TRINITY LABAN CONSERVATOIRE /OF MUSIC & DANCE Alumni newsletter Autumn 2019 From left to right: Paul Mounsey, John Powell, Emlyn Singleton, Gavin Greenway and John Ashton Thomas SEVEN NEW TRINITY LABAN HONORARY FELLOWS The intimate event honouring Steve Reich began with a captivating rendition of his Electric Counterpoint, It’s been an exciting and busy time at Trinity Laban arranged for electric viola and performed by our own recently, and part of the buzz has been down to the Head of Strings, Professor Nic Pendlebury. Following seven new Honorary Fellowships we have awarded to the performance – which received a standing ovation composers who have revolutionised their industry and from the composer – Reich imparted his wisdom to inspired our students. students and staff in a thought-provoking Q & A. Professor Anthony Bowne then made a speech recognising Reich’s June saw Trinity Laban Principal Professor Anthony achievements: “The impact that [his] work has had on Bowne travel to Highclere Castle, the location of iconic today’s music making can hardly be overstated. He is TV show Downton Abbey, to present an Honorary responsible, perhaps more than anyone, for widening Fellowship to Emmy winning composer John Lunn. the audience of today’s classical music.” John has composed several operas and scored the music for multiple TV programmes and is probably best Later the same week, we welcomed John Powell, known for composing the music for Downton Abbey. Gavin Greenaway, Emlyn Singleton, Paul Mounsey The presentation formed part of an event called Downton and Trinity Laban professor of Composition John Ashton Abbey Live, attended by 5000 fans of the show. Thomas. Between them, our ‘Hollywood Five’ have had extraordinary careers in composition, performance, More recently, we were delighted to be able to host conducting, arranging and orchestration and still Steve Reich and five Hollywood musicians who are all collaborate; in fact, they worked together on the latest alumni of Trinity Laban (or Trinity College of Music as it Star Wars film Solo: A Star Wars Story. Before receiving was then) and present them with Honorary Fellowships their awards from Trinity Laban Governor, alum and as part of our Festival of New Music, a week of eclectic President of Decca Records UK Rebecca Allen, the five Composition Department activities. took part in an entertaining conversation in the Laban Theatre with Head of Composition Dominic Murcott and postgraduate student Megan Storer at the helm. trinitylaban.ac.uk/alumni NEW STEINWAYS AND SUPPORT INNOVATORS REWARDED BY FOR TRANSITIONS DANCE COMPANY TRINITY LABAN’S NEW SCHEME Following the arrival earlier in the year of top-quality pianos funded by Trinity College London (TCL), we hosted a VIP event to formally open one of the newly We’ve always known that Trinity Laban students refurbished practice rooms and to thank TCL for are a creative bunch. Many are entrepreneurial too, their generosity. starting their own collectives, showing their own work and making a name for themsleves even before they The Trinity College London Room is named in memory graduate. It can be hard, though, to crack into the of Alan Britten CBE, who gave many years of dedicated industry without an injection of money and guidance service as a trustee of both Trinity Laban and TCL. It from someone who’s already been there. is one of six rooms which house the new pianos (five Steinways and a Yamaha), enabling our students to Last year, we decided to harness the creativity of our rehearse and perform on the very best instruments. student body in the TL Innovation Award. We asked final-year students to propose original projects. The ceremony was attended by Alan’s wife, daughters Six projects were chosen and we are now supporting and granddaughter, alongside TCL Executives. Christos the recipients to turn their ambitions into reality with Fountos, who recently completed his Masters in Music the help of funding and mentorship from industry and benefited from a TCL scholarship during his studies experts who are all alumni. delighted the guests with a recital. The projects are diverse, ranging from a bid to connect Five members of Trinity Laban’s Keyboard department youth musicians up with community projects, a – Head of Department Sergio De Simone (pictured above), collective of 11 dance artists hoping to give women Martino Tirimo, Penelope Roskell, Deniz Arman Gelenbe, a platform for creative expression and an integrated Alexander Ardakov and Philip Fowke – then performed, concert and recording series to highlight work by demonstrating the talent among our teaching staff. recently graduated composers. During the evening, Professor Anthony Bowne reflected One recipient of the award, Sahra Gure, who recently on the long-standing relationship between Trinity Laban won The Musicians’ Company 2019 Young Jazz and TCL and our mutual mission to promote and Musician Award, was aiming to release an EP of her own support musical performance and education worldwide. work. She has already released a single, Better Dream, and her EP is launching later this month. Reflecting on We are also delighted that Transitions Dance Company her studies, she said: “I have met so many wonderful has received extensive scholarship support this year. people over the years studying at Trinity Laban and it’s Thanks to the generous support of the Leverhulme hard to say whether I would have achieved as much as Trust, The Newling Scholarship, Headley Trust, South I have had I not been here at this time.” Square Trust and Mercers Company, students from India, the USA, Italy, France and Switzerland, as well as The scheme has been a great success so far, and we’re home-grown talent from the UK, have been able to take looking forward to seeing what this year’s cohort of up their places on the MA in Dance Performance. students has in store for us. Over the coming year, the company will perform a mixed bill of new, innovative dance work specially commissioned from choreographers H2DANCE, Cameron McMillan and Elisa Pagani. We hope to see you on this year’s tour! 2 MOVERS AND SHAKERS IN A SUMMER OF REUNIONS THE FACULTY OF DANCE Chris Cox shared with us a lovely account of a reunion The new academic year often brings with it new things – he organised for alumni who studied at Trinity College faces, names, programmes. This year was no different in of Music. Chris, who is now living in Australia, studied the Faculty of Dance, particularly given the arrival of the piano at TCM, graduating in 1988. The reunion took first students on our brand-new BSc in Dance Science. place at an old haunt, The Angel in the Fields pub, just down the road from Mandeville Place with alumni Our new programme needed a new Programme invited from all years at TCM. Leader, and we were delighted to welcome Sonia Rafferty (pictured above left), who has been a member Chris admitted to feeling a ‘degree of trepidation’ before of the Dance Faculty since 1991. Sonia completed her the event, wondering whether anyone would turn up and BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre at the Laban Centre in 1983, if they did whether he would recognise them. He needn’t before becoming a founding member of Transitions have worried as the first people who arrived were two Dance Company the following year. In 2004, she was old friends who he hadn’t seen for over 35 years. People part of the first cohort for Trinity Laban’s MSc Dance arrived thick and fast after that and soon the reunion Science, graduating with Distinction. had taken over the pub. Sonia’s clear desire to be at the cutting edge of The feeling of warmth felt in meeting old friends also developments in dance, whether as a dance artist, extended across the generations of alumni who hadn’t researcher or educator, make her an excellent addition previously met. Chris commented that “such is the bond to our Faculty. Professor Emma Redding, Head of between former Trinity [College of Music] students. If Dance Science, praised Sonia for her “extensive you are friends with one, you are friends with all and knowledge of safe dance practice, alongside what better epithet can there be than that?” professional performance and choreographic experience at the highest level.” He says that the reunion was the highlight of his trip, “I have such wonderful memories now of June 2019, Elsewhere in the Faculty of Dance, Dr Naomi Lefebvre the year I reformed connections with friends from so Sell (pictured above right), who has been teaching at long ago that I have so often thought about…” Trinity Laban for nearly 15 years, was made Programme Leader for the MA /MFA Creative Practice. Originally Also, this summer a group of dance alumni organised hailing from Canada, Naomi’s credentials are extensive. a reunion to celebrate 20 year since they graduated. The dancer, choreographer and researcher holds a Before the all-important socialising some of them were BFA in Dance from Simon Fraser University and an able to enjoy visits to look round Laurie Grove, where MA in Choreography and a PhD in Creative Practice they had studied, and the Laban Building at Creekside. from Trinity Laban. She is a Senior Fellow of The Higher Education Academy and her work has been widely If you are planning a reunion and would like to find published in academic journals. out how we can support you get in touch: [email protected] We’re delighted about both appointments and we wish Sonia and Naomi every success in their new roles. TRINITYLABAN.AC.UK/ENCORE 3 FROM MUSIC ALUMNI NEWS Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy Serefina Steer (BMus harp, 2004) (BA Musical Theatre, 2018) and released her new album The Mind Basil Athanasiadis (BMus Matthew Campbell (FDA 2011, Is A Trap.