ISSUE #73 Newsletter The International Music School founded by Yehudi Menuhin Summer 2019 Registered Charity 312010 Welcome It is perhaps strange to be writing this Welcome message in the month when my own 14 year tenure at YMS as a Governor - the last eight of them as your Chairman - is coming to an end. But it does give me the opportunity to thank all readers, whether pupils, Opening Music House Extension with At the 2016 Gala with staff, parents, governors, alumni, Zamira Menuhin Benthall 2015 HRH Princess Alexandra Friends, benefactors or other stakeholders, for all your great palpable. By the time it ends, every and a Director of the LPO, with a contributions to our unique school pupil will have performed and every passion for music. His wife is a over this long period. member of the audience will have professional pianist, and together they experienced the extraordinary output have substantial experience of both The truth is that the School can only from all the intense teaching and education and business in China and flourish through the commitment learning over the past year. For the Far East as well as in the UK. you all demonstrate to Yehudi’s me, it will be the ideal inspirational vision of an international climax to my time as I am certain that YMS but homely community dedicated your Chairman, and will flourish under to musical excellence, and to the the right moment the excellent all-round education of exceptionally to pass on this leadership of both talented young people. immensely David Buckley and privileged post. Richard Tanner, and There are constant rewards for all of wish the School us through our service to the School, My successor, and all of you the but none greater than participation, David Buckley, is greatest future whether as performer or audience, in brilliantly qualified to David Buckley success. the end of year Summer Festival. As guide the School over I write, the curtain is about to rise on the next phase. Alongside a the 2019 Festival, and the sense of highly successful career in banking Richard Morris anticipation throughout the School is and finance, David is an organist Chairman of Governors WWW.MENUHINSCHOOL.CO.UK 1 SCHOOL LIFE SCHOOL LIFE 2 Competitions ALUMNI 12 Will had a very successful final term at YMS. He won the Adjudicator’s STAFF 13 Prize in the Gregynog Young Musician Competition 2019. Later in the term, MENUHIN HALL 14 he won First Prize in the Haslemere String Festival. Well done Will! DEVELOPMENT 16 Nathan reached the Final of the FRIENDS 18 Marjorie Humby Competition at the Royal College of Music. Yume won Second Prize in the Follow us! Postacchini Competition in Italy. If you are active on social media (or Claire reached the Finals of the would like to be) please have a look at our Anton Rubinstein International Piano various channels. Competition during the Easter holiday. Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for news, events and images, Congratulations to all! but best of all is our YouTube channel which we keep updated with awe-inspiring videos of our pupils playing Schubert, Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Howells and Masterclasses more. Through this channel you can watch and listen to our pupils in the comfort of The guitarists have felt thoroughly always an inspiration to our guitar your own home whenever you like. spoiled with masterclasses recently. pupils – and their teacher! Follow us on Twitter Following on from Czech maestro The violinists were treated to an @menuhinschool Pavel Steidl’s visit in February, this afternoon with Anthony Marwood term we have had two of the world’s following his stirring performance with Find us on Facebook greatest guitar teachers in quick duo partner Aleksandar Madžar in The @yehudimenuhinschool succession: Paolo Pegoraro, from the Menuhin Hall the previous evening. Subscribe to our YouTube Universitat für Musik und darstellende channel by searching for Kunst in Graz, and Jonathan The bassists were thrilled to welcome The Yehudi Menuhin School Leathwood from Denver University. back Paul Ellison who was visiting us We also update the news section of Paolo and Jonathan are regular from The Shepherd School of Music at our website regularly, so please visit supporters of YMS and their visits are Rice University in Houston, Texas. www.menuhinschool.co.uk/news to see what we are up to. CONTACT US The Yehudi Menuhin School Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3QQ 01932 864739 www.menuhinschool.co.uk 2 NEWSLETTER / SUMMER 2019 SCHOOL LIFE Out and about A busy calendar of concerts saw the pupils performing to audiences from all walks of life. Chamber music was to the fore as several venues had no piano. The first of these concerts was at the beautiful Hartsfield Manor in Betchworth where the Arensky Quartet and the Hermann Violin Trio were preceded by solo guitar for an audience of invited guests. The Arensky ensemble (Kingsley, Selina, Natasha, Özgür) had a second A shorter, more informal performance company next to St Paul’s Cathedral; outing later in the week when they was given for the Stoke d’Abernon Richard, Claire, Emili and Duru gave performed at the Banstead Arts Festival; Residents’ Association, arranged by stunning performances alongside the another quartet joined them Friend Sue Prentice. The spectacular view of Wren’s dome from at Banstead performing annual visit to the the balcony. Borodin’s second String Grotto at Painshill Quartet, and the encompassed the The last week of term was another second half of the usual three short busy one with the Summer Festival, concert was given concerts on but the pupils found time to perform at by the Orchestra one night and a a concert arranged by Surrey County performing longer concert the Council Chairman Tony Samuels at Schönberg’s following night. A the Council Chamber in Kingston in Verklärte Nacht. new venue for the joint support of Reigate and Banstead School was Sarasins, Women’s Aid and our own Student our asset management Hardship Fund. BBC Radio 3’s In Tune At the beginning of term a long- suggested performing a movement planned project came to fruition with from one of the concertos. Things performances of both of Chopin’s did not run so smoothly in practice Piano Concerti by alumnus Emmanuel however! Just as the ensemble (Mira, Despax with a quintet of string players Ezo, Darwin, Pere and Daniil) were from the School. Originally the plan about to set up for rehearsal the fire was for a Founder’s Day concert only, alarm went off – so everyone had but Emmanuel then arranged for an to leave their instruments and walk ensemble was given permission to additional performance at the home of down eight flights of stairs to the re-enter the building. However they Bob Boas who hosts many chamber pavement outside while the alarm was had to quickly climb the eight flights concerts for audiences of friends and investigated. A couple of fire engines back to the studio, and had 10 minutes contacts. went past….and Tom Service, who was in which to tune and do a very short presenting the show, was whisked balance test before they were on air! In Serendipity struck when Emmanuel off to the far reaches of the Radio 2 spite of the less-than-ideal preparation, was invited to appear on Radio 3’s In studios in order to begin the broadcast. their performance was described as Tune. As Bob Boas lives just round 5pm came and went (they had been ‘magical’, and Tom Service was very the corner from the BBC, Emmanuel due to play at 5.10) and at last the full of praise when they had finished. WWW.MENUHINSCHOOL.CO.UK 3 SCHOOL LIFE Founder’s Day Our Founder’s Day week was one of orchestra performing at Banstead on Perhaps most remarkable is that this the busiest all term. The celebrations the weekend! week also marked the start of public at the School began with alumnus examinations, so our pupils were Emmanuel Despax’s Chopin Concerti The Juniors’ Treasure Hunt was extremely busy revising alongside all concert with a quintet of pupils. postponed a week but that did not of their musical commitments. dampen their enthusiasm as they The next day everyone met in scouted for clues around the site! We are so proud of all of their The Menuhin Hall for incredible accomplishments, on and off a talk and film by the stage. Anton Weinberg about the legendary Hans Keller who taught at the School in Yehudi’s day. Afterwards, there was a wonderful concert with Boris, Tommy, Nigel and alumni Tetsuumi Nagata and Per Rundberg, followed by one of Jean’s delicious BBQs on the lawn. In addition to all of this, we had concerts at Hartsfield Manor, St Mary’s Church for the Stoke d’Abernon Residents’ Association and a piano duo at Little Slyfield, not to mention the 4 NEWSLETTER / SUMMER 2019 SCHOOL LIFE Community Engagement On the 27 June we held one of our largest scale events of the year with nearly 600 children coming to two concerts in The Menuhin Hall. They listened to our pupils play a varied set of works as Elliott Perks narrated their journey through music, culminating in a heart-warming performance of Oscar Perks’ setting of ‘London’s Burning’ with the chorus of children accompanied by the YMS Junior Orchestra. The occasion was made even more special by the fact that we welcomed Surrey Arts to hold a joyful Singing Picnic on our grounds before joining us for the concert in the Hall.