What’s the score?

SCO Wind Academy

Our partnership with the SCO goes from strength to strength as we offered more school-aged musicians the opportunity to work with members of the Orchestra and school mentors at the School this term. Delivered over three Sunday afternoon sessions in March, the first two weeks were held via Zoom and week three culminated in a live event on Sunday 27 March at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. To apply for a place for the next SCO Academy and put your name on the waiting list, please visit www.sco.org.uk/academy or email connect@sco.org.uk

Lord Clyde Competition Winner

Congratulations to Robert (S5), winner of this year’s Lord Clyde Concerto Competition with York Bowen’s Horn Concerto. This featured in our Spring Concert on 30 March at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. We enjoyed listening to ten entrants, who performed a wide range of works including compositions by Britten, Böhme, York Bowen, Mozart, Elgar, Hoffmeister, Saint-Saëns, Bruch and Mendelssohn. Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland adjudicated.

Robert describes his preparation for the Horn Concerto as “… daunting at times – going into the limits of both high/low ranges presenting stamina challenges and requiring more breath support than you thought you’d ever need to get across meandering phrases!” Acknowledging that the core concerto repertoire for horn is very small, Robert was keen to play something outside of Mozart or Strauss and decided that the York Bowen work both presented a healthy challenge and also shone a light on an area of neglected repertoire. Of his win, he said: “Performing the full York Bowen Horn Concerto with my peers in the orchestra is a truly incredible opportunity that I’m so grateful for. I can’t wait to perform it against the backdrop of St Mary’s Cathedral – my earliest performances took place there and it’s always a special place to play.” We can’t wait to hear it Robert!

A recital by Susan Tomes

Pianist Susan Tomes visited the School on 26th February to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto in B flat, K595, ahead of her performance with the Meadows Chamber Orchestra. Susan has won numerous international awards throughout her professional career, including the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ 2013 Cobbett Medal for distinguished services to chamber music. Most recently, in 2021, she was awarded the Presto Music Book of the Year for her publication The Piano – A History in 100 Pieces. Congratulations Viktor!

In February, we were delighted to learn that Viktor (S3 – first-study composition; second-study piano) was awarded the Bundespreis (federal prize) in the Bundeswettbewerb Jugend Komponiert. The Bundespreis is the most prestigious award for young composers in Germany and comes with a full scholarship for a week-long composition course at Castle Weikersheim in Baden-Württemberg in August, along with a public performance at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt and a professional recording. It’s the third time that Viktor has been awarded but only the first time that he’ll be able to join the course, due to earlier pandemic restrictions.

Viktor was also one of five young composers selected for the RSNO Notes from Scotland scheme – a half-year programme of tuition and workshops led by composers Jay Capperauld and Oliver Searle, along with members of the RSNO, for outstanding young composers. His piece, 205 Rose Street, composed under Jay’s guidance, was performed by the RSNO at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in February this year.