ISSUE #71 Newsletter The International Music School founded by Yehudi Menuhin Autumn 2018 Registered Charity 312010 Welcome In early November, a film crew spent a few days at YMS shooting footage for a new 4 minute video for our website. It was time for a new film as the youngest pupils who featured in the previous one graduated from the School in the summer. Furthermore, our music facilities have been transformed over recent years and our boarding provision and grounds have been improved. The difficulty was not deciding what to include in the new film, but working out how to paint an accurate picture of life at the School with so much those special and eagerly anticipated of everything YMS gives us, and unavoidably having to be omitted. events that punctuate the YMS school a strong sense of purpose and of Although many of the roses were still year? Founder’s Day, Junior School community. in bloom, the weather was no longer plant sale, primary schools’ concerts, good enough for outdoor picnics and Summer Festival, Activities Day, Jazz We should also all of us humbly barbecues. The successful orchestral Party, Bonfire Night, Remembrance acknowledge how privileged we are to tour to Spain, though on everyone’s Day, Christmas Concerts and Party: be here, and understand the part we lips, was just a memory, as were none of these got a look in. each play in ensuring the continued countless concerts, masterclasses, success of the School for generations workshops, weekend outings, Duke of I hope that the film will convey, to come. Edinburgh expeditions and significant through a series of interviews with visits from musicians and delegations staff and pupils, the essence of what Kate Clanchy from abroad, most recently from it is like to live, work and study at the Head Japan and China. And how about Menuhin School, a warm appreciation WWW.MENUHINSCHOOL.CO.UK 1 SCHOOL LIFE SCHOOL LIFE 2 From the Chairman of Governors ALUMNI 12 As I write, we are approaching the end of 2018 and it’s a good time to STAFF 13 take stock of a momentous year in the history of our unique school. MENUHIN HALL 14 The year began with the arrival DEVELOPMENT 16 of Kate Clanchy as our new Head, complementing the appointment FRIENDS 17 of Òscar Colomina i Bosch as the School’s new Director of Music which had taken effect from the start of the academic year. The pace of change Follow us! amongst the leadership team has accelerated ever since with the If you are active on social media (or arrivals of David Bruce (Director of would like to be) please have a look at our Studies), Joanne Field (Housemistress facilities that it needs. To this end, various channels. and Head of Pastoral Care), Shelley a masterplan has already been Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Twitchin (Bursar) and Alix de Mauny created and approved in principle by Instagram for news, events and images, (Director of Development). As a result Governors. We are also at the early but best of all is our YouTube channel we now have a completely fresh stages of some exciting which we keep updated with awe-inspiring and highly qualified team to take us international developments. videos of our pupils playing Schubert, forward into 2019 and beyond. Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Howells and more. Through this channel you can watch Overhanging everything is the and listen to our pupils in the comfort of Meanwhile, both musically and uncertainty of the UK’s future your own home whenever you like. academically the School has continued relationship with Europe and thus to excel. While our remarkable with the world as a whole. As a Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @menuhinschool successes in both the Menuhin small international community, these Competition and the BBC Young political and economic issues are of Find us on Facebook Musician Competition hit the headlines, disproportionate importance. @yehudimenuhinschool there has been a whole series of In navigating such turbulent waters, Subscribe to our YouTube superb musical outcomes for all of our we will continue to be guided by the channel by searching for pupils. The major tour to Spain this fundamental principles laid down by The Yehudi Menuhin School term represented a highly successful our Founder: bringing together the We also update the news section of our expansion of our European presence. most talented young musicians from website regularly, so please visit In both GCSEs and A Levels, the all over the world and educating them www.menuhinschool.co.uk/news School achieved comfortably over to emerge as rounded human beings to see what we are up to. 60% A-A* results. with exceptional capacity to contribute to the common good. CONTACT US Both the opportunities and the challenges ahead are considerable. Richard Morris The Yehudi Menuhin School Despite all the new building Chairman of Governors Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3QQ over recent years, and a major 01932 864739 refurbishment programme this year, the School must continue to develop www.menuhinschool.co.uk its estate to provide the quality of 2 NEWSLETTER / AUTUMN 2018 SCHOOL LIFE Competitions Once again, our pupils have had an impressive term of competition success. SongHa Choi won the Grand Prize in the String section (ex aequo with a cellist) in the Berliner International Music Competition. As part of the prize, SongHa played in the Winner’s Gala Concert in the Berliner Philharmonic Hall in September. Ezo Dem Sarici won 3rd prize in Competition in France. As the Will Duerden won 1st Prize in the the Virtuoso and Belcanto Chamber competition is open to international Peter Morrison Concerto Competition Competition in Italy. She was also violinists aged 26 years and younger, - part of the Royal College of awarded the Paganini at 17, Claire was one of the youngest Music Junior Division’s Prize and received a to earn a place in the Finals. She internal competition mention for being also won the Special Prize for best series. the youngest interpretation of a French sonata. competitor. Eddie Mead has Claire was accompanied by Svitlana won a place in the Elfida Turan Kosenko, who was named as most National Youth won 3rd Prize in outstanding accompanist. Orchestra of Great the Ilona Fehér Britain. International Violin Competition in Gorka Plada Girón won 2nd Budapest. Prize in the International Piano Competiton for Young Musicians in Claire Wells won 3rd Prize in the Amsterdam. Mirecourt International Violin Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam 2018 Duru Erdogan and Stefanija Nikolich travelled to Holland to perform in the Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam. They played a programme of Busoni and Schumann and were by far the youngest performers at the Festival. After the performance they participated in a discussion panel and both girls distinguished themselves and the School by speaking articulately and with maturity. WWW.MENUHINSCHOOL.CO.UK 3 SCHOOL LIFE The Spanish Tour A music, cultural and gastronomical adventure for the orchestra Music, Òscar Colomina i Bosch, and he of Zaragoza which took in the Basilica took care to make sure that everyone de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Catedral would learn something of Spanish del Salvador and Palacio de Aljaferia. culture as well as giving performances. After lunch (and rest), the pupils went to the concert venue to be reunited The tour really began in Richmond with their instruments and to prepare on Saturday 20 October, with a for the evening concert at the Auditorio performance for the charity Rainbow de Zaragoza. The audience was small Fund for South Africa which was but appreciative, and even during warmly received by the audience. When the rehearsal the Artistic Director of the orchestra returned to the School, the venue was so impressed with the the instruments were carefully packed quality that he issued an invitation to into one of the minibuses and Tamas return for further concerts. Reti and Cathy Whitnall drove off into the night to get a head start on the On Tuesday we proceeded to Òscar’s pupils, who flew at a more civilised home city of Valencia, where we hour on Sunday. Everyone was reunited encountered paella for the first time. Thirty-three pupils and five members of in the evening at Zaragoza for a good To the pupils’ delight it was served staff set out on Sunday 21 October for night’s sleep. as a help-yourself buffet. After a bit a tour of concert halls in North-Eastern of rest, the meal was walked off Spain. The programme had been On Monday the tour guide, Adriana during a tour of the central part of planned by our (Spanish) Director of Matich, led the group on a walking tour Valencia, including some very modern 4 NEWSLETTER / AUTUMN 2018 SCHOOL LIFE architecture. We were delighted to see ex-pupil Margarita Canto Wolteche during this visit. On Wednesday Òscar led a walking tour into the old city, giving us historical information to go with the buildings that we saw. These included the Museu Nacional de Ceràmica and some indoor markets. Lunch was at the distinctly non-Spanish Hard Rock Café (burgers, of course) – it was interesting to see how much of American food culture has invaded Spain. The evening’s concert was at the Conservatorio Superior de Valencia - a large audience this time, including Òscar’s former teachers and home of Spain’s greatest cellist). was streamed to a secondary auditorium colleagues and some local fans. For After some free time in the afternoon, and the café-bar. Guest of honour at the supper we sampled another Spanish there was a rehearsal before the evening first concert was Paloma O’Shea, a close tradition – tapas – of which there was concert.