HRH the Prince of Wales Celebrating 20 Years As RCM President
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The Magazine for the Royal College of MusicI Summer 2013 HRH The Prince of Wales Celebrating 20 years as RCM President What’s inside... Welcome to upbeat... This issue we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of HRH The Prince of Wales as our President. Contents Since taking over the role from HRH Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 4 In the news in 1993, he has visited the RCM almost every year for our annual awards Latest news from the RCM ceremony. To mark the special occasion, a new award has been created and you including a new Head of Junior can read all about the first recipient, RCM percussionist Ruairi Glasheen, on Programmes and a project on the page 11. health and wellbeing of musicians We’ve also been delving into our archives and found some incredible imagery 10 Introducing The President’s of his visits over the past 20 years. Turn to page 12 for some of our favourite Award photos including honorary awards for Sir Paul McCartney, Sarah Connolly All about the award and HRH and Lang Lang. If that’s whet your appetite, visit our Facebook page for more The Prince of Wales’s annual visit photos or our YouTube channel for a short video about Ruairi and the new to the RCM President’s Award. 11 Meeting Ruairi Glasheen We’re always keen to hear from students past and present and there are now Upbeat meets the first recipient of many ways to stay in touch with the RCM: join the conversation on Twitter The President’s Award @RCMLatest, find us on Facebook or email us with your news and pictures at 12 In pictures [email protected] by Monday 23 September 2013 to be featured in the next edition of Upbeat. Celebrating 20 years of HRH The Prince of Wales as President of the RCM Upbeat online Did you know that Upbeat is available to read online at www.rcm.ac.uk/upbeat 14 Meeting the supporters If you’d prefer to read it in this way, do contact us at [email protected] and we’ll Upbeat meets scholarship stop sending you a paper copy. If you’d like us to send you an email notification supporter Ruth West when Upbeat is published, let us know your email address too. 16 Student notes… Current student success stories 18 Staff notes… News from professorial, academic and administrative staff 20 Alumni notes… Updates from RCM graduates 22 Obituaries and Marriages RCM musicians perform works by emigre composers at the Goethe Institute in Paris Front cover – HRH The Prince of Wales © Michael Dunlea Inside front cover – Images of the RCM Baroque Orchestra and RCM Chamber Choir © Chris Christodoulou Inside back cover – A selection of images from ‘Journeying Boys’, a colourful evening of song devised and directed by BBC Radio 3 presenter Iain Burnside © Chris Christodoulou All photography © Chris Christodoulou 3 In the news... performances by The Françoise-Green ROSL Success for Piano Duo, winners of the ROSL Morgan Pearse Ensemble Prize. Other notable wins for the RCM RCM baritone Morgan Pearse has included the Accompanist Prize for been awarded the Gold Medal and First Jennifer Hughes, awarded for her Prize of £10,000 at the Royal Over-Seas performances in both the Wind and League Competition Final. Singers’ sections of the competition. Held at the Southbank Centre’s Queen For 50 years, the Royal Over-Seas Elizabeth Hall, Morgan wowed the League has been devoted to the judges with a wide-ranging programme career development of talented young of Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Schumann, professional artists and musicians from Korngold and Donizetti. Winners of the the UK and the Commonwealth. The four solo awards competed for the top organisation provides scholarships prize including star RCM violinist and and performance opportunities for winner of the String Section Michael musicians at major venues such as the Foyle. The evening also included Wigmore Hall. Ferrier Success comments. Patrick and Marina Breen Ashkenazy Live! from Northern Ireland wrote: “Fantastic performances, wonderful playing such for Louise Alder Vladimir Ashkenazy conducted the a joy to hear and see”, while Madeleine RCM Symphony Orchestra on 27 Liger from France said: “Many thanks February in a sell-out concert featuring to the RCM for offering us this great Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto, moment to watch our daughter performed by star RCM pianist Oxana performing.” Shevchenko, and Rachmaninov’s popular Symphony no 2. If you missed the performance, visit our YouTube channel for exclusive rehearsal The performance was also streamed clips and an interview with Vladimir live to an enthusiastic global audience Ashkenazy, offering a fascinating insight via the RCM website and we were into the rehearsal process: delighted to receive many enthusiastic www.youtube.com/rcmlondon RCM soprano Louise Alder has been awarded Second Prize at the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Awards. The Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship Fund’s Annual Competition – which has a reputation as “Britain’s most prestigious singing awards” – offers the chance for young professional singers to compete for glittering cash prizes and instant international recognition. The Final took place on Friday 25 April at London’s Wigmore Hall. After the competition Louise commented: “The Wigmore is the most magical place to sing in and the atmosphere was electric! I was honoured to be in the final and heard alongside such talented young artists.” 4 Michael Gough Matthews New Head of Junior Programmes Vice-President and former RCM later appointed Director of the Junior Director, Michael Gough Matthews, Department at the RCM. Following Sir has died. David Willcocks’ appointment as RCM Director in 1974, Michael successively Michael’s long association with the held the posts of Registrar, Director RCM began when he was eight, with a of Studies and Vice-Director before Junior Exhibition award from Sir Percy becoming Director in 1984. Buck to study piano. Advised by the RCM against evacuation during World He always endeavoured to War II, as that would have affected promote the RCM overseas and The Royal College of Music is delighted his studies, he travelled to the RCM succeeded in repositioning the RCM to announce the appointment of throughout the Blitz from his parents’ internationally. In 1985 Michael was Miranda Francis as the new Head of home in Essex. At 15, he won an Open invited by the Sultan of Oman to Junior Programmes. Major Scholarship to study with Frank establish the Royal Oman Symphony Merrick, returning after National Orchestra and the following year Miranda takes up her appointment in Service to win the Hopkinson Gold embarked, with the late Belle September. In this new role, she will Medal in his final year. Shenkman, on organising RCM concerts succeed Peter Hewitt as Head of the at more than 40 Embassies and High RCM’s Junior Department and will also Private studies followed with Harold Commissions worldwide, sponsored work closely with RCM Sparks, the RCM’s Craxton who prepared him for the 5th by Jaguar Cars. On his retirement in wide-reaching learning and participation Chopin International Competition, 1993, Michael was appointed a Vice- programme. where he won a Chopin Fellowship for President of the RCM. He continued Miranda is currently Head of Academic advanced studies and a series of recitals to teach and adjudicate, and sat on a Music at the Purcell School. She is also throughout Eastern Europe. He later number of musical charities well into Principal Examiner of Performance at won an Italian Government Scholarship his retirement. Advanced Level for Edexel and Area to Rome, and gave his Wigmore Hall Leader for Aural Training at the RCM. debut recital in 1960. Michael Gough Matthews died on 11 April 2013. He was loved and respected She studied double bass at the Royal In 1964 he set up a Junior School for by students and staff alike for his Academy of Music and received an MA gifted children at the Royal Scottish kindness and generosity of spirit. His in Music Education from the Institute of Academy of Music in Glasgow and was legacy is still much in evidence today. Education (University of London). Professor Colin Lawson, Director of Events during the week included a the RCM, commented: “I am absolutely Rag Week Cheese and Wine soiree, a salsa lesson delighted to announce Miranda’s and a pub quiz. Other fundraising appointment to the position of Head of The RCM Students’ Association efforts this term have included the Junior Programmes. This new position organised a week of events in February in second concert by the RCM Student represents the RCM’s commitment to aid of this year’s charity the Parkinson’s Film Music Orchestra, featuring a special providing both elite training for the most Movement for the Cure Parkinson’s performance of Michael Kamen’s cult talented musicians and inspirational Trust. score for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. musical experiences for all.” 5 In the news... (FRCM) on five outstanding figures in Leading British conductor Christopher The President’s international musical life: Tony-Award Hogwood, universally regarded as one winning tenor Alfie Boe, RCM Head of of the world’s leading exponents of Visit 2013 Percussion and principal with the BBC historically-informed performance, was Symphony Orchestra David Hockings, presented with an Honorary Doctorate. On Wednesday 15 May, HRH The Prince guitarist and composer Gary Ryan, of Wales visited the Royal College of flautist and conductorJaime Martin and His Royal Highness also presented the Music where, in his role as President of Guildhall School of Music and Drama Tagore Gold Medal to two students who the RCM, he presented special honours Principal Barry Ife. graduated last year – violinist Mari Poll at the RCM’s annual awards ceremony.