UPBEAT
The Royal College of Music gave me the skills and confidence to find my voice as a composer, and form my ensemble London Electronic Orchestra. Kate Simko
AUTUMN 2016 NEWS FROM INSIDE THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC
IN THIS ISSUE RCM COMPOSITION alumna Kate Simko 21ST-CENTURY EDUCATION RCM SPARKS JUNIORS MENTORS
SUPPORTING CREATIVITY AT THE RCM AND BEYOND UPBEAT AUTUMN 2016
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HIGHLIGHTS
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS’ SUMMER EXHIBITION
Fourteen RCM musicians performed at the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition. The event, organised by the RCM’s Creative Careers Centre and supported by Dasha Shenkman, saw the students perform music inspired by the gallery spaces or works of art.
Royal Academy of Arts photos: Nick Gurney Front cover: Kate Simko © Dan Wilton
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I am immensely proud that the Royal College of Music is and has always been a truly international conservatoire, attracting the world’s finest musicians. The EU referendum result in June means a period of uncertainty for the UK and for higher education. Now more than ever our internationalism is a reminder that music is a language with the power to transcend borders. One in five of our students come to us from Europe, as do many of our professors, and the RCM family comprises more than 60 nationalities. This summer, we have celebrated this cultural diversity by sharing images from around the world in our #RCMWorldwide competition on social media – you can see the winning photo on page 17. In this issue, we showcase the exceptional talent and creativity of our students and alumni. RCM saxophonist Jess Martin tells us about her love of sharing music with young people on the RCM Sparks Juniors programme, and we speak to award-winning composer Kate Simko who is making a name for herself on the international stage with her ensemble London Electronic Orchestra, which she formed while at the RCM. We are also making the Royal College of Music more accessible to students and staff around in the world with the launch of learn.rcm, our new online virtual learning environment. Dr Christina Guillaumier, Head of Undergraduate Programmes, explains more on page ten. Tell us about your own recent achievements by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk The deadline for the spring issue of Upbeat is Monday 9 January.
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NEWS
The latest news and activities from the Royal College of Music
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CONTENTS
WELCOME TO UPBEAT
A DAY IN THE LIFE
RCM saxophonist Jess Martin tells us more about being involved in the RCM Sparks Juniors programme
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21ST-CENTURY EDUCATION Dr Christina Guillaumier guides us through digital developments in learning at the RCM
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remixing the classics
Upbeat interviews alumna Kate Simko about her successful career and upcoming projects with London Electronic Orchestra
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SUPPORT US
STUDENT UPDATES
STAFF UPDATES
ALUMNI UPDATES Professor Colin Lawson CBE, Director
UPBEAT ONLINE
IN MEMORY
Upbeat is available to read online at www.rcm.ac.uk/upbeat. Please help us to reduce our carbon footprint and receive Upbeat by email. Director of Communications Talia Hull Editor Jacquelyn Williams Designer May Yan Man Design www.splashofpaint.com Contact news@rcm.ac.uk
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NEWS
IN THE NEWS Below Presenter James May with RCM students at the opening of Prince Consort Village Opposite Martin André conducting the RCM Symphony Orchestra in rehearsals
RCM REASSURES EU STUDENTS
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he Royal College of Music has reassured current students from the European Union that they will continue to be charged the same fees as UK students for the duration of their existing programme. This will also be the case for those applying for entry in September 2017. In addition, prospective EU students for 2017 entry will be eligible to apply for the same funding and support as current students from the European Union. This means they will be eligible to apply for student loans and grants for the duration of their course, even if the UK exits the European Union during that time. The RCM is recognised as a world-class conservatoire and its international community is a major contributor to this. The diversity of students and staff from all over the world is something of which the College is extremely proud. For the latest information visit www.rcm.ac.uk/ eureferendum
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JAMES MAY OPENS PRINCE CONSORT VILLAGE
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opular television personality James May has officially opened the RCM’s new hall of residence, Prince Consort Village (PCV). Best known as a co-presenter of motoring series Top Gear, James May is a music graduate and a local resident to PCV, in the heart of west London. He drew from his own passion for music when addressing RCM staff, students and guests, commenting that music is a ‘universal language’ and highlighting the increasingly important role that creative musicians play in today’s society. Professor Colin Lawson commented that ‘accommodation is now a vital benchmark by which prospective students assess institutions and PCV’s state-of-the-art facilities are among the finest offered by any music conservatoire in the world’. A joint initiative of the RCM and Campus Living Villages, PCV is specifically tailored to the needs of RCM musicians, featuring acoustically treated bedrooms for student practice, 23 large additional practice rooms (available 24/7) and a variety of informal performance spaces. In addition to bespoke creative facilities, residents have access to modern amenities such as free WiFi, iPads and a cinema room.
CPS WINS HEALTH AND WELLBEING AWARDS
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he Centre for Performance Science (CPS) has won a national award at the Health & Wellbeing Awards 2016. The Royal Society for Public Health recognised the CPS, a partnership of the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London, with the award for its contributions to research and practice around the creative arts, health and wellbeing. The judges commented: ‘The RCM’s wide-ranging programme of work, in health care across the UK, has addressed significant public health issues related to mental health, physical health and dementia through innovative projects evaluated to the highest scientific standards.’ The Health & Wellbeing Awards is the UK’s premier scheme for promoting health and wellbeing. The awards recognise and celebrate a wide range of activities, policies and strategies that empower communities and individuals, improve the population’s health and address the wider social determinants of health. Applicants have to demonstrate how their programmes and research meet key needs and tackle tangible problems within the healthcare system, develop strong partnerships with hospitals, involve patients and staff in the planning of interventions and are sensitive to issues of cultural diversity and social inclusion.
WORLD PREMIERE OF HOWELLS’ CONCERTO Musicians from the Royal College of Music have given the world premiere of Herbert Howells’ Cello Concerto at Gloucester Cathedral. The concerto was performed by cellist Guy Johnston and the RCM Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin André on 9 July, as part of the Cheltenham Music Festival. Left unfinished at the English composer’s death in 1983, the Concerto has been completed by Howells scholar Jonathan Clinch. With the first movement already written and the second movement completed by Christopher Palmer for Howells’ centenary in 1992, the third movement existed only in an assortment of sketches. Academic and organist Jonathan Clinch orchestrated the final movement after studying the sketches which are held in the RCM collections. Herbert Howells was a key figure in the history of the Royal College of Music. Beginning his studies at the RCM in 1912, he went on to become a professor of composition in the early 1920s, holding the position for nearly 60 years.
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NEWS
RCM FORGES PARTNERSHIP WITH CLASSIC FM Below Eunsley Park in a masterclass with Polonsky Visiting Professor of Violin Maxim Vengerov Opposite RCM students enjoy the new Students’ Union area
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o mark the beginning of a new partnership between the Royal College of Music and Classic FM, the UK’s most popular classical music station devoted a whole week to celebrating the RCM and its musicians. Highlights of the week in October included an exclusive Full Works Concert with Jane Jones, comprised solely of RCM performances featuring conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Roger Norrington and Matthew Truscott. Videos of performances by RCM students and graduates, including award-winning pianist Martin James Bartlett, violinist Emily Sun and soprano Gemma Lois Summerfield, were available online. The rich musical heritage of the RCM was also explored, both on air in David Mellor’s popular Sunday evening programme, and online with digital content highlighting the RCM’s collections of historical instruments and the Centre for Performance Science’s innovative Performance Simulator. Sam Jackson, Managing Editor of Classic FM, said: ‘Many of this country’s finest musicians have studied at the Royal College of Music, and this special week of programmes has shone the spotlight on an extraordinary, world-class institution.’
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RCM EXPANDS ROSTER OF INTERNATIONAL PROFESSORS
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xceptional professors from around the world have recently been appointed to the teaching staff at the Royal College of Music. Globally renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov has joined the RCM as Polonsky Visiting Professor of Violin and will visit the RCM at least three times a year, working with students through regular masterclasses and individual tuition. His position is generously supported by The Polonsky Foundation. Maxim Vengerov said: ‘Encouraging new generations of musicians is one of my greatest passions and I am very pleased to be able to help shape the future careers of violinists at one of the world’s leading music conservatoires.’ In addition, the String Faculty welcomed cello professors Jakob Kullberg and Raphael Wallfisch, while piano professors Danny Driver and Peter Jablonski and assistant piano professor Jianing Kong joined the Keyboard Faculty. New vocal professors include David Rendall, Veronica Veysey Campbell and Alison Wells and assistant vocal studies professor Patricia Bardon. The RCM also welcomed flute professor Gitte Marcusson, composition professors Maurizio Malagnini and Errollyn Wallen and assistant composition professor Konstantinos Papalexopoulos.
RCM FACILITIES ENHANCED OVER SUMMER
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range of exciting improvements across the Royal College of Music estate have been made during summer 2016. A new Students’ Union area has been created, incorporating dining facilities and a new bar for students. Alex Fryer, RCM SU President, said ‘The RCM’s brand-new BaRCM looks great, and is a modern and flexible space.’ Student-facing departments have been moved into a new open-plan office called the Exchange. It provides students with a ‘one-stop shop’ where they can speak to representatives from the RCM’s Registry, Finance, Performance and Programming and Creative Careers Centre teams. The RCM’s ongoing commitment to providing the best possible environment for students, visitors and staff has also led to additional sound insulation being installed across music rooms and new lockers for students. A new disabled access Sesame Lift has also been commissioned to improve accessibility.
OUTSTANDING NSS RESULTS
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he Royal College of Music has achieved excellent results in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS), with particular recognition for the excellence of teaching and student support. Students praised RCM professors and academic staff, with 91% reporting they were satisfied with the teaching of the course. The results also highlight the RCM’s success in supporting students’ personal development, achieving a score of 87%. Both results mark the highest percentages across all UK conservatoires. The RCM also received an outstanding score of 86% for undergraduate students’ overall satisfaction with the quality of the BMus course.
RCM STUDENTS HIGHLY EMPLOYABLE
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ata published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows, once again, that students from the Royal College of Music are among the most employable in the UK. Of RCM alumni who graduated in 2015, 100% of survey respondents reported that they had moved into employment or further study six months after graduating. This is the third consecutive year the RCM has scored 100%, a unique achievement among all UK universities and conservatoires in the latest study. The RCM was also the only institution to score 100% in the previous survey and is proud to continue its legacy of providing the best opportunities for students.
HONOUR FOR RCM DIRECTOR RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson has been appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2016. The honour was bestowed for his services to music and music education across his illustrious career. Professor Lawson commented: ‘To receive this award is a great honour and recognition of the dedicated work put in by all those at the Royal College of Music. The RCM has a spectacular history and we have a duty to innovate and future-proof this wonderful place of learning and creativity for future generations of exceptional young musicians.’
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NEWS Above Right Professor Colin Lawson with the new RCM Students’ Union team Opposite Top RCM Sparks Juniors participants Photo: Andreea Tufescu Opposite Bottom RCM Sparks Juniors mentor Jess Martin (centre) during a lesson Photo: Sheila Burnett
NEW ORGAN FOR AMARYLLIS FLEMING CONCERT HALL
NEW STUDENTS’ UNION EXECUTIVE APPOINTED
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he RCM has commissioned a new organ from renowned Dutch organ builder Flentrop Orgelbouw. The new organ will be installed in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall in January 2018, replacing the previous model which, after more than 100 years of service to RCM musicians, is no longer in working order.
lex Fryer has been appointed the new Royal College of Music Students’ Union President. Taking over from outgoing president Eugene Marshall, Alex and his team will represent and support the student body and provide a full programme of social events and activities throughout the year.
RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson said: ‘I am delighted that Royal College of Music students will soon enjoy an exceptional new organ and benefit from the wealth of experience and fine craftsmanship of Flentrop Orgelbouw. Continual investment in the student experience is at the heart of everything we do at the RCM.’
Alex is supported by Vice President Emily Harding, Postgraduate Officer Arianne Rooney, International Officer Eduardo Andrade, Concerts Officer Summer Alp, Societies Officer Theresa Yu and Events Officers Jake Bagby and Anna Webster. RCM students can get further information about the RCMSU and its activities online at www.rcmstudentsunion.com or www.rcm.ac.uk/rcmsu
The new organ will provide a wonderful new facility for organ students who currently have access to the RCM’s own selection of mechanical action instruments, as well as the opportunity to perform on organs at external venues, including the Royal Albert Hall.
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FEATURE
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN RCM SPARKS JUNIORS MENTOR Royal College of Music saxophonist Jess Martin has been working with RCM Sparks Juniors for two years, mentoring clarinet students and teaching saxophone in the extension programme.
RCM Sparks Juniors launched in 2009 and is a collaboration between RCM Sparks and the RCM Junior Department. It provides a free three-year programme of high-level tuition to young people from local schools who would not normally be able to access such an opportunity. The extension programme allows pupils to continue their learning with inspiring weekly after-school sessions. What does a typical Saturday as a mentor involve? A lot of fun, being wide awake very early and running round after kids! They have an ensemble lesson which is taken by me and another mentor – we provide all the music and arrange quite a lot – then theory or practical musicianship, choir practice and instrumental lessons. At the end of the day, we drop them back with their parents, making sure they’ve got no issues, and then sometimes you stay late for concerts.
What have you learned from this experience? Lots! Teaching a total beginner is really rewarding. In terms of your own playing, it’s really hard to go right back to the basics. It makes you analyse your own playing quite a lot. Has this experience shaped your career plans at all? Yes, definitely. When I was in high school I never thought of doing something like this whereas now I want it to be a big part of my career. Obviously I want to perform, but I want to do this as well. Would you recommend getting involved in RCM Sparks to other students? Yes! It’s really rewarding. You learn a lot about yourself. It’s also nice to see kids that wouldn’t necessarily get this opportunity and now music is a really big part of their life.
What about the extension programme? After three years, the children can then join the extension programme. They don’t need a mentor, but they still have musicianship, choir and ensemble, and then an individual lesson with me. It’s more one-to-one; you’re individually responsible for their progress. What’s your favourite thing about RCM Sparks Juniors? I’d say the concerts. It’s nice because you know the children really well and you’ve helped them through the rehearsals. In the concert though, you’re sat with the parents so you can see it from both sides. You’re so proud of them because you’ve been through that journey with them – you get as nervous as they do!
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FEATURE
21ST-CENTURY EDUCATION Dr Christina Guillaumier, Head of Undergraduate Programmes, discusses changes in education and how the Royal College of Music is striving to improve the learning environment for its students.
LEARN.RCM Learn.rcm is an online platform that supports RCM teaching and learning activities by providing access to resources, professors and support. Staff and students can access learn.rcm from any online device, anywhere in the world.
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usic education in the 21st century is changing rapidly; it constantly provides us and our students with new opportunities and thought-provoking challenges. The current cultural and socio-economic contexts that a typical music graduate operates in are varied and ever-shifting. Technology has made the world smaller and far more accessible. While we may have experienced change in our student days as evolution, students today are part of a revolution; change in the education sector is happening at an accelerated rate. Students must learn to juggle the pressures of their studies, social activities, career preparation and the tasks of everyday life. At the Royal College of Music, we are constantly looking for ways to empower students to make the most of their time with us and to give them the skills they will need for a successful career. One of the exciting changes we have just implemented is learn.rcm – the RCM’s bespoke virtual learning environment (VLE).
When staff and students came together to build this project, we thoroughly analysed why it was important and what aspects in particular we wanted to develop for it to be a success. Our motto for this project – ‘support … enhance … innovate’ – captures the essence of what we want this online environment to be about. Learn.rcm is a means to support and enhance what we do and, most importantly, it offers us the opportunity to innovate based on our core strengths of excellence in teaching, exceptional professional opportunities and remarkable digital facilities, in a way that captures the true spirit of the RCM. The impact of technology The impetus for the creation of the project came from the world around us and in response to the challenges we all face. Students and staff interact and respond almost continuously to technology, sometimes without even thinking about it. They may be travelling a great deal and need to keep in touch with their professors, peers and families. Alternatively, they might be setting up social media accounts for their newly formed ensembles, letting their audiences know about their forthcoming concerts or putting together a personal website that showcases what they do. Learn.rcm capitalises on students’ already existing digital capabilities and provides us with an opportunity to extend our learning environment and present aspects of learning more conveniently for students. Enhanced access Learn.rcm enhances the learning experience of students in different ways. In the first instance it helps them to be in regular, meaningful contact with us – with the VLE, the RCM is never offline. Indeed, learning can be extended and shaped to work around their lives. For example, students can submit projects and assessments that are part of their programme wherever they are, and, correspondingly, tutors can view and feedback
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on those submissions in their own time. It also has the potential to allow students to upload their own recordings of practice sessions or concerts to share with their professors (and their peers if they wish) between lessons. Courses that blend online delivery with face-toface teaching give students flexibility around their scheduling and management of workload. Topics such as entrepreneurship and composition require space and time for reflection but do not always require face-to-face contact on a weekly basis. International communities Most importantly, learn.rcm means that we can reach out to students wherever they are in the world. The RCM is an international community made up of students and professors from across the globe. By being accessible online from anywhere in the world, learn.rcm will help our overseas students, particularly those on our joint overseas programmes with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore and with Boston and Princeton universities, bringing them even closer to the RCM community, even if they happen to be physically very far away.
Learn.rcm offers students another level of innovation and experimentation, in a supportive setting where advice and expertise is always at hand, particularly from our Digital Learning Manager. At the Royal College of Music, we pride ourselves on offering our students an unparalleled musical and educational experience within a supportive community of practice. The learn.rcm project is one more innovative way that we are nurturing young professionals, within the context of the fast-paced 21st century. Dr Christina Guillaumier Head of Undergraduate Programmes
Opposite RCM students can access learn.rcm from any online device Above Michael Oliva leads a class using digital technology Below Students can upload recordings of their performances to learn.rcm
Support and advice Collaboration is another huge part of a music student’s experience and here too learn.rcm has a part to play. All musicians are collaborative artists in one way or another, even if they are a solo performer. Stravinsky once described himself as a ‘maker’ and I think that our students are ‘makers’ too: of their own lives, their own identities and their own careers. In today’s world, artists are connecting to their audiences in ever more innovative ways. At the RCM, we already offer our students plenty of opportunities to collaborate, and not just in performances. Students work together on projects and often develop business ideas from scratch – they are creative entrepreneurs.
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FEATURE
REMIXING THE CLASSICS Below Kate Simko and London Electronic Orchestra Photo: Dan Wilton Opposite Top Kate Simko and London Electronic Orchestra performing at The Roundhouse, London Opposite Bottom Kate Simko Photo: Dan Wilton
Royal College of Music alumna Kate Simko formed her ensemble London Electronic Orchestra with other RCM students during her time on the Composition for Screen Masters course. Since graduating in 2014, Kate has performed around the world and the ensemble has just released its first album. Upbeat spoke to her ahead of their Royal Albert Hall debut in October.
Your work combines electronic and classical music; have you always explored different genres and styles? My background is as a classical pianist. When I started creating music I would incorporate some elements of classical piano but it was always more electronic. When I went to the Royal College of Music I learned how to write for a range of classical instruments, that’s when I really started getting into the idea of combining the whole palette of the orchestra inside the backdrop of electronic tracks.
You had a successful career in electronic music before you came here, what made you decide to return to study and come to the Royal College of Music? My undergraduate degree was classical piano and music technology at Northwestern University in the USA. After finishing I moved to LA to compose for film but soon realised that it wasn’t that straightforward. You spend your twenties climbing up a ladder but not making much music, more making coffee! So I was DJing and performing my own music live, and starting to have my first releases out. It just sort of happened naturally but then suddenly most of my twenties had gone by and I’d gone on this tangent. It was really fun but I still wanted to score films. I started looking into programmes and the Royal College of Music was by far the best fit. It was very competitive to get into but I was really determined because I felt like it was ideal for what I wanted to do. Also Vasco Hexel [Area Leader, Masters Programme in Composition for Screen], has a respect for electronic music. You formed London Electronic Orchestra while you were here. Did the RCM support the creation of the ensemble? They really did. The Creative Careers Centre linked me up with our harpist, Valeria Kurbatova, to perform at the National Gallery where I did my first show for hybrid classical electronic music. I also took a course here called Contemporary Music in Action which involved working with a group of players and writing a piece for them. It was an amazing way for me to have a forum to ask questions about their instruments and to write a piece that had a lot more feedback from the performers. That composition is called Waiting Games and it’s on our album. The things I was working on here at the RCM have ended up being on our album.
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Your self-titled debut album has just been released on Vinyl Factory. What music is on it? Mainly original compositions that I wrote for the ensemble, and we did a cover of The xx which was first performed at the Britten Theatre. That was another way that the RCM really supported me in this project; we had our debut concert at the Britten Theatre in March 2014 as part of the Great Exhibitionists series [a cutting-edge series curated by students]. The theatre was completely full and it was amazing. That was the impetus to really work on the LEO project. So what else has London Electronic Orchestra been doing recently? We just played at Festival No6 [in Wales] and we had our debut concert in the States, in July, at (le) poisson rouge in Manhattan. We now we have a US agent so it’s exciting. What else have you got coming up? The big thing we have is our debut at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room on 12 October and then in December we have a show in Thailand. I will be working with Jamie Jones who is another UK DJ, orchestrating his music, and I’ll also be doing a set of my own music with a full orchestra in Bogota (Colombia), in December. The ensemble itself is quite international, isn’t it? That’s true. Our harpist Valeria Kurbatova is Russian and we have violinist Kamila Bydlowska, she’s from Poland, Tanya [Cracknell] our other violinist, our cellist [Deni Teo] and bassist [Nina Harries] are from the UK and our other cellist Davina Shum is from New Zealand. It’s very international.
Does that bring anything to the ensemble and to the music? I think it does, and also we’re all women. It works that everyone has a different background and that we’re coming together through music. I think everyone in the group is definitely very serious about the musicianship. Is there anything you think the classical music industry could learn from your electronic music experiences? I’ve tried to take elements from both classical and electronic in terms of the norms of how a show would go. For example, I’ve done printed programmes at a standing show, and not stopping between the songs to allow more of a continuous set, which wouldn’t happen in classical. It’s nice to be able to pick and choose. What was your favourite thing about studying at the Royal College of Music? I really loved studying here. I had so much fun and I learned so much, but my favourite thing was working with the other composers and instrumentalists. I had a theory background but I didn’t have the in-the-room experience of hearing my music performed by live instruments. The only way for me to test what I was writing was to have somebody play it for me. I really enjoyed learning about all the different instruments and doing it in a very one-on-one and personal way. If you could give any advice to current RCM students, what would it be? My advice would be exactly that – work with the musicians and take the time to meet the different performers, spend time in the Students’ Union bar, meet everybody and find the players that are most interested in playing your music. It’s not just a job; you can really form relationships that expand past the RCM, which is what’s happened to me.
FIND OUT MORE Discover more about composition courses at the RCM online at www.rcm.ac.uk/ composition
SAVE THE DATE
The next Composition for Screen Showcase will be on Wednesday 10 February 2017. Tickets are available from the RCM Box Office from 14 December.
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SUPPORT US
SUPPORTING THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC Music has the power to transform lives. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, generations of gifted students from around the world have been guided and inspired at the RCM. We would like to thank in particular those who have made donations of £1,000 or more in the last 12 months. Gifts are listed alphabetically in order of surname.
SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF MUSIC From becoming an RCM Friend, through to leaving a gift in your will, there are many ways you can support the Royal College of Music. For more information, please visit www.rcm.ac.uk/ supportus Alternatively, contact the Development team on 020 7591 4331 or development@rcm.ac.uk
Major Supporters Jane Barker CBE* Frederick Burgan Karen Cook The Estate of Jocelyn Cruft Mr Peter Dart J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust The Robert Fleming Hannay Memorial Charity Mr Rex and Mrs Susan Harbour Henry Wood Accommodation Trust Heritage Lottery Fund Linda Hill HonRCM and Tony Hill* The Estate of Christopher Hogwood* Kingdom Music Education Group Professor Colin Lawson CBE, FRCM The Estate of William Mealings Mr Julian Metherell The Mirfield Trust The Polonsky Foundation* Mr Andrew Ratcliffe Geoffrey Richards HonRCM The Estate of Michael Rimmer The Rothschild Foundation Roland Rudd Dasha Shenkman OBE, HonRCM* Alethea Siow and Jeremy Furniss The Peter Sowerby Foundation Bruno Wang Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement The Garfield Weston Foundation Bob and Sarah Wigley* Sir David Willcocks Legacy The Wolfson Foundation Supporters Mr Christopher Arnander FRCM The Astor Foundation Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation Biddy Baxter and John Hosier Music Trust Vivien McLean Beckwith and Peter Beckwith Lord Guy Black of Brentwood Mr Michael Boxford Brooks-van der Pump English Song Prize Sir Anthony Cleaver FRCM and Lady Cleaver The Derek Hill Foundation The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust+ George Drexler Foundation
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Mr Andrew Haigh Ms Lily Harriss The Hedley Foundation+ Help Musicians UK The Hobson Charity Mr Michael Jeans Joaninha Trust Mrs Hanna Klein John Lewis Partnership Mr Peter Lofthouse The Hon Richard Lyttelton Edward Mandel/Jaques Samuel Pianos Bursary Mr Marcus McDonald HonRCM The Mercers’ Company Mrs Philippa Micklethwait Legacy Sir Douglas Morpeth FRCM The Countess of Munster Memorial Trust The Edith Murphy Foundation St Marylebone Educational Foundation The Estate of Billy Newman Ofenheim Charitable Trust The John Ogden Foundation The Oldhurst Trust+ The Purcell Club Miss Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust Peter and Dimity Spiller Mr Ian Stoutzker CBE, FRCM Mr William Tilden Tillett Trust Mr Rhoddy Voremberg Mr John Ward Jane Wilson Miss Moira Witty Mr Nigel Woolner Mr John Wright Universal Music Group+ Corporate Supporters BAE Systems Campus Living Villages Finsbury Hatch Mansfield Huawei Technologies (UK) Niquesa Fine Jewellery and Hotels
Supporters of named scholarships, bursaries and Junior Fellowships The Abinger Hammer Award ABRSM Sir John Ackroyd Scholarship Aldama Scholarship The Jane Barker Scholarship Laurie Barry and the John Barry Scholarship for Film Composition Dr Linda Beeley Phoebe Benham Junior Fellowship Bell Percussion The Big Give Trust The Bliss Trust The Boise Scholarship The Boltini Trust Scholarship Bowerman Charitable Trust The Gary & Eleanor Brass Scholarship Betty Brenner Scholarship The Derek Butler Trust The Richard Carne Charitable Trust Sir Roger and Lady Carr Soirée d’Or Scholarship Stephen Catto Memorial Scholarship The Chairman’s Award The Estate of Miss Iris Chappell The Estate of Basil Coleman Edgar Tom and Hilda May Cook Else and Leonard Cross Charitable Trust The Cuthbert Smith Award Douglas and Kyra Downie Ann Driver Trust Gilbert and Eileen Edgar Junior Fellowship Amaryllis Fleming Foundation Fiona and Douglas Flint Soirée d’Or Award Albert and Eugenie Frost The Future of Russia Foundation Gylla Godwin Award Peter Granger The Greenbank Award HF Music Award+ HMD Meyer Violin Prize The Abel G Halpern and Helen Chung-Halpern Scholarship Royal College of Music Pete Handley Award Irene Hanson Scholarship Headley Trust Scholarship Terry Hitchcock Scholarship
THE PERFECT GIFT If any of your family or friends are also music lovers, why not give them a gift of a year’s membership to the RCM Friends? Not only will you be giving something unique, you will also be supporting the work of the Royal College of Music. We can put together a membership pack to send to you to wrap as a gift, or, if you prefer, we can send it directly to the recipient. To arrange a gift membership, please call Rachel Bowden on 020 7591 4331 or email friends@rcm.ac.uk
The Estate of Christopher Hogwood The Fenella and Harry Hope Memorial Scholarship Independent Opera Artist Scholarship The JMC Award The Johnson Scholarship Rosalind Leney Award John Lewis Partnership Scholarships+ The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation UK Knights of the Round Table Kirby Laing Foundation Lark Insurance Scholarship Hester Laverne Award The Christopher Hogwood Scholarship The Lee Abbey Award Leverhulme Trust Carole and Geoffrey Lindey Philip Loubser Foundation Mark Loveday Scholarship Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Mason Scholarship The William Mealings Scholarship The Mills Williams Foundation The Howard and Abbey Milstein Foundation The Margaret Mount Scholarship Music Talks Award Charles Napper Award Lydia Napper Award The John Nickson and Simon Rew Scholarship Midori Nishiura Norse Anglo Award Sir Gordon Palmer Scholarship Parnassus Award The Charles Peel Charitable Trust The Stanley Picker Trust The Polonsky Foundation PRS for Music Foundation Russell Race Scholarship The Radcliffe Trust The Old Johnian Charity The Charles Stewart Richardson Scholarship for Composition The Estate of Edith Mary Richmond Virginia and Simon Robertson Scholarship Victoria Robey Scholarship Emma Rose Memorial Scholarship Sheila Saam Memorial Scholarship Humphrey Searle Scholarship The Barry Shaw Scholarship Frank Shipway Memorial Scholarship
Dasha Shenkman Scholarship The Siow-Furniss Scholarship Soirée d’Or Scholarships South Square Trust St Paul’s, Knightbridge Steinway & Sons Opperby Stokowski Collection Trust Ian Stoutzker CBE, FRCM Sudborough Foundation Sussex Scholarship Tait Memorial Trust Scholarship HR Taylor Trust Ian and Meriel Tegner The Richard Toeman/Weinberger Opera Scholarship The Tsukanov Family Foundation HSH Dr Prince Donatus von Hohenzollern The Wall Trust Sir Peter and Lady Walters Soirée d’Or Scholarship Bob and Sarah Wigley Scholarship Wilkins-Mackerras Scholarship Arthur Wilson Trombone Award The Drapers’ Company The Fishmongers’ Company The Worshipful Company of Musicians The Wyseliot Charitable Trust Members of the RCM Chairman’s Circle ArtPoint Foundation* Brian and Janice Capstick* Philip Carne MBE, HonRCM and Christine Carne* Karina and Dhairya Choudhrie+* Denis and Meredith Coleman+ Helen Chung-Halpern and Abel Halpern* Guy Dawson and Samantha Horscroft+ Gisela Gledhill* Linda Hill HonRCM and Tony Hill* Terry Hitchcock* David James* Clare and James Kirkman* Dr Mark Levesley and Christina Hoseason* Victoria Robey OBE* Roland Saam* Dasha Shenkman OBE, HonRCM* Alethea Siow and Jeremy Furniss* HSH Dr Prince Donatus von Hollenzollern* Michael and Ruth West HonRCM*
Members of the RCM Director’s Circle Mr James Lancaster and Mrs Margaret Lancaster Sir Peter and Lady Middleton FRCM John Nickson and Simon Rew* Richard and Sue Price Russell Race+* Peter and Dimity Spiller Robert and Betty Sutherland Anne Wadsworth Quentin Williams* Members of the RCM Patrons’ Circle Isla Baring OAM* Jane Barker CBE* Halina and John Bennett Lady Bergman Ms Sylvia Bettermann Nathenson Mrs Lorraine Buckland Sir Roger and Lady Carr HonRCM* Tania Chislett Sir Anthony Cleaver FRCM and Lady Cleaver Mr Michael Estorick Sabina Fatkullina Professor Alice Gast MarieNoelle and Mathias Gislev Carol Hagh Greta Hemus Mr Julian and Ms Lily Harriss John and Sue Heywood Mr William and Mrs AnnaMarie Hill David and Sue Lewis Charles and Dominique Lubar Mr David Mildon Ellen Moloney Judy and Terence Mowschenson Jennifer Neelands Victoria Rock Kerry and Dimity Rubie Mrs Piffa Schroder Sir Richard and Lady Sykes Louisa Treger John Ward Jane Wilson Sir Robert and Lady Wilson Dr Yvonne Winkler Mr Richard Wintour Mr Rhoddy Voremberg
WELCOME TO NEW FRIENDS We are delighted to welcome the following individuals who have joined the RCM Friends between May 2016 and October 2016. Philip Barber Wendy Briner John Burrell John Childress and Christiane Wuillamie Alison Farrow Neil Forbes Addison Linda Fuller Hilda Graham Benita Mehra Dusanka Nikolic Diana Seymour Stephen Sharkey Antoni Slabas Christina Slatter Judith Strong Eugenie Turton Anthonie and Heather Van Ekris David Wickham
* also support a named award + also support RCM Sparks
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STUDENT UPDATES
STUDENT UPDATES Right Konstantinos Destounis Below Riccardo Pes
SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
STRING SUCCESSES Cellist Jamal Aliyev has performed a programme of sonatas at the Three Choirs Festival with pianist Maria Tarasewicz, with whom he will give a recital at Wigmore Hall in May 2017… Violinist Emma Arizza has won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Rassegna Castrocaro Classica. She also performed Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the Bruno Maderna Orchestra in Italy in October… Violinist Emmanuel Bach took part in the six-week Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut over the summer, where he held an Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship, supported by an EnglishSpeaking Union Scholarship… Violinist Yume Fujise has been featured in a BBC Classical Introducing Artists showcase, as part of Radio 3’s celebrations marking 70 years since the founding of the Third Programme. The showcase was recorded live at the Riverside Terrace Café at the Royal Festival Hall… Violinist Freya Goldmark has founded the Uppingham International Music Festival which took place 10–12 November and featured RCM string players… Double bass player Philip Nelson has won Third Prize in the Solo Competition at BassEurope 2016, held in Prague… Cellist Riccardo Pes has performed at the Aha festival at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, which explored the meeting between art and science.
VOCAL ACCOLADES Mezzo soprano Katie Coventry has become a 2016/17 member of the ENO Harewood Young Artists’ Scheme, with whom she will sing the role of Edith in Pirates of Penzance in February 2017. She joins RCM alumni Eleanor Dennis, Rhian Lois, Soraya Mafi and David Webb on the scheme… Soprano Sophie Gallagher performed the role of Emmie in Albert Herring at Teatro della Pergola in Florence as part of the Firenze Maggio Musicale… Soprano Julieth Lozana sang the role of Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Verbier Festival Academy 2016 alongside RCM alumni Gemma Lois Summerfield and Morgan Pearse… Countertenor Feargal Mostyn-Williams took on the role of Antonio in Andrei Tchaikowsky’s The Merchant of Venice for Welsh National Opera in Cardiff… Baritone Julien Van Mellaerts has been awarded a Kiwi Music Scholarship of (NZ)$15,000 to assist in continuing his musical development.
COMPOSITION CONGRATULATIONS Composer Benjamin Ashby has heard his recent commission for Leicester International Music Festival broadcast on BBC Radio 3 performed by the Carducci String Quartet… Composer Tom Barnes has been selected to take part in Sound and Music’s Embedded_Innovate project with technology company ROLI… Samuel Hall has taken on the role of Children’s Musical Director and Rock Coach for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock at the New London Theatre, London… Piyawat Louilarpprasert has won the inaugural Léon Goossens Prize with his composition Black Soaring Birds. The work will be published by Composers Edition and recorded for digital release by Oboe Classics.
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KEYBOARD ACCOMPLISHMENTS Pianist Martin James Bartlett performed Sir Arnold Bax’s Burlesque at the National Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday in St Paul’s Cathedral… Pianist Konstantinos Destounis won the Gina Bachauer Piano Prize, awarded by the ‘World in Harmony’ Association of Spain, in June 2016. He has also recently performed a recital in the Thessaloniki Piano Festival... Jorge Nava has recorded his first solo album of Russian piano music by Musorgsky, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev. The CD is due for release in late November… Pianist Tamila Salimdjanova won Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Brant International Piano Competition in July. Chi-Hoi Cheung won Third Prize in the Birmingham-based competition… Pianists Andrew Yiangou, Chengwei Li and Victor Maslov have been awarded recital prizes at the Musical Odyssey Masterclasses series in Nafplio, Greece.
#RCMWORLDWIDE Violinist Bar Markovich has won the Royal College of Music’s #RCMWorldwide competition, in which students and alumni were asked to share images from their summer anywhere in the world on social media. Bar’s winning photo shows him performing on a cliff in the Brecon Beacons.
DOCTORAL ACTIVITIES Performance Science student Sara Ascenso has given lectures and led workshops on the psychological wellbeing of musicians at the Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts in Hungary… Lisa Illean has been announced as a 2016 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize Winner. She will write for the Philharmonia’s Music of Today series and join the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Young Composers Academy, in partnership with the RPS… Countertenor Randall Scotting has been featured in a BBC documentary entitled Mozart’s London Odyssey speaking about the castrato Giovanni Manzuoli.
RCMJD RESULTS Royal College of Music Junior Department pianist Vincent Ling has been selected by Awards for Young Musicians for a Robert Lewin Scholarship and will benefit from masterclasses and workshops with professional musicians… Violinist Amy Lovejoy led the BBC Proms Youth Ensemble in the world premiere of Tom Harrold’s Raze, under conductor Sakari Oramo at the Last Night of the Proms in September… Shoshanah Sievers has been announced as one of two winners of the 2016 BBC Proms Inspire Competition’s 12–14 category. Her winning piece, Les nuances de la lumière for solo violin, was performed at a concert in the BBC Radio Theatre in London as part of a Proms Extra event.
Above Lisa Illean Left Vincent Ling
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STAFF UPDATES
STAFF UPDATES Jazz trumpet professor Mark Armstrong has conducted the Three Nations Under One Groove project in Germany and Holland. The project, which aimed to demonstrate that jazz is a universal language spoken by young musicians across Europe, brought together musicians from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, German BuJazzO (Bundesjazzorchester) and Dutch NJJO (Nationaal Jeugd Jazz Orkest). Assistant Head of Undergraduate Programmes Anastasia Belina-Johnson has given a number of research talks across the UK, including at the University of Birmingham, University of Bangor and the Royal Northern Conservatoire of Music. Guitar professor Carlos Bonell has performed a solo recital at the Old Church in Stoke Newington. The concert in October featured a varied programme of music from Torroba to Armand Coeck and Phillip Houghton’s Ophelia – A Haunted Sonata. Piano professor Danny Driver has performed debut recitals at London’s International Piano Series, Music Toronto and the Fine Arts Museum in Montreal this autumn. He also continues his recital partnerships with violinist Chloë Hanslip and RCM alumnus baritone Christian Immler. Research Fellow in Performance Science Daisy Fancourt has won the 2016 Jacob Bronowski Award Lecture for Science and Arts from the British Science Association. Her prize included a public lecture at the British Science Festival in Swansea, held in September.
Bassoon professor Martin Gatt has tutored at the British Isles Music Festival residential course at Charterhouse. He was also tutor in residence for the bassoon class at the Lausanne Conservatoire of Music. Head of Composition for Screen Vasco Hexel has released Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s The Dark Knight — A Film Score Guide. In the guide, Vasco explores the backgrounds and working methods of the composers and provides unique insights into the score’s composition. Works by composition professor Kenneth Hesketh have been recorded by opera coach Philip Headlam with the Continuum Ensemble. A Land So Luminous (Prima facie) includes Netsuke, Hesketh’s commission for Hans Werner Henze’s 75th birthday. Kenneth will also visit DePaul University in Chicago, where the USA premiere of his work for violin and orchestra, Inscription-Transformation, will take place and he will give lectures and talks. Clarinet professor Janet Hilton has released a new CD on the Clarinet Classics label. Entitled Flying Solo, it includes works for solo clarinet by Malcolm Arnold, Edwin Roxburgh and MarkAnthony Turnage, among others. Janet also performed in the opening recital of the 2016 Xinghai Conservatory’s Music Home Festival with RCM alumnus Jakob Fichert, and gave a day of masterclasses. RCMJD teacher Torbjörn Hultmark has performed at Cumnock Tryst 2016 festival with artistsin-residence Pandora’s Box and Headspace. Torbjörn played soprano trombone in the opening concert of the festival. He continues to develop the Soprano Trombone Project with Tim Ewers and Kingston University to promote the smallest instrument in the trombone family which has a similar range to the trumpet. Assistant piano professor Jianing Kong has won Sixth Prize in the Sydney International Piano Competition 2016. In addition, he also won the prize for the best 18th-century concerto and the best semi-finals recital. RCM alumna Oxana Shevchenko was awarded the prize for the best piano quintet in the same competition. Faculty Officer and Faculty Performance Coordinator Emer Landers has been offered a place in the BAFTA Crew for Film and Television 2016. This is in addition to the BAFTA Video Games Crew, to which she was appointed earlier in the year. The scheme provides opportunities to make industry contacts and attend events with previous BAFTA winners.
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Left Simon Lepper (second from right) with fellow charity cyclists Below Janet Hilton Opposite Top Kenneth Hesketh and Philip Headlam’s A Land So Luminous Opposite Bottom Mark Armstrong and participants in the Three Nations Under One Groove project
Head of Keyboard Professor Vanessa Latarche and piano professor Dina Parakhina have led masterclasses at the Mallorca Summer Academy. Held in August in Canyamel, the Academy programme consisted of lessons, workshops, lectures, concerts and a participants’ performance, all with the objective of enlightening students and encouraging a new generation. Professor of piano accompaniment Simon Lepper has taken part in Song Cycle, helping to raise more than £25,000 for Help Musicians UK. The project involved a group of singers riding nearly 600 miles from Glasgow to London in eight days. RCM alumni Timothy Connor, Peter Aisher, Louise Alder, Nick Pritchard and William Wallace also took part. Violin professor Madeleine Mitchell has spoken to The Strad about adopting a rounded approach to being a musician. The article and video on ‘Becoming a Complete Violinist’ is available online. She has also released the world premiere recording of David Matthews’ Romanza on the Divine-Art label accompanied by piano professor Nigel Clayton. Academic professor Jonathan Pitkin has written a chapter in Music on Stage, Volume 2, edited by Luis Campos and Fiona Jane Schopf (Cambridge Scholars Press). His essay, which takes two of his own compositions as a starting point, is entitled ‘Who’s making all that noise? Stage presence (and absence) in music for electronically-controlled sound sources’. Historical performance professors Catherine Rimer, Richard Tunnicliffe and Annette Isserlis have performed at the BBC Proms with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. The concert on 17 July included Haydn’s Mass in C major and Fauré’s Requiem. Catherine has been a member of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Révolutionnaire et
Romantique for 20 years and performed Berlioz’ Romeo and Juliet with them at the Proms. Vocal professor Patricia Rozario has performed a selection of operatic arias and songs with her husband pianist Mark Troop at the opening of the recently restored Opera House in Mumbai. She also sang Britten’s Seascape and Rachmaninov’s Vocalise in a chamber music performance at the opera house.
SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
RCM Quartet in Residence, the Sacconi Quartet, has held the tenth Sacconi Chamber Music Festival at Folkestone. One highlight was a concert by violist Robin Ashwell featuring RCM alumnus Roger Chase, viola professor Andriy Viytovych and RCM violists Lisa Bucknell, Nazli Erdogan, Natasha Michael and Anastasia Sofina. Composition professor Francis Shaw has conducted the Slovak National Orchestra and pianist Martin Jones in a recording of his two piano concertos for Lyrita Records. Recorded in Bratislava in 2014, the CD is due for release mid-November. Francis has also recently recorded an album of Eastern European and Russian folk music for The Scoring House, West One Music. Historical bassoon professor Wouter Verschuren has recorded a CD entitled The Elegant Bassoon. Featuring repertoire dating from the earliest days of the baroque bassoon, the disc also features Wouter’s wife and duo partner Kathryn Cok on harpsichord, Wilbert Hazelzet on flauto traverso, violinist Antoinette Lohmann and viola da gamba player Robert Smith.
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ALUMNI UPDATES
ALUMNI UPDATES SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
Tenor Peter Aisher has joined the Opernstudio of Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf for two years from September 2016. Performances include roles in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, Puccini’s Turandot and a version of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte adapted for children. Pianists Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen have launched the inaugural London Piano Festival at Kings Place. The weekend celebration of the piano, held 7–9 October, included a range of solo and duo piano music, together with lectures, family concerts and a world premiere by Nico Muhly. Next year’s festival will take place 6–8 October and will focus on Russian artists and repertoire. Composer Mark Bowden has recently released Sudden Light, the first disc of his own orchestral and chamber music. Released on NMC in September, the CD features Mark’s works Lyra, Heartland and Sudden Light, as well as 5 Memos for violin and piano, performed by Hyeyoon Park and RCM alumnus Huw Watkins. Cellist Eun Cho has been awarded Fourth Prize in the cello division at the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition 2016 held in Harbin, China. Recordings by Eun were also broadcast on KBS Classic FM, South Korea’s largest classical radio station.
Soprano Charlotte de Rothschild has released a new CD with the City of London Sinfonia and RCMJD alumnus Michael Collins. Featuring the Japanese art song form the ‘kakyoku’, Hana wa saku (Flowers will bloom), was released in October and includes new arrangements by composers David Matthews, Stuart Calvert and Yui Kakinuma. Charlotte will tour Japan with the orchestra in March 2017. Pianist Diana Dumlavwalla joined Florida State University’s College of Music as Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy in August 2015. This summer, she gave presentations on the piano works of Alexina Louie and on piano teaching in India and the Philippines at the 32nd World Conference of the International Society for Music Education. Margery Elliott has been featured in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s magazine Music Stand. Interviewed by Chief Executive Stephen Maddock, Margery discussed her time at the RCM in the 1940s, her career with the CBSO and the fact that, at the age of 97, she has written a book about the Rotton Park area in Birmingham. The Ferio Saxophone Quartet – RCM alumni Jose Bañuls, Shevaughan Beere, Eleanor McMurray and Huw Wiggin – has recently been appointed Young Artists at St John’s Smith Square for 2016–17. The position offers three concerts during the season and provides funds to commission a new work or to work on a new edition of a piece of early music. RCMJD alumnus Christopher Gough has been promoted to Principal Horn of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Christopher was previously appointed Associate Principal Horn in 2015. Former RCM professor Joseph Horovitz has heard his Music Hall Suite performed by Onyx Brass at Holy Trinity Church in celebration of his 90th birthday year. His Clarinet Sonatina has been performed by Austrian clarinettist brothers Daniel and Andreas Ottensamer: at Wigmore Hall in June by Daniel and in Andreas’ tour which includes the USA, Canada, Germany and Switzerland. Organist and composer John Hosking has released All Angels Cry Aloud (Regent). Featuring his liturgical choral works, the CD was recorded by the Ely Cathedral Girls’ Choir and the Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, directed by Sarah MacDonald, with organists Alex Berry and Tim Parsons. John’s work was also heard at this year’s North Wales International Music Festival, where the opening concert was dedicated to his music.
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Pianist Dinara Klinton has been awarded Third Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition in the USA. Alumni Samson Tsoy, Oxana Shevchenko and Luka Okros and current students Ilya Kondratiev and Alexander Ullman were also among the 31 contestants in the prestigious competition. Percussionists Olly Lowe and Rebecca (née McChrystal) got married on 28 May 2016. The ceremony at St Luke’s Kentish Town was performed by Olly’s mum. They were played out of the church by fellow RCM alumni and students Elsa Bradley, Alun McNeil-Watson, Sam Hoile, Joe Richards and Jason Chowdhury of Box9 Drumline and even their wedding cake was decorated in the shape of a stack of drums. Former RCM student and professor, Richard Lyne, has been appointed Director of the Music of The Madrigal Society. He has also recently celebrated 30 years as Honorary General Editor of the Church Music Society, which through Oxford University Press publishes a wide range of sacred choral music. Composer Charles Mauleverer has written a new work for symphony orchestra, large choir and projector screen entitled One Home: An Environmental Symphony. Intended to urge positive action on climate change, the piece sets to music 200 phrases in nearly 100 languages. Dedicated to Sir David Attenborough on the occasion of his 90th birthday, the piece was commissioned and first performed by the Prague Symphonic Ensemble and Ensemble Villars-sur-Glâne on 1 May 2016. Baritone Morgan Pearse was awarded First Prize in the 2016 International Cesti Singing Competition in Innsbruck. His prize included €4,000 and the opportunity to perform in Baroque Opera:Young’s production of Keiser’s Octavia at the 2017 Innsbruck Festival. He will also sing at Resonanzen Wien 2017 and with Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci.
Tenor Gyula Rab has joined the Zurich Opera Young Artist Studio, where he joins baritone Huw Montague Rendall. Both will have the opportunity to train and perform with acclaimed singers, international directors and conductors and perform roles on the opera’s main stage. Violinist Shiry Rashkovsky has joined the faculty of Pro Corda as Preparatory and Primary Course Director. Alongside artistic and executive directorship of these residential chamber music courses, Shiry will be involved in the Pro Corda Young String Experience scheme in London, as well as in outreach projects throughout the UK. Guitarist Laura Snowden has been awarded First Prize in the Volos International Guitar Composition Competition in Greece for her guitar and violin duo piece 5 Impressions. Laura’s prize includes publication of the piece by Papagrigoriou-Nakas Music Editions, a performance at the next Volos International Guitar Festival and a performance and recording in Athens through the Greek Composers Union. Michael Hughes also received an honourable mention for his work Out from Under for flute and guitar. Composer Edward Southall has co-founded a new company promoting musicians for private events. FixTheMusic aims to make it easier to book musicians online and to provide a secure and fair payment system for musicians. Several recent RCM alumni are available to hire through the company.
Above The Piatti Quartet Below Olly and Rebecca Lowe. Credit: Neda Lahrodi @Storyett photography Opposite Top Diana Dumlavwalla Opposite Bottom Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva
CONNECT Connect with fellow RCM alumni in our LinkedIn group or contact Elinor Hatt, Alumni Relations Officer, on alumni@rcm.ac.uk or 020 7591 4353.
Violist David Wigram and his ensemble the Piatti Quartet have released a new album in collaboration with jazz saxophonist Justin Swadling. A Place to Be narrates the story of a young man’s search for meaning and fulfilment in life and features the quartet employing a host of extended instrumental techniques designed to mimic the percussive sounds of drum grooves and soul-influenced bass lines. Composer Benjamin Woodgates has written a new setting of the Benedicite for the choir of St Paul’s Cathedral. Commissioned by Choir & Organ in partnership with St Paul’s, the work was released with the July/August edition of the magazine and is due to be premiered in December.
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IN MEMORY
IN MEMORY Alumna Jacquie Currie studied at the RCM between 1968 and 1973. She worked with the English Opera Group and Royal Opera House, among others, and performed the role of Adele in Kiss Me Kate alongside Zoe Wanamaker at the Oxford Playhouse in 1974. She later studied with the Open University and Sussex University, leading to a second career in social work. Following retirement in 2014 she re-launched her teaching practice. She died on 31 August 2016, aged 67.
LEAVING A LEGACY The Royal College of Music would like to thank all those who have remembered the RCM in their will and left a musical legacy for future generations to enjoy. For more information on leaving a legacy to the RCM, please contact Louise Birrell on 020 7591 4743 or louise.birrell@rcm.ac.uk
Former Registry Services Manager Jane Fisher-Hunt made a significant contribution to the RCM. She worked at the College between 1998 and 2001, before moving to the University of Cambridge, where she worked as a faculty administrator within the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences. She died on 28 August 2016. Geoffrey Ford was born on 23 September 1931. A talented boy soprano, he had a keen interest in music and theatre. Geoffrey was awarded a place at the RCM to study violin in 1950. He was a music teacher for more than 30 years at Charterhouse, where he was head of strings and artistic director of the Ben Travers Theatre. Retiring from Charterhouse in 1992, he went on to run the Godalming Musical Festival and become a soughtafter violin tutor. He died on 10 August 2016. Alasdair Graham was born in Glasgow on 19 April 1934. He showed an early interest in music and later represented Scotland at the Festival of Britain in 1951. He attended the University of Edinburgh and Vienna State Academy, and studied with Peter Katin. During a career as a concert pianist, he worked with Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir Charles Groves and also at the BBC Proms. He joined the RCM as a piano professor and was valued for his reliable judgements and dry sense of humour. He was awarded honorary membership of the RCM for his services to music and retired in 2003. He died on 25 July 2016. The sixth Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, was born in Omagh on 22 December 1951, and attended Harrow School. He became a trustee of the Grosvenor Estate at age 27. He married Natalia Phillips in 1978 with whom he had four children. He helped more than 1,500 charities through the Westminster Foundation, was president of the Royal National Institute of Blind People and St John Ambulance and was made an OBE in 1994 for his work in the Territorial Army. He died on 9 August 2016. He gave valuable advice to the RCM, as did his ancestor, the first Duke of Westminster, who was one of the RCM’s founding fathers.
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Alan Loveday was born in New Zealand on 29 February 1928. He began playing the violin at the age of two and was awarded a scholarship to the RCM in 1944. In 1946, he made his BBC Proms debut with the London Symphony Orchestra and Adrian Boult. He continued to appear at the Proms until 1972. He joined the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 1965, with whom he released Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Alan died on 12 April. Renowned conductor Sir Neville Marriner was born on 15 April 1924. He studied violin at the RCM and Paris Conservatoire, later joining the LSO. He founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 1958 and was music director until 2011, when he became life president. His conducting career began in 1969, following studies in the USA where he founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He worked with orchestras around the globe and was music director and principal conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Südwest Deutsche Radio Orchestra. He was made a Companion of Honour in 2015. He died on 2 October 2016. Alberto Remedios was a leading British tenor who performed in the world’s greatest opera houses. Alberto left school at 15 and worked in a Merseyside shipyard before auditioning to join Sadler’s Wells Opera, where the management encouraged him to study at the RCM, which he attended in the 1950s. Best known for Wagner heldentenor repertoire, he sang Siegfried in Reginald Goodall’s celebrated Ring Cycle with English National Opera. He was appointed a CBE in 1981. Alberto died on 11 June 2016. Former RCM clarinet professor Basil Tschaikov was a respected orchestral musician, holding positions as second clarinet with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1943–47) and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1947–55). He was chairman of the Philharmonia Orchestra and later became Director of the National Centre for Orchestral Studies. He died on 14 September at the age of 91. Robin Wells studied at the RCM, becoming a graduate of the Royal Schools of Music and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. In 1965 he joined Charterhouse as an assistant music master and later became Director of Music, retiring in 2003. He was also an examiner for ABRSM for many years. He was Chairman of Godalming Music Festival and also worked with the Petersfield Musical Festival, Godalming Operatic Society and Farnham and Bourne Choral Society. He died on 28 July 2016.
Rameau LES FÊTES D’HÉBÉ The UK’s first staged production of this French baroque opera 7pm | 5 and 6 April 2017 Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, London SW7 2BS Jonathan Williams conductor Thomas Lebrun director and choregrapher Singers of the RCM International Opera School Singers of the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris Singers of Les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles Royal College of Music Baroque Orchestra
Tickets £10–£50 RCM Box Office 020 7591 4314 www.rcm.ac.uk/rameau
Parcours (2007) © Federico Mannella
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Box Office: 020 7591 4314 weekdays 10am–4pm Upbeat: 020 7591 4370 news@rcm.ac.uk Alumni: 020 7591 4353 alumni@rcm.ac.uk Supporting the RCM: 020 7591 4331 development@rcm.ac.uk Hiring RCM musicians: 020 7591 4367 diana.roberts@rcm.ac.uk The Royal College of Music is a registered charity. No 309268
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