Issue 9 Autumn 2008 Inside this issue: Ukrainian pianist Sasha Grynyuk wins the 2008 Letter from the 2 Editor Guildhall Gold Medal Guildhall At Large 3 Research Special 4 Pianist Sasha Grynyuk has been Staff News 7 awarded the Guildhall School's Cross-Arts 8 most prestigious prize - The Gold Collaborations Medal - for his outstanding Student News 10 performance. Special Events 12 Reunions 13 The prize included a sum of one thousand pounds alongside the medal, Recent News of 14 Alumni & Friends generously donated by The Worshipful Over To You 16 Company of Musicians. Alexander In Memoriam 18 The three finalists - pianist Karpeyev, cellist Bartholomew LaFollette and pianist Sasha Grynyuk each performed a concerto with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra previously been Chief Conductor of the conducted by David Angus. Sasha's BBC Symphony Orchestra for eleven winning programme was Brahms's years; Costa Pilavachi, former president Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor, Op 15. of the Decca Music Group and current president of EMI Classics, he was also The final took place before a an artistic administrator for the Boston distinguished panel of judges Symphony Orchestra; Helen Wallace, including: Jonathan Vaughan, Director the consultant editor of BBC Music of Music at the Guildhall School; magazine and a freelance writer. conductor David Angus who currently holds the position of Honorary The runners-up Glass Trophy, Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra generously donated by The Worshipful of Flanders and conducts the Guildhall Company of Glass Sellers, was awarded www.gsmd.ac.uk Symphony Orchestra; Sir Andrew Davis, to Bartholomew LaFollette who one of the world's leading conductors, performed Walton's Cello Concerto. who is currently Music Director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago having IN THE COMING MONTHS, EXPECT TO SEE A LOT MORE OF… Dominic West Acting 1995 The 5th series of The Wire (HBO) has just started. This gritty drama has already developed a cult following in the UK, despite only being available on DVD (and now the FX channel). Dario Marianelli T tel: +44 (0)20 7628 2571 fax: +44 (0)20 7256 9438 +44 fax: (0)20 7628 2571 tel: +44 T Composition 1994 Winner of Best Original Score at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes for Atonement. Daniel Craig Acting 1991 Yes, Bond is back. Quantum of Solace is released in the UK on 31st October. Judy Craymer SMTT 1978 The film release of Mamma Mia!, the musical Judy knew she had to make, has been an enormous success and the press are fascinated with the three women who have made it all happen: Judy Craymer, Phyllida Lloyd and Catherine Johnson. SILK STREET, BARBICAN, LONDON EC2Y 8D LONDON SILK STREET, BARBICAN, GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA DRAMA & MUSIC OF SCHOOL GUILDHALL Guildhall School Newsletter Page 2 GUILDHALL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Letter from the editor A few weeks ago, I met with a group of volunteers from our alumni community to discuss what the School currently does for and with its alumni and to look at where we go from here. The discussion was free and open Each of them gave concrete and incredibly helpful. I cannot examples of how the skills and thank them enough. experience they gained at the Guildhall School have served them in The most striking thing that their careers, and each of them emerged during this discussion was answered questions that the the fact that a large proportion of students put to them directly, telling the group were puzzled about why them exactly what they wanted to the Guildhall School had taken such know. an interest in its alumni in the last two years, so I thought that I should But it’s not just the big names from try to explain. among our alumni that help the School to grow by sharing their By coming in to the School and The simplest explanation I can give is expertise and ‘feeding back’. watching recitals, plays and operas, that the involvement of our alumni providing our students with an community ‘nourishes’ the School. Last term, for instance, Helena Gaunt asked our alumni to help her audience who knows exactly what it What does that mean? look at the low number of children feels like, they support our students Well, in practical terms, having been learning double reed instruments, immeasurably. through the School and gone on to which is leading to a shortage of By talking to others about their time all of the enormously varied careers double reed players at a national at the School and what they learnt, that they have, both in the level. alumni become ambassadors for the performing arts As Guildhall alumni School, providing us with the kind of industries and The involvement of our teach and play at marketing we could not buy. elsewhere, our all levels, Helena I could go on. alumni alumni community was able to hold a So when a member of the Focus demonstrate the brainstorming ‘nourishes’ the School. Group said to me “But really you many paths open session with a just want our money, don’t you?” I to our students number of alumni What does that mean? was honestly able to say “No”. and by sharing volunteers (one of their experiences whom had travelled from Ireland) Of course donations are very with us, they help us to adapt to and double reeds specialists from important to the School and we are changes in the industries that in other institutions. Together they enormously grateful to anyone who which our current students will go looked at the problem in detail, its is willing and able to give financial on to seek employment. possible causes and how these issues support to the School and our Over the past year, our students might be addressed, both by the students. Each year a quarter of our have been able to hear first-hand Guildhall School and music students receive support from the about how one Composition education nationwide. We expect scholarships fund, many of whom graduate became one of the most to see some of their ideas being put would not be able to pursue their innovative and successful record to good use in the near future. studies here without this help. producers of all time (Sir George These are just a couple of examples Our alumni support the School in so Martin), a Stage Management to demonstrate how crucial the many ways; sometimes without even graduate went on to create a global involvement of our alumni is to the realising they are doing it. hit musical which is now a hit film future of Guildhall School, but there Thanks and best wishes, (Judy Craymer) and an Acting are other, seemingly small ways that Rachel Dyson graduate became an international Guildhall alumni make a great deal Alumni Relations Manager star of stage and screen (Ewan of difference to the School today. McGregor). ISSUE 9 Page 3 Guildhall At Large Chamber Music in Japan Singspiel in Weimar Students of the Guildhall School and the Royal Guildhall students scored a notable success in Weimar Academy of Music have recently returned from a where their production of Erwin und Elmire was received unique collaboration in Japan. with great acclaim. At the invitation of Suntory Hall, eight performers Erwin und Elmire is a two-act singspiel composed by Anna and a composer took part in the Rainbow 21 festival Amalia, Duchess of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, to a text by in Tokyo. This was the first time there has been the young Goethe, in 1776. overseas participation in this project designed to promote the best young talent in Japan. The Guildhall production, directed by Opera Studies Language Coach Norbert Meyn, was presented first in the The group gave four concerts in the greater Tokyo private Liebhabertheater at Schloss Kochberg, and on the area, including the Blue Rose Hall at Suntory Hall. following day, in the ballroom of the Stadtschloss in Weimar itself. Period costumes and wigs were kindly provided by the Deutschen Nationaltheater Weimar and the tour was made possible by support from the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. The production attracted a great deal of interest in view of Anna Amalia’s and Goethe’s strong associations with Weimar, and particularly as the score was the only musical item to survive a recent fire at the Anna Amalia library. Weimar is also the home town of Norbert Meyn. Experts in the audience commended the Guildhall performers for their outstanding singing and playing, and the way in which they captured the spirit of ‘Empfindsamkeit’. A film of the production is being made in Weimar to a soundtrack made in the School’s own recording studio. Members of the Cappa string quartet (above), led by David Coucheron, were joined by four instrumentalists from the Academy, and a Guildhall composition student, Ed Nesbit, wrote a new piece, Albedo, which was played twice on the tour. All combinations of players worked extremely well and the performances were well received by large audiences. Our thanks go to Mr Hara at Suntory Hall for extending the invitation and funding the trip, and to Caroline Palmer, Chamber Music Co-ordinator, and Nicola Mutton from the Royal Academy for organising the programme. Junior String Training - the African Connection During the past year, professors from the String Training Programme (STP) have forged informal links with two centres of music education in Africa – the Hout Bay Project in South Africa and the Bulawayo Music Academy in Zimbabwe. Both projects work with school-age string players and, against all the odds, are making a real difference to the lives of those young people fortunate enough to participate.