The International founded by www.yehudimenuhinschool.co.uk — Registered Charity 312010 — Newsletter 57 — Spring 2014

——The Tempest roars through Cobham One of our Friends Tim Albert writes. The Tempest: Shakespeare’s final comedy, set on an isolated island where love, greed, freedom and power figure greatly. But in this version, the first production at the Yehudi Menuhin School by Simon Larter-Evans, it is slashed to an hour. The setting (built by Brian Harris) is a boarding school bedroom (somewhere in ?). The central figure is converted into headmaster Dr Prosper, not allowed on stage, and given only one speech which comes, Big-Brother-like, distorted through speakers. The Cast (No prizes for who plays that part).

Without him the action centres on three sassy women, each There’s an original use of film by Sam Staples and Leo looking for freedom. Rosie Bennet exudes quiet authority as a Plashinov-Johnson, using such exotic locations as the quintessential English rose dressed in an Alice in Wonderland Menuhin Hall’s undercroft and the picnic table on the lawn, dress, but ready for love. Anything but quiet is Katie Morgan’s setting for the lavish banquet of pizza and coke. Caliban: gothic, frenetic, and generally making bad choices. Daniel Penney’s original music conveys the mystical Among these two flits Ariel, a sparkling free spirit, played with undertones and is played by several of the above, plus great energy and clarity by Leyla Cemiloglu. Breanainn O Mathuna, Will Dutton, Ben Tarlton, Charlotte Into their world burst men. Most prominent is Ferdinand, the Saluste-Bridoux and an electrified Kevin Loh. hunk who enraptures Miranda, played effortlessly by Bennet All ends well of course with power restored, love affirmed Ortmann. Gordon and Alonso, who have ousted Dr Prosper and freedom accepted. Ariel has the last speech, ‘Our revels from his old school, are played with relish by Marcus Gaved now are ended...’ before turning off the light. Applause, and David Horvat. With them come Cecilia and Antonia (a richly deserved. gender change from the original) played by Natasha Petrovic and Nicole Petrus-Barracks, who shine as particularly nasty For me the best moments came from the audience: two of the penknife-wielding would-be assassins. Finally, and stealing youngest members of the school sitting at the front convulsed many of the scenes, come the comedy duo of Joon Hurh and with laughter. The bard would have been delighted. Special Jeff Wu as Trinculo and Stephano, behaving badly after finding thanks to St Edward’s School, Oxford for its generous loan of a (fictional, we hope) case of wine stashed by the tennis court. the lights. — The 50th Anniversary Alumni Concert Series Musical Notes Following and Akiko Ono’s concerts in 2013, 2014 has welcomed Colin Carr (cello,1974) with Rosemary Warren ——Purcell’s King Arthur Green (violin,1973), Krysia Osostowicz (violin,1976), Garfield The YMS Choir came together with Surrey Youth Choir, the Jackson (viola,1975) and Mary Wu (piano,1983); Thomas BBC Singers and period band St James’s Baroque on 26 Carroll (cello,1994), with Corina Belcea (violin,1994), Boris February to perform Purcell’s King Arthur under the direction Kucharsky (violin,1989), CarlaMaria Rodrigues (viola,1982), of Robert Hollingsworth. Jun Sasaki (cello,2008), Frances Emery (double bass,2008), Oscar Perks (viola,2008) and Anthony Hewitt (piano,1988); and It was a most entertaining evening with the text wittily updated the last concert for this term when we heard throughout and YMS pupils Charlotte Saluste Bridoux (18) (violin,2002) with Leonard Elschenbroich (cello,1999) and and Nicole Petrus Barracks (16) joining the professionals as Wu Qian (piano,2002). soloists for one duet. Alumni from each decade of the School’s 50 year history have This was a great outreach event which also raised £263 for the performed in these astounding chamber music concerts - on one 50th Anniversary Appeal. occasion five decades being represented within one concert! We are thrilled that these alumni have returned to the School – giving their services free of charge - to support the fundraising for the new music studios that are so urgently needed for our current pupils. Each occasion has given opportunities for alumni to rekindle memories, sometimes meet and perform with each other for the first time and also to make new friends and to connect with the new generation of musically gifted young people which they themselves once were. For our current generation of pupils it has been memorable in giving them the opportunity to hear phenomenal music-making at the very highest level. The three remaining concerts in the 50th Anniversary Alumni Series are with Melvyn Tan on Tuesday 22 April, Valeriy Sokolov Rosie Bennet (17) and Viviane Plekhotkine (13) marking scores in on Thursday 15 May and end with on Sunday rehearsal — Photo Credit: Simon Larter-Evans 22 June. ——Swiss Award Headmaster Richard Hillier, together with governor Zamira Menuhin Benthall (daughter of Yehudi) and YMS students William Dutton (19) and Menachem Rozin (18), flew out to the Swiss capital Bern to collect the Johanna Dürmüller-Bol Young Classic Award given by the Johanna Dürmüller-Bol Foundation, in association with Interlaken Classics. The aim of this award is ‘to champion the promotion and fostering of young musicians’. It is given to institutions rather than individuals and is worth 20,000 Swiss francs. The recipient of the award is decided by a jury headed by the pianist and Colin Carr and friends — Photo Credit: Kevin Laitak conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, who was also in Bern to present the prize in person.

Thomas Carroll — Photo Credit: Kevin Laitak

There is also the wonderful Summer Festival to look forward to. Booking for all these concerts is open now, and you can check availability and book tickets online at www.yehudimenuhinschool.co.uk Will Dutton and Menachem Rozin — Photo Credit: Richard Hillier The award ceremony took place, appropriately, in the Yehudi ——Public appearances Menuhin Forum. William and Menachem performed works by Bloch, Liszt and Zimbalist; Mrs Menuhin Benthall was Will Dutton and Louisa Staples both gave public performances interviewed about her memories of the school’s founding; Mr of the Mendelssohn violin concerto this term. Will with the Werner Schmitt, former director of the Bern Conservatoire, Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra at the Brighton Dome on 9 gave a laudatio explaining why the School was being honoured February and Louisa with the London International Orchestra in this way; and the Headmaster made a speech of thanks, in Hampstead on 8 March. Louisa also played Sarasate’s talking in particular of our anniversary celebrations and Carmen Fantasy to great acclaim. appeal. Will also gave a recital for the ESTA Conference in York, where Many thanks indeed to everyone at the Foundation and at he played Ernest Bloch’s Nigun arranged by Malcolm Singer. Interlaken Classics for their kindness and generosity. ——Quartet in The Hague ——Scottish Tour Four YMS students, accompanied by Director of Music Malcolm Over half-term pianists Sohyun Park (19), Menachem Rozin, Singer, spent a week in January at the junior department of Ursula Perks (16) and Leyla Cemiloglu (16), together with the Royal Conservatoire at The Hague in Holland. Whilst there William Dutton and Tamaki Sugimoto (18, cello), headed for Haim Choi (18, violin), Cosima Soulez Larivière (17, violin), the Scottish Highlands. Qian Hui Ho (17, viola) and Cansin Kara (18, cello) attended lessons and took part in chamber-music classes with students Accompanied by YMS Piano Professor Ruth Nye and Director of both from The Hague and from the Carl Maria von Weber High Music Malcolm Singer (with his wife Sara Nathan), they spent School of Music in Dresden. the first few days taking part in Music at Blair Atholl, giving two concerts, then to , where the Headmaster and his They repeated an excellent performance of Britten’s Third wife (Richard and Elaine Hillier) joined them for their annual Quartet which they gave in the special Britten Centenary concert at the Royal Over-Seas League on Princes Street. Showcase Concert back in October.

ROSL Edinburgh — Photo Credit: Elaine Hillier Cosima, Qian Hui, Haim and Cansin ready for take off — Photo Credit: Simon Larter-Evans ——Cansin Kara wins Aydın Gün Award YMS cellist Cansin Kara ——Menuhin was awarded the Aydın Gün Competition Encouragement Award by Bülent Many congratulations to Elvina Eczacıbaşı, Chairman of the Auh (15) who became the first Istanbul Foundation for Culture YMS pupil in many years to and Arts (IKSV) at a reception in reach the very final round of Istanbul on 27 December. The Menuhin International Dedicated to the memory of Violin Competition, held Aydın Gün (1917-2007), who this year in Austin Texas. In was a pioneering figure in the preparing for the competition, Turkish opera scene and a Elvina enthralled audiences at founding member of the IKSV, home with her performance this award, presented to a of Dan Welcher’s The Cowboy different musician every year, is and the Rattlesnake. Well done, open to instrumentalists, singers, Elvina. We all look forward to composers, and conductors Cansin Kara — Photo Credit: 2016 when the competition Elvin Auh — Photo Credit: under 30 years of age. Simon Larter-Evans comes to London. Simon Larter-Evans Celebrated Czech guitar maestro Pavel Steidl called in at The composer Simone Fontanelli gave lively coaching the School to give classes to the five YMS guitar students. sessions on 3 March to a number of the School’s As well as YMS guitar professor Richard Wright, the class ensembles including the Goss quartet and the string was joined by alumni Tom Ellis (2009) and Laura Snowden ensemble preparing for Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen. (2008) (now assistant guitar teacher at the School). He gave valuable advice to Daniel Penney (15) for his commissioned compositions for the school play, The Tempest, and ended his visit with a lecture on the Comparisons and Connections between Berio’s Sequenza VIII for solo violin and Bach’s Chaconne in D minor.

Pavel Steidl and Richard Wright — Photo Credit: Simon Larter-Evans Simone Fontanelli — Photo Credit: Richard Lewisohn

——Cadogan Hall Jan Alm, composer and bassist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Sweden and professor at Richard and Elaine Hillier took a group to Cadogan Göteborg University, joined Gareth Wood to hear Gareth’s Hall on 19 March to hear Heinrich Schiff conducting composition for six double basses at the School. The the Orpheus Sinfonia (Dvořάk Cello Concerto – Thomas sextet was written for Bass Club earlier this year and was Carroll playing cello – and Mahler Symphony No 1). played here by Will Duerden (13), Ketan Curtis (14), Lucia Heinrich, one of the School’s musical patrons and Polo Moreno (18), Thea Butterworth (18), Marcus Gaved Thomas Carroll’s former teacher, also spent time at the (15) and Philip Nelson (17). School giving master classes.

Photo Credit: Elaine Hillier Bass sextet with Caroline Emery, Gareth Wood and Jan Alm

Yang Yang Cai, winner of the junior section of the Young After returning to play with Colin Carr in the celebrity Pianists Foundation Competition in Amsterdam visited concert earlier in the term, Garfield Jackson came back us for three days enjoying lessons with Piano Professor to give master classes. Here he is pictured with violist, Ruth Nye. Leo Plashinov-Johnson (18).

Yang Yang and Malcolm Singer— Photo Credit: Angela Stockbridge Garfield Jackson — Photo Credit: Angela Stockbridge And the rest Outreach News

——BBC Documentary Film Makers ——Reigate String Orchestras Day Documentary maker Andy King Dabbs visited the School with Term started with a visit from the young musicians of the film-maker and cameraman John-Martin White to talk to Reigate String Orchestras. Musicians aged 7-16 came to the pupils about their work. Showing clips from a diverse range school for a day of rehearsals conducted by Oscar Colomina of predominantly music documentaries, they discussed the Bosch, with sectionals led by YMS students. Everyone enjoyed nature of film-making and the role of the artist within it. an inspiring workshop from beatboxer Tobias Hug, who showed participants how different kinds of music can be produced Programme segments were shown from over a dozen films with the voice. The day concluded with a lively performance of including the recent BBC archive documentary about Yehudi pieces from Peter Maxwell Davies’ Six Sanday Tunes. Menuhin. John-Martin White gave practical advice to young artists including the suggestion that they carry face powder – the lights can make you shiny! ——New Year Quiz The annual Christmas quiz moved to become the New Year Quiz. There was much head scratching, laughter and a generous helping of healthy competition. The winning team were (left to right), back row, Berfin Aksu (15), Qian Qui Ho, Damir Durmanović (15), Leo Plashinov-Johnson, Sam Staples (17), front row, Otoha Tabata (14), Coco Tomita (12), Sharon Wong (18), Yuriko Matsuda (16).

Oscar Colomina Bosch with pupils— Photo Credit: Jessica Buchanan-Barrow ——Come & Play Sixty young musicians were welcomed to the School for another Come and Play day of individual instrumental lessons and group music classes, tours of the school, and a concert by YMS students. A number of promising young musicians were New Year Quiz Winners — Photo Credit: Simon Larter-Evans identified during the day and staff were able to advise them on ——Easter Egg Hunt how best to continue their musical studies. One parent remarked afterwards on the ‘unaffected warmth Competition was hot to find the 20 wooden eggs that led to big and friendliness’ they experienced from staff and students alike. prizes, while hunters kept up their energy with the hundreds of little chocolate eggs hidden in the most surprising places. Ursula Perks was the mastermind behind the squirreling, with ——Composition workshops eggs hidden in fiendish places all about the school. Pictured Each spring students from local state schools come to YMS are Thea Butterworth, Will Duerden and Berfin Aksu. to receive expert tutoring in composition from teachers John Cooney and Oscar Colomina Bosch. Their compositions are then performed by our students and recorded in the Menuhin Hall, giving them professional recordings to submit towards their final GCSE and A-level Music exams. ——Phyllis Court Club In March the school was invited to give a concert at the Phyllis Court Club, a private members’ club in Henley-on- Thames. Phoebe Goddard (18), Cansin Kara, Katie Morgan (13), Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux, Andrew Samarasekara (16), Sam Staples, Lorena Cantó Woltèche (16) and Sharon Wong, together with staff accompanists Nigel Hutchison and Akiko Chiba, performed to an attentive audience of 150 in the club’s ballroom overlooking the River Thames. The concert was well- Photo Credit: Elaine Hillier received and many asked us to return in the future. Staff News Alumni News

Joining the staff in the summer was former student Laura Nicola Benedetti (2002) was the subject of Desert Island Discs Snowden (2008) who becomes our first ever assistant guitar on 12 January on Radio 4. Readers who missed it can listen to it teacher. We also said a sad farewell and many thanks to maths here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs and physics teacher Sarah Lee who decided not to return to You can also search the Desert Island Discs archive to listen to work after the birth of her son. Also leaving us at the end of the Yehudi Menuhin’s two appearances on the programme. year was violin teacher Claire Telford. Claire had been with us since 2001 and worked as both principal and assistant teacher, Melissa Gore (2006) won the Pianist’s First Prize at the Berlin as well as supervising the Chance to Play project. We miss her International Lieder Competition in Autumn 2013. Together greatly and wish her and her family the very best for the future. with the German mezzo Kimberley Boettger-Soller, she performed lieder of the 20th and 21st Century, including a Happy news for principal violin teacher Diana Galvydyte piece by Aribert Reimann who came personally to the winners who had a baby boy on 8 March. concert. Melissa is now also an official accompanist at the Principal violin teacher Simon Fischer has been offered the Berlin University of Arts. 2014 ESTA award ‘in celebration of a lifetime contribution to Luisa Marie Reichelt (2012) and her guitar duo partner string teaching’. Needless to say, he has accepted and will Johann Jacob Nissen have been accepted by Yehudi Menuhin’s attend the award ceremony on 18 May. scholarship scheme Live Music Now. Yehudi’s wish was to bring music to people who do not usually have access to classical music, for example to people in hospitals, prisons and hospices. — Learned Journal Live Music Now enables musicians to be paid a fee for this An article by Headmaster valuable work. Dr Richard Hillier entitled ‘Arator and Baptism in Sixth-Century Rome’, originally delivered at a conference on Early Roman Liturgy at Blackfriars, Oxford, was published in January in the learned journal Studia Patristica. Copies can be ordered online at www.peeters- leuven.be/boekoverz.asp?nr=9312.

Luisa Marie Reichelt and Johann Jacob Nissen

Distinctions Certificates for our Team Maths Qing Qing Ponek (13) for History Challenge Team Spring Evie Calver (11) for History Katie Morgan Qing Qing Ponek Headmaster’s Commendation for 10 Viviane Plekhotkine Term merits Dilara Sahin (12) B1 Awards Aleks Mladenova (16) Results from the UKMT Intermediate Sao Soulez Larivière (15) Maths Challenge on 6 February C3 Silver Certificates: SongHa Choi (14) Sergio Buchelli (16) Katie Morgan Daniel Penney Natasha Petrovic Katherine Yoon (15) Joseph Pritchard (14) Bronze Certificates: Louisa Staples Breanainn O Mathuna (16) Otoha Tabata Esther Park (16) Qing Qing Ponek Aida Lahlou (15) C2 Sao Soulez Larivière Viviane Plekhotkine Leonardo Jaffe Barbosa (16) C1 Ketan Curtis Evie Calver Qing Qing Ponek Cocoro Tomita Per Rundberg (1998) has just released a CD on the Hänssler ——Christmas Concerts label of the complete works by Enescu, one of Yehudi Menuhin’s teachers, including a work which has never been Friends raised £1,277 for the Orpheus centre, a learning centre recorded for cello and piano together with the cellist Valentin founded by Richard Stilgoe in 1998 to increase the confidence Radutiu. and skills of young disabled adults through the performing arts. The Friends would like to thank everyone who attended Antonio Lysy (1979) is the artistic director of the Incontri in the Christmas concerts and donated money to this worthy Terra di Siena, a festival of chamber music featuring some of charity. the world’s most prominent artists, enriched by early music Congratulations to a dear Friend of the School Miss Holyman, and jazz performances, plus pre-concert Oltre La Musica who celebrated her 100th birthday in December. During the events which include lectures, open rehearsals, art exhibitions, evening Christmas concert the Headmaster presented her with visits to historic sites and olive oil and wine tastings. The a bouquet and the School choir sang Happy Birthday. festival welcomes back the International Menuhin Music Academy under the guidance of their mentor Maxim Vengerov. The festival opens at La Foce on 19 July.

Hyung-ki Joo (1990) has kindly donated his first ever piano, an upright Göttingen, to the School. Rather than sell it, Hyung- ki says “I would know that it’s in a place that would mean something to someone, rather than some amateur stranger and it would feel like my piano is at ‘home’.”

Aleksey Igudesman (1989 ) and Hyung-ki Joo (1990) will be in the UK to perform with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, touring in September starting in the Royal Festival Hall on 15 September, and then Birmingham Symphony Hall 17 September, Leeds Town Hall 18 September and the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 19 September. The tour is preceded by a performance at the Aldeburgh Festival in August. Miss Holyman with Dr Hillier — Photo Credit: Angela Stockbridge

Alumni Reunion – ——Lost Property Sunday 8 June 2014 The Menuhin Hall Box Office has a number of unclaimed items including umbrellas, glasses and jumpers. If you have visited We hope that as many former YMS students and staff as The Menuhin Hall in the past 3 months and have lost an item, possible will be able to join current pupils and staff for our please contact the Box Office as we may still have it. very first Alumni Reunion from 2.00pm on Sunday 8 June. An All unclaimed items are taken to the local charity shop after invitation to the reunion was sent out in March to all of you for 3 months. whom we have up-to-date contact details. If you did not receive the invitation and would like to join us, please email [email protected] ——PLEASE HELP We would dearly like to reunite the owner with a ring which

was found last year. If you know of anyone who has lost a ring whilst visiting The Menuhin Hall, please contact Penny Wright on 08700 842020. Friends & Hall News ——Hall Hire The Menuhin Hall, along with the usual series of concerts, recordings and lectures, has hosted an 80th birthday, a 60th ——Friends Bridge Tea birthday and 25th Wedding anniversary celebrations amongst The Friends Events Committee hosted their first Bridge Tea other private occasions. in The Menuhin Hall foyer on 7 March. Originally the idea of The Hall may be hired for any kind of celebration or memorial Friend Sheila Rice-Smith, the committee set about organising occasion at any time of year depending on availability. We have the first of many events to raise funds for the School. 60 bridge menus to suit all budgets and tastes and we can recommend players attended, some Friends and others new to the School. florists, entertainers and give you all the help you may require The total raised was an impressive £615. Thank you to the to make your celebration really special. For certain occasions committee for all their hard work, especially Sheila. We it is also possible to request a performance from pupils of The hope to hold another Bridge Tea later in the year. If you are Yehudi Menuhin School. The pupils benefit from performances interested in being involved or buying a table, please contact such as these as the income goes directly into our student aid Sally Williams on 01932 584791 or fund to enable them to study on courses abroad and assists in [email protected] funding their fees at the School itself. Please go to our website www.yehudimenuhinschool.co.uk for more details or call the Hall Manager Ambrosine Desoutter on 01932 584408 to discuss your requirements. From the Our Music’s Future Headmaster ——Buy a brick Campaign Our Anniversary Appeal is now well under way, and we would like to offer you the chance to support our School and become As I reported in the last newsletter, just before the end of last part of our history. As part of the design of our new music term we received (at five days’ notice) a visitation from the studios, individual brick pavers can be purchased for £50 each Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) who delved into every and engraved with a personal message of your choice. aspect of the life of the school: from teaching and learning These bricks will then form part of the external courtyard, an attractive space used for informal performances. to policies and procedures. The inspectors’ report arrived in January and I have great pleasure in sharing their findings For more information and to request an order form please with you. contact [email protected] or 01932 864739. A difference you may notice from previous inspections is that Buy a brick today and leave your mark for future generations the ISI no longer gives a single grading for the School as a of talented young musicians to enjoy. whole, but breaks its findings down into different sections. However, I am delighted to be able to tell you that the School was found to be ‘excellent’ (the highest grading available) in all of the following areas: curricular and extra-curricular provision, teaching, the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, the School’s pastoral care, and the quality of boarding provision.

In addition, when the inspectors looked at ‘the quality of the pupils’ achievements’, they came to the conclusion that they were ‘exceptional’. This grading can be awarded by inspectors only to this particular area of the School’s activities and has been given to fewer than 8% of the schools which ISI inspects. This is a huge achievement and greatly Buy a brick — Photo Credit: Richard Lewisohn to the credit both of our staff and, especially, of our talented pupils. There are one or two areas where the inspectors found that we need to update our procedures and we have already put new policies and systems in place where 50th Anniversary Celebration Concerts in The Menuhin Hall required. But the overwhelming judgement of the report is, as you can see, extremely positive. Many thanks to everyone Many thanks to all of our eminent who worked so hard to make the inspection such a success. alumni who have agreed to The full report can be seen on the school’s website: http:// perform in a special series of concerts to celebrate our www.yehudimenuhinschool.co.uk/downloads/reports/ 50th birthday and support our ISI_Report_Dec_2013.pdf OUR Anniversary Appeal. Elaine and I send you our best wishes. To purchase tickets please book MUSIC’S online at www.menuhinhall.info or call the Box Office on FUTURE 08700 842020 Anniversary Appeal Tuesday 15 May 2014 1963–2013 Valeriy Sokolov & Friends Valeriy Sokolov (violin), David McCarroll (violin), Vladimir Maistorovici (violin), Tetsuumi Nagata (violin), Pau Codina (cello), Miho Kawashima (piano) Sunday 22 June 2014 Alina Ibragimova & Friends Alina Ibragimova (violin), If you would prefer to receive your newsletter Ben Marquise Gilmore (viola), by email please drop us a line at Bartholomew LaFollette (cello), [email protected] (piano) and we will update your preferences.