The Magazine for the Royal College of MusicI Spring 2010 Interviewing the Interviewer Sir Michael Parkinson tells Upbeat why he’s supporting the RCM What’s inside... Welcome to upbeat… Higher education funding – or rather, the lack of it – has been hitting the headlines repeatedly in recent months. So how will this damage the hopes of Contents current and future RCM students? Well, hopefully it won’t at all, as the RCM has dramatically stepped up its own fundraising efforts to try to plug the gap. 4 In the news This issue of Upbeat focuses on just a few of the ways we’re trying to ensure Updating you on recent that current and future generations of RCM students can enjoy the same high College activities, including award successes and recent level of teaching and support as their illustrious predecessors. collaborations On page 9 you can meet the RCM’s new fundraising team. Then on pages 9 New developments 10-11 you can hear from Sir Michael Parkinson, who we’re delighted to say has An introduction to the RCM’s new offered his wholehearted support to the RCM. He explains why he was moved Development team to become the face of the new improved RCM Friends scheme, and spills the beans on his own performing career! On pages 12-13 you can take a peek 10 Sir Michael Parkinson backstage at the RCM International Opera School, to find out how we’re raising Upbeat chats to the master of the funds for this particularly intensive (and expensive!) area of study. Finally, on interview about his love of music pages 14-15 you can read about a few of the ways that our supporters provide and his involvement with the RCM vital support for our students. 12 Behind the scenes Of course as usual, the rest of Upbeat is full of news from RCM staff, students A look at the RCM International Opera School and some of its key and alumni, who it seems have been busier than ever keeping our minds off all supporters this financial doom and gloom, and entertaining us in a great variety of ways! 14 How to support us We are always keen to hear from students and staff past and present, so if you More about how you can get have anything you’d like us to feature in the next issue of Upbeat, send your involved and help support the news and pictures in to [email protected] by 10 May 2010. work of the RCM NB: Please note that we cannot guarantee to include everything we receive and that we 16 Student notes reserve the right to edit submissions. Recent success stories from our talented students 18 Staff notes The latest news from RCM staff 20 Alumni notes Updates from RCM graduates 22 Births, marriages and obituaries Soirée d’Or 2009 Front cover – Sir Michael Parkinson, Honorary Patron of the new RCM Friends scheme. Inside front cover – Images from a recent visit by Vladimir Jurowski, who directed RCM orchestras as part of the Alfred Schnittke: Between Two Worlds festival. Soirée d’Or 2009 Inside back cover – Marvin Stamm performing with the RCM Big Band in November. 3 In the news... and was played for the first time in a this dodgasted thing if you laugh?’ I went Elgar’s trombone performance of his piece The Dream of out of the room as quickly as I could and Gerontius at the Royal Festival Hall. sat on the stairs, clinging to the banisters till the pain eased, but it was no good. I The trombone’s link to the composer couldn’t stop there as he went on making and its discovery make a compelling comic noises, so I went downstairs out of story which Sue Addison has uncovered ear-shot for a bit.” Photograph: Joe Plommer Photograph: - including the fact that Elgar didn’t play it very well. Elgar gave the trombone to the YMCA’s Music Section in 1918 after they She says: “Elgar began to learn the appealed for instruments to send to trombone at the age of 43. In 1900 when British troops to raise morale. Elgar, then he was writing Gerontius, he wrote to his 63, wrote: “This trombone has clinging publisher ‘PS I’m learning the trombone…’ to it happy memories of my youthful and drew a sketch of himself playing music-making. But why should I keep it it. He later said he wasn’t sure whether for sentiment when the ‘boys’ can put it he was worse on the typewriter or the to use?” trombone, exclaiming ‘… don’t ask me to play the latter’.” The trombone was ‘missing in action’ Sue Addison with Elgar’s trombone until it was found at the Ealing Branch Elgar’s friend Dora Penny wrote of a visit of the YMCA in 1934, following adverts November 2009 saw the first outing to the composer: “On one occasion he in national newspapers to locate it and of Edward Elgar’s trombone since the got up and fetched a trombone that was place it in a national collection. The composer’s death in 1934. standing in a corner and began trying to YMCA then donated the trombone to play passages in the score. He didn’t do it the Royal College of Music. The instrument, which can usually be very well and often played a note higher found in the Royal College of Music’s or lower than the one he wanted… and The OAE’s performance ofGerontius Museum of Instruments, was loaned as he swore every time that happened was a rare opportunity to hear the piece out in exceptional circumstances to the I got into such a state of hysterics that I performed on original instruments Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s didn’t know what to do. Then he turned with the same pitch and the same sized Principal Trombone, Sue Addison, on me: ‘How can you expect me to play orchestra Elgar would have used. The RCM Museum doubles up The Royal College of Music’sMuseum The Independent on Sunday named the of Instruments has doubled its RCM Museum of Instruments as one opening hours, offering more people of the top 20 heritage sites in ‘Secret the chance to see one of the country’s Britain’, and described it as “The definitive most important collections of musical place in Britain to see the history of music- instruments and portraits. making”. Treasures of the collection include the clavicytherium, the world’s The museum will now be open during oldest strung keyboard instrument, and College term time from 11.30am to Hardy’s famous portrait of Haydn. 4.30pm from Tuesday to Friday. across the Commonwealth. The highly Victory at the distinguished jury for the inaugural competition included Maria Ewing, VOBOs Grace Bumbry and Julian Joseph. Student Peter Brathwaite has won the £10,000 Samuel Coleridge Taylor Award Peter, who studies at the RCM’s at the Black British Classical Foundation International Opera School, won the VOBO (Voice of Black Opera) awards. award for the best performance of an opera aria written by a black composer. The new competition, set to take The award is named in honour of the place every two years, is open to composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor, the professional or final-year student celebrated RCM alumnus. singers of black and Asian heritage from Peter Brathwaite 4 Recognition for The RCM Success for RCM Director strikes silver Handelfest We are pleased to announce that the Royal College of Music has recently been awarded Silver status under the Healthy Orchestra Charter. The Charter is a joint initiative by the Association of British Orchestras and the Musicians Benevolent Fund, aimed at creating an industry- wide standard of care for the health of orchestral musicians and management. The RCM is only the second recipient of Silver status since the launch of the charter (the first being the Royal Opera House), and was granted the award after Professor Colin Lawson rigorous examination. RCM Performance Coordinator Jess Pearce received the Professor Colin Lawson, Director of award on behalf of the RCM at the ABO the Royal College of Music, was recently Conference in Glasgow in February. awarded the honour of Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music. If you are interested in learning more about the Charter please visit From 15 to 24 October the Royal College He was presented with his award by www.abo.org.uk/Information/ of Music’s Britten Theatre played host Professor Linda Merrick, Vice-Principal of Healthy-Orchestra/ to Handelfest, English Touring Opera’s the RNCM, at a ceremony in the College’s celebration of five of Handel’s most Concert Hall on Thursday 10 December. brilliant operatic works. RNCM President Sir Willard White No fewer than ten RCM alumni were presided over the ceremony. singing in the operas, including the likes of Katherine Manley, Rachel Nicholls, Clint van der Linde and Angelica Voje, was an incredible achievement for such all of whom received high praise from a Zone One Brass a young band, formed just seven years number of critics. ago by RCM students. The RCM’s resident ensemble Zone One Current RCM student Paula Sides Brass recently became the first London- RCM Head of Brass Nigel Black performed in two of the operas. She was based brass band to reach the finals of comments: “I am immensely proud of described as one of the “real stars” by National Brass Band Championships of Zone One’s achievements in reaching the the Guardian, while The Times said that Great Britain.