The Magazine for the Royal College of Music I Spring 2009 Collaborations The Listening Gallery Upbeat reports on a unique venture with the Victoria and Albert museum .......................................... Operatic Collaborations How RCM students are benefiting from our close connections with leading opera companies .......................................... Music and Science Can the science of music be divided into four areas? RCM Chairman Professor Lord Winston discusses What’s inside... Welcome to upbeat... Welcome to the first upbeat of 2009, which as you will see, sports a new look. We’ve listened to your comments and refreshed the magazine by Contents including more pictures and making the text easier to read. As always, we’d love to know what you think of it, so please write to us at [email protected] 4 In the news with any of your comments. Updating you on the recent goings on of the College including the world of performance, It seems appropriate to be refreshing upbeat at the same time as one our composition and research much-loved Concert Hall is also re-opening after transformation into a world-class venue fit for the twenty-first century. At the time of writing, 9 Upcoming events upbeat has been able to sneak in to hear the first orchestral rehearsals, A taster of some of the which have sounded thrilling and whetted the appetite for our special performances, masterclasses summer series of events (p.9). The next issue of upbeat will feature a special and other activities taking place focus on the venue’s extraordinary transformation, including photos of our during the Summer term opening performances of Britten’s War Requiem. 10 The Listening Gallery The theme of this issue is A project with our neighbouring Collaboration – something that is Victoria and Albert Museum of course vital for any musician and for any small institution. Here at the 11 Opera collaborations RCM we think it’s vital to be putting Upbeat looks at the close links our students in touch with a variety between the RCM Benjamin of organisations, so that even before Britten International Opera their studies are over they’re gaining School and the UK’s leading opera companies experience and making contacts in the professional world. Inside, you can read about some of the RCM’s 13 The science of music many collaborations with opera Professor Lord Winston considers companies (p.12) and orchestras the relationship between music and science (p.7); with our neighbours here in South Kensington (pp.10-11); with scientists (p.13); and with our all- 14 Meeting the supporters important supporters (p.14). Upbeat puts the questions to scholarship donor Philip Carne If you have anything you’d like us to feature in the next issue of Upbeat, 16 Student notes send your news and pictures in to Current student success stories [email protected] by 11 May 2009. NB: Please note that we cannot guarantee to include everything we receive and that we 18 Staff notes reserve the right to edit submissions. Including a spotlight on Theatre Co-ordinator David Gorringe Front cover - Portrait of Louis XIV after Hyacinthe Rigaud, Paris, about 1701, © RMN/Gérard Blot. Features in the exhibition Baroque at the V&A in 2009, accompanied by music sourced and 20 Alumni notes performed by RCM staff and students (see p.10-11). A digest of graduate news Inside front cover - Above and left – John Wilson rehearses and conducts the RCM Symphony Orchestra at Cadogan Hall in November. Inside back cover - images from Resonate, a collaboration between RCM composers and five Ballet 22 Obituaries and births Rambert School graduates, held in the Britten Theatre in October 2008. 3 In the news... CPH at A Portrait of Composing for College Hall Kathleen Long Photographs Kathleen Long (1896-1968) studied piano with Herbert Sharpe at the RCM 1910–16, and was a teacher at the College 1920–64. Much admired for her performances of Mozart, Beethoven and French music (particularly Fauré) she also championed new music – in 1934 she gave the first performance ofPhantasm, Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra by Frank Bridge, with the composer conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Pictured is her portrait painted c.1962 (artist Guy Wordsell, 1908–1979) which along with other memorabilia of Kathleen Long has been generously gifted to the Royal College of Music by the legatees of the late Freda Isabel with Camellia on Easter Sunday, 2008 © Colin Pantall For the first time all the materials are together Taylor, Mr and Mrs Graham Hackett and in air-conditioned storage rooms Miss Tessa Sackin, to whom we offer our thanks. The college also shows its TheCentre for Performance History appreciation to Mrs H.M. Wingfield and has now relocated all of its iconographic Angela Hughes, for their assistance. materials (artworks, photographs), performance documentation and related collections to a new, specially refurbished facility at College Hall. For the first time all the material is together in air-conditioned storage rooms, with a reception area for visitors and a reading room. TheCPH Research Centre at Shepherd’s Bush is open to RCM students, staff and members of the public by prior appointment. For details visit: A Portrait of Kathleen Long www.cph.rcm.ac.uk/Gennews.htm Miss Gee, 2008 © Phoebe Ling Nine composers from the Royal College of Music have composed works to accompany photographs on display at London’s National Portrait Gallery. The photographs all formed part of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2008, which showcased the work of the most talented emerging young photographers, photography students and gifted amateurs alongside that of established professionals. Sixty selected portraits were exhibited between November and February. Under the direction of RCM Head of Composition William Mival, each student responded to a different photograph and the resultant works were premièred by RCM performers An image of the RCM symphony orchestra rehearsal at Cadogan Hall, by Ajay Sood, at a special concert at the National a student on the Prince’s Drawing School “London’s Different Faces” Course Portrait Gallery. 4 seasonal singing, with carols led by Soirée d’Or 2008 Andrew Kennedy and RCM opera school students. All in all, an “oasis of delight in a “One of the most well-attended events in turbulent world”, as one guest put it. the City calendar” (The Sunday Times) The RCM would like to thank all who were involved in helping to achieve this On 10 December 2008, the Royal College remarkable success. We are especially of Music welcomed 400 guests to its grateful for the support and hard work of prestigious Soirée d’Or. This annual gala Ben EalovegaBen the Soirée d’Or Committee throughout concert and dinner is a vital part of the year, led by Chairperson Mrs the RCM’s fundraising activities, and Stephanie Carr. Special thanks also go to despite the current economic climate BP for their extremely generous support. an unprecedented significant amount was raised at this event for the RCM The RCM would also like to thank the Scholarship Fund. following companies and individuals for their sponsorship and donations: Finsbury British Gas Fujitsu Jane Packer Green & Black’s Hildon Water Aveda Clarins Mrs Julie Mills Mr James James-Crook Pascal Labbé (champagne) The nextSoirée d’Or will take place in December 2009 (date and place to be confirmed). If you would like further information on attending or would like information on supporting the RCM scholarship fund, please contact Joana Tenor and RCM alumnus Andrew Kennedy Witkowski on 020 7591 4331 or email [email protected]. During the dinner, RCM Chairman Professor Lord Winston gave a speech explaining the importance of the RCM’s fundraising work, highlighting how all the proceeds raised during the evening would go directly towards the provision of RCM scholarships in 2009/10, enabling the most talented young musicians from Jiafeng Chen across the world to come and study at the College. The RCM awards over 300 Soirée d’Or 2008 took place in the scholarships every year to students of beautiful Raphael Gallery at the Victoria exceptional talent and relies upon the and Albert Museum, whilst the RCM’s support of individuals, charitable trusts Concert Hall was under renovation. and companies to fund them(see page 14 The evening began with a champagne for a view from a supporter). reception followed by a sumptuous dinner and a musical programme Guests showed further generosity during featuring the exceptional talent of tenor the evening’s auction, led by auctioneer and RCM alumnus Andrew Kennedy, Mr James James-Crook of Lyon & as well as two of the College’s most Turnbull. As usual, the lively atmosphere outstanding current students, Anna continued into the end of the evening Anna Peletsis Peletsis (piano) and Jiafeng Chen (violin). where all guests participated in some 5 In the news... More room for creativity Leopold Stokowski and the RCM Brand new suite of seven practice rooms A Stokowski baton (never used after the 1920s), a tie gift from his personal assistant Jack Baumgarten and a volume of Philadelphia Orchestra concerts As the College has continued to become more popular and expand every year, the pressure on our resources has of course, increased. So we’re very pleased to announce some major strides towards significantly increasing the number of practice and teaching rooms. On 1 November (ahead of schedule), we opened a brand new suite of seven practice rooms. Making use of the space which used to house the Recent acquisitions of new releases and opera wardrobe, these new state- old correspondence signed by Stokowski of-the-art rooms received a variety of acoustic treatments to the walls, Leopold Stokowski studied at the ceilings and floors, and carry specially RCM before an acclaimed career as a commissioned acoustically sealed conductor.