UPBEAT SPRING 2018 NEWS FROM INSIDE THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC
IN THIS ISSUE COLLABORATIVE PIANO THE AYOUB SISTERS PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS UPBEAT SPRING 2018
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In this issue of Upbeat we celebrate the Royal College of Music’s magnificent new organ, recently completed by worldrenowned organ builders Flentrop Orgelbouw. Read about the intricate design process and hear from supporter James Zheng Huang on why the instrument means so much to him. We discover a day in the life of an RCM collaborative pianist on page 9. Collaborating with singers and instrumentalists across the College and beyond, postgraduate student Stephanie Shucksmith explains why the specialism is such a good choice for musicians who love to share musical ideas. Recent RCM graduate Laura Ayoub enjoyed an exciting 2017 as one half of duo The Ayoub Sisters, topping the classical music charts. Upbeat caught up with Laura between gigs to reflect on her whirlwind career so far and find out what’s next for the superstar sisters on page 12. We share stories from around the College, including the news that the RCM has become the first UK conservatoire to partner with medici.tv. Renowned violin maker Florian Leonard has been appointed as Expert and Luthier for Stringed Instruments and beloved British baritone Sir Thomas Allen has become RCM Artist in Residence. Find out more on pages 4–8. You can tell us about your own recent projects and achievements by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk. The deadline for the summer issue of Upbeat is Monday 7 May 2018.
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NEWS
The latest news and activities from the Royal College of Music
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CONTENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
WELCOME TO UPBEAT
THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
Upbeat follows accompanist Stephanie Shucksmith on a typical day as a collaborative pianist
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PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS
After years of planning, the RCM’s new organ is revealed. Find out more about the unique instrument
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Upbeat speaks to Laura, one half of the Ayoub Sisters, on life since graduating and how it feels to top the classical charts
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SUPPORT US
STUDENT UPDATES
Professor Colin Lawson CBE, Director
Michael Rosewell and the RCM Opera Orchestra revelled in the lush, idiosyncratic language of Janáček, the violins silvery and the woodwind fleet.
ALUMNI UPDATES
Bachtrack, on the RCM International Opera School’s autumn production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen
STAFF UPDATES
UPBEAT ONLINE 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.
IN MEMORY
Photos: Chris Chistodoulou Front cover: Chris Christodoulou
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Director of Communications Talia Hull Editor Tash Payne Designer May Yan Man Design www.splashofpaint.com Contact news@rcm.ac.uk
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NEWS
IN THE NEWS Below RCM Director Colin Lawson with scholars Imogen Ridge, Charlotte Hoather, Danilo Mascetti and Dominic Bevan Opposite Sir Thomas Allen gives a masterclass at the RCM
THE BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE
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he Royal College of Music has raised £100,683 in the 2017 Big Give Christmas Challenge, exceeding its fundraising target. The match funding campaign ran from 28 November–5 December 2017 and every donation from £5 to £5,000 was doubled. The RCM would like to thank all those who generously donated in support of the RCM Scholarships Fund, particularly many alumni and RCM Friends. The funds raised will have a transformational impact on the lives of gifted young musicians who would not be able to study at the College without financial assistance. Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Alec Reed in 2007, the Big Give is the UK’s biggest online match funding campaign, helping UK registered charities raise thousands of pounds for their cause. Since the Big Give launched in 2008, the Christmas Challenge has raised over £78 million for more than 2,800 charity projects.
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RCM IS FIRST CONSERVATOIRE TO PARTNER WITH MEDICI.TV RCM MUSEUM HITS THE ROAD
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he Royal College of Music has become the first UK conservatoire to partner with medici.tv to live stream and make selected masterclasses and concerts available on demand.
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he Royal College of Music Museum’s Roadshow launched in February with a specially curated heritage trail as part of the Southbank Centre’s annual Imagine Children’s Festival. The Festival is a celebration of music, art and literature, with a wide variety of shows, exhibitions and activities taking place during February half-term.
To launch the partnership on 2 February 2018, a sold-out concert at the RCM conducted by Bernard Haitink was streamed live to audiences around the world. Featuring the RCM Symphony Orchestra and BBC Young Musician Martin James Bartlett, the programme included Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony and Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor.
Families followed a trail around the Southbank Centre, discovering instruments from the Royal College of Music Museum and learning about heritage and music in a fun, accessible and hands-on way. RCM musicians joined professional storytellers to explore what music is and why it is important to us.
Described by the New York Times as ‘the closest thing to a classical Netflix’, medici.tv broadcasts classical music to audiences around the world. Since it was founded in 2008 it has grown to become the largest online platform for classical music, with more than 300,000 members from 182 countries.
Lydia Cracknell, Museum Learning & Participation Officer at the Royal College of Music, said: ‘Collaborating with the Southbank Centre was an amazing opportunity to showcase our fantastic heritage and share our plans with new audiences in anticipation of the opening of our brand new museum in 2019.’
Through the Royal College of Music’s dedicated page on medici.tv, viewers can watch an impressive array of past masterclasses with some of the world’s leading musicians including pianist Sir András Schiff and RCM alumni mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly and bassbaritone Gerald Finley. Also on demand are concerts featuring talented RCM musicians and renowned visiting conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy (La mer) and Bernard Haitink (Daphnis et Chloé), as well as a performance of Steve Reich’s Three Movements.
This was the first stop on the Museum Roadshow, which will continue on tour across London and the South East until 2019 and includes pop-up exhibitions, activities and concerts. The Roadshow offers the public the chance to experience the RCM’s musical treasures whilst the RCM Museum is closed for refurbishment.
RCM Artistic Director Stephen Johns said: ‘As the first UK educational institution to have its own electroacoustic studio, we have been at the heart of technical innovation in musical performance for more than 50 years. This collaboration with medici.tv is part of our ambition to disseminate the rich heritage of the RCM and illuminate the outstanding educational experience we offer our students.’
SIR THOMAS ALLEN BECOMES ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
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ritish baritone and RCM alumnus Sir Thomas Allen has been announced as RCM Artist in Residence. As part of a dynamic and ongoing relationship with the RCM’s Vocal and Opera Faculty, Sir Thomas Allen will work with members of the RCM International Opera School on all aspects of role preparation, with particular reference to the Da Ponte operas, and will hold masterclasses at the RCM on a regular basis. His championing of the importance of poetry in the training of young singers will be reflected in related song projects and collaborative initiatives. RCM Director of Opera Michael Rosewell said: ‘I first met Sir Thomas during my time as a member of the music staff at the Vienna State Opera. He was performing as the Count in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and his portrayal was a revelation to me as he inhabited the role like no other singer I’d encountered. It is an enormous pleasure to be working on a production with him in the Britten Theatre again, and I relish the prospect of him sharing his unique insights, gained from performing Mozart roles in the world’s greatest opera houses, with the RCM’s outstanding ensemble of vocal talent.’
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NEWS
SOIRÉE D’OR
T Below Cello sextet at Soirée d’Or Opposite RCM Studios founder Tristram Cary in 1967
he Royal College of Music’s annual fundraising event, Soirée d’Or, took place at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 6 December 2017, raising £220,000 for the RCM Scholarship Fund. This year’s event was attended by 400 guests who enjoyed a champagne reception, dinner and live performances from some of the RCM’s most talented musicians and alumni. Cellist Frédérique Legrand led a cello sextet, soprano Nardus Williams was accompanied by Chad Vindin and violinist Emily Sun played with Jennifer Hughes on piano. RCM Director Colin Lawson introduced guests to the newly appointed RCM Chairman Lord Black of Brentwood and the RCM Chamber Choir performed Cornelius’ The Three Kings with baritone James Atkinson as soloist. The RCM is indebted to the Soirée d’Or fundraising committee led by Lady Carr. This year’s event will take place on 5 December 2018. For further details, please contact Mary Cosgrave, Senior Development Manager: mary.cosgrave@rcm.ac.uk.
SAMUEL COLERIDGETAYLOR ON SKY ARTS
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hineke! orchestra founder Chi-chi Nwanoku visited the Royal College of Music in October last year to interview RCM Librarian Peter Linnitt for a special programme about alumnus Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, part of Sky Arts’ Passions series. Chi-chi spoke to Peter about Coleridge-Taylor’s time at the RCM and his legacy, exploring several of the composer’s items in the collection. In the programme, Chi-chi talked about the RCM’s long history of promoting diversity and new scholarships for BAME students. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor studied under Charles Villiers Stanford at the Royal College of Music from 1890 to 1897. The RCM marked Black History Month in October 2017 with a digital exhibition about Coleridge-Taylor featuring many remarkable artefacts from the collection that illustrate the composer’s important role within the civil rights movements in Britain and the US.
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE RCM STUDIOS
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he Royal College of Music celebrated the 50th anniversary of the RCM Studios with two special concerts in December. Founded in 1967 by composer Tristram Cary, the RCM Studios was one of the first educational electronic music studios in the UK. Tristram built the original studio with BBC engineers after purchasing three Philips broadcast tape recorders to form its core, and these machines remained in action for many years. In 1970 the studio moved into a newer building in the College, remaining there until 1994 when it gained its current purpose-built space. Now, the RCM Studios comprises stateof-the-art equipment and technology. The first concert saw significant works from each decade performed by professors and students who have been associated with the RCM Studios during its lifetime. Then, in a unique collaboration with the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, musicians in London and Vienna simultaneously performed four world premieres made possible by the latest live-streaming software. The modern RCM Studios provides a range of services and resources for students, including music technology support, sound recording, video production and networked music facilities. MMus Composition for Screen students make extensive use of the facilities and RCM musicians record a wide range of sessions in the spaces, from solos to large ensemble performances.
RCM COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE CHARTS
PERSONAL CHAIR FOR GABRIELE ROSSI ROGNONI
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oyal College of Music Council member Bob Wigley reached Apple Music’s classical top ten chart over Christmas last year with an arrangement of The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended. Featuring the RCM Symphony Orchestra along with soprano Eleanor Sanderson-Nash and tenor William Wallace, all proceeds will go towards the More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of Music Campaign. The More Music Campaign will provide cutting-edge facilities and an inspirational environment in which our students can create, research and perform music. The RCM will gain two new performance spaces, a new accessible entrance, more practice rooms and social spaces, and a new home for the internationally recognised collections of the RCM Museum. To find out more about our Campaign progress, please visit www.rcm.ac.uk/moremusic
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abriele Rossi Rognoni has been appointed to a Personal Chair of Material Culture and Music. Gabriele has been Curator of the Royal College of Music Museum since 2014 and is President of the Committee of Music Museums of the International Council of Museums. His current research focuses on the cultural and symbolic role of musical objects and their relationship with people. He commented: ‘I am thrilled at this development of my role which will allow me to strengthen further the collaboration with students and colleagues in exploring the RCM’s rich collections and the interaction between music, people and musical objects. I hope to develop a new understanding of the social, historical and current reciprocal implications of material culture studies and music performance and add this element to the RCM’s outstanding and diversified profile.’
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VIOLIN MAKER FLORIAN LEONHARD JOINS THE RCM
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elebrated violin maker, restorer and dealer Florian Leonhard has been appointed as official Expert and Luthier for Stringed Instruments at the Royal College of Music. Florian Leonhard is the founder of Florian Leonhard Fine Violins and has a global reputation as one of the world’s foremost makers of modern violins and an exceptional restorer. He is a trusted figure in violin authentication and has restored and supplied Stradivarius and Guarneri instruments for leading soloists including Leonidas Kavakos and Daniel Hope. Most of the world’s great string instruments have passed through his hands and such is his skill that he is able to identify fine violins, violas and cellos by eye. A loyal supporter of the Royal College of Music for many years, Florian has generously loaned instruments to many musicians training at the RCM. Florian Leonard Fine Violins will provide professional maintenance and repairs and Florian will draw on over 30 years of experience to offer invaluable practical advice and support to students, as well as curating and developing the RCM’s unique collection of fine instruments.
SINGING IS GOOD FOR YOU
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r Daisy Fancourt and Dr Rosie Perkins, researchers from the Centre for Performance Science and University College London, have discovered that group singing ‘with baby’ could speed up recovery from moderate to severe postnatal depression, which is estimated to affect one in eight women. 134 mothers with symptoms of postnatal depression were randomly placed into three groups for the study: a singing group, a play group and a usual care group. Mothers with moderate to severe symptoms of postnatal depression in the singing group reported a much faster improvement in their symptoms than mothers in the usual care group. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in the speed of recovery between the play group and the usual care group. The study reiterated previous findings that postnatal depression improves over time – but provides additional insight into ways to speed up recovery with simple psychosocial interventions such as group singing. Singing is a known benefit for improving the mental health of older people and patients with dementia. Until now, however, there has not been a controlled study about the effect of singing in improving symptoms of postnatal depression in new mothers. Dr Rosie Perkins, Research Fellow in the Centre for Performance Science and Principal Investigator for the research, said: ‘Postnatal depression is debilitating for mothers and their families, yet our research indicates that for some women something as accessible as singing with their baby could help to speed up recovery at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives.’ The Centre for Performance Science is an ambitious collaboration between the Royal College of Music and Imperial College, aimed at tackling major challenges of performance across a wide array of domains. The Music and Motherhood study was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on Monday 8 January 2018.
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THE KEYS TO SUCCESS
FEATURE
NEWS
Below Florian Leonhard, RCM’s new Expert and Luthier for Stringed Instruments
What does it take to be a successful professional accompanist? It’s all about collaboration! We caught up with RCM collaborative pianist Stephanie Shucksmith to see what a typical day involves.
9am: The first rehearsal of the day is with a
singer so my journey into College provides a useful time to have another look over the text of the Lieder. My piano teacher, Simon Lepper, has taught us the importance of speaking the text silently in time with the singer to ensure we’re completely together. So it’s essential to be familiar with it beforehand. 10am: In the rehearsal, we discuss our
interpretation of the poetry and the music and work on phrasing, balance and the different moods and colours we could create to highlight the meaning of the words. Learning from others and sharing musical ideas is one of the reasons I chose to study Collaborative Piano. 11am: I spend the rest of the morning
practising in preparation for the rehearsals I have in the afternoon. Then I grab some lunch in the RCM Café. 2pm: After lunch I have a chamber rehearsal
where we work on Shostakovich’s Second Piano Trio and Beethoven’s Ghost Trio, ready for our upcoming coaching session. In addition to the skills classes we have for the Collaborative Piano specialism, we have the opportunity for chamber coaching with a variety of professors. We’ve also recently had coaching with the incredible Harlem Quartet, the RCM’s Quartet in Residence. 3pm: Each week we alternate between
playing for a German, French or Italian language class. The coach works on improvements to the singer’s formation of vowels and the articulation of the consonants in the language. The classes offer us the chance to play through a variety of repertoire with different singers and to understand German, French and Italian pronunciation in the context of song, which is invaluable experience for any vocal coaching we do in the future.
5pm: The evening brings the incredible
opportunity to play in the RCM Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitink. I’m playing the celeste in Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony and this is the dress rehearsal. It’s an immense orchestra, and Haitink can direct with the smallest of gestures and the subtlest of expressions on the nuanced and expansive journey. It’s a truly unforgettable experience. 7pm: I spend the rest of the evening looking
over some music that I’m working on for the BBC Symphony Orchestra Pathway Scheme. The scheme has given me unique insight into working as an orchestral pianist. I have gained tips and helpful advice on how to prepare and perform in an orchestra and hear up-close what’s required from the piano to balance with the orchestra in various works. I recommend studying Collaborative Piano to anyone who wants to gain lots of different musical experiences. There are so many opportunities to try out different areas of collaborative piano to prepare for when the professional world begins.
FIND OUT MORE The Royal College of Music offers a taught postgraduate specialism in Collaborative Piano, designed to develop all aspects of a professional accompanist’s skills as a collaborative artist. Formerly known as Piano Accompaniment, the specialism is for high level pianists who enjoy collaborating with singers and instrumentalists. Students enjoy close links with instrumental faculties as well as the RCM International Opera School. Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/keyboard to find out more.
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FEATURE
PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS The Royal College of Music’s new organ in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, designed and built by Flentrop Orgelbouw, is an exceptional new facility for the College. Thanks to Kingdom Music Education Group and other generous supporters and named in honour of James Zheng Huang HonRCM, the organ will enhance students’ learning and feature regularly in performance.
MEET THE SUPPORTER
In January, the organ was unveiled in a special celebration with Founding Patrons Kingdom Music Education Group (KMEG), organ builders Flentrop Orgelbouw and special guests. Upbeat spoke to KMEG’s Director James Zheng Huang to find out why they are supporting this magnificent instrument, and how they hope to inspire future generations of musicians. When did your relationship with the Royal College of Music begin?
Designed to complement the gilding of the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, the organ’s eye-catching casework is resonant with the centuries-old Dutch and German tradition, and echoes historical instruments from those regions. Its mechanical action allows the greatest sense of feel and control for the player, whilst the careful blend and balance of stops gives the maximum versatility of repertoire with a coherent and complementary sound. ‘Dutch organ builders Flentrop Orgelbouw were commissioned after a careful selection process,’ says RCM Artistic Director Stephen Johns. ‘Their combination of design, historical understanding, quality of material and construction, and musical knowledge and experience put them well ahead. The result is an organ that fulfils all the needs of the RCM performance and teaching programme.’ ‘The new organ is an instrument of integrity, flexibility and, above all, musicality,’ says David Graham, professor in charge of organ at the RCM. ‘It is truly thrilling to play and will be a fantastic teaching facility for future generations of organists.’ Those future generations follow in the footsteps of the Royal College of Music’s distinguished roster of alumni, including Dame Gillian Weir, Ralph Downes, Wayne Marshall, Thomas Trotter and Nicholas Danby.
In February, the organ featured in a performance of Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony conducted by Bernard Haitink. The complete performance is available to watch on medici.tv.
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I was Managing Director at Lang Lang Music World, which is one of the best piano training centres. The centre invited RCM Professor Vanessa Latarche [Head of Keyboard & Associate Director for Partnerships in China] to teach and give masterclasses to the students there and they began to learn and grow so much. Vanessa recommended some of her colleagues, such as the pianist Gordon FergusThompson and I was invited to visit the Royal College of Music when China’s First Lady came in 2015. So we have been working together for a few years now. What attracted you to supporting the new RCM organ? I am an oboist, and the organ is similar to a wind instrument as it produces sound through the pipes. KMEG are Founding Patrons of the More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of Music Campaign, and as soon as I found out there would be a new organ I knew I wanted to support it. I made the right choice – it’s a very beautiful instrument. You performed with the organ when it was unveiled in January – what did you think of the instrument? It was actually the first time I had played with an organ but I felt that it just embraced me. I performed the second movement of Marcello’s Concerto for Oboe and felt very comfortable and the sound was so pure. Alongside my piece we also heard many different organ works – I can sense that the intonation and the tone quality are really beautiful and sweet. I think we probably have one of the best organs in the world.
I studied in America at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and while I was there I saw an organ for the first time in my life, because they are very rare in China. What’s interesting is that it was by the same builder – Flentrop! So the first organ I ever saw was a Flentrop organ. It was fate! Why is it important to you to support music students?
Opposite The new RCM organ Above James Zheng Huang with RCM Director Colin Lawson and Lake Zhang Mozi and Dennis Yu Xudong
When I first studied music in China I had a good teacher, which gave me the opportunity to go to one of the best schools. Later when I attended Oberlin, I had another wonderful teacher who played with the Philadelphia Orchestra. So I believe good teaching is really important and I’m excited that KMEG and the RCM are working together to build the best music training centres in China, to give this opportunity to other young people. Where did your passion for music start? My father is a director of three major opera companies in China, and he also had a symphony orchestra. When I was younger I sang in a children’s choir, but my music teacher said I should choose an instrument because eventually my voice would change. One day I went to see my father’s rehearsal of Swan Lake, and the melody was so beautiful and I thought wow – the oboe looks great! After just one year and three months of studying I was accepted into the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, so I was very lucky. What words of advice would you give to RCM graduates as they set about trying to establish their careers? I would say that you should have a goal and work very hard. Be generous with your talent and share the wonderful gift of music as widely as you can.
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FEATURE
SISTER ACT
development programme. We made a video to showcase our classical repertoire and then were asked to record a popular song. That’s when we rustled up our arrangement of Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars and somehow Mark saw it! We were invited to collaborate with him for Mastercard’s ‘Priceless Surprises’ campaign, which was an amazing opportunity.
In 2017 Laura Ayoub and her sister Sarah signed a major record deal, recorded their debut album and topped the classical music chart. At the same time, Laura was finishing her undergraduate degree at the Royal College of Music. Having graduated in July 2017, we invited Laura back to the College to chat about her exciting career so far and find out what’s on the horizon for the multiinstrumentalist siblings.
Below Performing at the BAFTAs Opposite Laura and Sarah Ayoub and their debut album
Welcome back to College! Have you had a chance to reflect on 2017? It’s lovely to be back! Christmas was really the first chance Sarah and I had to relax and enjoy some down time with our family in Scotland. That’s when it hit us how hectic the year had been, especially for me as I only graduated in July! It was a lot for both of us to take on but it was a great year. Can you identify a particular moment when things started to take off for you professionally? It all began in 2015 when we entered a competition to win the chance to perform at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Sarah and I had entered lots of competitions separately, often accompanying each other for the audition video, so this time we decided to enter the competition as a duo called The Ayoub Sisters. We won, giving us a ten-minute slot at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2016 to perform
with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. We were aware that the audience was filled with influential people, so were keen to make an impression – miraculously, Decca Records saw something interesting in us and offered us a record deal. How did you go about making that impression? Our starting point was to cater for our abilities – we’re both multi-instrumentalists so we took a well-known piece and arranged it for three instruments. Sarah plays the piano and cello and I play the piano and violin. The orchestral collaboration allowed us to switch instruments during the piece. We also drew on our heritage and wrote a piece called Melodies from Scotland, which encompasses a mix of our favourite Scottish tunes. In terms of the sound of our album it’s a real reflection of us as people; a mix of Scottish music, Arabic music, pop, jazz, and core classical. How did the RCM support you in the run up to your performance at Classic FM Live? Head of Strings Mark Messenger really embraced what we were doing and I owe so much of what we managed to do to him. He even ended up conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios for our album. I was also taking an orchestration class with Dr Alison Kay at the time which was so helpful when we came to writing our own arrangements. How did your collaboration with pop producer Mark Ronson come about? This story actually originates at the RCM. We received an email from the Creative Careers Centre encouraging us to enter an artist
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Have you and Sarah always made music together? Yes, like many musical siblings we often played together whilst growing up. We performed piano duets when we were really young and Sarah was always my go-to accompanist throughout school. Coming to the RCM was probably the first time I had to learn to play with other accompanists! Playing as a duo was a natural progression and the Classic FM competition was the catalyst. Sarah was still living in Scotland when you entered the competition – was it hard to be so far away from each other? Yes, really stressful! It was just like having a long-distance relationship; making big decisions was hard. Eventually Sarah took a huge leap of faith and moved to London. It was challenging at first because I was the only person she knew, but she soon started to meet people and build a contact base here. What made you choose to study at the RCM? I’ve always felt that there’s something special about the RCM – ever since I performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and saw the building for the very first time. It’s such an inspiring location and I knew lots of violinists who were very happy here. I instantly had a good feeling at my audition. What would you say is your standout performance or experience since leaving the College? Classic FM Live will be difficult to beat, but another amazing experience was performing at the BAFTA awards ceremony in May for their ‘In Memoriam’ segment. They asked us to arrange Mother’s Pride by George Michael for violin and cello – actually they only asked us a week before the ceremony! We recorded an arrangement for strings and played the lead violin and cello parts live on the day. It was our first time using ‘in ears’, small earbuds that played a click to make sure we were in time with the backing track. It was also our first time playing live on television, so it was pretty scary!
How did your time at the RCM help to prepare you for such high-profile events? My violin teacher Jan Repko was wonderful because he held a performance class every week without fail – he was convinced that if you didn’t play in front of people regularly then you wouldn’t be able to do it for a living. It was so inspiring to watch fellow students play. I’m also really grateful to the RCM students who volunteered to try out our orchestral arrangements prior to our recording session. Based on those sessions we made a lot of adjustments for the better. Some of the percussionists who helped us actually ended up performing with us at the Royal Albert Hall! What does 2018 hold for the Ayoub Sisters? The plan for this year is to perform as much as possible. We spent a lot of last year writing and recording the album and now we want to take it on the road! The dream is to perform with a full orchestra as much as possible. We’ve been asked back to Classic FM Live so we’ll be playing at the Royal Albert Hall again in April. Our main goal is to build a live base in anticipation for the next album. If you could give one piece of advice to current RCM students, what would it be? Work hard and get as much out of the RCM as possible, because it has a lot to offer. Experience as much as you can in four years. Play with other people, speak to other people; you’ll learn more from your colleagues and teachers than anyone else. If I could also give some advice for life after College, it would be to not compare yourself to anyone else. When I was coming to the end of my degree I was confused about what to do next and it took me a while to realise that I just needed to ask myself what makes me happy. Does writing and performing an orchestral arrangement of Uptown Funk with my sister make me happy? Well actually, yes it does. So that’s what I did.
To keep up-to-date with Laura and Sarah, visit www.theayoub sisters.com and follow @TheAyoubSisters on Facebook and Twitter.
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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 nurtured and trained at the RCM. We would like to thank in particular our More Music Founding Patrons and Leadership Supporters, as well as those who have made donations of £5,000 or more between February 2017 and February 2018 who are acknowledged below. Gifts are listed alphabetically in order of surname.
SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF MUSIC From becoming an RCM Friend 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
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More Music Founding Patrons ABRSM The Estate of George Frederick Burgan The Estate of Basil Coleman Heritage Lottery Fund The Estate of Christopher Hogwood CBE HonDMus Kingdom Music Education Group Rena & Sandro Lavery The Estate of Neville Wathen Garfield Weston Foundation Leadership Supporters The Derek Butler Trust Philip Carne MBE HonRCM & Christine Carne The Estate of John & Marjorie Coultate The Estate of Jocelyn Cruft The Estate of Margaret Dewey The Foyle Foundation The Future of Russia Foundation The Harry and Gylla Godwin Charitable Trust HEFCE Linda Hill HonRCM & Dr Tony Hill Sara Nelson Horner The Leverhulme Trust The Linbury Trust The Estate of William Mealings The Mirfield Trust The Polonsky Foundation Geoffrey Richards HonRCM & Valerie Richards
The Estate of Michael Rimmer Victoria, Lady Robey OBE The Estate of Emma Rose Soirée d’Or Scholarships Ruth West HonRCM & Dr Michael West Major Supporters Jane Barker CBE Laurie Barry The Estate of Heather Curry The John Curwen Society Peter & Annette Dart Fishmongers’ Company Hamish & Sophie Forsyth The Harbour Foundation The Hargreaves and Ball Charitable Trust The Headley Trust Help Musicians UK Kirby Laing Foundation John Lewis Partnership Professor Christopher & Vivienne Liu Philip Loubser Foundation The Estate of Billy Newman John Nickson & Simon Rew P F Charitable Trust The Pure Land Foundation The Julia & Hans Rausing Trust The Reed Foundation & The Big Give Christmas Challenge The Estate of Olive Gwendoline Rees Dasha Shenkman OBE HonRCM Peter & Dimity Spiller H R Taylor Trust
Bob & Sarah Wigley The Wolfson Foundation The Henry Wood Accommodation Trust Supporters The Estate of Gillian Ashby Ashley Family Foundation BAE The Biddy Baxter & John Hosier Trust Dr Linda Beeley Lord Black & Mark Bolland Bowerman Charitable Trust The Boltini Trust Anne Bradley Cambridge in America Sir Roger & Lady Carr HonRCM The Thomas Sivewright Catto Charitable Settlement The Cayzer Trust Company Ltd The Estate of Roselyn Ann Clifton Parker Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE The Drapers’ Company The Gilbert & Eileen Edgar Foundation Lesley Ferguson The Freakley Family The Hon. Mrs Gilmour In memory of Alvin Gold Elaine Greenberg & Linda Perez Andrew Haigh Helen Hamlyn Trust The Estate of Barbara Margaret Holt The Houston Family
LET THE MUSIC PLAY ON! Becoming an RCM Friend is the best way to keep up with the news and events at the Royal College of Music. Your support also helps us to provide world-class education and training to our talented students. Membership starts at just £40 a year and you can enjoy a range of benefits including: • • •
Priority booking and access to the best seats for all RCM concerts and opera performances Invitations to an exclusive programme of RCM Friends events Subscription to the termly RCM Events Guide and Upbeat magazine
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Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells JMC Ruth Keattch Professor Colin Lawson CBE FRCM Lee Abbey London Carol & Geoff Lindey Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust The Hon Richard Lyttelton & Romilly Lyttelton The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation UK The Honourable Society of the Knights of the Round Table The Dolly Knowles Charitable Trust The Estate of Anthony Mason The Mercers’ Company Jamie Milford Rosemary Millar HonRCM & Richard Millar The Countess of Munster Musical Trust Pro Musica Ltd Midori Nishiura HonRCM Humphrey Norrington OBE FRCM & Frances Norrington The Charles Peel Charitable Trust The Stanley Picker Charitable Trust The Estate of Charles Stewart Richardson Sir Simon & Lady Robertson Hilda Scarth Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust South Square Trust Steinway & Sons
Ian Stouzker CBE FRCM Robert & Betty Sutherland Tait Memorial Trust Ian & Meriel Tegner Lynette Tiong Universal Music Group Rev Lyndon van de Pump FRCM & Edward Brooks FRCM The Wall Trust Sir Peter & Lady Walters Bob & Sarah Wigley The Mills Williams Foundation Jane Wilson Professor Lord Winston & Lady Winston The Worshipful Company of Musicians The Wyseliot Charitable Trust And those who wish to remain anonymous
CIRCLES FOR EXCELLENCE MEMBERS Chairman’s Circle Brian & Janice Capstick Philip Carne MBE HonRCM & Christine Carne Guy Dawson & Samantha Horscroft Gisela Gledhill Linda Hill HonRCM & Dr Tony Hill Terry Hitchcock TSH Prince Donatus & Princess Heidi Von Hohenzollern David James Clare & James Kirkman James & Margaret Lancaster Lark Insurance Dr Mark Levesley & Christina Hoseason Victoria, Lady Robey OBE Roland Saam Dasha Shenkman OBE HonRCM Alethea Siow & Jeremy Furniss Ruth West HonRCM & Dr Michael West
Patrons’ Circle Isla Baring OAM Jane Barker CBE John & Halina Bennett Lady Bergman Lorraine Buckland Sir Anthony Cleaver FRCM & Lady Cleaver Elisabeth de Kergorlay Dr Ian & Janet Edmondson Professor Alice Gast Lily & Julian Harriss Greta Hemus John & Susan Heywood David & Sue Lewis Charles & Dominique Lubar David Mildon Ellen Moloney Jennifer Neelands Kara Radcliffe Kerry & Dimity Rubie Sir Richard & Lady Sykes Anthony Thornton Rhoddy Voremberg John Ward Jane Wilson Sir Robert & Lady Wilson
Director’s Circle Sir Peter & Lady Middleton FRCM John Nickson & Simon Rew Richard Price FRCM & Sue Price Russell Race Peter & Dimity Spiller Robert & Betty Sutherland Brian & Anne Wadsworth OBE UPBEAT SPRING 2018
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STUDENT UPDATES
STUDENT UPDATES Right Michelle Candotti Below RCM singers at the Starlight Children’s Foundation Christmas Party at Downing Street
VOCAL ACCOLADES Alice Bell, Jacob Bettinelli, Peter Edge, Sam Jenkins, Emma Pelkiewicz, Olivia Turner and Adam West sang at the Starlight Children’s Foundation Christmas Party at Downing Street in December… BambinO, an opera for babies by Scottish Opera starring soprano Charlotte Hoather and alumnus Timothy Connor, has been named one of the ten best performances of 2017 in The Observer… Mezzo Soprano Ida Ränzlöv has joined Glyndebourne’s Jerwood Young Artists 2018 scheme... Countertenor Mikel Uskola Cobos has won Second Prize in the singers category of the Juventudes Musicales de España competition held in Girona, Spain… Tenor Joel Williams has won Second Prize and baritone Kieran Rayner has won Third Prize in the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards, held at Wigmore Hall in November. Alumnus João Araújo was awarded the Accompanist’s Prize… Soprano Nardus Williams has been awarded the prestigious Kiri Te Kanawa Scholarship to support her studies at the RCM International Opera School. She was also nominated for the Clonter Opera Theatre’s Opera Prize, which took place in February.
BRASS AWARDS Trumpeter Paul Mitchell has reached the semifinal of BBC Radio 2’s Young Brass Award 2018, which took place in February at the BBC’s Philharmonic Studio in Salford.
KEYBOARD ACCOMPLISHMENTS
COMPOSITION CONGRATULATIONS
Pianist Tolga Atalay Ün has won the Thomas Harris Award (First Prize) at the 2017 Beethoven Senior Intercollegiate Piano Competition… Pianist Michelle Candotti has won the Junior Jury Award in the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition… Pianist Daniel Evans has won First Prize in the Campillos International Piano Competition in Spain. He also won joint First Prize in the International Nice Côte d’Azur Piano Competition… Pianist Laura Farré Rozada has been featured in an exhibition, D’ONES: (R)evolució de les Dones en la Música, dedicated to Catalan women in music at the Palau Robert in Barcelona… Pianist Antoine Pichon has taken part in a masterclass with Leif Ove Andsnes and Christian Ihle Hadland in September at the Prof. Jiri Hlinka Piano Academy in Norway. He played works by Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms and Debussy… Pianist Kyoungsun Park has won First Prize in the Japan Piano Open International Piano Competition 2017. The competition took place in Tokyo and Kyoungsun’s prize includes €10,000.
Richard Miller’s choral piece There is no rose has been performed in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s Spirit of Christmas concert series, and at a BASCA workshop with the BBC Singers, led by Judith Weir. He has also been awarded the Bob Harding Bursary Award for Young Conductors for the 2017/18 season… Composer Tie Zhou has worked as muscial director on a documentary film, Becoming a Monk at Hongyuan Monastery. The film focuses on the lives of four ordinary men and their transformation from a secular life into a life of monasticism.
STRING SUCCESSES Violinists Lida Lymi and Abel Puustinen, violist Geeta Nazareth and cellist Ruth Hallows – members of the Arcus Quartet – have embarked on their first ever tour in the north of England. They have also launched an educational project to bring music to schools and local community centres... Cellist Riccardo Pes has composed
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a new piece for solo cello which was featured in NORD, a newly commissioned soundscape by artist Jens L Thomsen for Southbank Centre’s Nordic Matters festival. Last year he also performed in the Biennale Festival at the Tibet Pavillion in Venice… Violinist Shoshanah Sievers has written a new work, Silence, commissioned by the BBC and the Wellcome Collection, inspired by research into the experience of people living with dementia. It was premiered in October by the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain Fellowship Octet and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
DOCTORAL ACTIVITIES Shiva Feshareki has won the British Composer Award for Innovation in the 2017 British Composer Awards, which took place at the British Museum in December… Raquel GarcíaTomás has been awarded the El Ojo Crítico de Música Clásica prize, which is given to promising young artists by Radio Nacional de España. Her multidisciplinary compositions were particularly noted… Lisa Illean has received a grant from Australia Council for the Arts to support the creation and collaborative development of a new work for soprano Juliet Fraser. The project arises out of her doctoral research and work with non-tempered tuning systems, paying close attention to sonority, subtly unfolding harmonic forms, auditory phenomena and perspective… Pétur Jónasson has been featured in The Guardian. The article explores how performers learn their parts and references his current research on memory at the Centre for Performance Science.
SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
Above Lisa Illean Below RCMJD students selected by the NYO
NYO SUCCESS FOR RCMJD MUSICIANS The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) has selected 21 RCM Junior Department musicians to join the orchestra this year. They include: violinists Jeremy Weinstein, Louisa Ayerst, Gabriele Brasaite, Lily Harwood, Alexander Semple, Gabriella Bavetta and Lottie Swainston; violists Nadia Soole Sanchez, Luca Wadham and Emily Fraser; cellists Daniel Brandon and James Conway; flautist Marie Sato; oboists Antonia Holloway and Catriona Lockhart; clarinettist Iona Salter; bassoonist Julia Flint; horn players Brendan Connellan and Alexander Harris; trumpeter Tom Thornton; and composer Alexia Sloane. A further eight RCM Junior Department musicians have been invited to join the NYO Inspire programme, which provides free opportunities for teenage musicians to take part in workshops, rehearsals and performances.
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STAFF UPDATES
STAFF UPDATES Below Dr Natasha Loges Right Professor Janis Kelly
Violin professor Madeleine Mitchell has been on tour to America, giving recitals and masterclasses in several universities including Texas Tech University and Kansas State University. She has also given a recital in celebration of Royal College of Music founding professor Sir Charles Stanford at the Canterbury Festival, and spent a week in Barcelona working on the Centre for Performance Science’s TELMI research project.
Acting Head of Undergraduate Programmes Dr Anastasia Belina has presented Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District for BBC Radio 3’s Opera on 3 programme. She has also given a workshop on music marketing and promotion for students at the Academy of Music in Kraków, and has edited Augusta Holmés’ score Allegro feroce as part of the Forgotten Female Composers project with the BBC and AHRC. It was premiered on International Women’s Day 2018 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Organ professor Margaret Phillips has released a new recording, Multum in Parvo, which showcases instruments in the collection she and her husband David Hunt have built at the English Organ School and Museum in Somerset. The CD features eight organs, the earliest of which dates from 1769 and the most recent from 2000, as well as two harpsichords and two French harmoniums.
Piano professor Danny Driver has been featured in The New York Times’ 25 Best Classical Music Recordings of 2017 for his album Beach, Chaminade, Howell: Piano Concertos. It also features the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Rebecca Miller, former RCM Junior Fellow in Conducting. Composition professor Kenneth Hesketh has won the Wind or Brass Band award in the 2017 British Composer Awards. His winning piece In Ictu Oculi for wind orchestra was premiered at the Royal College of Music in 2016. Area Leader in Composition for Screen Vasco Hexel has composed a new work, Autumn at Wakehurst. It was premiered in September by the Purdue University Philharmonic Orchestra at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Lafayette, Indiana.
Piano professor Julian Jacobson has been appointed International Senior Arts Consultant at the Xia Jing Shan Arts and Culture Foundation. He has also concluded his 70th birthday concert series at St John’s Smith Square, joined by his duo partner Mariko Brown, with whom he has recently released a CD featuring the first ever recording of a piano duet arrangement of Debussy’s ballet Khamma. Piano professor Peter Jablonski has performed Gershwin’s Concerto in F with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Alexander Shelley in Dublin. He has also played in Sarajevo, Seoul and Sweden, and performed Szymanowski’s Symphonie Concertante with the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra. Chair of Vocal Performance Professor Janis Kelly will be performing in two English National Opera productions this year: The Marriage of Figaro and The Turn of the Screw. Head of Postgraduate Programmes Dr Natasha Loges has given a talk at the 2017 International Forum on the Construction of Music Theory, part of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music’s 90th birthday celebrations. Her keynote was called ‘The Changing Meanings of Theory within Conservatoire Postgraduate Education’. She has also appeared on BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters programme to discuss her new publication Brahms and His Poets.
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Recorder consort professor María Martínez Ayerza has released a recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations with her recorder quintet Seldom Sene. Dutch radio station Concertzender selected the CD as the best Bach album of 2017.
Academic professor Jonathan Pitkin has developed a software tool to assist composers writing for Kingma system quarter-tone flute. QTCheck is the result of a collaboration with alumna Carla Rees, who gave the premiere of Jonathan’s piece Multi(poly)phonies in 2016. Jonathan has written about the project for the journal Pan and the British Music Collection’s Spotlights series. Multi(poly)phonies was published by Tetractys in 2017.
Academic professor Pande Shahov has written a new work, Pletenki, which received its UK premiere at Wigmore Hall in January. The 90-minute set of transcriptions of Macedonian folk dances and songs for mixed quintet was commissioned by the pianist Simon Trpčeski for his project Makedonissimo. The world premiere took place at the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele last summer, and later this year the project travels to Szczecin, Lille and Amsterdam.
SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
Head of the Centre for Performance Science Aaron Williamon has co-edited a new book, Musicians in the Making, with John Rink and Helena Gaunt. It was published by Oxford University Press in December and explores the creative development of musicians in both formal and informal learning contexts. Chair & Head of Historical Performance Ashley Solomon has taken part in a series on BBC Radio 3’s The Early Music Show about historical instruments in the Royal Collection. On 8 February he performed in a special concert broadcast live from the Grand Reception Room at Windsor Castle, playing a Meissen transverse flute that is believed to have belonged to George III.
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ALUMNI UPDATES
ALUMNI UPDATES SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
Soprano Sophie Bevan performed alongside RCM Visiting Professor of Vocal & Opera Brindley Sherratt at the Royal Festival Hall in January. The ‘A Child of Our Time’ performance was a gala fundraising concert in aid of the Refugee Council. Baritone Peter Brathwaite is starring in a new show, Effigies of Wickedness, which features songs banned by the Nazis in the 1930s. Also featuring soprano Katie Bray, the co-production by the Gate Theatre and English National Opera runs from 3 May – 2 June at the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill Gate. Mezzo soprano and ENO Harewood Artist Katie Coventry sings Cherubino in the English National Opera’s production of The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Fiona Shaw, opening in March. In May she performs in Kurt Weill’s Street Scenes at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Pianist Mary Dullea returns to China for a concert tour in April with her ensemble The Fidelio Trio. This spring also see the group record works by Fauré, Chausson and Satie for Resonus Classics and the release of Philip Glass’ Pendulum on Orange Mountain label. Composer Martin Evans has been shortlisted for the BBC Radio 3 Breakfast Carol Competition 2017. He was one of six finalists, and his setting of words from a 15th-century text, Sir Christemas, was performed by the BBC Singers and can be heard on BBC iPlayer.
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Soprano Marie Lys has won the Grand Prix prize at the Concours International de Belcanto Vincenzo Bellini competition.
Soprano Louise Alder has given a recital in Madrid with RCM Vocal Repertoire Coach and Prince Consort Professor of Collaborative Piano Roger Vignoles in February. Louise sings the role of Panima in Garsington Opera’s new production of Die Zauberflöte in May. She also sings Sophie in Richard Jones’ production of Der Rosenkavalier at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in June 2018. Violinist Benjamin Baker toured North America and Canada in January as a Young Concert Artist, making his YCA debut in Washington DC at The Kennedy Centre and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. He toured Columbia in February and returns to the UK in March to perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Sinfonia Cymru.
Pavel Kolesnikov has performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no 4 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, conducted by Ilan Volkov. This spring he performs as a soloist in both the UK and abroad, including the Wigmore Hall in April and Cadogan Hall in May.
Pianist Nicholas McCarthy has appeared on The One Show to discuss the importance of music education and perform a piece from his Left Hand repertoire. It was broadcast on BBC One in November. Baritone Julien van Mellaerts has performed at the Ritz Hotel’s Opera Gala. He makes his debut with The Royal Ballet in their production of Elizabeth at the Barbican in May. In September, he performs the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s La bohème with New Zealand Opera.
Composer Marcos Fernandez has won the AEOS-BBVA Composition Prize for his work Nocturno Sinfónico. The Symphony Orchestra of Madrid has performed his piece Eclipse, and the Symphony Orchestra of Barcelona have premiered his new commission Homage to Bernstein. Trombonist Matthew Gee has released his second solo CD, Matthew Gee’s Amazing Sliding Circus, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It includes new commissions by Gary Carpenter, Rob Keeley and Simon Vincent alongside Stravinsky, Berio and Sondheim.
Pianist Luka Okros has been on tour to Asia, performing and giving masterclasses in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Mumbai. He was interviewed for India’s classical music magazine, Serenade, and also gave his debut recital at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Baritone Morgan Pearse is performing his first recital at Wigmore Hall in May, accompanied by RCM Vocal Repertoire Coach and Collaborative Piano Co-ordinator Simon Lepper.
Cellist Laura van der Heijden has released a CD called1948, featuring music that reflects that year’s purge of musicians in Stalinist Russia. Laura won BBC Young Musician in 2012.
Soprano Rowan Pierce and tenor William Morgan have become ENO Harewood Artists. The programme was established in 1998 as a means of providing a full-time training and performance scheme for exceptionally talented singers at the beginning of the careers. Rowan and William join six other RCM graduates on the scheme including Katie Coventry, Eleanor Dennis, Rhian Lois, Soraya Mafi, Katie Stevenson and David Webb.
Mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnston has featured on BBC Radio 3 singing Brahms’ Geistliches Wiegenlied with fellow former New Generation Artists violist Lise Berthaud and pianist Christian Ihle Hadland.
Violinist Sean Riley has 3D printed a six-string electric violin which has been featured in Arts Next, the magazine of the College of Fine Arts in Austin, Texas. He made it specifically to play John Adams’ The Dharma at Big Sur.
Composer George Kallis has written the score for new Russian fantasy film The Last Warrior, which broke the box office record in Russia as the highest grossing domestic film of all time.
A collection of donated musical instruments have been sent to schools and youth groups in Patagonia, Argentina. The Patagonia Instrument Project was formed on the back of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ tour of the Chubat region of Patagonia in 2015 by Principal Percussionist Chris Stock.
Pianist and former Benjamin Britten Piano Fellow Dinara Klinton has written an article for The Cross-Eyed Pianist blog. She discusses how the Philip Loubser Foundation helped to support her studies at the RCM and beyond.
Baroque cellist Tatty Theo has curated a festival on baroque composer George Muffat, which took place at St John’s Smith Square in February and featured her ensemble the Brook Street Band. Baritone Seb Valentine conducted the Blue Light Symphony Orchestra for a performance on ITV’s Christmas special A Night for the Emergency Services last year. Seb is a Detective with Surrey Police and formed the orchestra for emergency services personnel having taken conducting classes at the Royal College of Music. Pianist and former Benjamin Britten Piano Fellow Alexander Ullman has been awarded First Prize in the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition. He won €20,000 and a career development programme, which begins with an international concert tour. Pianist Mark Viner has given a recital at Wigmore Hall as part of The Keyboard Trust Prize Winners Series. The concert featured works by Liszt, Chopin and Sigismond Thalberg and Charles-Valentin Alkan. Trumpeter Zerlina Vulliamy is presenting her new show ‘Behind The Classics’ every Sunday on Oxide Radio at Oxford University, where she is currently reading music with a Choral Award at Exeter College. Zerlina has also been selected to play trumpet in the Women of the World Orchestra at the Southbank Centre in March.
Opposite Laura van der Heijden’s new CD Opposite Bottom Seb Valentine Above Luka Okros George Kallis’ latest soundtrack
CONNECT Connect with fellow RCM alumni in our LinkedIn group or contact the Alumni team on alumni@rcm.ac.uk or 020 7591 4353.
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IN MEMORY
IN MEMORY
LEAVING A LEGACY By remembering the RCM in your Will you can play a significant role in helping the College continue to inspire and educate musicians of the future. For more information on leaving a legacy to the RCM, please contact Louise Birrell, Head of Supporter Engagement on 020 7591 4743 or louise.birrell@rcm.ac.uk
Geraldine Frank was born in 1923 in Vienna, and was one of the first Jewish children evacuated to Britain before the official start of the Kindertransport. After the war she trained as a singer at the Opera School founded by Joan Cross and other members of the English Opera Group, and with the influential Viennese émigré teacher Helene Isepp. After singing professionally for a few years Geraldine took up teaching at Morley College and later at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the National Opera Studio. Her inside knowledge of singing became instrumental in her work as a highly respected language coach for the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, the Birmingham Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers. Geraldine died on 30 November 2017. Geraldine Frank
Beth Boyd was a much loved actress, singer and teacher. Born Agnes Elizabeth Boyd in 1927, Beth became a student at the Royal College of Music in 1944. As a member of the College’s Dramatic Class, she was involved in numerous RCM productions during the 1940s appearing as Mrs Woolbrook in the 1945 production The Late Miss Cordell and as Dorcas in The Mock Doctor (1946). After graduating, Beth went on to star in various TV productions including My Government and I (2000), The Page of Chinon (1956) and The Battle of St George Without (1969). Beth died peacefully in London on 12 November 2017, aged 90.
RCM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA In October, the RCM Symphony Orchestra returned to the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall to perform an all-Russian programme under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, as part of the Philharmonia’s Voices of Revolution series.
Caroline Brown studied cello at the Royal College of Music with Anna Shuttleworth and Joan Dickson, later continuing her studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna and Trinity College of Music. Caroline founded the Hanover Band in 1980 with the aim of performing and recording Beethoven on 19thcentury instruments. The group has recorded a Beethoven symphony cycle by 1987 and went on to record the complete symphonies of Schubert, Weber and Schumann and the complete orchestral works of J C Bach. Their work led to Bärenreiter’s publication of Del Mar’s Urtext editions, from which many major orchestras now perform. The Hanover Band has recorded around 176 albums and given 750 public performances, including regular appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, the BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival and Lincoln Centre. She died in February 2018, aged 64.
Photos: Chris Christodoulou
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