UPBEAT SUMMER 2017 NEWS FROM INSIDE THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC IN THIS ISSUE AWARDING EXCELLENCE BREAKING NEW GROUND
RISING STARS OF THE RCM
HIGHLIGHTS
FESTIVAL OF PERCUSSION 2017
The RCM’s annual Festival of Percussion returned on 7 May 2017 with an exceptional line-up of events and special guests. Visitors enjoyed performances from artists such as Benny Greb and the Band of the RAF Regiment, alongside family workshops, a daylong Trade Fair and toe-tapping evening concert with the RCM Big Band.
Photos: Chris Christodoulou Front cover: Louise Alder at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World © Brian Tarr
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As we went to press with the summer issue of Upbeat, news of alumna Louise Alder’s success at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017 competition made its way to the Royal College of Music. Louise won the prestigious Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize after getting through to the Song Prize and Main Prize finals of the competition, and I am thrilled that she has rightly earned a place on the front cover of Upbeat. Find out more on page seven. On graduating from the RCM in 2013 Louise received the Tagore Gold Medal, an award that was first given out more than a century ago to outstanding students. In this issue we meet four exceptional alumni who were also recognised with RCM awards, and delve into the history behind these highly prized honours as part of an extended feature starting on page nine. As the summer term draws to a close we look forward to the beginning of an exciting period of transformation of our historic campus. On 13 June, we were joined by RCM Chairman Professor Robert Winston for a special ceremony to plant the first spade in the ground in the courtyard. I was delighted to mark this historic moment, which will enhance our facilities and ensure the RCM continues to be a world leader in music education. Read more on page four. You can tell us about your own recent projects and achievements by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk. The deadline for the autumn issue of Upbeat is Monday 25 September.
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NEWS
The latest news and activities from the Royal College of Music
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CONTENTS
WELCOME TO UPBEAT
awarding excellence
Upbeat explores the history behind the RCM’s most prestigious awards
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Find out what some of our award winners are up to in this special extended article, featuring interviews with Ieuan Jones, Charlotte Harding, Katy Woolley and Ruairi Glasheen
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SUPPORT US
STUDENT UPDATES
STAFF UPDATES
ALUMNI UPDATES
Professor Colin Lawson CBE, Director
IN MEMORY
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. Director of Communications Talia Hull Editor Lucy Cook Designer May Yan Man Design www.splashofpaint.com Contact news@rcm.ac.uk
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NEWS
IN THE NEWS Below RCM Chairman Lord Winston breaks ground on the building works Opposite Left HRH The Prince of Wales with those honoured at the RCM’s awards ceremony Far Right LOLA performance in the RCM Studios
RCM TOPS RANKINGS BREAKING NEW FOR SECOND YEAR GROUND
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he Royal College of Music has been named the top institution for Performing Arts in the United Kingdom in the 2017 QS World University Rankings for the second consecutive year. The RCM is also ranked second across all Performing Arts institutions worldwide, moving up one place in the league table from last year. The QS World University Rankings’ assessment of leading universities worldwide is based on the strength and quality of institutions’ teaching, research activities, graduate employability and international profile. The rankings are compiled from the opinions of academics and employers and from analysis of research output and impact. This announcement follows the Royal College of Music’s placement as the top UK specialist institution for music in the 2017 Complete University Guide, and success in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2014) in which the RCM was named the London conservatoire with the highest percentage of world-leading research.
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n Tuesday 13 June, RCM Chairman Professor Robert Winston, together with RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson CBE, marked the start of an ambitious redevelopment of the RCM campus. The courtyard at the centre of the College will be transformed as part of the More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of Music campaign. The event included a rousing fanfare by RCM trumpeters as Lord Winston planted the first spade in the ground. Renowned architect John Simpson has reimagined the RCM site, with major enhancements that will transform the way students and visitors experience the College for generations to come. The RCM has partnered with UK construction contractor Gilbert-Ash, whose award-winning projects include refurbishment works to the Grade II listed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the extension of the Institute of Engineering & Technology in London and the iconic new 450-seat Everyman Theatre, which won the RIBA Stirling Prize 2014. Lord Winston said: ‘The More Music scheme will unlock the RCM’s potential and secure its long term future as a world leading music conservatoire; I am excited to see the architect’s vision come to life.’
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NEWS IN BRIEF ROD WILLIAMS MEMORIAL CONCERT In March, representatives from the Mills Williams Foundation awarded this year’s Mills Williams Junior Fellowship to RCM pianist Andrew Yiangou. Peter Mills established the foundation in 1995 in memory of his life-long partner, Rod Williams, with the aim of supporting music and young musicians. The 2017 Memorial Concert took place on 9 March, with the RCM Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Collon.
LOLA PERFORMANCE IN COPENHAGEN In April, RCM musicians gave a live performance at the Network Performing Arts Production Workshops in Copenhagen from the RCM Studios. This was made possible through Low Latency (LOLA) technology which enables musicians separated by vast distances to perform together in perfect harmony and timing.
HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES BESTOWS HONOURS
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resident of the Royal College of Music, HRH The Prince of Wales, honoured outstanding figures in international musical life at the RCM’s annual awards ceremony on Tuesday 7 March. As part of the visit HRH listened to a performance of a guzheng, a rare 21-string Chinese zither, given to him during the State Visit by China in 2015. The guzheng will be on loan to the RCM, which already houses close to 1,000 extraordinary musical instruments. It is an especially fitting gift given the RCM’s recent agreement with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to establish a new Joint Institute in China, the first such partnership of any UK music conservatoire. The guzheng was played by Xiao Ran as part of a short concert which also featured performances from the College’s most exceptional recent graduates including soprano Rowan Pierce, awarded The President’s Award; bass baritone Simon Shibambu, recipient of the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl; and percussionist Kizzy Brooks and bassoonist Todd Gibson-Cornish, recipients of the Tagore Gold Medals. Honorary Doctorates were presented to conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, opera singer Sir John Tomlinson, former RCM Director Dame Janet Ritterman, and composer Joseph Horovitz. Admitted to Fellowship of the Royal College of Music were choral conductor Simon Halsey, soprano Elizabeth Watts, Principal Trumpet of the Philharmonia Orchestra Alistair Mackie, historical performance musician Jakob Lindberg, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, and pianist Nigel Clayton. A number of key RCM staff were admitted to Honorary Membership: Performance, Programming and Faculty Manager Florence Ambrose, Research Fellow in Performance Science Tania Lisboa, Facilities Supervisor Mark Traves, and Miranda Francis, Head of the RCM’s flourishing Junior Department. Also admitted to Honorary Membership were Richard Adams, Head of Music at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, and Rosemary Millar, a long-standing and generous supporter of the RCM.
SU HEALTH AND WELLBEING WEEK In May, the RCM Students’ Union hosted its annual Health and Wellbeing Week, which included meditation sessions, yoga, a stress workshop with NHS councillors and individual consultations with an osteopath. The initiative encouraged students to positively engage with and take responsibility for their mental and physical health and wellbeing.
COMMUNITY MUSIC RESEARCH Following the RCM’s recent Arts and Humanities Research Council grant of £45,000 to fund a partnership between the RCM and York St John University, the project’s first public event will take place on 21 September 2017 at the College. Researchers and musicians from the UK, Canada, Norway and Germany will come together to present a stimulating debate that poses the question ‘what do excellence and inclusion really mean?’
RCM JOINS EDUROAM NETWORK The global Eduroam WiFi network – a secure roaming WiFi access service for the education and research community – is now available at the RCM. It can be accessed at most university campuses in the UK and in over 70 countries worldwide. External visitors who have Eduroam at their institution can use the network, as well as RCM students and staff.
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NEWS
RAMEAU UK PREMIERE BBC PROMS 2017
T Below Les fêtes d’Hébé at Opéra Bastille Photo: Studio j’adore ce que vous faites Opposite Louise Alder performs at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Photo: Brian Tarr
he Royal College of Music presented the UK’s first staged production of Rameau’s baroque opera Les fêtes d’Hébé in April, a co-production of the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris with the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles in partnership with the RCM. Directed and choreographed by Thomas Lebrun and conducted by Jonathan Williams, the RCM Baroque Orchestra was joined by Les Chantres, singers of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, soloists from the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris, and RCM singers Julieth Lozano, Eleanor Penfold, Joel Williams and James Atkinson. As part of the project RCM musicians spent two weeks rehearsing and performing at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. RCM Junior Fellow Claire Williams, who played harpsichord in the ensemble, said: ‘It was a fantastic experience to be involved in such an incredible project. We were made to feel very welcome during our time in Paris, and that we were truly an integral part of the collaboration.’ The London performances gained five stars from The Times, and The Financial Times commented on the collaborative nature of the project, which it described as a ‘pleasing example of European co-operation in harmony’.
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any of the RCM’s alumni and current students feature in this year’s BBC Proms season.
Soprano Rowan Pierce takes a starring role as solo soprano in Handel’s Israel in Egypt alongside the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Vocal alumni Louise Alder, Sophie Bevan, Ruby Hughes, Ben Johnson and Elizabeth Watts also feature throughout the season. Cellist Natalie Clein, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov and violinist Alina Ibragimova perform as soloists, Sir Andrew Davis will lead the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and John Wilson conducts both his own orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Many RCM Junior Department students will once again be performing as members of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, offering up Stravinsky’s thrilling The Rite of Spring. New music this season includes the world premiere of The Spark Catchers by alumna composer Hannah Kendall and the European premiere of Hibiki by RCM composition professor Mark-Anthony Turnage. To see the full BBC Proms season visit www.bbc.co.uk/proms
CENTRE FOR PERFORMANCE SCIENCE AWARDED £1M
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joint venture between the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London has been awarded £1 million for a new research project. The Health, Economic and Social impact of arts engagement (HEartS) project at the Centre for Performance Science, a cross-institutional partnership between the RCM and Imperial, will explore the impact of the arts and culture on health and wellbeing, from individual, social and economic perspectives. One area of study is the link between cultural pursuits – like joining a choir or attending art classes – and the health and wellbeing of society. The work will be funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Head of the Centre for Performance Science and RCM professor Aaron Williamon said: ‘We are keen to discover not only the effects of culture on health and happiness, but why those effects happen. For example, joining a choir after work may improve your health, but is that the result of socialising, creating something, or a combination of the two?’ To date there have been few large-scale studies involving the arts across the UK. The HEartS project will gather new empirical and qualitative data over the next three years.
BBC CARDIFF SINGER OF THE WORLD Alumna Louise Alder has won the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize 2017 at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. The prize – named after the much-loved RCM alumna and soprano – is voted for by audiences in the hall and across the globe. Louise reached both the Song Prize and Main Prize finals of the competition, held at St David’s Hall in Cardiff on 16 and 18 June. Her performances, including ‘Qui la voce sua soave… Vien diletto’ from Bellini’s I puritani and ‘I want magic!’ from Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, are available to view on the competition’s website. Louise graduated from the RCM International Opera School in 2013 as the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa scholar, where she studied with Dinah Harris. She is the third RCM graduate to win the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize in the last decade, following baritone Jacques Imbrailo in 2007 and tenor Ben Johnson in 2013. Nick Sears, Head of Vocal Studies at the RCM, said: ‘Louise is an exceptional artist in every respect and we are absolutely delighted that her contribution to the success of the competition was recognised by the general public. Louise was charming and gracious both on and off stage, and her astonishing talent was appreciated by all who were fortunate to witness her performances throughout the week. We are incredibly proud of her.’ This follows Louise’s success in the International Opera Awards 2017, where she was awarded the Young Singer of the Year Award on Sunday 7 May at the London Coliseum. The winners were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph.
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NEWS
Below Julien Van Mellaerts
HARLEM QUARTET IN RESIDENCE
LATEST NEWS FOR EU STUDENTS
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Since its public debut in 2006 at Carnegie Hall, the Harlem Quartet has performed throughout the US and the world. Praised for its ‘panache’ by The New York Times, the quartet’s mission is to advance diversity in classical music, engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire that includes works by minority composers.
The UK Government has confirmed that EU students applying for 2018 entry will be charged the same tuition fees as UK students, and will be eligible to apply for student loans and grants for the duration of their course. This means that students applying to study at the RCM in September 2018 will be eligible to apply for the same funding and support as current EU students and this eligibility will continue throughout their course, even if the course concludes after the UK’s exit from the European Union.
he Grammy award-winning Harlem Quartet began its three-year RCM residency with a week of events and coaching sessions in May.
As part of the residency, the group performed at the RCM’s annual Super String Sunday, for a special concert celebrating the 80th birthday of acclaimed RCM harp professor Marisa Robles, and was also involved in open rehearsals and coaching sessions with junior and senior students. The Royal College of Music is looking forward to welcoming the Harlem Quartet back this autumn. The Harlem Quartet Residency is generously supported by Victoria, Lady Robey OBE.
he Royal College of Music has announced that applications for entry to the College in September 2018 will open on 19 July.
EU nationals will also remain eligible to apply for Research Council PhD studentships at UK institutions for 2018 to 2019 to help cover costs for the duration of their study. The RCM has a long tradition of welcoming students from all over the world, in particular from our European neighbours. EU students play an essential role in College life and this will not change following the EU referendum. For the latest information visit www.rcm.ac.uk/ eureferendum
KATHLEEN FERRIER AWARDS Royal College of Music performers have enjoyed success at this year’s Kathleen Ferrier Awards. Baritone Julien Van Mellaerts has won the prestigious competition’s First Prize following an outstanding performance in the Final at Wigmore Hall in April. Julien is a Fishmongers’ Company Scholar at the RCM International Opera School, supported by a Thomas Weinberger Award, and is studying with Russell Smythe. Accompanying Julien on piano was RCM alumnus Gamal Khamis, who studied with Niel Immelman, Simon Lepper, Ashley Wass and Andrew Ball. He won this year’s Accompanist’s Award, having previously accompanied alumna Kitty Whately’s First Prize-winning performance in 2011. Julien commented: ‘It was an amazing opportunity to sing at Wigmore Hall and to be honest I still can’t believe it all happened. I’m obviously over the moon and very excited about the next stage of my career. It was a real privilege to sing with Gamal, and I’m thrilled we both won.’
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FEATURE
AWARDING EXCELLENCE For more than a century, talented students at the Royal College of Music have been recognised with special honours, and since 1943 these have been presented by The President of the College during the annual awards ceremony. From the gold medals established by an Indian musicologist to honorary bowls donated by the Royal Family, the list of receiving students reads like a who’s who of classical music. Upbeat takes a closer look at the history behind them…
Tagore Gold Medals How did a 19th-century musicologist from India end up donating to a newly opened music college in London? Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore was passionate about music education, and this extended beyond the subcontinent. He donated collections of native instruments to various museums in Europe and America, including the RCM, and established a gold medal to commemorate the marriage of Their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary. Until 1952 the medal was awarded to outstanding male and female students in alternate years. Now a medal is given annually to each. The award has a truly ‘Albertopolis’ foundation. It was designed by Frank Bowcher, not only a much admired and innovative designer of medals but a product of another South Kensington institution, the National Art Training School (now the Royal College of Art). The Tagore Gold Medals are awarded to students who have contributed to the College community as a whole and helped to create an environment from which others also benefit. Composer and pianist Thomas Dunhill was the very first recipient in 1899, followed by soprano Agnes Nicholls in 1900. The medals have become an established part of RCM life, passing through the hands of some of its most renowned alumni including composer Herbert Howells, conductor Sir Neville Marriner, and singers Louise Alder and Jonathan Lemalu.
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl In 1985 the late Queen Mother, then President of the RCM, endorsed a prize to recognise musical excellence in students who bring the greatest credit to the College, through achieving great success in performances and competitions and because they ‘live out’ RCM values. The Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl was awarded for the first time to harpist Ieuan Jones (now an RCM harp professor) at the annual President’s Visit on 3 December 1985. Ieuan was also awarded the Tagore Gold Medal, and remains one of the very few students in RCM history to receive more than one award. Other outstanding winners include soprano Sophie Bevan, violinist Benjamin Baker, bass baritone Simon Shibambu and composer Charlotte Harding.
Tagore Gold Medal
Simon Shibambu
The President’s Award In 2013 the President’s Visit was a particularly special occasion, as HRH The Prince of Wales celebrated 20 years as RCM President by endorsing a brand-new honour. He commissioned wood carver Tim Plunkett, who is based in Norfolk, to carve a rosebowl from a piece of oak from His Royal Highness’s Duchy of Cornwall Estate. The President’s Award is given to a student who has made an exceptional contribution to promoting the work of the College in the wider community. Percussionist Ruairi Glasheen, who worked with the RCM Sparks learning and participation programme during his time as a student, was the very first recipient. In the subsequent years he was followed by violinist Joo Yeon Sir, composer Arne Gieshoff, bassoonist Pedro Merchán Correas, and this year’s winner soprano Rowan Pierce.
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FEATURE
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Upbeat speaks to some of the RCM’s award winners who have gone on to make distinguished contributions to music nationally and beyond.
I think the best way to inspire students is to actually go on to a concert platform and perform. Ieuan Jones
Find out more about Ieuan at www.ieuanjones.co.uk
IEUAN JONES HARP
to show them yourself rather than telling them how to play something. Also, because I was a student here it definitely feels like my second home.
Tagore Gold Medal and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl, 1985 What was it like being the first recipient of the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl? It feels like such a long time ago now, but it was a great experience. At the time we didn’t know anything about the award. I remember sitting in the concert hall and suddenly it was announced, and I immediately felt excited even though I didn’t really know what it was. It was a wonderful ending to my College student years. What did you enjoy most during your time as a student? It was very enjoyable. Back then the harp department was a fraction of what it is now, with about three or four students, and I was able to get involved with lots of orchestral projects. I particularly recall the wonderful choral concerts, and conductor Christopher Adey telling me off a few times! It’s all still very vivid in my memory. You’ve been a harp professor at the RCM for 20 years now – why did you come back to teach? I think the best way to inspire students is to actually go on to a concert platform and perform. It’s better Ieuan Jones
As a performer, what would you say are some of your standout concerts? One of the most memorable events during my time as a student was at Exbury House, where I performed Ravel’s Introduction et allegro for HRH Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and I’ve also played a private evening concert for the Queen Mother. You never forget those very special smaller events – the harp is so great at being intimate. What kind of repertoire do you play on the harp? I tend to do things that aren’t always expected. About 30 years ago, when I’d just started my professional career, someone said to me ‘what on earth will you play?’ At the time I thought it was ridiculous because there is so much harp repertoire, but over the years I’ve understood the question a lot better. I now like to show what the harp can do with transcriptions, particularly piano music such as Liszt and Schubert, because the quality of the music is different to a lot of traditional harp music. Is there anything you learnt as a student that you regularly pass on to your own students? One summer I went to study with Nicanor Zabaleta in Spain (whose music collection is here in the RCM library). He taught me to always study things at half speed, and I teach this to my students now. That’s my one golden rule! You’ve recently been honoured with a Fellowship of the RCM – what did that mean to you? It meant a lot, and gave me the assurance that I was respected here, so I was hugely honoured and very privileged to accept it. During the ceremony, The Prince of Wales actually remembered when I received the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl and said to me ‘was it really that long ago since my grandmother gave you that award?’ That was a very special moment.
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Charlotte Harding
CHARLOTTE HARDING COMPOSER Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl, 2012
You received the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl in 2012 and composed two new fanfares for the awards ceremony – what was that experience like? It was incredible. I’d never written a fanfare before but I knew I wanted to write something really special for the occasion. They were performed at the end of the ceremony, and a lot of my friends were in the ensemble with Simon Channing [Head of Woodwind] conducting, so it was a lovely way to say goodbye to the College. I remember receiving my award and walking out as slowly as possible because I wanted to hear them! Could you tell us about your latest commission, Convo? It’s a collaboration between the Tri-borough Music Hub, Royal Albert Hall and RCM, so it’s great to be able to come back to the College to work on the project. The piece will include an ensemble of young musicians and a massed chorus of school pupils, and will premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019. I’ve already been blown away by how committed everyone is to the project. So what inspired you to create this work? Convo celebrates how music is one of the most powerful forms of communication. It works chronologically from our primal beginnings to the technological state that we’re in now. I really want the participants to be at the centre of the piece, and I hope it can encourage them to see music as a way of expressing themselves and collaborating with each other. It’s going to be a fantastic challenge for me as a composer.
You’ve done a lot of community and outreach work – why do you think music has such a positive impact? I think that music can be incredibly functional, and I’ve seen how it can visibly help people. I work with ‘Parkinson’s Can Dance’ at BalletBoyz and with English National Ballet’s outreach programmes, and it’s amazing when you see the effect it has. It’s added a whole new dimension to the way I see music and how I create it. How would you describe your compositional style? It’s always changing and developing, but behind every piece I always like to have a story. I studied with Mark-Anthony Turnage and in one of my last lessons he said ‘you’ll learn to teach yourself’ which has become one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever had. At the moment I’m writing a new piece for BalletBoyz which will be performed at Sadler’s Wells in October, and I’ll be working with the British Paraorchestra in Bristol later this year. It’s great collaborating with other people because it takes you out of your musical comfort zone. I think that’s what I enjoy the most, I love a challenge.
I feel like the RCM really prepared me to be an allround musician. Charlotte Harding
Below Charlotte Harding and Professor Colin Lawson CBE with the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rosebowl
What advice would you give to current students? Be proactive and make the most of all the incredible resources and opportunities that the College has to offer. The Creative Careers Centre was just fantastic – through them I was able to play jazz gigs and get involved with RCM Sparks. It’s a huge transition from being a student to being a professional, so having that constant support and knowing that you could go to them with questions was invaluable. I feel like the RCM really prepared me to be an all-round musician. It was a wonderful place to be.
To learn more about Charlotte’s projects, visit www.charlotteharding.org.uk
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Katy Woolley
What did you enjoy most during your time at the RCM? I loved being surrounded by people who inspired me, not just from the Brass Faculty but musicians from all walks of life. I also really liked the fact that they were all better than me so I had something to aim for! The very relaxed atmosphere of College was just perfect because I could find my own space and do things in my own time, and Simon Rayner was an amazing teacher. He made the most beautiful horn sound and was so inspirational. I’ve got such happy memories of College. What have been some of your most memorable performances?
KATY WOOLLEY HORN Tagore Gold Medal, 2012
What did winning the Tagore Gold Medal mean to you? I didn’t expect it at all, when I started College I never really thought about winning things, I just wanted to be good at playing the horn. So when I was recognised with the medal I was just incredibly grateful and pleased, and it was a lovely way to finish College.
Above Katy Woolley performs during the 2012 President’s Visit Opposite Ruairi Glasheen plays with RCM Sparks musicians during the 2013 President’s Visit
Did you always know you wanted to be a performer? Music was always in my family, but I actually first started playing the cornet. Then when I was at school I found a horn in the cupboard, started to play, and it was love at first toot! Straight away I knew that was what I wanted to play. You were appointed Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra at the age of 22 – what was that like? Strangely my main goal after College wasn’t to get a job instantly. I wanted to focus on being a good player and training, so the post definitely came as a surprise, but I was absolutely delighted that I’d get to play those beautiful melodies that come with the Principal Horn position. The Philharmonia really complements my way of playing – as soon as I started I felt comfortable and everyone was so kind to me. As a young player you have to learn on the job and sometimes make mistakes, but they were all very generous about allowing me to do that.
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One of my favourite performances was playing R Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony in my final year at College with Bernard Haitink. When you’re playing with other students who are giving 100%, you can really feel how much everyone loves it and that they’re so grateful to be there. Working with one of the best living conductors and playing one of the most wonderful pieces for horn is definitely hard to beat. I was also lucky enough to play Mahler’s Symphony no 9 with Lorin Maazel, which felt like a little piece of heaven. Are there any projects coming up that you’re particularly looking forward to? I’m actually on sabbatical at the moment – I’ve just finished quite a few big projects, so I’m enjoying practising. That might sound really boring but it’s what I’m looking forward to! What advice would you give to current students? I would say go on your own path, trust what you do well, find out what you don’t do well so you can improve, and get as much inspiration as you can from everyone around you. Practice is quite useful as well!
I loved being surrounded by people who inspired me. Katy Woolley
Ruairi Glasheen
RUAIRI GLASHEEN PERCUSSION The President’s Award, 2013
Upbeat last spoke to you in 2013 after you received The President’s Award. Are you still doing a lot of education and outreach work? I am, yes. The projects that I’m involved with are a really important part of my work and my identity as a musician, and it was so great that this was recognised by the College with this award. I really believe in the power of music and the impact it can have on people, especially those who wouldn’t regularly participate in musical activity. This ranges from babies and school children to people living with dementia and all kinds of illnesses. I get to meet so many different individuals and that’s why I’m so interested in this kind of work, because it’s the people who really drew me to music in the first place. Do you think this interest stemmed from your involvement in the RCM Sparks programme? Absolutely, I remember going to the Creative Careers Centre and asking to get involved, and from that point onwards I was getting stuck in with all the different things that Sparks were up to in the community. It really characterised my time at the RCM because I met the most amazing people. What performances and projects have you been working on recently? I’m still playing with my folk group, Tir Eolas, and with a number of other groups where I get to experiment with different percussion setups and instrument combinations. But what’s really been exciting for me since finishing College has been establishing and exploring my voice as a composer, as I’ve had the opportunity to travel and discover different kinds of music from around the world. So would you say your musical style is quite folk-based?
What’s next for you in your career? Something I’m really interested in at the moment is the crossover between music and health and wellbeing, particularly as I’m a percussionist and drumming can have a really positive impact on people. Recently I contributed to a project with someone who had chronic stress, and she was discovering how drumming could help her manage it. There’s a lot of research happening in this field and I hope to continue to explore it.
There are people at the RCM who were so instrumental in helping me find my own voice. Ruairi Glasheen
If you could give any advice to current students, what would it be? I would say surround yourself with people who support you, find out what really inspires you and focus on what you are passionate about. There are people at the RCM who were so instrumental in helping me find my own voice, and particularly the Creative Careers Centre. I’m always delighted to come back and teach in the Junior Department, lead Sparks workshops and talk to students, and I’m so happy to continue to have a relationship with the College.
Find out more about Ruairi at www.ruairiglasheen.com
I’ve never thought of myself as being part of a particular musical genre, but I’m certainly influenced by different folk and world traditions that I’ve encountered. I’ve just been travelling in India, something that I’ve wanted to do for years, and I was able to study Carnatic music. Another style I want to explore is Persian music – I’m planning on visiting Iran soon as it has some of the most ancient musical traditions in the world.
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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 May 2016 and May 2017. 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
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 Leadership Supporters The Derek Butler Trust Philip Carne MBE HonRCM & Christine Carne The Estate of John & Marjorie Coultate The Foyle Foundation The Future of Russia Foundation The Garfield Weston Foundation Linda Hill HonRCM & Dr Tony Hill The Leverhulme Trust The Mirfield Trust The Julia & Hans Rausing Trust The Estate of Michael Rimmer The Estate of Emma Rose Soirée d’Or Scholarships Major Supporters Jane Barker CBE Laurie Barry In memory of Lady Chelmsford Meredith & Denis Coleman Peter & Annette Dart Gisela Gledhill The Harbour Foundation
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The Headley Trust HEFCE Help Musicians UK John Lewis Partnership Kirby Laing Foundation Philip Loubser Foundation Sir Charles & Lady Mackerras The Estate of William Mealings Rosemary Millar HonRCM & Richard Millar The Countess of Munster Musical Trust John Nickson & Simon Rew P F Charitable Trust The Polonsky Foundation PRS for Music Foundation The Pure Land Foundation The Reed Foundation & The Big Give Christmas Challenge The Estate of Olive Gwendoline Rees Geoffrey Richards HonRCM & Valerie Richards Sir Simon & Lady Robertson Victoria, Lady Robey OBE The Estate of Barry Shaw Dasha Shenkman OBE HonRCM Alethea Siow & Jeremy Furniss H R Taylor Trust Dr Michael & Ruth West HonRCM Bob & Sarah Wigley The Wolfson Foundation The Henry Wood Accommodation Trust The Worshipful Company of Musicians
Supporters Dr Kamal Ahuja & Anna Gustafson ArtPoint Foundation BAE The Biddy Baxter & John Hosier Trust Dr Linda Beeley Lord Black & Mark Bolland Blenheim Music Circle The Boltini Trust Bowerman Charitable Trust Anne Bradley Sir Roger & Lady Carr HonRCM The Thomas Sirewright Catto Charitable Settlement The Cayzer Trust Company Limited Dhairya & Karina Choudhrie Karen Cook Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE The Drapers’ Company The Gilbert & Eileen Edgar Foundation Sir Vernon Ellis FRCM & Lady Ellis Lesley Ferguson The Fishmongers’ Company Fiona & Douglas Flint Finsbury Dr Chris Gibson-Smith The Hon. Mrs Gilmour Elaine Greenberg & Linda Perez Andrew Haigh Helen Chung-Halpern & Abel Halpern The Hobson Charity The Estate of Barbara Margaret Holt Sir George Iacobescu CBE & Lady Iacobescu
RCM FRIENDS SUMMER SPECIAL Join the Royal College of Music as a Friend this summer and get £5 off your membership. For just £35* you will receive the following benefits for a year: •
Priority booking and access to the best seats for all RCM concerts and opera productions
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Invitations to an exclusive programme of RCM Friends events
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Subscription to the termly RCM Events Guide and Upbeat magazine
To become a Friend or for more information about the RCM Friends programme contact Rachel Bowden, Friends and Patrons Officer on 020 7591 4331 or email friends@rcm.ac.uk This offer is only available to new Friends and cannot be used to renew RCM Friends Membership. Please quote code ‘SUMMERSPECIAL17’. Offer valid until 31 August 2017. *Includes £5 summer special discount
Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells JMC Ruth Keattch The Estate of Michael Kennedy CBE The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation UK The Honourable Society of the Knights of the Round Table Professor Colin Lawson CBE FRCM Lee Abbey London Carol & Geoff Lindey Natalie Livingstone Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust The Hon Richard Lyttelton & Romilly Lyttelton The Mercers’ Company The Howard & Abby Milstein Foundation Pro Musica Ltd The Estate of Billy Newman Midori Nishiura HonRCM Humphrey Norrington OBE FRCM & Frances Norrington Opperby Stokowski Collection Trust The Charles Peel Charitable Trust Michael Perry The Stanley Picker Charitable Trust Rev Lyndon van de Pump FRCM & Edward Brooks FRCM Andrew Ratcliffe The Estate of Charles Stewart Richardson Christopher Saul Professor Luigi & Elisabetta de Simone Niquesa
Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust South Square Trust St Paul’s, Knightsbridge Steinway & Sons Ian Stoutzker CBE FRCM Robert & Betty Sutherland Tait Memorial Trust Ian & Meriel Tegner Edmund Truell & Cédriane de Boucaud Universal Music Group The Wall Trust Sir Peter & Lady Walters Josef Weinberger Ltd Anthony Weldon FRCM & Jane Weldon The Mills Williams Foundation Jane Wilson Professor Lord Winston & Lady Winston WPP The Wyseliot Charitable Trust
CIRCLES FOR EXCELLENCE MEMBERS Chairman’s Circle Brian & Janice Capstick Philip Carne MBE HonRCM & Christine Carne Helen Chung-Halpern & Abel Halpern Guy Dawson & Samantha Horscroft Gisela Gledhill Linda Hill HonRCM & Dr Tony Hill Terry Hitchcock HSH Dr Prince Donatus 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 Dr Michael & Ruth West HonRCM Quentin & Sarah Williams 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 Anne & Brian Wadsworth
Patrons’ Circle Isla Baring OAM Jane Barker CBE John & Halina Bennett Lady Bergman Sylvia Bettermann Nathenson Lorraine Buckland Tania Chislett Sir Anthony Cleaver FRCM & Lady Cleaver Elisabeth de Kergorlay Dr Ian & Janet Edmondson Michael Estorick Sabina Fatkullina Professor Alice Gast Marie Noelle & Mathias Gislev Lily & Julian Harriss Greta Hemus John & Susan Heywood William & AnnaMarie Hill David & Sue Lewis Charles & Dominique Lubar David Mildon Ellen Moloney Jennifer Neelands Susan Pudifoot-Stephens Kara Radcliffe Victoria Rock Kerry & Dimity Rubie Sir Richard & Lady Sykes Louisa Treger Rhoddy Voremberg John Ward Jane Wilson Sir Robert & Lady Wilson Dr Yvonne Winkler
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STUDENT UPDATES
STUDENT UPDATES Below Top The Laefer Quartet Below Bottom Jamal Aliyev and Hyun-gi Lee with Sir Karl Jenkins Opposite Emily Sun
VOCAL ACCOLADES Soprano Charlotte Hoather and alumnus baritone Timothy Connor will perform in BambinO, a new opera in collaboration with Scottish Opera, Manchester International Festival and Improbable. The production aims to stimulate and engage with babies, and takes place in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow this year… Counter tenor Feargal Mostyn-Williams, soprano Carly Owen and alumnae mezzo sopranos Polly Leech and Sinead O’Kelly have been announced as Young Artists at the National Opera Studio for the 2017/18 season… Tenor Richard Pinkstone and alumni Kitty Whately, Timothy Nelson and Catriona Hewitson will perform in Britten’s Albert Herring at The Grange Festival this summer with the Aurora Orchestra… Soprano Davidona Pittock has been awarded the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust’s 2017 Pat Syme Award of £1,000… Tenor Joel Williams has won First Prize and bass baritone Hugo Herman-Wilson has won the Audience Prize in the Somerset Song Prize 2017, which was held in Taunton in May.
STRING SUCCESSES Cellist Jamal Aliyev has been named as the winner of the third Arts Club – Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award. Percussionist Hyun-gi Lee was the runner up and received a cash prize of £1,000. Jamal has also been awarded First Prize in The Musicians’ Company Prince’s Prize Competition 2017, and has been selected as a Young Classical Artists Trust artist following the final auditions at Wigmore Hall in May… Violinist Laura Ayoub has won the Arts
Award in the 2017 Young Scot Awards as part of her duo, The Ayoub Sisters, with her sister Sarah who plays the cello… Violinist Eunsley Park has performed with pianist Maria Tarasewicz in the Park Lane Group Young Artists Spring Series 2017 at St John’s Smith Square in April. They played works by David Blake, George Crumb and Judith Weir, and alumna Nicola LeFanu’s Abstracts in a Frame… Violist Katherine Raven ran the London Marathon in April, in aid of Breast Cancer Now, raising over £400 in total… Violinist Emily Sun has been awarded First Prize in the 2017 Bromsgrove International Musicians Competition. She won a £6,000 cash prize and will perform at the Three Choirs Festival, Bromsgrove Concerts and Birmingham Conservatoire.
BRASS NEWS Trombonist Alec Coles-Aldridge has reviewed a presentation on the pianist and composer André Tchaikowsky, which was given by Assistant Head of Undergraduate Programmes Dr Anastasia Belina-Johnson at Ognisko Polskie, London, in March. It’s available to read online at www.andretchaikowsky.com.
WOODWIND EVENTS Saxophonist Philip Attard, a member of the Laefer Quartet with alumni Amy Green, Rusne Mikiskaite and Stephen Shepherd, has performed a new work by alumna composer Charlotte Harding at St John’s Smith Square as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Spring Series 2017… Flautist Alenka Bogataj has won First Prize in the woodwind category in the ninth Svirél International Music Competition and Festival in Slovenia.
Composition Congratulations Tom Foskett-Barnes has completed a new audiovisual composition, MIDWAY, in collaboration with Sound and Music and filmmaker Marco Alessi. The project was part of his role as Composer in Residence with technology company ROLI… Piyawat Louilarpprasert has organised the first Taceti Music and Arts Organisation Saxophone and Composition Festival, held in Bangkok in April. Saxophonists Guillermo Presa and Sara Mendez
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and composer Nathanael Gubler also took part, leading masterclasses, workshops and lectures… Mauricio Loseto has been selected as a composer for IRCAM’s project In Vivo Danse as part of ManiFeste 2017. He has worked with Italian choreographer Alessandro Sciarroni, three other composers and 20 dancers… Ákos Lustyik has worked on the Hungarian short film Sing (Midenki) as Composer Assistant. It won the Oscar for Live Action Short Film at the 89th Academy Awards in February… Richard Miller has written a new work, Nighthawks, which will be premiered by Ensemble 10/10 as part of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2017/18 season in October... Lara Poe has been announced as a winner of the 2017 BMI Student Composer Awards, and was also awarded the William Schuman Prize for the most outstanding score… Pianist and composer Mateusz Rettner’s opera, Eurydice, was premiered in the Britten Theatre in May as part of the RCM’s Great Exhibitionists series. Soprano Julieth Lozano and two ensembles of current and former students, La Tache Ensemble and BLOCK4, performed in the opera… Danny Ryan has been named as Second Runner-Up in the Emerging Category in the fifth Marvin Hamlisch Film Scoring Contest.
KEYBOARD ACCOMPLISHMENTS Pianists Martin James Bartlett and Maria Kustas have won piano scholarships from the 2017 Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship Competition. Maria has also been given an opportunity to play with the Milton Keynes Chamber Orchestra this season… Pianists Matthew Chan, Mario de la Cruz, Varvara Tarasova and Adam Taylor, and alumni Emily Hooker, Natsumi Ikenaga, Dinara Klinton and Poom Prommachart,
all students of RCM professor Dina Parakhina, have performed a complete cycle of Medtner’s piano sonatas in the Rachmaninov Hall at Moscow Conservatory… Pianist Angela Lau has won the title of Woking Young Musician of the Year 2017 at the Woking Music Festival. She will perform with the Woking Symphony Orchestra and Southern Pro Musica in the coming season.
DOCTORAL ACTIVITIES Raquel García Tomás has written a new opera, disPLACE, which received its Spanish premiere in Barcelona and further performances at Teatro Real in Madrid earlier this year… Barbara Gentili has had an article published in Opera magazine, ‘Golden Age Voices – Barbara Gentili considers a lost world of singing’… Edwin Hillier’s new work for cello and piano was premiered at Wigmore Hall in May by cellist Jamal Aliyev and pianist Maria Tarasewicz… Randall Scotting has presented a paper, ‘A Calculated Triumph: Farinelli, Handel, and the Misappropriation of the 1734 Aria “Son qual nave”’ at the biennial American Handel Society Festival 2017, hosted by Princeton University in April.
RCMJD RESULTS RCMJD composer Alexia Sloane and RCM alumna Dani Howard have been selected as winners of Classic FM’s 25th Birthday Commissions competition. Their new works will be premiered at special concerts and events throughout the year, recorded live and broadcast on Classic FM.
ROYAL OVER-SEAS LEAGUE COMPETITION
SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
RCM piano duo Bertram Wee and Lynette Yeo have won the ROSL ARTS Strings and Piano Ensembles Prize at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) Annual Music Competition 2017. The duo, who formed in 2013 during their first year as undergraduates at the College and have been playing together ever since, won the £10,000 prize with performances of Sciarrino’s Sonata per due pianoforti and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. Other RCM musicians who enjoyed success in the competition include bassoonist Justin Sun who won the Sussex Prize for Woodwind, alumnus Gamal Khamis who was awarded the Accompanist’s Prize, and mezzo soprano Ashlyn Tymms who was named Outstanding Australian Musician. ROSL ARTS is the arts division of the Royal Over-Seas League, and for over 50 years has developed a diverse portfolio of arts activities in Music, Visual Arts and Literature, devoted to the career development of talented young professional artists and musicians from the UK and the Commonwealth.
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STAFF UPDATES
STAFF UPDATES SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
Assistant Head of Undergraduate Programmes Dr Anastasia Belina-Johnson has been selected to collaborate with the BBC, alongside four other academics, on an ambitious project celebrating forgotten female composers. They will each choose a major, previously unrecorded work to be performed by the BBC Orchestras and Choirs and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on International Women’s Day in March 2018. Violin professor Natalia Boyarsky was invited to give a masterclass at the Nicola Benedetti Strings Festival at Saffron Hall in May, in partnership with the European String Teachers Association. Nicola joined Natalia during the masterclass to discuss the physicality of playing. Harpsichord professor Jane Chapman’s album, The Oriental Miscellany – Airs of Hindustan, has won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik Keyboard Instrument Award 2015. Concert and Venue Manager Katie Clay has been appointed Editor of Wagner News, the quarterly magazine of the Wagner Society. She welcomes submissions on performance reviews, short academic offerings, or any other thoughts on Wagner for inclusion in the magazine – please contact katie.clay@rcm.ac.uk.
Right Dr Anastasia Belina-Johnson Opposite Top Participants of The Barbed Lyre – Leaves from the Isle of Man project Opposite Bottom Professor Ashley Solomon plays a royal flute
Double bass professors Caroline Emery and Gabriele Ragghianti were judges for the 2017 International Society of Bassists Competition in the age 15–18 division. The competition was held in June at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Research Fellow Daisy Fancourt has been chosen for the 2017 BBC New Generation Thinkers programme. Selected from hundreds of applications after a nationwide search for the best academic ideas with the potential to be shared through broadcast, she will have the opportunity to make programmes for BBC radio and other outlets. Student Services Assistant Karina Fraser has celebrated the tenth anniversary of her charity, Forward 4 Wiz Trust, which works with young and aspiring musicians in the local community. The charity has recorded a new album with ten bands and artists, which was launched at a celebratory gig at Aldershot’s West End Centre in May. RCMJD piano teacher Daniel Hill and alumnus Dominic John, both former Junior Fellows and students of retired professor John Barstow MBE FRCM, have given a rare performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony no 10 in the composer’s own four-hand arrangement for piano. The concert took place in February in the RCM’s Inner Parry Room. Resident Luthier David Hume will be leaving the RCM at the end of July to begin a new life in New Zealand. David has worked at the College since 1992, teaching viola in the Junior Department, before setting up the string workshop in 2000. Deputy Head of Keyboard Ian Jones has appeared on BBC Radio 3’s Composer of the Week series. The five-part programme focused on alumna Rebecca Clarke, one of the leading viola players of her generation who also composed over 100 works. Head of Keyboard Professor Vanessa Latarche has given a masterclass in Astana, Kazakhstan, as part of the Astana Piano Passion Festival 2017. She has also given a masterclass at the second Lang Lang Shenzhen Futian International Piano Festival in China. Head of Postgraduate Programmes Dr Natasha Loges has appeared on a panel exploring Beethoven’s universal appeal, for BBC World Service’s The Forum series. The podcast is available to download on BBC iPlayer.
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Head of Strings Mark Messenger ran the London Marathon for the tenth time in April, helping to raise money for the Music in Hospitals charity, and for RCM students who need funds to attend summer music courses and festivals. He has raised over £3,700. Vocal professor Norbert Meyn’s project, The Barbed Lyre – Leaves from the Isle of Man, has been performed by Ensemble Émigré and RCM musicians at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London and on the Isle of Man. The programme presented music and stories related to the internment of German and Austrian refugees on the Isle of Man during the Second World War. Head of Composition William Mival has given a talk for the Leaders Performance Institute on emerging talent, as part of a Leaders Meet: Talent Pathways day in Manchester.
Assistant Head of Strings Gary Ryan’s composition, Generator, was performed by the Vickers Bovey Guitar Duo at St John’s Smith Square in April, as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Spring Series 2017. Also in this series was a work written by viola professor Simon Rowland-Jones for the Jacquin Trio, formed of RCMJD clarinet teacher Jessie Grimes, piano alumna Charis Hanning and violist Kay Stephen. Chair and Head of Historical Performance Professor Ashley Solomon has recorded a new disc of Telemann’s Fantasias for flute to celebrate the composer’s 250th anniversary. They were performed on two instruments from 1760 – an ivory flute by the English maker Cahusac, and a porcelain flute by Meissen which once belonged to King George III. The Meissen flute is now part of the Royal Collection.
FAREWELL TO PETER HORTON Deputy Librarian Peter Horton will retire from the Royal College of Music at the end of this academic year, after working in the library for nearly 34 years. When Peter started working in the Parry Room library in January 1984 his workplace was a small desk with a portable manual typewriter in a dusty book stack, in what is now the Inner Parry Room. Within 12 months the Parry Room library had combined with the lending library in its present home in the Blomfield Building, and the business of listing and cataloguing scores of manuscripts began. During his time at the RCM he has been instrumental in setting up the Restore a Score scheme and the Exploring the Archives concerts, as well as study days devoted to English composers and, in 2001, the biennial ‘Music in 19th-century Britain’ conference. After his retirement, he plans to continue researching music and musical life in 19th-century Britain.
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ALUMNI UPDATES
ALUMNI UPDATES Below Joo Yeon Sir Opposite Top Sofi Jeannin Opposite Bottom Tokio Myers
Violinist Benjamin Baker has won Third Prize in the 2017 Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand. He performed Brahms’ Violin Concerto in the Grand Final held at Auckland Town Hall, with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Giordano Bellincampi.
Neil Ferris has been appointed Chorus Director of the BBC Symphony Chorus. He will be responsible for steering its vocal and artistic development, and his first project will be to prepare the ensemble for its annual appearance at the First Night of the BBC Proms in July.
Soprano Sophie Bevan will make her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in October 2017. She performs as Beatriz in Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel.
Michael Finnissy has been appointed Composer in Residence at St John’s College, Cambridge. He will work closely with St John’s College Choir, writing four new anthems and five organ ‘reflections’ for the Organ Scholars, and will also teach and give recitals.
Violinist Zoë Beyers has been appointed Leader of the English Symphony Orchestra and English String Orchestra. She will lead approximately half of the ESO’s concerts, and will appear with the orchestra regularly as both director and soloist. Sally Cavender has been awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Leslie Boosey Award for her outstanding contribution to British contemporary music. She is currently the Director of Performance Music at Faber Music. Composer and doctoral graduate Steven Daverson has been appointed Lecturer in Composition and Sonic Art at Brunel University London, and Supervisory Tutor in Composition in the Music Faculty at the University of Cambridge. Simon Desorgher has created the world’s largest set of tubular bells, with the help of former RCMJD teacher David Sutton-Anderson. They were played last year at Liverpool’s Albert Dock as part of the Steam on the Dock festival, and in Rotherham by former RCM professor Lawrence Casserley. The bells have officially been recognised by Guinness World Records. Daniel Elms has been commissioned by The British Film Institute as part of the PRS Foundation’s New Music Biennial Award 2017 to write a new piece, Bethia, for the Hull UK City of Culture 2017. The work celebrates the maritime history of Hull using reimagined sea shanties and folk music, and will be performed at Hull Minster and Southbank Centre this summer. Composer and doctoral graduate Pedro Faria Gomes has been appointed Lecturer in Composition at Cardiff University. He teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, in the areas of fugue, music analysis, research skills and composition.
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Composer Lillie Harris has written a work for chamber choir for the second round of the Tenso Young Composers Workshop 2016/17. She was also selected for the St Magnus Composers’ Course, which took place in the Orkney Islands in June with Alasdair Nicolson and Sally Beamish. Lillie had the opportunity to write a new work for The Assembly Project chamber ensemble. Pianists David Helfgott and Rhodri Clarke have performed a concert of Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninov at the Barbican Centre. The concert included Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no 3, performed in its rarely heard version for two pianos. Composer Dani Howard has won First Prize in the first Breaking the Fourth Wall International Composition Competition. Her winning piece, Ostara for piano, cello and clarinet, was performed by the Craig Michael Davis Ensemble in Bloomington, Indiana. Composer and pianist Johan Hugosson has released a new CD, Made in Sweden, a live soundtrack album of his most recent compositions for piano, string quartet and percussion. It was recorded for Swedish TV at Malmö’s Palladium concert hall. Sofi Jeannin has been appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, effective from July 2018. Before taking up the role Sofi will conduct a number of performances in the UK, including a ‘Reformation Day’ concert as part of the BBC Proms 2017, and a programme of Handel with St James’ Baroque at Milton Court Concert Hall in May 2018. Violinist Haik Kazazyan and pianist Sergey Sobolev have won First Grand Prize, in the strings section and piano section, of the First Berliner International Music Competition 2017. Riyad Nicolas, Samson Tsoy and Michael Foyle were also awarded Golden Medals in the competition.
Composer and doctoral graduate Camilo Mendez has been awarded a Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. His research project is entitled ‘Reimagining Musical Instruments: The Sound of Impossible Objects in My Music’. Harpist Anna Quiroga has been invited to perform at the 13th World Harp Congress in Hong Kong in July. The theme is ‘A Harp Journey from West to East’ and this is the first time the event will take place in Asia. Violinist Joo Yeon Sir has released her first CD, Suites & Fantasies, on the Rubicon Classics label. It includes a varied programme of suites and fantasies by contrasting composers, including Schnittke, Britten, Milhaud and Gershwin. Guitarist and composer Laura Snowden gave the world premiere of her new work for solo guitar, commissioned by the Park Lane Group as part of its Young Artists Spring Series 2017, at St John’s Smith Square in April. Tenor Andrew Staples and pianist Alisdair Hogarth have appeared on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, ahead of performing at the Bath Festival in May. Alumna and former RCM Director of Communications Sue Sturrock has been appointed President of the Incorporated Society of Musicians for 2017/18. She will lead the ISM at a critical time of great change, both within the music sector and in the broader national and international context.
Pianist Hin-Yat Tsang has been awarded Gold Prize at the 16th International Piano Campus Pontoise Competition in Paris, and Second Prize at the Maria Canals International Music Competition in Barcelona. Both include substantial cash prizes, and he will return to France and Spain for engagements in 2018. Violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen has performed with her quartet, the Albion Quartet, at the TEDxLondon Confidence conference, which explored what being confident means in an uncertain world. Michael Wolniakowski has been named Composer in Residence for the Oak Park Concert Chorale, and for the music department at Kansas City Lutheran High School in the US. His sacred music was also performed in the 2017 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music held at various churches throughout London. Violinist Nicholas Wright has been appointed Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, having been a violinist with the orchestra for the last six years. His first major role was at the VSO’s Spring Festival – A British Fantasy, with performances of works by Elgar. Saffron van Zwanenberg’s project Jackdaws: The Year of… has won the Best Classical Music Education Initiative award at the 2017 Music Teacher Awards for Excellence. Created for Jackdaws Music Education Trust in her capacity as Artistic Director, this is the second consecutive year that one of Saffron’s projects has won this award.
Composer Benjamin Tassie and flautist Carla Rees have taken part in ‘Baroque Remix’, a new classical club night at experimental arts venue IKLECTIK in London. It featured live remixes of baroque music by Benjamin, and performances by Carla on baroque flute and Liam Byrne on viola da gamba.
SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk
CONNECT Connect with fellow RCM alumni in our LinkedIn group or contact the Alumni team on alumni@rcm.ac.uk or 020 7591 4353.
BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT Pianist Tokio Myers has been crowned winner of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent competition. His unique take on Rag’n’Bone Man’s hit Human in the final wowed the public and judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell and David Walliams. Tokio was a scholar and studied at the Royal College of Music with Yonty Solomon, one of the College’s most highly regarded piano professors. Yonty passed away in 2008, but Andrew Ball, former Head of Keyboard at the RCM, remembers auditioning Tokio. He said: ‘It was clear to me that he was talented from the very beginning. I’m pleased that we were able to provide him with an environment where he could hone his technique and study with Yonty, who was very fond of him.’ After leaving the RCM, Tokio went on to record and perform with his band, Mr Hudson and the Library. They produced an EP, hit single and an album, going on to support many high-profile artists on tour such as Amy Winehouse and Kanye West. As part of Tokio’s prize he will perform at the Royal Variety Show on 24 November 2017.
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IN MEMORY
IN MEMORY Kenneth Atkinson was born in Cleadon (now South Tyneside) in 1931. After obtaining his ARCM in Singing Performance in April 1961, Ken enjoyed music making in many forms including singing with the London Philharmonic Choir and as Musical Director of Ruislip Operatic Society. He had a distinguished and varied career within the Civil Service until 1989 when he became Director of the ABTA Training Board, and then Managing Director of the Travel Training Company. Ken became a Best Friend of the College in 2002 and frequently donated to the annual Restore a Score appeal. Ken died in February 2017.
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
Pianist Patricia Carroll FRCM studied at the RCM Junior Department before joining the Senior College aged 16 in 1948, where she was taught by Arthur Alexander. Patricia had an astounding musical career spanning 70 years – in October 1952 she was the first female concert pianist to play at the newly opened Royal Festival Hall, performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra. Patricia also taught at the RCM for 37 years, and in 1997 received an FRCM in lieu of her tremendous contribution to music and the College. She died in June 2017. Organist James Dalton was born on 11 November 1930. He studied with George Thalben-Ball and Ralph Downes at the Royal College of Music. He was an organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford, organist of Wesleyan University, Connecticut, and organist and Fellow of The Queen’s College, Oxford. James gave many recitals across Europe and in the US. He made a number of recordings, took part in frequent broadcasts, and acted as the series editor of the Faber Early Organ Series: European Organ Music of the Sixteenth & Seventeenth Centuries (1986–88). James died on 20 April 2017. Pat ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick was originally from Belfast and received a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music. He was a much-loved pianist and keyboardist who performed in and founded many Irish rock bands from the early 1980s. Pat was also a fixture at RTÉ for many years as an arranger and performer. He died in April 2017, aged 60.
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Pianist Ruth Loveday-Stanfield was born in Stoke Newington, London. She studied at Clapton County Secondary School, and in 1948 received a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where she won the McEwen Piano Prize and met violinist Alan Loveday. They performed in many concerts together, including the Prague Spring International Music Festival and an extensive tour of New Zealand and Australia. They married in 1952 and had two children. Ruth was also a composer, and in the 1970s became a teacher of piano and recorder, before retiring in 2014. She died in March 2017, aged 86. Blanche Mundlak
Blanche Mundlak came to London as a Jewish immigrant when she was a child. She became a talented violinist and went on to study at the Royal College of Music; she was most proud of her connection to the RCM, which always retained a strong place in her heart. She found work first as a violin teacher and then as the proprietor of the St Cecilia music shop in Camden. Blanche was also the founder of the Orion Orchestra, which she conducted for 37 years without missing a single rehearsal. She raised large amounts of money for charity through the orchestra, which gave early concerto opportunities to many leading musicians. She was a formidable member of the local Conservative party, well-known for her forthright views. Blanche died in February 2017.
COMING SOON
Thursday 26 October 2017
RCM Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall 7.30pm | Royal Festival Hall
Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Daniel Kharitonov piano RCM Symphony Orchestra Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no 1 Kabalevsky The Comedians suite op 26 Shostakovich Symphony no 1 The RCM Symphony Orchestra returns to London’s Royal Festival Hall to perform an all-Russian programme under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, in the centenary of the Russian Revolution. ‘My music is a product of my temperament and so it is Russian music.’ So said Rachmaninov of his compositional style, whose First Piano Concerto reflects all the youthful freshness of a student composer. Similarly written whilst studying, Shostakovich’s symphonic masterpiece arguably remains one of the finest first symphonies ever composed, gaining worldwide recognition after its premiere. Performed alongside these works is Kabalevsky’s The Comedians suite. Kabalevsky focused on writing lighter music for children – his playful and mischievous suite portrays a whimsical group of travelling entertainers. Part of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Voices of Revolution: Russia 1917 series. Tickets: £5, £10, £15, £20, £25 RCM Box Office: 020 7591 4314 www.rcm.ac.uk/events
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ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC Top institution for Performing Arts in the UK and Europe and second in the world*
‘One of the richest and most intensive programmes of public performance of any conservatoire in the world’** More than 55% of students benefit from financial support Specialist careers guidance from our pioneering Creative Careers Centre ns open 19 July
Applications for entry to the Royal College of Music in September 2018 will open on 19 July 2017. www.rcm.ac.uk/apply *QS World University Rankings 2017 **Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
Prince Consort Road London SW7 2BS United Kingdom +44(0)20 7591 4300 info@rcm.ac.uk
www.rcm.ac.uk
Box Office: 020 7591 4314 weekdays 10am–4pm Upbeat: 020 7591 4730 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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