The Magazine for the Royal College of MusicI Spring 2015 Technology at the RCM Recreating the past, redefining the future What’s inside... Welcome to upbeat... The RCM is dedicated to providing its students with an inspirational and supportive environment, and in this issue of Upbeat we look at the ways that Contents technology is helping to achieve this goal. The cover of this issue shows RCM musicians making use of the fantastic recording facilities available in the RCM 4 In the news Studios, and you can find out more about recent technological advances from Updating you on recent RCM Senior Recording Engineer Matt Parkin on page 12. activities including a record- Technology can also help us to learn more about the past, as RCM Research breaking Soirée d’Or, the RCM’s Associate Aleks Kollowski explains on page 10. In an interview with Upbeat, he tells research being announced as us about an ambitious recording project involving RCM students re-enacting the world-leading in the Research 1913 recording of Beethoven’s Symphony no 5. Excellence Framework, and RCM musicians performing at Whether it is exploring the music of the past, analysing how music affects our Buckingham Palace for HRH health in the present or using technology to improve performance skills, the RCM The Prince of Wales… Research community is producing world-leading outputs. In fact, the RCM has been named as the London conservatoire with the highest percentage of world- 8 Back to Wax leading research in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). See page 5 for RCM students have re-enacted more information on this prestigious result. the first complete recording of As usual, Upbeat brings you all the news from around the RCM, including our Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Find latest record-breaking Soirée d’Or and the RCM’s involvement in two Sky Arts out how… programmes: Portrait Artist of the Year and The Great Culture Quiz. 12 The Future of Music We’re always keen to hear from students past and present so if you have anything The RCM is revolutionising you’d like us to feature in the next issue of Upbeat, please send your news and teaching with a variety of pictures to [email protected] by Monday 27 April. technological advances. RCM NB: Please note that we cannot guarantee to include everything we receive and that Senior Recording Engineer Matt we reserve the right to edit submissions. Parkin explains how... 14 Meeting the supporters Upbeat meets RCM Friend Ken Goodwin... 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 births RCM Composition for Screen students’ recording session. See pages 8-13 for more information on recording projects at the RCM Upbeat online Upbeat is available online at www.rcm.ac.uk/upbeat Front cover – RCM musicians recording in the RCM Studios Please help us to reduce our carbon Inside front cover – The RCM International Opera School’s 2014 production of Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’. footprint and receive Upbeat by email. Inside back cover – Brett Dean conducting the RCM Symphony Orchestra during his recent residency at Contact us at [email protected] and the RCM in November 2014. we’ll send you an email notification All photography © Chris Christodoulou when Upbeat is published. 3 In the news... musicians. Six harpists, directed by harp Support for the evening was provided by Record-breaking professor Ieuan Jones, serenaded guests sponsorship from Campus Living Villages, in the entrance to the Medieval and developers of the RCM’s new hall of Soirée d’Or Renaissance Galleries with Ieuan’s residence, their partners Balfour Beatty arrangement of Poulenc’s L’embarquement and M&G, and donations from The RCM’s annual fundraising gala, Soirée pour Cythère. Styled for the occasion by GlaxoSmithKline. The RCM is also grateful d’Or, has raised a record-breaking royal dress designer Anna Valentine, the to Taittinger for continuing to support the £280,000 in aid of scholarships for harpists dazzled in Grecian style black and event, generously providing free talented RCM students. gold gowns. RCM pianist and BBC Young champagne for all guests. Musician winner Martin James Bartlett This year’s event was so popular that wowed the audience with his spirited Instrumental to the event’s success is the tickets sold out six months in advance. playing of Liszt’s Liebestraum, the third Soirée d’Or Committee, an external group Held at the V&A Museum on Wednesday movement from Prokofiev’s Sonata no 7 of donors led by Lady Carr, who dedicate 3 December the evening included a live and Moszkowski’s exciting Étincelles. endless hours of their time throughout auction, conducted by RCM Junior Soprano Natasha Day, resplendent in the year to selling tables, securing Department alumna Helena Newman, gold organza, and tenor Gyula Rab also sponsorship and attracting items for the Co-Head of Impressionist & Modern Art charmed and delighted guests with arias auction. We are very grateful to them for Worldwide at Sotheby’s. The five lots drew from La traviata, La rondine, La bohème all they do for the RCM. £60,000 in bids, while the 30 items listed and The Merry Widow. To close the in the silent auction raised a further evening, the RCM Chamber Choir If you would like information about the £40,000. performed Bob Chilcott’s arrangement of next Soirée d’Or, please contact Mary The Shepherd’s Carol, before leading the Cosgrave at [email protected] The highlight of the evening was the audience in enthusiastic renditions of four involvement of exceptional RCM popular carols. Natasha Day Photos © Steven Morris © Steven Photos 4 class centre for music research, Alumni Reunions RCM Recognised and demonstrate the institution’s strong commitment to research and Following the hugely successful RCM for World-leading innovation across both theory and alumni reunions in 2013 and 2014, practice. there will be two in 2015! Research Professor Colin Lawson, Director The first is planned for Tuesday 31 The Royal College of Music has been of the RCM, said ‘I am delighted that March from 11.30am to 3.30pm and named as the London conservatoire the results of the Research Excellence is open to alumni who studied at with the highest percentage of world- Framework have confirmed our position the RCM between 1930 and 1955. leading research in the 2014 Research as the No. 1 Conservatoire in London for The special event will include a short Excellence Framework (REF). research. Not only was the quality of concert by current RCM students, our research rated more highly than any a light ‘finger buffet’ lunch, and the The REF panel – which assesses the other London conservatoire, but so was opportunity to tour the RCM. quality of research in UK higher the strength of its impact on the wider To book your place, please contact education institutions – judged community. The REF result serves to the RCM Friends & Alumni team 34% of the overall quality of the confirm the RCM’s position as a natural on 020 7591 4331 or email RCM’s research to be world-leading, first choice for talented music students [email protected]. Tickets cost £20 significantly higher than any other from around the world.’ and booking closes on 20 March. conservatoire in London. In addition, the percentage of RCM research RCM Director of Research Richard The second reunion will be on Sunday outputs classed as world-leading is the Wistreich told us ‘This extremely strong 20 September for alumni who studied highest of all UK conservatoires. result for the RCM provides us with the at the RCM between 1956 and 1965. confidence and direction for the future If you are in touch with fellow The RCM also ranked highly for the development of our research strategy. students who have not heard from impact of its research, with 90% of I am particularly encouraged by the RCM in recent years then we its activity rated as world-leading the large number of our research probably do not have their current in this area. As a sector, UK music outputs that have been recognised as contact details so please ask them to conservatoires scored very strongly world leading, and also the very high evaluation we received for the beneficial email [email protected] or call 020 in this new category, highlighting the impact of our research. The RCM has 7591 4331 to avoid missing out. Look significance of their research for the wider world beyond academia. taken its mission to serve society as a out for further details of this event in whole very seriously since its foundation future editions of Upbeat. These results consolidate the in 1882, and this sits at the heart of our reputation of the RCM as a world- approach to research.’ RCM Named One of Top Ten International Music Schools The Royal College of Music has been named as one of the top ten music schools in the world by The Hollywood Reporter. Listed 10th in the Top 25 Music Schools, the RCM was ranked ahead of all other non-US institutions. The RCM was particularly praised for having professors from top London orchestras and offering masterclasses with internationally-acclaimed artists such as Hans Zimmer and soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The magazine ranks music institutions based on a survey of dozens of industry and academic insiders as well as an anonymous ranking system by the schools themselves. 5 In the news... The RCM at Buckingham Palace The Big Give Photo © Paul Burns © Paul Photo RCM musicians and members of Opera Other talented young members of Australia have given a special joint Opera Australia also featured as In December the Royal College of performance at Buckingham Palace soloists: soprano Kiandra Howarth Music participated in the 2014 Big hosted by His Royal Highness The and tenor Samuel Sakker (both also Give Christmas Challenge to raise Prince of Wales.