.

Solo singers can choose from classes studying every branch of vocal music from Early Music, Opera and Oratorio up to Art-song, Cabaret and Music Theatre. There will be 6 fully staged Opera scenes for which singers audition in advance. There will be one-day Masterclasses by well-known visiting artists, and the week will commence with a Gala solo Recital.

Comments from past students include: “...I am an AIMS ‘virgin’ - my first time, but certainly not my last. I was totally inspired and in absolute heaven!” “...Once again it was a wonderful week of learning, performing, and appreciating wonderful music and wonderful singing.” “...Theatre critics would have the heading ‘Triumph’. I cannot but totally admire the administration: it is faultless ...” “...The concerts have been wonderful, the masterclasses enlightening, the warm-ups and vocal technique classes huge fun. Thank you for making the week such a fulfilling experience...”

For details of fees for Residents and Non-Residents contact: Address: AIMS, Barn End, Castle Lane, Bramber, West Sussex, BN44 3FB Telephone: 01903 879591 Email: neil@AIMS.uk.com

Full details are shown on the website: www.AIMS.uk.com

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feature

Summer studies Henry Bird speaks to two Making Music members about why their summer courses are a good choice for anyone after a musically enriching mid-year break Sun cream – check. Trashy novel – check. Cello? While a musical instrument may not be at the top of everyone’s summer holiday packing list, there are many musicians who see the summer months as a chance to go back to school and brush up on their technique. But what is the appeal of summer schools, and why do some people go back year on year?

The answers to these questions can vary from person to person. Intensive summer courses offer aspiring professionals a way of gearing up for degree courses, while some music colleges now run short courses allowing younger musicians to get a taste of what conservatoire life is really like. For amateur musicians, summer schools can be an opportunity to escape from the stresses of daily life and dedicate time to a passion normally indulged only at evenings and weekends.

Ralph Woodward, Course Director of Durham-based early music school NORVIS, says it is the choice of activities at his school that students enjoy. ‘There’s a real diversity of activities here,’ Woodward says. ‘We have some very fine tutors who will give expert advice on instrumental techniques, but students can also spend their time playing with other musicians in our various ensembles. There’s a lot to be doing, and our timetable often runs from 8.30am to 10.15pm. People can pick

10 HIGHNOTES Summer 2013

and choose their activities though, so it can be as relaxing or busy as they like.’

NORVIS (the Northumbrian Recorder and Viol School) has been running since 1971, with annual one-week courses offering specialist tuition in period instruments including viol, recorder and lute, as well as in solo singing. According to Alex Banfield, a tenor singer who has been a regular at the school since 2008, it is the opportunity to meet like-minded musicians that makes the school so special. ‘There is a sense of community, which makes it easier to try new things out,’ Banfield says. ‘Last year I wanted to sing a challenging piece by Mondonville, and I put together an ensemble with one fellow student and three tutors especially for the performance – something I couldn’t have done had I not been at the school.’

Expert tuition and performing opportunities are the more obvious attractions of a summer music course, although there are often many non-musical activities on offer as well. While NORVIS courses enable students to try Renaissance dance, another Making Music member, Benslow Music, aims to give a holistic education experience, and offers courses in tai chi and Alexander technique alongside those in improvisation and music appreciation.

Above: Summer school students performing on the lawn of Dartington Hall Photo: Kate Mount

feature

“It’s like an adventure break where music is the adventure”

Benslow Music operates from a beautiful, purposebuilt campus in Hertfordshire, offering courses all year round in everything from composition and conducting to jazz, folk and early music performance. Each year, the organisation runs a number of International Summer Schools, aimed at conservatoire standard players, as well as a series of summer courses for non-professional musicians.

The focus of these latter courses is as much on students’ pleasure in playing as it is on improving technique. Director of Music Stephen Pettitt says, ‘the courses are not necessarily about permanently improving the standard of players – we’re more about liberating them to do their best. People come because they love what they do. In turn, the tutors enjoy teaching the amateur students, as it can remind them why they chose music as a profession in the first place, which is because they love it too.’

Like NORVIS, Benslow Music prides itself on having a special atmosphere. Both schools also place an emphasis on quality service, making sure students are well fed (the cakes at Benslow are apparently to die for) and comfortable.

So if you’re looking to recharge your batteries while reinvigorating your passion for music, a summer music course could be for you. ‘It’s the ideal holiday,’ Banfield says, ‘taking you out of the stresses and strains of life and putting you in a world of great music. NORVIS has a relaxed atmosphere, although you can definitely keep busy there; it’s like you’re on an adventure break where music is the adventure.’

Further information about these music schools can be found at www.norvis.org.uk and www.benslowmusic.org.

Dartington discount for Making Music members Dartington International Summer School turns 60 this summer, and to celebrate the school is offering Making Music members a 10% discount on bookings made on or before 31 May. The school has become a much-loved fixture on the amateur music calendar, offering up to 1,500 musicians of all ages and abilities the chance to learn, play and mingle with some of the world’s leading professional artists.

Musicians to have taught at the school include Igor Stravinsky, Ravi Shankar, Ray Davies, Jacqueline du Pré, Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Neville Marriner.

There will be 100 courses and masterclasses for singers and instrumentalists, spread across the five weeks from 27 July to 31 August.

The choice of subjects is wide, ranging from choral music and opera, to jazz, improvisation, conducting and composition. To claim your code, visit: www.makingmusic.org.uk/ dartingtondiscount.

Summer 2013

HIGHNOTES 11

from our team

Projects Evan Dawson, our Head of Development, talks about ...

Left: Pianist Joseph Houston, one of the winners of this year’s Award for Young Concert Artists

Philip and Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists The winners have been announced of this prestigious scheme, which has helped launch the careers of musicians including Steven Isserlis and Ian Bostridge Each year, the Award for Young Concert Artists gives subsidised engagements with Making Music member groups to some of the UK’s most talented young soloists.

Following an intense week of auditions, the lucky artists to have been selected this year are: Anthony Brown saxophone Joseph Houston piano Ariana Kashefi cello Mario Mora piano Adelia Myslov violin Joseph Shiner clarinet Laura Margaret Smith mezzo

Details of each artist, as well as how you can book them, are available at www.makingmusic.org.uk/ayca.

This scheme, which has been going since 1961, was secured in 2002 by a legacy from the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust. It stands as an example of how leaving a legacy to Making Music could be a wonderful way to support the UK’s amateur musical activity. Every contribution is hugely valued and will be put to good use; if you might consider doing this, please get in touch with our Chief Executive Robin Osterley at robin@makingmusic.org.uk.

“We feel invisible, but you made us feel visible” Darshad, Vocality participant

Amble Skuse wins BBC Fellowship Congratulations to Amble Skuse, who has been awarded a Fellowship from the BBC Performing Arts Fund to support her Adopt a Composer project with community music organisation Tŷ Cerdd. Keep an eye on the website if you’d like to take part in the next round of Adopt a Composer, which is run by Making Music in partnership with Sound and Music and BBC Radio 3 and funded by the PRS for Music Foundation. We expect to start inviting applications soon. www.makingmusic.org.uk/aac Contacts: Evan, Head of Development, evan@makingmusic.org.uk

12 HIGHNOTES Summer 2013

Vocality

It has become almost self-evident that choirs are a great way to bind communities together, although little serious work has been done to measure the impact of community choirs in disadvantaged areas.

It was with this in mind that we started the Vocality project in partnership with Sound Sense and the Third Sector Research Centre, funded by the Headley Trust and the Rayne Foundation.

We created eight choirs in challenging communities around the UK and closely measured what happened. The results were fascinating, showing why some choirs became self-sustaining while others were not able to do so. We will be presenting the report in June at the Culture, Health and Wellbeing International Conference in Bristol, and you will be able to download it from our website.

We’d be thrilled to hear from anyone who might be able to support projects like this with a donation or to help in other ways. our big gig

Bandstand Marathon has evolved to become Our Big Gig, organised

by Superact and funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Making Music is challenging member groups to host an event in their community between 11-14 July. These could be ‘come and sing’ events, open rehearsals, or anything you think will inspire new people to make music. Grants of £400 are available, but do get applying soon as the deadline is 12 May! www.superact.org.uk/ourbiggig

2013

23 October – 3 November

International Summer School 27 July - 31 August 2013

Artistic Director John Woolrich

Exceptional teaching Inspirational performances Immerse yourself in music Dartington International Summer School, Space, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6EN Phone: +44 (0)1803 847080

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Jules Massenet

Plus daytime Concerts, Recitals, Lectures and ShortWorks Priority Booking for Friends opens 7 May 2013.

General Booking opens 4 June 2013.

Jacopo Foroni

Secure your seats by becoming a Friend of the Festival today at

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Email: summerschool@dartington.org

www.dartington.org/summer-school Photo © Pat Kenny

DARTINGTON INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL IS A DEPARTMENT OF THE DARTINGTON HALL TRUST, A REGISTERED CHARITY. REG CHARITY NO 279756

THAXTED FESTIVAL Fri 21 June - Sun 14 July The Riches of British Music

Enthusiastic audiences welcome eminent musicians to four wonderful weekends of magical music in the amazing acoustics of Thaxted Parish Church.

Brandenburg Sinfonia * Tenebrae * Cantate Guy Johnstone * London Conchord Ensemble David Rowland * Junior Guildhall Brass Band The Tim Kliphuis Trio with David Newton Fibonacci Sequence * Charles Court Opera Tom Poster * Saffron Walden Choral Society Programme includes Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, Noye’s Fudde, Holst A Moorside Suite, Elgar Dream of Gerontius, Piano Quintet Gilbert & Sullivan The Pirates of Penzance, Jacob Oboe Quartet, Vaughan Williams, Parry, Lambert, Ireland, Purcell, Walton, Howells, Mendelssohn, Faure, Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann …. & more! www.thaxtedfestival.org.uk thaxtedfestival@btconnect.com 01371 831421

Sherborne Summer School of Music 28 July - 11 August 2013

Four Choirs Cappella Chamber Choir, Lighter Side Choir Choral Masterpieces Choir, Voices in Harmony

Chamber Music for Winds and Strings Piano and Vocal Masterclasses Piano Course, Piano Accompaniment Course Masterclass for Singers 1 and 2

Jazz Four Conducting Courses

George Hurst Conducting Course Wind Conducting Course, Practical Conducting Choral Conducting

Composition Wind Ensemble Two Orchestras Chamber and Symphony Orchestras

Drawing and Painting Musicians Sherborne

Summer School of Music

email summermusicschool@btinternet.com tel +44 (0)1342 893963

www.sherbornesummerschoolofmusic.co.uk

from our team

Membership Barbara Eifler, our Head of Membership Services, talks about ...

Where to start? So much is happening as we strive to deliver improved services and ever better value to you, our members. Do get in touch with your views and suggestions.

NEW: Making Music Selected Artists

Now for all Making Music members, promoting or performing! Every year Making Music’s Concert Promoters’ Group publishes a guide to artists chosen by their listeners for the benefit of Making Music members.

From this year, though, the guide, newly redesigned, also includes the 2013 winners of the Award for Young Concert Artists and the St Martin’s Chamber Music Competition.

Use it, therefore, to book a whole concert, to find a soloist to work alongside your performing group, or to complement your own concert in other ways.

Annual General Meeting and Conference Saturday 18 May in London sees our AGM, training on trustee responsibilities or a session on music publishers, a drinks reception, Making Music members performing, and a concert presenting this year’s Award for Young Concert Artists winners. Free, except for the training (£10). Book through makingmusicuk.eventbrite.co.uk.

Our autumn one-day conference takes place at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s lovely building on Saturday 12 October. Book soon – early bird rate available until 31 July. Use the enclosed form or go to www.makingmusic.org.uk/conference2013 where you will also find up-to-date information.

Sound recording?

Last September we launched Making Music Mix, a service allowing you to upload recordings and create CDs for sale online. Making Music Mix prints the CDs on demand, organises the rights and pays your group a commission on each sale. No need to invest cash up front or have 1,000 CDs sitting in the garage. To use, go to makingmusicmix.org.uk.

To our surprise, there hasn’t been a massive take up of this yet. Do these things take time to set up, or is the process of recording and editing the music too difficult?

If the latter, Tŷ Cerdd Recording Studios can help by providing professional engineers at special rates for Making Music members anywhere in the UK (www.makingmusic.org.uk/recordingservices).

There will also be a session at conference in Birmingham to demystify the recording process. More soon!

What is the Music Bank?

In March, there were almost 1,100 searches on the Music Bank in one week

Child safeguarding resources The Vetting and Barring Scheme has been abolished (before it even started), and the Criminal Records Bureau merged with the Independent Safeguarding Authority to form the new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Definitions of regulated activity and of when you need to ask for a disclosure or barred list check have changed.

Please read updated information sheets 60: Working with Young People; 71: The New Disclosure and Barring Service; 54: DBS via Making Music; and 61: Safeguarding Children.

Our new insurance scheme covers your group in case of allegations related to the safeguarding of children, provided certain criteria are met. Check your policy’s employers’ liability section for the criteria, also listed in information sheet 61.

A fantastic members-only resource allowing you to: •S earch for repertoire in a database of over 18,000 works, listing editions, vocal forces and instrumentation.

•B orrow sheet music from over 10,000 listed holdings owned by fellow members. Help each other keep costs down!

• Download free programme notes on over 4,000 composers and works.

Try it at www.makingmusic.org.uk/ musicbank. If you have time to help clean up even a little corner of data in this enormous database, please get in touch with Stuart McPherson: stuart@makingmusic.org.uk.

For members only!

Classical Music digital subscription FREE for a year. To get the code you need to activate your subscription, please get in touch.

Contacts Barbara: barbara@makingmusic.org.uk. Cindy, Membership and Events Coordinator: cindy@makingmusic.org.uk Lizzy, Membership and Projects Manager: lizzy@makingmusic.org.uk. www.makingmusic.org.uk/membership-advice-blog

14 HIGHNOTES Summer 2013

• Meeting your choral needs motets, carols and anthems for upper voice and SATB choirs • New music for strings including music for beginner to intermediate level ensembles & three string quartets contact: Chris Wiggins, Tilsdown Lodge, Dursley GL11 5QQ Phone: 0796-266 8098 e: chris_wiggins21@hotmail.com Web: www.cdwigginsmusic.com NEW MUSIC FOR A NEW CENTURY

Would you like to advertise in a future issue of Highnotes? Making Music members (including corporate members) benefit from a generous discount on advertising.

Please contact Antoinette at Space Marketing directly on 01892 677721 or email: antoinettem@spacemarketing.co.uk.

For all your

music education & performance equipment

FREEPHONE 0800 072 7799

www.blackcatmusic.co.uk

FREEPHONE

0800 072 7799 to join the education discount programme and save money on your purchases!

Music Stands, Lights & Accessories Music Folders Music Chairs & Accessories Instrument & Sheet Music Storage Conductor’s Equipment Staging & Risers Theatre Products Acoustic Products

from our team

Volunteers Interested in volunteering for Making Music? Visit www.makingmusic.org.uk/volunteers Board Member spotlight

Volunteer spotlight

Julia Shaw

Evgeniya Kondrashina

Membership Services Director

Regional Support Team Leader

When did you join Making Music’s Board? November 2010.

When did you start volunteering with Making Music? March 2012.

What does your role on the Board involve? Along with the other Directors, I’m responsible for the general oversight of the organisation. I specifically help make sure all members can access services relevant to their needs.

What does your volunteer role involve? In March, I project managed an interactive performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf in west London, aimed at children aged two to five and involving Making Music member groups. I also helped develop the London volunteer team by making contact with universities and volunteer centres.

What inspired you to join the Board? I became interested in Making Music through applying for a Regional Development Officer role. I was particularly impressed by so many of the staff members being amateur musicians themselves. I didn’t get the job, but I did join the Yorkshire committee before joining the Board a few years later.

What inspired you to volunteer with Making Music?

I have always loved music, so when I had a bit of time to spare after my son turned six months I decided to volunteer in the music sector.

What has been your most rewarding experience with Making Music? The various opportunities to meet other amateur musicians from all walks of life, united by the same joy in music making.

What has been your most rewarding experience with Making Music? Learning that the Peter and the Wolf project had been awarded funding from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Arts Grant.

What do you do when you’re not involved in Making Music Board activities? I work for the Local Government Ombudsman in York, helping to ensure local councils comply with their statutory duties and procedures, particularly for children and young people.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering for Making Music? As well as being a full-time mum, I am Assistant Director for Notting Hill Mayfest, a two-week arts festival in Notting Hill, London.

Do you play an instrument or sing? I’m a flautist and an alto singer, as well as playing in an African drumming group.

What Making Music member group are you part of?

Sheffield Oratorio Chorus.

What was the last piece of music you listened to?

Man in a Shed by Nick Drake.

rosewood publications Chamber Music for Wind, Strings and Piano Rosewood produces a wide variety of chamber music for combinations of wind, strings and piano.

We also have a range of facsimile editions

www.rosewoodpublications.co.uk • s.westmeath@rosewoodpublications.co.uk

What was the last piece of music you listened to?

Regina Spector’s Fidelity.

I would recommend volunteering with Making Music because ... Russia, my home country, offers very little support to voluntary musicians. I believe Making Music does a truly valuable thing by supporting amateur music – something many other countries don’t do.

MENTORED MUSICAL DIRECTOR required for the award-winning

Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir and Training Choirs (BBC 3 Choir of the Year 2008) A rare opportunity to work with an open access, upper voice choir with a national profile and with choristers aged from 9-19 years. This is a mentored post under the Choir’s Creative Director Susan Hollingworth. Training is available but we are looking for high levels of musicianship, strong vocal leadership (especially with young people), a deep understanding of vocal technique and conducting skills.

Selection will be by audition and interview. Fees negotiable.

Closing date for applications is 1st June 2013 For Information pack including full job description, person specification and information about the choir, e-mail scjc2008@live.co.uk or call 07979734998

16 HIGHNOTES Summer 2013

members

Blow your trumpet A crowdsource of inspiration

Mark Saunders

Geoff Egginton of York Guildhall Orchestra describes his group’s rather democratic way of selecting repertoire

When the York Barbican closed in 2004, York Guildhall Orchestra was left without a venue. We consequently led a somewhat fraught existence, losing a good portion of our audience, until the Barbican reopened under new ownership in 2011.

So we had to re-energise our efforts to build audience numbers. We tried

all the usual stuff – advertising, flyers, radio interviews, local PR – but this all costs money and, like many amateur art organisations, finances are precarious.

Probably the most successful way of advertising concerts is by word of mouth, so all orchestra members and friends were encouraged to spread the word. It was beginning to work – but it takes a lot of effort.

One idea that came to us was to try and engage our audience more directly.

During a performance last October, our conductor Simon Wright (pictured) asked the audience what they would like us to play in the second half of our May concert. We advertised this as the ‘Mystery Musical Moment’ and asked for anyone to send in their ideas.

The response was terrific and suggestions came thick and fast. The result was a somewhat eclectic list, varying between works by Glass and

Feldman through to well-known BBC Radio 4 theme tunes. It was wonderful to see the engagement and ever-soslightly off-the-wall thought processes of our loyal audience members.

After the list was closed, Simon had a tough choice on his hands. He got a round of applause when he made his announcement at the February concert, so it must have been a good selection. He also gave the names of the individuals in the audience who had chosen the works, just in case anyone thought he had ignored the list and gone his own way!

The successful choices include España

by Chabrier, The Banks of Green Willow

by George Butterworth and, fittingly for his centenary year, ‘Four Sea Interludes’ from Britten’s Peter Grimes. It should be a very popular concert – and given its success, this idea is something we will definitely consider running again. www.yorkguildhallorchestra.com

Melanie Lester

Joined-up thinking Kate Allen on one group in the South West that aims to enrich the musical experiences of young string players JUTP Music offers creative education and performance opportunities for young string musicians. The group, whose initials stand for ‘Joined Up Thinking Projects’, runs an Emerging Music Leader Scheme to help develop teaching and mentoring abilities alongside skills including web design, creative lighting and stage management.

With no formal audition, membership is based on recommendations from teachers and peers. The players are given responsibility for driving the programme forward, and their input has taken them

as far as the Edinburgh festival. They perform without a conductor, standing up (with the exception of the cellists!) and without sheet music – factors that lead to a greater freedom of expression, as well as a sense of trust and cohesion.

Creative Director Fiona McLean-Buechel says, ‘all students, at whatever age, have the ability to coach themselves. By learning to verbalise their own thoughts on others’ performances in a channelled and positive way, students can be trained to really listen to themselves. These skills in turn empower future generations of

musicians and teachers.’

Around 20 former members are now following music as a career, which is a testament to McLean-Buechel’s ideology.

One student, Issie from Colyton Grammar School, says, ‘the scheme has been a fantastic experience, helping me develop my skills as a leader as well as developing my overall musical skills. I look forward to it every time and, from what I hear, so does everyone else!’ www.jutp.org Summer 2013

HIGHNOTES 17

members

readers’ page This is your page and we’d love to hear from you: editor@makingmusic.org.uk.

Could you be an occasional or even our resident cartoonist? Would your group like to feature in a 60 second interview or send in an anonymous column?

Torbay Symphony Orchestra

60ond

sec view r inte

Founded in the early 20th century as Torbay Light Orchestra, Torbay Symphony Orchestra aims to get more contemporary music into the mainstream. Musical Director Richard Gonski tells us more …

Describe the orchestra in three words.

Innovative, enthusiastic, committed.

What are its aims? We exist to provide an opportunity for audiences and musicians in the South West to hear more contemporary music. We don’t believe modern music should be niche, and see it as our duty to give composers a chance to hear their work performed live. We try to offer something for everyone though, so our concerts also always feature something from the more established repertoire.

What sort of music do you perform? At least one contemporary piece every concert as well as standard repertoire. We have commissioned a number of orchestral works and concertos over the past few years – most recently from Damien Harron, Peter Nickol, Sam Richards and Ruth Wiesenfeld.

What was your most memorable concert over the last year? Probably our performance of Lutosławski’s Mi Parti and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.

What do you do when you’re not working with the orchestra? As well as being a conductor, I am a composer and flautist, playing with various free improvisation ensembles. I also run a website promoting electro-acoustic music, which is the subject I used to teach at the Guildhall School of Music.

What would be your desert island disc?

Luigi Nono’s Prometeo. www.torbaysymphony.org

Clare in the Community

by Harry Venning www.harryvenning.co.uk

18 HIGHNOTES Summer 2013

Anti-social media?

I’ve just read about the concerts in the US that have ‘tweet seats’, where audience members are allowed to use Twitter to talk to the outside world about the music they’re watching. This kind of idea will probably elicit a groan of disapproval from many who read this, but all I can think is: why can’t I do that over here?

Things have changed since Beethoven or Wagner’s day, and people now expect to be connected to the web wherever they go. The only way orchestras will engage young people is by making their performances relevant to this new, online way of life. A lot of other music I listen to couldn’t even have been produced 20 years ago, whereas an orchestra has remained largely the same since the 1800s. For young people today, something made before 2010 is approaching old age; how is watching a classical concert meant to capture our imagination?

Orchestras need to adapt to the times and accept the fact that young people are only going to come to classical concerts on their own terms. Besides, if I feel so enthusiastic about a concert I’m watching that I want to tell all my friends about it, why stop me?

The Tillett Trust is happy to present its

YAP Artists for 2013/2014

TOP LEFT TO RIGHT:

Joo Yeon Sir violin Jubilee String Quartet Anthony Browne

The Young Artists Platform scheme offers promoters sponsorship towards concert fees.

saxophone

BOTTOM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Marta Fontanals-Simmons

More details from Katie Avey: 0845 070 4969 info@thetilletttrust.org.uk

mezzo soprano

Ella Rundle cello Oscar Alabau cello

www.thetilletttrust.org.uk

TT-YAP Making Music ad_4-13.indd 1

08/04/2013 14:29

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