Prompt Corner: October 2012

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Welcome to Prompt Corner: October 2012 I’m delighted to share recent highlights and upcoming events at Melbourne Recital Centre as well as some behind-the-scenes news with you.

I write this to you from the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres conference in Taipei, a conference devoted to fostering the development and growth of technical, administrative and managerial skills and expertise within the region that facilitates opportunities for business, artistic and social exchange.

In this edition of Prompt Corner, we share exciting news of our win at the Australia Business Arts Foundation awards, reflect on the Founding Benefactors and Business Partners Luncheon, announce a new philanthropic endeavour in our Leadership Circles, get to know Melbourne Recital Centre Board member John Higgs and congratulate the winners of the 2012 Great Romantics Competition.

I look forward to seeing you at the Centre soon.

Mary Vallentine AO Chief Executive Officer Below: Parents, grandparents & children eagerly await Peter & the Wolf.

Audi Australia & Melbourne Recital Centre win AbaF award!

Every year the Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) honours best practice partnerships between the private sector and the arts through the AbaF Awards. We are delighted to announce that Melbourne Recital Centre and Audi Australia were awarded the 2012 AbaF Victorian Partnering Award for their long-standing partnership, at a function in the new Hamer Hall in September.

Formed in 2009, the Principal Partnership between Audi and Melbourne Recital Centre epitomises our shared values of progressive performance, sophistication and technical excellence. Each partner is recognised as a world leader in its respective sphere – the Centre for its technical and cultural brilliance in acoustic and architectural design, and Audi for the superb engineering and sophisticated design that has made it one of the most sought-after luxury brands across the globe.

The partnership has had a profound impact on the Centre’s ability to deliver an increasingly expansive concert program for all Victorians, featuring great artists from Australia and around the world. The partnership has also been a catalyst for a range of artist development and music education programs that make the Centre a genuine artistic hub, offering a diverse audience deep connections with music and musicians.

“As a German business, Audi values this partnership as it reinforces its position as a progressive, sophisticated, lifestyle brand that is deeply embedded in and committed to enriching the cultural fabric of the Australian community” said Uwe Hagen, Managing Director, Audi Australia.

Reflecting on the significance of the partnership, Melbourne Recital Centre’s CEO Mary Vallentine said “Audi has enthusiastically embraced so many things that we do – from beguiling mini Audi push cars for children during MusicPlay to the stunning Audi Q7 SUV that greets our visiting artists. Audi’s commitment to genuine partnership is outstanding.”

Below (L-R): Sandra Robertson (Director Development, Melbourne Recital Centre), Mark Lelliott (AbaF Councillor and Managing Director EWK International) and Matthew Maslin (Regional Sales Manager, Southern, Audi Australia).

Melbourne Recital Centre’s Founding Benefactors & Business Partners Luncheon In August, the Centre hosted a Luncheon to highlight the vital role of private sector support for the arts and honour its Founding Benefactors and Business Partners. Their sustained support helped establish the Centre in 2009 and continues to facilitate the Centre’s current growth trajectory today.

Guests of honour included the Hon Simon Crean MP, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts and Mr Harold Mitchell AC, Executive Chairman of Aegis Media Pacific, philanthropist, and author of the Report on Private Sector Support for the Arts in Australia, a recently published paper about the future of private sector support for the arts.

Melbourne Recital Centre Chair, Kathryn Fagg paid tribute to the Centre’s Founding Benefactors and Partners for their vision and inspired leadership, remarking: “Performances are shared experiences of the wonder of artistic creation and participating in the arts gives life richness and meaning. This is the vision that our Founding Benefactors in partnership with the Victorian Government and the Centre enabled - it is this mission that has inspired other generous supporters since and that we hope will motivate others to follow in future”.

Minister Crean announced the merger of the Australia Business Arts Foundation with the Australia Council’s ‘artsupport’ arm to establish a new ‘one-stop-shop’ promoting private sector support for the arts. He said the new body would “join the dots between facilitating private giving and philanthropy, encouraging sponsorship and corporate giving, building partnerships between artists, business and private donors and recognising the contribution of philanthropists and the business sector in supporting the arts”.

The immense value and joy that comes from involvement in the arts was brought to life by a wonderful performance featuring pianist Joe Chindamo and violinist Zoe Black which concluded the proceedings.

Below L: Naomi Milgrom AO, Jim Cousins AO & Mary Vallentine AO, Below R: Julie Kantor & The Hon Simon Crean MP.

Above: The Hon Simon Crean MP, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts Below: Mr Harold Mitchell AC, Lady Potter AC & Darvell Hutchinson AM

The Centre launches a new platform for giving: Leadership Circles The Centre is delighted to announce the first gift for its new Leadership Circles philanthropic program, made by Miss Betty Amsden OAM. The Leadership Circles program will support the diverse range of concerts and events from the Centre’s seven Program Pillars, encompassing the Great Performers recital series, the Local Heroes series, MusicPlay children’s programming, the Metropolis New Music Festival, Contemporary Music, Artist Development and Life-long Learning initiatives.

Betty has provided a gift of $60,000 over three years to establish the Life-long Learning Leadership Circle.

This will bring to life a new music appreciation series of lectures for adults designed to engage participants in learning more about all aspects of music.

“Melbourne Recital Centre belongs to us all. Its vision and daily output are constant reminders of how music unites us, igniting our noblest instincts. I hope that my gift will encourage others who love particular aspects of the Centre’s program to make their own contributions, large and small. I know that each and every gift makes a difference to animating the Centre’s beautiful performance spaces ” said Betty.

Above: Miss Betty Amsden OAM

Over 60% of Melbourne Recital Centre’s annual program of 400 concerts and events is presented by the Centre, either on its own or in co-presentation partnerships with musicians and ensembles that are unique in the sector.

This concert programming, together with the Centre’s education and accessibility initiatives and marketing support, represents a $2.5 million annual investment in delivering transformative music experiences to everyone at any stage of life. It is sustained by ticket sales and the support of donors, sponsors and the philanthropic sector while a Government grant provides for the maintenance and operation of the building.

Because the level of private sector support directly impacts the range of initiatives the Centre can undertake and the extent of its reach into the broader community, the Centre has launched powerful new platforms for development: Program Pillar Leadership Circles.

The aim for 2012/13 is to raise a total of $140 000 through gifts to the Leadership Circles. To achieve this ambitious goal, the Centre is seeking the support of generous donors who are willing to make individual gifts to initiate each Leadership Circle and resource the Centre to undertake a range of new programming activities, including commissioning, regional touring, the development of a suite of educational materials and more performance opportunities for Australian artists.

Just prior to publication the Centre received its second Leadership Circles donation from Mr Colin and Dr Deborah Golvan - a major gift of $10,000 in support of the Artist Development Program Pillar. Colin and Deborah are tireless advocates for the arts whose active involvement with a range of Melbourne’s cultural organisations, including the Centre, has made a significant difference to the scope and impact of their programs.

“I’m passionate about music and hearing it in the Centre’s beautiful spaces verges on the sublime. I also believe strongly that having enjoyed so many wonderful nights in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, I have a responsibility to support the Centre as it works to extend these incredible experiences with music to as many people as possible” said Mr Golvan.

Each Leadership Circle will, we hope, grow to include many other people with specific interests in a particular program area, so as to extend the Centre’s family of supporters at all levels.

Melbourne Recital Centre has become the centre around which a growing ‘eco system’ of musicians, ensembles, festivals, music students and music audiences has developed to deliver profound and engaging music experiences for over 158,000 visitors each year. It provides new performance opportunities for over 200 Australian artists and is the centre of music for Melbourne’s Southbank Arts Precinct.

The Centre has also received a number of indicated pledges to the Leadership Circles program, which we look forward to announcing in the next issue.

With this additional private sector support, Melbourne Recital Centre has the potential to be one of the leading forces in music creation, delivery, audience development and music appreciation in the world, providing immense benefit to Victoria and Australia.

For more information, please contact Jacqueline Williams, Major Gifts Manager at Melbourne Recital Centre. Call 03 9699 2653 or email Jacqueline.Williams@melbournerecital.com.au

Meet the Melbourne Recital Centre Board: John Higgs Prompt Corner recently spent some time with Melbourne Recital Centre Board Director John Higgs. John was appointed to the Centre’s Board in 2009. He is passionate about education, music and the visual arts. In addition to his role with Melbourne Recital Centre, John was a long time President of Bendigo Art Gallery and a Co-founder of Girton Grammar School. John chairs the Centre’s Development Advisory Committee.

You’ve had a long and distinguished career in education.

What were the highlights?

Helping to found a school that is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary has been a meaningful highlight of my career so far.

It is so incredibly pleasing to see 20 years of sound educational development.

What was your first encounter with the arts?

You could say I started rather young, through involvement in my school play as well as playing the recorder!

What aspect or genre of the arts are you most passionate about and why?

I love such a broad range of the arts. Performance is so important for so many reasons. I greatly enjoy and am enriched by both visual and performing arts.

How were you introduced to classical music? Was there a special moment?

Family members first introduced me to classical music, and my interest has been greatly reinforced by my marriage to a pianist.

What is your favourite piece of classical music and why?

I would have to say, Mozart’s Piano Concertos – but it is too difficult to select just one! His concertos are filled with beauty and majesty. The elegance of each composition is both refreshing and relaxing.

Why is music important to you?

It is, in essence, food for the soul. Music transports you to another place of relaxation, contentment and wonder.

How did you get involved in supporting the arts?

Through my inherent interest in the visual arts and a long and pleasing association with Bendigo Art Gallery.

What is your favourite thing about Melbourne Recital Centre?

Without doubt, it has to be the acoustics. They’re impeccable. However, I also adore the aesthetic beauty of our two performance spaces – Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and the Salon.

What is your most memorable performance at Melbourne Recital Centre?

There have been so very many, but two that I have adored and are quite different are Swedish soprano, Anne Sofie von Otter and English actress and singer, Jane Birkin.

Who or what inspires you?

People who are honest and genuine inspire me. “Making a difference” is a maxim that is very important to me.

Why do you choose to donate to Melbourne Recital Centre?

I believe it is important to support a new institution that fundamentally supports the presentation of a diverse range of music performances in our great city of Melbourne.

What developments excite you most about the Board’s vision and future direction for the Centre?

Thus far, it has to be the breadth of performance – supporting local performers and their amazing skills and bringing highly talented performers from overseas to our beautiful spaces.

What does the next year hold for you?

Looking forward, I will continue to work for and with a most marvellous institution – Melbourne Recital Centre! I will also travel, for I possess great empathy with Europe and would like to travel extensively through France. Whenever and wherever possible, travel!

A Day In The Life: Ulrich Gerhartz Ulrich Gerhartz, Director of Steinway & Sons London’s Concert and Artists Department travels frequently across the globe, working with the world’s best Halls to ensure their Steinway concert grands are maintained to produce only the finest sound. He shares his travel diary with us...

I am responsible for the selection, preparation and ongoing maintenance of Steinway concert grand pianos in all of the major concert venues across the United Kingdom and Ireland, the maintenance and management of Steinway London’s concert hire instruments and many Steinway concert grand pianos in venues overseas.

I am also responsible for our Steinway Artists, incredibly gifted pianists who span every genre. I ensure they are happy with our instruments, and that a skilled team of concert technicians are on-hand to look after their musical needs. You may be interested to know that the great Australian pianist Piers Lane is a Steinway artist as are some of the wonderful pianists who will perform in Melbourne in the Centre’s 2013 Great Performer series – Sergio Tiempo, Katia and Marielle Labeque and Murray Perahia, for example.

I have been working with Steinway & Sons for 26 years. I started out in the Hamburg factory as a piano maker’s apprentice in 1986 and in 1990, I moved from Hamburg to London to join Steinway & Sons UK. In 1994, I took charge of the Concert and Artist Department at Steinway Hall London.

I travel most days, as I have to venture to all the places where my pianos are. My travel is mostly throughout the UK and greater Europe, but also the US, Canada, Israel, Australia and sometimes, I embark on one-off trips to slightly more exotic destinations. It’s always a delight when I travel to Australia each January to visit Melbourne Recital Centre and inspect its three Steinway’s.

The most rewarding part of my job is presenting a well-selected Steinway concert grand piano in optimum condition to a pianist to make music in a beautiful concert hall.

For me, there is only one piano, really – the Steinway & Sons concert grand piano. I think this piano’s sound and universal performance ability in venues across world has no equal. Simply, if it were not for this piano, I would not do this job and I would not be travelling to diverse places around the world enabling talented pianists to make beautiful music.

Uli’s annual visit to Melbourne Recital Centre is made possible by Etihad Airways whom Uli says have been ‘unquestionably brilliant from the beginning to the end of each journey’.

Great Romantics Competition 2012: The Winners On Sunday 21 October, Melbourne Recital Centre presented the third-annual Great Romantics Competition dedicated to young musicians who are captivated by the rich and emotive music of the Romantic period and its virtuoso composers.

CEO Mary Vallentine welcomed the enthusiastic audience as finalists Kathy Chow, Emily Sheppard, Lotte Betts-Dean and Stewart Kelly, James Guan, Nathan Lay and Daniel Carter and William Hewer competed for the prestigious Great Romantics prize. They performed works by Liszt, Brahms and Schumann before an esteemed panel of judges including Lin Bender (Chair), acclaimed soprano Merlyn Quaife, Principal Fellow of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Ronald Farren-Price and Head of Strings at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Curt Thompson.

Announcing the winners, Jury Chair Lin Bender remarked: “The standard is very high indeed, and the winners are recognised for their extraordinary talent in this wonderful competition for young people. They are all assured of successful futures however there can only be one winner.”

The winner of the Elisabeth Murdoch Prize of $6000, a oneday recording session in Melbourne Recital Centre’s Salon and performance at the Centre was pianist, James Guan who performed Liszt’s Ballade No.2 S.171.

James began learning piano at the age of seven. He attended the Shanghai Conservatory of Music from 2000–2002 before transferring to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School in 2003. He is currently a third year student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Voice and piano duo Nathan Lay and Daniel Carter received the Kantor Prize encouragement award of $1000 for further artistic development for their performance of Schumann’s Dichterliebe.

Top: James Guan with Judges Merlyn Quaife, Ronald Farren-Price & Curt Thompson Centre: Recipients of the Kantor Prize, Nathan Lay & Daniel Carter Bottom: Great Romantics 2012 finalists

Scotchmans Hill Opens New Winery Celebrating 30 years of operation, the Centre’s Supporting Partner, Scotchmans Hill has announced the opening of a new winery south of Geelong in Waurn Ponds.

‘The Hill’ will act as a unique gateway to the Great Ocean Road and is an exciting addition to the culture of the region. It will present major music concerts and arts events as well as offer a new tasting room and cafe that showcases regional produce.

Scotchmans Hill is a family-owned business based on the Bellarine Peninsula since 1982. It has been influential in shaping the Geelong region’s significant contribution to Australian wine industry. The first calendar event for ‘The Hill’ is the 2012 Toast to the Coast in November, Geelong’s premiere food and wine festival.

For more information, visit: scotchmanshill.com.au

Save The Date: 2013 MUSICPLAY CHILDRENS FESTIVAL January 17 - 19, 2013 MusicPlay returns in 2013! Melbourne Recital Centre’s annual children’s music extravaganza overtakes the Centre this January with an immersive program of mainstage productions, cushion concerts, workshops and interactive installations for babies and young children up to the age of 12.

‘Australia’ is this year’s theme and the program will feature a wonderful new and free sound-installation piece based on the Australian landscape by Polyglot as well as the rarely performed Australian favourite, The Kookaburra Who Stole The Moon.

There is overwhelming evidence of the value of early interactive experiences with music for children’s intellectual, social and emotional development. But most of all, MusicPlay is fun and a great day out with the family.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of The City of Melbourne and The Hugh Williamson Foundation for MusicPlay 2013.

The full program will be available in December.

THE GARDEN PARTY Between late-January & February, Southbank 2013 Melbourne Recital Centre’s unique pop music program is taking to the streets this summer! The vacant lot on Sturt Street behind the Centre will be transformed into a relaxed, outdoor music hub in summer, featuring popular indie, rock, pop and folk bands.

Say goodbye to the gravel, cyclone fencing and parked cars and hello to a space where music lovers can relax on deck chairs, be sociable on the Astroturf lawn, sip on a cider or two and soak up the artistic ambience of the Southbank Arts Precinct in summer – all while listening to the best music the city has to offer.

Look out for announcements of the music line-up being released progressively from mid-November across Melbourne Recital Centre’s website, Facebook and Twitter.

Supported by Arts Victoria and The City of Melbourne.

A CELEBRATION FOR DAME ELISABETH 8 February, 2013 We continue the tradition of celebrating both the birthdays of our beloved Patron, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, and the Centre itself on Friday 8 February 2013 with a wonderful concert whose centrepiece will be a new work by composer Elena Kats-Chernin, commissioned by the Centre’s Chair, Kathryn Fagg.

Mark this date in your calendar now!

Invitations will be in the mail in early January.