Upbeat Issue 85

UPBEAT

Spring 2020 Issue No. 85

It’s CYM’s 50th Birthday Year!

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LSSO 2020 Season

Barbican Concert Hall – 7.30pm

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Monday 27 April 2020 7.30 pm Tickets* £10, £16, £22, £28 *Booking fees apply

‘a touch of the miraculous…’

The Daily Telegraph

In this issue...

LSSO Concert Dates 2020

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From the Saturday Centre...

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CYM@50 GALA CONCERT

3

Forthcoming Events

4

Gala Alumni & Performers

4-5

A CYM Year in the Life of…

6-7

Recorders

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Guitars 9 PROMS Connections

10-11

Piano 12-13 LSSO at the Barbican Woodwind & Brass

14-15 16

Bassoon Reed Making Workshop 17

Star Crossed Lovers Music inspired by Romeo and Juliet Tchaikovsky Fantasy Overture: Romeo and Juliet Bellini Aria and Duet from The Capulets and The Montagues Gounod Duet from Romeo and Juliet Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Conductor Dominic Wheeler

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Percussion 20

Bellini Laura Peresivana, Jessica Ouston and Chuma Sijeqi

22-23

Gounod Olivia Miller Boen and Brenton Spiteri

Available from the Barbican Box Office and quote special code below

Free Tickets for Schools

Special Ticket Offer

Why not tell your school about our special offer?

Available when booking by phone or in person only.

Up to 30 tickets per school are available FREE for any London school to bring the students to the Barbican!

Please quote the date of the concert as the booking code in order to receive a £3 reduction on any ticket price!

e.g. LSSO/CYM 270420

Tuesday 22 September Repertoire to be confirmed Conductor Peter Ash

LSSO Summer Tour to Spain: 27 July – 4 August, based in Valladolid & Salamanca

For more information about the LSSO see pages 14 & 15

UPBEAT Spring 2020

Music in the City

Gamelan 21

Tickets £10-£28

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With soloists from Guildhall School

In collaboration with the Shakespeare Schools Foundation

Ask your teacher or c to contact the CYM office Musi of Head

Young at Heart

Singer Songwriter & Music Tech

Strings 24-25 Voice & Stagecraft

26-27

Alumni Interviews

28-29

Composition Workshops

30-31

Friends of CYM (FCYM)

32-33

Folk 34-35 Front Cover: Edit Surpickaja, focusdown.co.uk Editors: Nicy Roberts & Nigel Tudman Photography: Julia Mustard, Judith Robinson, Robert Masek, Eric Levenez Design & Print: The Blue Moose Graphic Company

Centre for Young Musicians Morley College 61 Westminster Bridge Rd London SE1 7HT Tel 020 7928 3844 Fax 020 7928 3454 info@cym.org.uk http://www.cym.org.uk CYM is part of the network of Centres for Advanced Training funded and developed by the Department for Education’s Music and Dance Scheme (MDS). The scheme is for young people who have exceptional talent, potential and an interest in eventually pursuing a career in music.

From the Saturday Centre...

S

o we have arrived at CYM’s 50th Birthday year!

Students and parents/carers received an email from me in January and therefore the following will be familiar to them, but I am taking this opportunity to reach the wider CYM community as well, so that we can all make sure that as many people as possible engage with this very significant milestone for the organisation, and indeed for music education in London.

Planning for the Gala Concert in the Barbican Hall on Wednesday 10 June is on track and tickets are already available from the Barbican Box Office. It is important for us to achieve a “sell out” so that we can not only make it a celebratory event but also raise a substantial amount of money on the night too. Even with generous giving of time and services by numerous people the costs of such a concert will be significant and I therefore ask you all to not only come along yourselves but also to spread the word as widely as possible among your friends, relations and work colleagues so that together we can make this a memorable and highly successful occasion. he concert will highlight not only the talents and skills of current CYM students but also those of CYM’s impressive alumni, including Christopher WarrenGreen conducting the final work, Jonathan Dove’s There Was a Child (especially arranged by Jonathan), Vashti Hunter as soloist in Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C (1st movement), John Lenehan taking one of the

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solo piano parts in Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, and newly commissioned brass fanfares composed by Richard Causton and James Moriarty.

Other alumni will be involved as instrumentalists and chorus members.

CYM@50 is not just about that one day but will be celebrated throughout the year, followed by LSSO@70 events in 2021 – all under the Young at Heart umbrella. On page 33 you can see how FCYM began celebrating already back in November!

Donations to the Young at Heart campaign can be made now on the CYM website (https://cym.org.uk/ support-us/young-at-heart/) and any contribution of any size, from individuals, businesses and other organisations, will help in our aim to future-proof access to CYM activities and opportunities for every child who wishes it.

The sense of community at CYM is one of its great assets and 2020 provides a platform for us all to proudly shout out about what has been achieved in the past, what is happening right now, and what we will do in the future.

A time for celebration!

Geoffrey Harniess – Head of CYM (London)

Young at Heart Celebrating 120 years of excellence in youth music

Centre for Young Musicians 50th Anniversary Gala Wednesday 10 June 2020, Barbican Evening celebration headlined by a specially created Anniversary Orchestra and Choir, featuring CYM alumni performing alongside current CYM students.

7.30pm – 9.30pm Conductors: Christopher Warren-Green, Peter Ash Cello soloist: Vashti Hunter Programme to include: “There Was a Child” - Jonathan Dove “Carnival of the Animals” - Saint-Saëns Tickets: £5 - £60 UPBEAT Spring 2020 www.cym.org.uk/whats-on

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Forthcoming events Lunchtime concerts at 1.10pm at Notre Dame School (ND) & Morley College (MC) Sat 22 February

Undergraduate Fair (ND) Strings (MC) Woodwind & Brass (MC)

Sat 29 February

Recorders (MC) Guitars (MC)

CYM @ 50

Sat 7 March

GALA CELEBRATIONS

Sat 14 March

The CYM GALA Celebration event will take place at the Barbican on 10 June 2020 so come and join us as we celebrate 50 years of music making by talented young people across London. Now is the time to book your tickets for the GALA EVENING CONCERT! Prices range from £5 - £60 and you can book online at www.cym.org.uk/whats-on

Voice (ND)

Chamber Ensembles (MC) Songwriter & Music Tech (MC)

THU 19 March – 7.30pm

CYM CHAMBER CONCERT St Mary-at-Hill EC3R 8EE

Sat 21 March

LAST DAY OF TERM Open rehearsal for all Composition (MC) – 2.00pm Stagecraft (ND) – 3.15pm

SAT 28 MARCH

Piano Duet Morning (MC) CYM ANNUAL CONCERT 7.00pm St Alfege, Greenwich

Sat 25 April

SUMMER TERM BEGINS

Mon 27 April

LSSO Barbican Concert 7.30pm

WED 10 JUNE – Barbican

CYM@50 GALA CONCERT 7.30pm plus all day events

The day will begin at Milton Court Concert Hall where local school children will be invited to attend workshops and masterclasses led by CYM tutors and alumni; followed by a Gala Evening Concert, 7.30pm at the Barbican, headlined by the CYM Anniversary Orchestra and Choir – a specially created ensemble to mark the 50th anniversary of the organisation – featuring alumni players and conductors alongside current CYM students. We are delighted that the CYM anniversary orchestra will perform a work by CYM alumnus Jonathan Dove, as well as Saint-Saëns’ wonderfully humorous Carnival of the Animals.

Calling all CYM Alumni

You are invited to take part in

CYM GALA Celebration 10 June 2020 at Barbican If you haven’t been in touch yet, please email: alumni@cym.org.uk AND tell everyone you know too!

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UPBEAT Spring 2020

KEY CYM ALUMNI taking part in 50th Birthday GALA… CHRISTOPHER WARRENGREEN – conductor

Christopher Warren-Green is Music Director of both, the Charlotte Symphony in North Carolina and Music Director and Principal Conductor of the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO). In the 19/20 season, he leads the London Chamber Orchestra on an extensive tour of South-East Asia, which follows various engagements in the Far East. The LCO opened their London season featuring music by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Daniel Kidane, and new orchestrations of songs

by Prince Albert commemorating 200 years since his birth.

In addition to his international commitments, he has been invited to conduct by the Royal Family on many

JONATHAN DOVE composer

Few, if any, contemporary composers have so successfully or consistently explored the potential of opera to communicate, to create wonder and to enrich people’s lives.

Born in 1959 to architect parents, Dove’s early musical experience came from playing the piano, organ and viola.

Later he studied composition with Robin Holloway at Cambridge and, after graduation, worked as a freelance accompanist, repetiteur, animateur and

JOHN LENEHAN – piano

occasions, including the two recent Royal weddings, with the Philharmonia Orchestra for HM The Queen’s 90th birthday concert at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, as well as HRH The Prince of Wales’ 60th birthday concert in Buckingham Palace.

A violinist by training, his early education began as a member of the London Schools Symphony Orchestra, and he eventually took up the position Concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra. He has recorded extensively for Sony, Philips,Virgin EMI, Chandos, Decca and Deutsche Grammophon, and records with the LCO for Signum Classics.

When I was growing up in London, everyone was in a church choir, it’s what you did; I was a chorister at Westminster Boys’ Grammar and my weekends were music, music, music. I played the piano as a child and started learning the violin aged 13 after being inspired by the Beatles who were using string quartets. I then listened to a piece by Vaughan Williams called Fantasia on the Theme of Thomas Tallis and that was that, I was sold. I got into the London Schools Symphony Orchestra, which was fully funded by the education authority, and that became my life.Talk about taking a young boy off the streets.

arranger. His early professional experience gave him a deep understanding of singers and the complex mechanics of the opera house. Opera and the voice have been the central priorities in Dove’s output throughout his subsequent career. Jonathan Dove was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen's 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music.

Dove’s continued enthusiasm, talent and energy for working with children, young people and communities to create engaging works has led to commissions from choirs, orchestras and opera companies around the world.

Writing music for children, young people and the community to sing and play is truly one of the great joys in my life. It’s particularly rewarding to bring amateurs and professionals together. I am delighted to receive this honour and pleased that music and creativity has been recognised as important to all of us.

He recalls: As a teenager, I played viola in the LSSO. It was the highlight of my musical and social life, and, as it turned out, it was a fantastic education for a composer. One of the most exciting things we did was to tour the USA with conductor Simon Rattle, who then was not much older than the players. He made us late for one rehearsal by insisting we all had one more ride on the Disneyland Matterhorn.

With more than 70 albums to his credit, reflecting an enormous variety of genres and styles, John Lenehan ranks as one of the most versatile pianists on the classical scene today.

Praised by the New York Times for his “great flair and virtuosity” he has appeared in concerts throughout the world from Abu Dhabi to Zurich and from Aberdeen to Zimbabwe, collaborated with some of the leading instrumentalists of our time and is recognised as an outstanding and versatile chamber musician.

John Lenehan also composes, with works published by Faber, Novello and Schotts. He has written and arranged for a long list of orchestras and soloists including Nigel Kennedy, Tasmin Little and Nicola Benedetti. His interest in the combination of music and film has been long-standing and he has written and arranged more than 20 film scores performed in Festivals throughout the UK. He continues to present film and music programmes, reviving the art of the improvising pianist – the most recent including the silent films of Laurel and Hardy.

An extract from an article entitled ‘My perfect weekend: Christopher Warren-Green’ published in The Telegraph on 9 Dec 2011.

VASHTI HUNTER, cellist

In 2012,Vashti Hunter became the first British cellist ever to be awarded a prize at the International Cello Competition ‘Prague Spring’ in its 65 year history, playing the Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra in Dvořák’s Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague.

Much in demand as both soloist and chamber musician, Vashti has performed in Festivals in the UK and overseas and collaborated with eminent artists including Steven Isserlis, Martha Argerich, and Ivry Gitlis. She is principal cellist of the Kammerakadamie Potsdam and is invited regularly to play with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

In 2010 Vashti co-founded Trio Gaspard together with Greek/Albanian violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha and German pianist Nicholas Rimmer, winning first prizes in the “Haydn” and “Joachim” international competitions.

From October 2017 she began teaching chamber music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and cello at the Hochschule für Musik,Theater undUPBEAT Medien Spring in Hannover.

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A CYM Year in the Life of…

Sebastian-Benedict Flore

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ear 11 was a full and exciting year for me. In January 2019, I was asked to play the Harmonium in the LSSO Barbican Concert. I was only in one Strauss song but it was also the first time I had played the Harmonium and it was certainly exciting. I already have lots of experience playing the organ so I was quick to adapt to this instrument. Essentially, one pedals in order to blow air into the free reeds of the Harmonium and there are various ways of controlling the sound and dynamics. Admittedly, it was probably the most fun I've ever had playing a musical instrument. The concert went excellently and, with Ryan Wigglesworth as our conductor, the LSSO sounded amazing, as usual.

The next event for me was the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe's Junior Intercollegiate Piano Competition (BPSEJIPC for short!). This time, it was held in late February so I had much less time to prepare and, for this reason, I chose to play a piece I was already familiar with. Each contestant

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UPBEAT Spring 2020

Beethoven Society Award

chooses a Beethoven piano sonata and must play an obligatory bagatelle. The bagatelle was the Op.33 No.2 and the sonata I settled on was Beethoven's fourteenth sonata, Quasi Una Fantasia Op.27 No.2 in C# minor, better known as Moonlight Sonata. I had taken part in the competition the previous year without the desired results so, for this year, I dedicated a great deal of time to practice, from three and a half to six or seven hours a day, depending on time.

The venue was City Lit, who provided a wonderful Model D Steinway and, thankfully, I placed 3rd.

Once the competition was over, my piano teacher (Francis Reneau), the Head of Piano (Cathy Riley) and the LSSO Artistic Director (Peter Ash) had another plan for me. I started preparing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor, a wonderful little piece for piano and chamber orchestra, to be performed with the Chamber Orchestra at CYM, on the last day of the Summer term. The original plan was to play just the first movement, however it doesn’t end as it leads into the second movement so Mr Ash asked that I write a new ending (this was before we started rehearsals). I got straight down to writing down some ideas and these become final after some discussion with my teacher.

However, towards the end of the first rehearsal with the Chamber Orchestra, Peter told me we'd now be playing all three movements. Two months before the concert, this would certainly be

a challenge and I, of course, had to get the complete piece ready for rehearsals, all while studying for my impending GCSE exams. With some more hard work, I got through it all and, on the day of the concert, the first and second movements went excellently, receiving a very positive response from the audience, and the orchestra played beautifully from beginning to end, credit due to the gracious conducting of Peter Ash.

Whilst I was preparing the concerto, I was also working on another big piece. Soon after the performance of the Mendelssohn, the LSSO was to tour around the Czech Republic and Slovakia with a varied programme including two pieces with a piano part.

I played in Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia Da Requiem, Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto and Eleanor Alberga's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (but only the dances). The Britten was great fun, particularly the first movement with fff Ds in the lowest octave most pianos can play. The Barber, I had to learn very

Performing with CYM Chamber Orchestra

quickly since we only started it much later in the “rehearsal season” but it was also very fun to play and is a simply beautiful piece altogether. The final piece was, by far, the most difficult and the one I had been especially preparing for since it has extremely complex polyrhythms, somewhat difficult chromatic passages and strange sections with demisemiquavers spanning more than an octave in one hand and it was, in general, a style to which I was not accustomed. Fortunately, Mr Ash, who was our conductor on tour and for the September concert, organised a session for me with Eleanor Alberga to play through and talk about the piece, which I found extremely helpful.

The tour was great fun and I made lots of new friends. In the first concert, I had the privilege of playing on a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand - my favourite piano - for the first time. We played in the Bratislava Radio Hall for our final concerts, where the acoustics and environment were absolutely perfect. I found the tour very enjoyable, although I did miss out on sleep on the long journeys since I find it difficult to sleep on coaches!

The LSSO also plays two Serenade Concerts in the summer and early September every year, in which a handful of members conduct chamber groups formed from the huge orchestra. This year, I was one of those conductors and conducted the second movement of Dvořák's Czech Suite, fitting for the Czech Republic. This was a fantastic experience for me and having an opportunity to conduct made me better understand how to interact with the conductor when I'm in the orchestra, how to conduct (of course) and how to play music, in general.

For the last big event, the LSSO

Piano Trio

Masterclass with Ashley Wass played almost the same repertoire on 23 September but with the entirety of the Alberga. We got back to rehearsing and, this time, we had more work; the parts that had previously been missing from the Alberga presented a bit of a challenge at first but with lots of practice, I managed to get it to a level I was happy with. I had to, since this time, we were rehearsing with Simon Callow and dancers from the Elmhurst Ballet School, which was yet another new experience for me this year. The concert was, I'd say, a magnificent success. The Britten was epic and the Alberga was scary and playful in all the right places and both the audience and the performers enjoyed it thoroughly,

Acknowledging applause at LSSO concert and (right) presenting flowers to Eleanor Alberga

(but not as much as I did!).

The pieces this year taught me a lot about music - playing with orchestras, working hard at pieces intensively over long and short periods of time, and (the Alberga particularly) really exercised my capabilities as a musician. Between all of these were more concerts, competitions, masterclasses and recitals, as well as regular piano classes, and all of these things combined have made me a very different person and musician from how I was at the beginning of year 11.

I derived much pleasure from each individual event and hope to gain more in the following year.

Sebastian-Benedict Flore

UPBEAT Spring 2020

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RECORDERS T

his term it was business as usual with lots of teaching and supporting activities.

Lilia Goldstein, chosen to represent the department at the first Open Day concert, played the first movement of Sammartini’s Sonata in F really well.

There was a lovely contrast between loud and soft notes.

During this concert Andrew Robinson conducted the Baroque Ensemble. The latter was set up to teach some of the skills needed for playing music from this era. The areas focused on are: metre, notes inĂŠgales, phrasing and specific trills, as well as learning something of the history and range of music of the period. The ensemble played two gavottes by Lully.

The performers were: Sophie Boyd (flute), Anya Nanning Ramamurthy (clarinet), Alessia Parente (violin), Tamra Chan (violin), Zozi Sookanadenchetty (violin), William Gowing (violin), Ryan Power (viola), Juan Gutierrez Sanchez (violin), Elliot Ding (bassoon) and Njemile Bledman (cello).

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UPBEAT Spring 2020

Several congratulations are in order!

Thora Harrison who was awarded a Jack Petchey award. She has been working hard and is turning into a talented and thoughtful young musician.

Octavia Mackie, who came second in the Under 12 recital, won the Under 10 Recorder class and the Under 16 Jazz class at the Sutton Music Festival.

Anna Standring and Francesca Brackley were the first students on the Primary Years Programme to take their Grade 1 in Recorder. Both received excellent marks. Well done!

Tutors: Lydia Gosnell & Andrew Robinson Photo credit: Julia Mustard

Anya Nanning Ramamurthy is preparing the recorder part for Ruby Tuesday, as played by Brian Jones with the Rolling Stones.This is a brilliant project, with Ramon's Guitar Ensemble.

GUITARS T

he Guitar Department has continued to grow during the Autumn Term, and I note that the mixed ensembles now are featuring more strongly than ever in students’ choices.

In addition to our four ensembles of classical guitar, we now have three ensembles with steel string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and vocals in addition to nylon string guitar.

Our view in the department has always been inclusive, and in the world of guitar there is so much wonderful music-making that is based on Pop, Jazz, Blues, Songwriting, and styles like Hip Hop, Rap and Electronic Dance Music that we all feel that our department has to reflect the enormous breadth of musical interests that our students have.

We will never be a Rock School but we can bring our students’ and staff’s interests to the wonderful educational mix which has always been a hallmark of CYM. With that in mind, we have a project in planning for the summer term to feature our ‘non-classical’ guitarists in concerts throughout the term. More of our plans will emerge this Spring as we want to feature the enthusiasm and diversity that is CYM Guitar!

We are delighted to announce that one of our finest students has been given a place at Trinity Laban Conservatoire to study Classical Guitar. Poppy Lashley has studied with both Tim and Vincent (in fact is currently studying with both!) and we were delighted that she is now set to take the big step into music college life in Graham Devine’s wonderful department at Trinity.

Other Guitar Alumni news comes from Singer-Songwriter Rosie Alena Alderton who is currently studying for her degree at Goldsmiths. Rosie has just released her first single ‘Mixed Messages’ which goes with a beautiful and atmospheric London video filmed by Persephone Wood. Watch it at https.// youtube.be/e17u1lA5p4 The Guitar Department team has continued to be active throughout the profession. Tim has continued his composition work with two pieces in the new ABRSM syllabus, and five pieces published last month in the new Trinity Acoustic syllabus. Tim, with Junior Guildhall Guitar Tutor Jens Franke editing and performing, has written ‘The Guitarists’ World’, a set of two tutor books, a book of repertoire, and a book of ensembles (all written for CYM students). It is now finished and recorded and will be published by Schott and Co. in Germany and the UK later this year.

Vincent is composing for the CYM 50th Anniversary Celebrations in June – more of that in the next issue! Ramon Goose now has over 100,000 followers on his internet channel ‘The Guitar Show’. If you want in-depth information on what guitars were played by great players like Eric Clapton and Peter Green, then you must visit Ramon’s channel on YouTube.

So, the next issue will feature ‘The History of CYM Guitar’ with features on some of the great players who have learned and taught in our department, with special attention on one V.L-C who was at CYM on day 1! I look forward to telling you the story.

Tim Pells Head of Guitar UPBEAT Spring 2020

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PROMS CONNECTIONS Paul Hughes, Director of BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus, was invited to talk to CYM students and parents about the wide range of career opportunities open to musicians. He used video footage of the Last Night of the Proms to illustrate his talk.

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aul Hughes learned the piano from an early age but realised while at school, and then again while at Trinity College of Music as a student and then as a staff accompanist, that the self-motivation of organising concerts and making things happen, came more naturally than any ambition to perform – he was better at organising than playing.

He saw an advert for the European Community Youth Orchestra (ECYO) as Librarian, an attractive proposition as music and travel were involved and a new role to learn, preparing parts for players and editing for conductors.

His first full-time job was as General Manager for the Academy of Ancient Music and he was thrown into a world of period music and instruments of which he knew very little at the time! We then fast forward through roles at IMG Artists, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra to 1999 when Paul joined the BBCSO as Director, a post he has now held for 20 yrs.

The two aspects of his job that he most enjoys are: 1) dealing with people, creating the right environment for the musicians to do the best they can as professional musicians.

2) the artistic programming – selecting who the orchestra works with and what the orchestra play, what works well for them, for the audience, for the BBC, for the tours, recordings, the Proms, etc.

For an event like the Last Night of The Proms, the number of people involved goes far beyond the musical performance of 90 orchestral players, 24 BBC Singers and 100+ BBC Symphony Chorus on stage.

There are the TV crews – the TV Director needs to rehearse with the orchestra to log which solo instruments/ section are playing where in the piece to determine which view of the cameras is needed. Musical knowledge is essential to be able to read the score and the cues. The camera crew need to know their way round the orchestra and those the BBC use are highly experienced personnel who specialise in music events.

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UPBEAT Spring 2020

Conductors and soloists all have music agents who secure and handle their bookings, their contracts, their travel and all logistics, and ideally have an in-depth knowledge of the music business and musical repertoire to advise their clients appropriately.

Every piece of music is published by someone, increasingly the composer may also be the publisher; music publishing involves all kinds of roles from editing to working and meeting with composers, orchestras, opera companies, festivals and venues generating performances and future commissions.

Stage management is a very skilled job.You have to know exactly how to layout an orchestra on stage, how to handle and look after instruments, and a music qualification is an advantage.

We need people who are musicians or musically literate to help us do the job well, and BBCSO management jobs attract many applicants who are often musicians who chose not to pursue a performing career but for whom music is the world they want to be part of.

With the move to a new site and a new community in Stratford, the BBCSO has just joined an exciting apprentice scheme under the banner STEPS (Shared Training and Employment programme) offering opportunities to explore different aspects of what it is like to work with the arts companies who will share the Eastbank site including Sadler’s Wells, London College of Fashion and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The BBCSO organise a range of music education projects from Ten Pieces aimed at primary schools, Proms Inspire scheme for young composers, to side-by-side opportunities for young musicians to experience what it feels like to be part of a professional orchestra. The players love doing this and welcome the opportunities to inspire their younger colleagues. Come and sit-in at rehearsals, come to concerts – see us working – you will be very welcome!

(At the end of his talk, students were invited to ask Paul questions and these covered a wide variety of subjects with students keen to talk him individually too about different career options.)

Paul writes: My visit to CYM was a revelation for me, and I had no idea the range of music and training that CYM encompasses.

The energy of the students and their dedicated parents, and the volunteers who help you to function were truly inspirational and I’m delighted I got to meet some of them. I particularly enjoyed the guitar song writers’ group!

DANIEL KIDANE – composer of Woke performed at the Last Night of the 2019 Proms Born in 1986, former CYM student Daniel Kidane is a London-based concert composer whose works range from solo pieces to large orchestral works. Often drawing from experiences from his own background and upbringing, Kidane’s compositions explore social narratives, especially multilingual interactions in everyday life.

Among Kidane’s most notable compositions are Foreign Tongues (2015), which re-envisaged the setup of the string quartet and Pulsing (2016), which explored the idea of migration through its energetic instrumental passages and vocal interludes.

In 2017 Daniel was a recipient of a most prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award, an outstanding achievement. At £50,000 per award and with no strings attached, they are

designed to give artists the time and freedom to develop their creative ideas.

Recent commissions include a work for the Orgelbüchlein Project, which was premiered at the Tower of London Chapel, as well as his commission by the BBC for the 2019 Last Night of the Proms.

His music has been performed extensively across the UK and abroad as well as being broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Lynda Richardson, CYM Head of Singing writes: Daniel got his first taste of Contemporary music when I chose him to be amongst twelve CYM treble boys to sing in Boris Godunov with the Bolshoi Opera at the ENO.They invited him back to sing in Mark Antony Turnage’s The Silver Tassie, and he was hooked. He went on to study Composition with Gary Carpenter at the RNCM and hasn’t looked back since.The Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award in 2017 was indeed an outstanding achievement. Bravo Daniel, what a success story!

ANDREW MORTON & PROMS 2019 CYM student Andrew Morton writes about his experience of taking part in a Prom Concert: Before the summer I was happy to be selected for the BBC Proms Youth Ensemble. I was very excited by this as I had always been a big fan of the BBC Proms.We played a commission by Jonny Greenwood called Horror Vacui (fear of empty space) which was written for 68 strings and a solo violin. Playing the piece was an amazing experience. Greenwood used many techniques that I had never even heard of, such as a 1/8th trill and blowing

into the F holes of the violin.The conducting style was also unusual.

As there were mostly no bar lines, Hugh Brunt, the conductor, made precise sweeps with his baton.

We were playing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and so I had to travel to Cardiff for rehearsals twice over the summer and then again for three days before the Prom on 10 September.Working alongside Jonny Greenwood, violinist Daniel Pioro and the Welsh orchestra was an unforgettable experience. It was hard work but the performance in the Royal Albert Hall was very rewarding.

UPBEAT Spring 2020 11

Photo credit: Mark Allan/BBC

Photos: Julia Mustard

PIANO P

iano students have performed in a number of lunchtime concerts during the Autumn term. On 7 December the Piano Department held two concerts in room B05, to particularly benefit our advanced exam candidates: The first concert was from 1-2pm and began with two Grade 7 candidates. Thomas Sewell played works

by Handel and Delibes, demonstrating lots of flair and musical feel for the style. Emmeline Macdonald followed with contrasting works by Haydn and Richard Rodney Bennett. Mia Bailey presented her full Grade 8 programme with a characterful performance which included works by Mozart and Debussy.

Thomas Buss ended the concert with very well-prepared performances of his Grade 8 pieces by Schubert, Scarlatti and Rachmaninov.

Photos: Julia Mustard The second concert began at 3.30pm. Tamra Chan confidently performed her Grade 8 programme with works by Scarlatti, Chopin and Mozart. This was followed by performances from the new Piano Duet Class (see below). Magdalene Chan then presented her full ARSM programme consisting of Mozart’s complete Sonata in Bb K 570, Schubert’s Impromptu No. 3 in Gb Op 90, four of the Visions Fugitives by Prokofiev and Das Abend and Aufschwung from Schumann’s Klavierstücke Op 12. This was a most impressive recital with much fine detail and well thought out interpretations. Finally, Ryan Power presented his full Grade 8 programme with works by J.S. Bach, Schubert and Chopin.

PIANO DUET CLASS This term I introduced a Piano Duet Class into our afternoon curriculum, the aim being to offer more performance and chamber opportunities to students in the Piano Department. We have worked on a

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mixture of early intermediate level pieces, sight-reading quite a bit to start with. In the second half of term we focused on preparing pieces for the last day of term’s piano concert.

Earlier in the term sisters Elena and Silvia Rossi also presented two duets

by Matyas Seiber in the FCYM AGM Concert.

DIPLOMA RESULT Many congratulations to Magdalene Chan who gained a distinction pass for her ARSM diploma in December.

Magdalene has been studying piano at CYM with Chryssa Kasma since September 2017.

EXAM RESULTS FROM THE AUTUMN SESSION Congratulations to all our students who successfully passed their ABRSM piano grade exams in the Autumn term, including Thomas Buss (Grade 8) and Thomas Sewell (Grade 7) who both passed with distinction. Also, congratulations to Mia Bailey who passed Trinity Grade 8 with merit.

PLANS FOR THIS TERM This has already proved to be an exciting term for the department with several events still to come.

On 1 February we were visited by Sam Ingvorsen, a Jazz Bass player from Trinity Laban. Sam worked with our jazz piano students in the morning, followed by an informal concert at lunch time. In the afternoon, Sam continued working with CYM bass students in the jazz ensembles.

We currently have six piano chamber ensembles and some of these will be performing in the CYM Chamber Concert at St Mary-At-Hill on Thursday 19 March.

On 28 March we have our annual Piano Duet Day at Morley College.

From 9.30-11.30am student ensembles rehearse and are coached in readiness for an informal concert at 11.30am to which parents and friends are invited.

CYM’s Annual Concert, also on 28 March, is taking place at St Alfege Church in Greenwich. This will include a performance of The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns and will feature six piano students as soloists.

Cathy Riley Head of Piano

I

left CYM in the Summer of 2018 and decided to take a “gap year” before heading to university. I worked for the majority of the year to save up funds to go travelling. I spent three months in India to teach music and English to a rural village school just outside of Delhi.

I taught the children to sing and some to play the piano. It was remarkable how quickly some of them picked up on these skills! The school was connected by sponsorship to a guesthouse called "Tikli Bottom" oddly named enough. At the guesthouse they had a piano to my surprise, which I played every day and to the guests sometimes at dinner.

The school where I stayed with other volunteers also had a keyboard with no pedal but I still managed to teach the children a song called Abe my Boy to perform at a trustees’ event.

At this event, I met the director of the Capital City Minstrels Choir which I believe is one of a very small number of music establishments in Delhi. The next month was spent at a shelter home for orphaned girls in the Old Delhi area.

As common with NGOs the music I had been told I would teach ended up being confined to more English teaching.

However, I did get the chance to teach

the girls some theatre which was fun. I joined the choir at the British Embassy which is where I was staying, through a friend, and it made me realise how much I missed CYM, the group work and learning I had! I am now a student at the University of St Andrews and thoroughly enjoy the music on offer outside of my degree in Mathematics.

Sophia Kiely, CYM alumnus UPBEAT Spring 2020

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LSSO Barbican Concert 8 January 2020

T

he devil wore all manner of outlandish attire in the chameleonic programme devised for last night by Peter Ash, the London Schools Symphony Orchestra's challenging artistic director. There was searing verse from Marlowe, Milton and Goethe; music from Berlioz, Mendelssohn and Liszt to Penderecki and Schnittke featuring waltzes, marches, a galop and a Hammer-horror tango; and performers aged from 13 to 80.

Holding it all magnificently together were the encouraging, unfussy guidance of master orchestral and conducting trainer Sian Edwards and Janet Suzman, viscerally exciting as well as perfectly modulated as Lucifer, Moloch, Faust and Mephistopheles. The rebel angels' fall in Paradise Lost took the sludgy, hellish background of Penderecki's Melodrama from his "sacred representation" as its frame.

Then we were into the Prelude from Mendelssohn's The First Walpurgis Night and Liszt's First Mephisto Waltz, an equally rare visitor to the concert hall. Exemplary solos from principal cellist Emily Henderson and a very proactive leader, Leon Human, led us upwards here to the uncannily luminous flute solo of Penny Cairney-Leeming.

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Berlioz's Rakoczy March; Suzman's delicious Mephistopheles speech from Goethe's Faust was followed by the Ride to the Abyss from the other end of The Damnation of Faust.

First-class singing here from Guildhall students, tenor Brentan Spiteri and 22-year-old bass-baritone with a very bright future Thomas Mole, who conveyed Mephisto's soul-claiming with perfect command and a voice of astonishing maturity. He was equally strong in Faust's final confessional to the students as Schnittke tells it via a 16th century German text in his 1983 Faust Cantata Seid nüchtern und wachet (Be sober and attentive).

The novelty additions here were embodied in two more star solo turns. Countertenor Collin Shay, last seen as Oberon in the Guildhall School's superlatively cast production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, obviously relished his evil-spirit blandishments, at one

point smearing into Bach via A Whiter Shade of Pale; and Fiona Kimm, like a more glamorous version of Klaus Kinski strutted down the steps of a red-bathed auditorium, microphone artist to the life, savouring every line about Faust's gory demise in infernalcabaret style added to the gripping achievement of the whole. Lucky young players to be so involved with such a range of takes on a fascinating subject.

David Nice – The Arts Desk

H

ere the capital’s own spectacular array of young musicians – the London Schools Symphony Orchestra – upped the ante in this Faustian bargain of a concert entitled Music from the Dark Side. This was a beautifully (or should that be devishly?) crafted programme that dovetailed words and music from a variety of sources. The readings were vividly enacted by the majestic Dame Janet

Bogdan Skrypka (Flexatone), Fiona Kimm (mezzo-soprano), Collin Shay (countertenor)

Photos: Robert Masek Sian Edwards (conductor), Dame Janet Suzman (narrator), Fiona Kimm (mezzo-soprano) & soloists from the Guildhall School with the LSSO & Chorus

Suzman, suitably attired in red, and timed to perfection.

With Sian Edwards in charge, her young players were secure in creating the crepuscular atmosphere, with its opening darkest hues, gradually infecting the whole orchestra.

The orchestra was equally at home in Mendelssohn’s Prelude, the devilish dance that infuses Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No.1, and Berlioz’s two excerpts from The Damnation of Faust. Guildhall soloists, bright-toned tenor Brenton Spiteri’s Faust was suitably matched with the darker-hued baritone Thomas Mole as Mephistopheles.

Schnittke’s Faust Cantata, completed in 1983, describes the events of Faust’s final day, after 24-years in cahoots with Mephistopheles, including his address to his students and final demise.

Schnittke’s soundworld is immediately recognisable, and was here prefaced

by Faust’s last great soliloquy by

Marlowe with the sonorous ringing rattle of the eleventh hour, tinged with one of Schnittke’s favourite sounds, the harpsichord.

The role of Mephistopheles is depicted in not one, but two voices – countertenor (Collin Shay) and mezzo (Fiona Kimm), together with Faust (bass) and tenor acting – Passion-like – as an evangelist.

Kimm, assuming her form later than Shay, started in the auditorium and as the music becomes a tangolike dance, she all-but sashayed onto the stage, her voice smoky and atmospheric. Schnittke’s architecture shone through – an arch from chorale to open before ending with the choir singing the moral of the title.

One of the most intelligently programmed concerts I’ve been to, this was a triumphant occasion.

Nick Breckenfield Classical Source

SO WHO ARE THE LSSO...?

Hailed by Sir Simon Rattle as “an incomparable ambassador for the dynamism and excellence of British youth”, the London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) has, since its formation in 1951, been celebrated as a potent symbol of the talent and achievements of London’s finest young musicians.

Artistic Director Peter Ash aims to give members a complete experience of the orchestral repertoire from Bach through to Beethoven, Bartok and beyond; an opportunity to get to know great music from the inside out; to work with distinguished conductors; to accompany some of the world’s most illustrious soloists; and to form longlasting friendships through the shared joy and excitement of making music together.

The LSSO presents three Barbican concerts a year, sponsored by the City of London Corporation. The LSSO Tour Fund provides bursary support for the summer tour.

Brenton Spiteri (tenor) & Thomas Mole (baritone)

UPBEAT Spring 2020

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WOODWIND & BRASS

I

n September we welcomed Jane Salmon, Trombone tutor, following Malcolm Framingham’s retirement. As well as being a freelance trombone player Jane also helps produce the Trombone magazine (the latest edition of which mentions CYM).

Saxophones were the main focus in our November Woodwind Concert with Ruby Kelly playing the 1st movement of Sonata in G minor by Bach and 2nd movement of the Creston Sonata, and Stephanie Barker played ‘Grovlez’s Sarabande and Allegro. Congratulations to Stephanie who has been offered a place to study Saxophone next year at Trinity College of Music. Matilda Whiting showed very good breath control in her performance of Handel’s Sonata in F major and Raphael de Freitas worked in great partnership with accompanist Max Rowlands performing Alan Ridout’s Concertino for Clarinet and Piano.

Intermediate Brass, coached by Horn tutor David Lawrence, took us to sunny climes with Mango Walk and Walk to Lindstead Market. This was followed by a characterful performance by Connor Moore of The Acrobat by J. Greenwood.

Arjun Nanning Ramamurthy played Hunter’s Moon by Gilbert Vinter, and congratulations also to him for achieving

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distinction in Grade 8 Horn. Bertie Beaman played the 2nd movement of Hindemith’s Sonata for Trombone and Piano followed by unaccompanied Bach from one of the cello sonatas.

The CYM Horn Quartet performed the Rondo from Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 4 which requires soloistic qualities from all players. The Horn Quartet also took part in the launch of Young at Heart at Morley in December with the Mozart again. They are also coached by David Lawrence.

Senior Brass, coached by Geoff Nash, concluded the programme with a performance of Morceau Symphonique, composed by Alexandre Guilmant with Coedelia (solo trombone) - a fantastic arrangement of the Grade 8 Trombone piece.

Following the success of the Horn Quartet, the newly formed Clarinet Quartet made its debut performance, playing the Ballade and Intro from Mack The Knife by Kurt Weill. I have wanted to start a clarinet ensemble for some time and over the next two years hope to expand the group to include a contrabass clarinet. The quartet played again in the Woodwind Concert on 8 February and will also be performing at an external event on 5 March.

Another newly formed woodwind ensemble the CYM Bassoon ensemble, coached by Fran Carpos, gave a splendid performance of a Christmas medley in an arrangement giving all players individual parts. One of our two flute ensembles also played seasonal music.

We now have two Wind Quintets, Junior Wind & Brass, two Flute Ensembles, Bassoon Ensemble, Clarinet Quartet, Saxophone Ensemble, Intermediate Brass, Senior Brass, Trumpet Ensemble and Horn Quartet plus piano chamber groups with wind players. A thriving Woodwind and Brass Department!

LYWB The London Youth Wind Band will be performing on Friday 21 February 7.30pm at St John’s Church Waterloo. Repertoire will include Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Alan Bullard’s London Landscapes.

On the first day of the summer term we are being visited by Richard Shrewsbury and his LEAP (Learning, Education and Participation) team from the Birmingham Conservatoire. They will be working with students throughout the day and taking a lunchtime workshop.

On 2 May, we welcome Archie Churchill-Moss, a melodeon player, who will be working with our folk groups and giving a lunchtime workshop – see page 35.

Julie Beaman Head of Woodwind & Brass

BASSOON REED MAKING WORKSHOP

I

was kindly asked by Julie Beaman, the Head of Wind & Brass, to hold a Bassoon Reed Making for some of the senior bassoon students at CYM. I teach Bassoon Reed Making at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, so was very happy to start the CYM students on a reed making adventure! The idea came from George Webb, a talented student who very thoughtfully wanted to use a recent award towards something that interested him but would benefit others as well.

For many of the students it was their first time learning how a reed is made and seeing how reeds can be scraped and squeezed into making them play better. Julia Staniforth, one of the two bassoon teachers at CYM, kindly lent us her box of old and unwanted reeds for us to practice on and together with my collection of accumulated tools we

Reeds are made from a species of giant reed cane called Arundo Donax.This photo shows a piece in its raw unprocessed state.

had everything we needed to get going.

Time was limited so I decided to stick to simple wire adjustments and basic knife/ sandpaper scraping as well as simple adjustments to solve common problems such as cleaning a reed and making a leaky reed more airtight on the crook.

Reed making classes are a very good way to bring the bassoon students together socially and as ever I was very impressed with the concentration skills of the CYM students and their lack of inhibition in trying new things. Everyone had a go, lots of interesting questions were asked and we achieved quite a lot during the hour session. Reeds are fiddly things and even just holding and using a small pair of pliers precisely requires practice and patience. They all managed to change a wire on a reed skilfully, neatly and safely!

All bassoon reeds are made by hand and it is usual to buy them. I personally think it’s really important for all bassoonists to have a go at adjusting

Crowing the bassoon reed! The bassoon and oboe use a double reed in order to play.

or making reeds simply to try to unlock the mystery and frustration that often surrounds them. It takes a lot of physical skill and mental concentration to play, the bassoon and reeds require the same skill but on a much smaller scale! I hope my taster session will encourage and inspire some of the students to persevere so that one day they may be performing on their own hand-crafted reed!

Stuart Russell Tutor at the GSMD and RCM Dora Goudie wrote: I really enjoyed the reed making class with Stuart.

Four CYM bassoonists met him at lunchtime and we began by discussing the names of the different parts of the reed and then the process involved in making them.Then we were able to have a go ourselves, starting by modifying one of our old reeds, changing the wire and scraping the reed with a knife.We found out how these changes affect the sound and discussed the differences with Stuart. Overall it was a great experience, as I had never tried modifying my own reeds before.

George Webb wrote: Reed-making requires expensive machines and equipment, so it isn’t often taught.Yet it is such an essential part of bassoon playing, especially in the professional sphere, where the knowledge of how to make a reed for a particular situation can be vital!

So I requested a reed-making workshop with Stuart Russell, who teaches this at Guildhall to be funded thanks to my Jack Petchey Award. He taught us the basic principles of reed-making and how to alter reeds to get the best out of them. It was great fun and we had all rescued and adjusted a dud reed by the end of the workshop.There is still some money left in the award so hope there will be more forays into reed-making in the near future. Stay tuned!

The cane has been grown to the correct diameter, then cut to the correct length ready to be split, gouged, profiled and formed into a bassoon reed - a time consuming and detailed process requiring specialist machinery, but cane can be purchased fully or partially processed at an affordable price!

Fitting the wires.

Using fine wet and dry paper to sand the reed, smooth out any lumps/ ridges in the cane and clean any dirt and grease to keep the reed vibrating properly.

Twisting and pulling the wires together.Too much will “strangle” the reed or snap the wire.Too little and the wire will be loose.

Using a knife to scrape the reed and target specific areas of the blades.

Blowing the reed on its own makes a loud squeaky grating sound. It’s important for the reed to crow properly for the bassoon sound to be full, vibrant and flexible. An experienced player can tell a lot from the crow of the reed. Most reeds will be adjusted throughout their life to keep them vibrating at their best.

The reeds are generally held together by 3 thin brass wires and binding thread.The wires are wrapped round, twisted and secured in a very specific way so they hold the reed together but still let it vibrate.The 1st and 2nd wires can be adjusted to change the openness of the reed tip and the shape of the reed throat.This in turn will change the resistance of the reed, its response and sound quality when played.

The reed is held with a mandrel and a plaque is inserted between the blades to separate them. For scraping I Spring prefer to use a UPBEAT ceramic folding knife2020 as they stay17 sharp for many years and are cheap to buy.

Young at Heart Celebrating 120 years of excellence in youth music

Help London’s Young Musicians Thrive For a combined 120 years, CYM (Centre for Young Musicians) and LSSO (London Schools Symphony Orchestra) have given over 20,000 Young Londoners the opportunity to develop their musical talents.

We believe high-quality music education should be available to all, irrespective of the means to pay, privilege or chance.

In 2020, CYM will turn 50 and in 2021 the LSSO 70.

Through the anniversaries of both these incredible organisations we now invite businesses, charitable trusts, individuals – parents and music enthusiasts alike – to help build our Bursary Fund to secure musical opportunities for future generations.

Become a Patron or Sponsor Why not join our Patron Scheme or be a Sponsor at our Gala celebration? Benefits start from just £10 per month. We can help your business meet its CSR objectives too.

Every Donation Counts We are extremely grateful to receive any amount you can give us, to enable us to continue making music education available to all young Londoners.

For more details on supporting us please visit: cym.org.uk/support-us

Gala Celebrations CYM’s 50th Anniversary Gala will take place at the Barbican, London on Wednesday 10 June 2020 at 7.30pm.

Tickets: cym.org.uk/whats-on

Our Target

Calling all Alumni

To raise £1 million by 2021 to provide bursaries to give exceptional musical opportunities to another 1,000 talented young Londoners.

To register as an official Anniversary Alumni and get involved with our Celebrations please sign up: cym.org.uk/alumni

Support Us

“Music can’t be a matter of privilege or chance”

CYM relies on support from music lovers who want to help young people continue their music education, irrespective of their family circumstance or means to pay. There are many ways for you and companies to become involved.

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Sir Simon Rattle

MUSIC IN THE CITY

Young at Heart Celebrating 120 years of excellence in youth music

Q&A – AT THE SHARD

CYM spoke with Liz Sebag‑Montefiore,​Director and Co‑Founder at 10Eighty after hosting one of their Music in the City events, part of the Young at Heart appeal.

Why did you decide to get involved with Music in the City?

10Eighty Director Nick Lawson, who is connected with CYM, proudly promoted the charity and organised for them to perform at our event. We also wanted to host a Christmas party for our clients with something special and different to what we’ve done previously.

What impact did the musicians from CYM have on your event, and what was the response from your guests?

The young musicians were undoubtedly the highlight of the evening! It was a real treat to have the musicians play as guests entered our Christmas party and they really enjoyed the Christmas carol they played at the end of the short speeches. Guests were commenting about the talent in the room; they loved hearing the string quartet play a variety of tunes.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

All of the musicians on the night were under 18, what did you think of the standard of music which they performed?

The standard of music was excellent - they were a hugely talented quartet. You would not have known that they were all so young. They were also extremely flexible with the tunes they played, and it really got everyone in the party spirit!

Would you recommend Music in the City to other businesses and if so, why?

Absolutely I’d recommend Music in the City to other firms; they were professional, accommodating and the standard of music was superb and outlived all expectations. Music in the City made the evening more special, unique and memorable. Many thanks again for providing a string quartet for our party in the Shard; it was enjoyed by all!

Many thanks to Liz Sebag‑Montefiore and the team at 10Eighty. 10eighty.co.uk

Promote our Young at Heart appeal by hosting one of our pop-up Music in the City concerts.

What we’re looking for Your business to host a drinks reception at your city offices for your clients and contacts.

We will provide • Music for the reception by CYM young musicians • We will be your charity partner for the event, providing an important cause for your clients to support • Opportunities for your business and your clients to get involved with our Young at Heart appeal over the next 3 years To find out more please visit

CYM students performing for city law firm, Goodman Derrick.

cym.org.uk/music-in-the-city UPBEAT Spring 2020

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PERCUSSION

W

e started the year with a new intake of budding new percussionists making up Ensemble 5. Chris Pott and Tony Maloney have been working with these young players developing their skills in reading and improvisation and introducing them to all the tuned percussion. Chris has worked with a new group of Djembe players exploring rhythms from around the world. This group soon became a performing group and in the first term performed at the Friends AGM and the Percussion Christmas Concert. Off to a flying start!

Meanwhile, Ensemble 4 with Patricia Allardyce prepared two very challenging pieces, Drums of Moria by Nathan Daughtrey and a Christmas piece Ding Dong! Merrily on High arranged by Keith Larson and adapted by P. Allardyce.

They performed these pieces fantastically at the Christmas Concert. Thanks also to Charlie Hodge, our percussion apprentice, for lending his support to this ensemble. Ensemble 3 with David Holmes played This Little Babe by Benjamin Britten, another challenging piece arranged with great success by David Holmes.

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Ensembles 1&2 with Patricia Allardyce and Tony Maloney performed the first part of the Riverdance Medley

by Bill Whelan arranged by Gary Fry and The Joy Medley by Tom Morgan.

We were joined by Amber Sheehan on Bass Guitar which is becoming a welcome regular feature and we hope to perform the entire piece for the CYM Annual Concert in March, a very exciting prospect.

At the end of term, the LSSO required six percussionists for the Schnittke piece. We were short of experienced players which turned out to be an opportunity for our younger

students, who stepped up to the challenge. Emile Naidoo-Pendlebury made his debut as Timpanist for the LSSO and played really well, joined by Bogdan and Madeleine, who were new to the orchestra. Bogdan made his debut on Flexatone, an unusual percussion instrument not seen in an orchestra very often. This was a great success especially as Bogdan had to play at the front of the orchestra as a soloist (see p.14).

Madeleine managed the tam-tam part with great finesse. They were joined by our three young players, who also made their first appearance in the orchestra, Nnamdi Nnachi-Cole, Issac Greiss and Benjamin Hastings. All three players assimilated into the orchestra very quickly and gained valuable experience playing at this level. Well done to them!

The concert at the Barbican was a huge success and we are extremely proud of all our players – photo above.

Tony Maloney Head of Percussion

UPBEAT Spring 2020 Photos credit: Julia Mustard

GAMELAN AT SOUTHBANK Led by expert tutor Andy Channing at Southbank Centre, this course is run in partnership with CYM.The classes enable CYM students to explore ensemble making on Javanese gamelan. During the year Andy introduces them to gamelan and they learn to play the gongs, drums and metallophones that make up this beautiful percussion ensemble from Indonesia in a fun and relaxed way.

UPBEAT Spring 2020

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SONGWRITING & MUSIC TECH

Sorana Santos, Composing Tutor writes: It has been the greatest privilege to support the growth and development of the Songwriting classes at CYM and those it has nurtured, from its early days as just one class, to the opening of the Music Tech classes, a third Songwriting class, and, more recently, the appointment of a Composition tutor.

Composing song is fertile ground for discussing and exploring its shared boundaries with other subjects – language, technology, science, business, psychology, sociology, and philosophy – while consolidating the theoretical and practical training the students receive

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at the Centre, and developing the inter and intrapersonal skills and inner ear training to thrive in the profession.

In a sense, the title ‘Singer Songwriting’, is a little misleading; nothing is off limits providing the interplay of words and music, in its broadest sense, is explored.

Over the years we have hosted composers of Lied, Baroque Opera, Hispanic music/song, Gospel, creative writers, performance poets, producers and improvisers. This diversity is proudly reflected in the Industry today: with CYM alumni from Grammy winner Jax Jones, multiple MOBO winner Shakka, BBC newcomer Nilufer Yanya, to niche artists Voyeur, Elisa Empirilee, Jude Woodhead, Caroline Smiling, and manager Andrew Mensah to name but a few. Their success is not only a source of inspiration for current students, but a testament that CYM’s overall mission and ethos of diversity and inclusivity in music is a worthy one.

I teach a four/five-year programme giving students the opportunity to deepen their creative practice in an ever-changing landscape of challenges, which I hope also fulfils their being and how they do in life overall. Among this year’s cohort we have a film composer, a poet, a classical composer, an activist, and two songwriter/ producers. At the time of this concert

the focus was on arranging, specifically: arranging one another’s work with the instrumentalists available in class (always a challenge!), and arranging/ improvisation to sustain interest in solo performance. This was our first concert in over two years and with the other classes similarly flourishing, we found ourselves completely oversubscribed!

As a result, we’re now moving to two concerts a year and are looking forward to our first venue-based concert in Blackheath soon, which will hopefully serve as the launch of the EPs and showreels the students are currently preparing. We are all very much looking forward to sharing our work with you.

A great thing about Sorana’s songwriting class is that no two weeks are the same. Some weeks we’ll be having discussions about the music industry and others we’ll be doing in depth writing either alone, or collaboratively.

Often, we bring songs we’ve written and play them to each other, offering comments and guidance in order to improve.There’s always an emphasis on exploring themes that run throughout our songs and pushing the boundaries of Popular music. Currently, we’re both working on our EP’s and supporting each other through the process of writing and planning.Through this class we have been given many opportunities and made close friends.We are looking forward to everything to come next term and beyond.

Eliza Burke and Ciara Farrelly

Ed West writes about his Music Tech classes: Students who attend CYM’s Music Tech classes have an opportunity to learn the popular Digital Audio Workstation Logic Pro, and gain an understanding of digital audio as applied to a multitude of musical genres and audio applications. Over the last term, students have been learning about Nyquist theory, gain structure, different types of microphones, and how to correctly set them up in a studio environment. In other classes we have been learning some fundamentals of sound design, using Logics ‘Alchemy’ Synthesizer, as well as looking at correct use of EQ, and how the frequency spectrum relates to musical notes and instrument timbre.

UPBEAT Spring 2020

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STRINGS

Cello Ensemble

30

November was an exciting day for the String Department: the lunchtime Chamber Ensembles’ Concert featured string players in 8 out of the 9 items. Most groups had been newly formed for this academic year, so the high level of achievement was impressive.

The concert was followed by a visit from Guildhall’s Nelmes Quartet. They started by working with CYM quartets and trios. The feedback from students and tutors was good. Later in the afternoon the quartet performed Haydn’s String Quartet Op 20 No5 in F minor – a beautiful work full of charm and inventiveness.

A tutor commented: It was good to have the input of younger musicians and to see them working out ways of communicating ideas to the CYM players and also to hear them demonstrating ways of varying tone and volume.

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The Nelmes Quartet

A group of young musicians was invited to play at the 10Eighty Christmas party at the Shard. This was one of the promotional events ‘Music in the City’ set up by FYM in advance of CYM@50. Mina HobsonMazur, Nona Lawrence, Jamie Jones and Isaac Robinson performed movements of the Dvořák’s American Quartet, Britten’s waltz and some Christmas music, see photo page 19.

The generous charitable donations were split between CYM and Barnardo’s. The quartet received a very warm welcome. They played with strength and confidence in the midst of this large festive party.

They were treated generously with refreshments and were presented with chocolate advent calendars as they left.

Mina Hobson-Mazur says: I was really excited when we were told that we would be playing at the 10Eighty Christmas Party at the Shard.

The views from the lobby where we were playing were just breath taking.

This was not a traditional performance but still a great experience for us. I think we played well and managed to get the attention of quite a few party goers.

Elizabeth McEneaney (conductor) & Leon Human (violin) with LSCO Alice Drury, Zozi Sookanadenchetty and Jamie Jones were offered a lunchtime concert at the Foundling Museum in Russell Square by Music for Youth. The string trio, coached by Andrew McGee, played a programme including the Dvořák’s Terzetto, a Telemann’s concerto and an arrangement of an aria from Handel’s Messiah. This last piece was particularly appropriate as Messiah was regularly performed at the Foundling Hospital during Handel’s lifetime to raise money for orphaned children. Handel actually left in his will a fair copy of the score to the museum where it can still be seen.

The trio invited cellist Isaac Robinson to join them for the Vivaldi and Handel. The group played with clarity and precision in this beautiful venue. Their playing

Photos: Julia Mustard

Alice Drury, Zozi Sookanadenchetty, Jamie Jones & Isaac Robinson performing at the Foundling Museum, London – tutor Andrew McGee was enjoyed not only by the concert audience but also by the many visitors who were allowed to look round the museum whilst the ensemble was rehearsing.

Paula Gorbanova, the Guildhall String Apprentice, has settled into her role of helping Lori Norriss with Prelude Strings, Peter Ash with Symphony Orchestra and Alex Lynn with Primary Year 3 String Ensemble. In addition to these, Paula is coaching quartets drawn from 2nd strings. Her input is hugely appreciated.

Also gratefully received is the voluntary help being given by older members of CYM who are helping some younger, less experienced players: Amber Sheehan has been supporting the Intermediate Orchestra double bass section.

Francesca Cosattini-Barrett is assisting violinists in the understanding of the alto clef so that they can expand the viola section in Intermediate Orchestra.

The London Schools Chamber Orchestra had a 5-day course which ran alongside that of the LSSO. Twenty string players were intensively trained by John Kirby and David Burton on pieces by Rameau, John Tavener, Mozart, Piazzolla and Bruckner.

The additional wind, brass, percussionist and harpist were drawn from the LSSO. This was an extremely enjoyable concert which displayed a wide range of skills from all those involved.

The Mozart included was the 1st Movement of the A major Concerto

played by Leon Human, leader of the LSSO with Elizabeth McEneaney (violinist in the LSSO) conducting.

Leon performed the whole concerto in a concert organized and conducted by Lizzie on 9 February at St Giles Cripplegate where it was well received.

Larger ensembles have also got off to a very good start. On the final day of the Autumn term the following performances were particularly outstanding: String Orchestra presented Corelli’s Christmas Concerto Grosso with style and precision; Cello Ensemble gave an energetic performance of an arrangement by John Kirby of Mozart’s Impresario Overture.

Gill Tarlton Head of Strings

String Orchestra

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VOICE

T

he Vocal Department have had some recent achievements to be proud of.

Recent alumna Laura al Yousif has been offered a place and a Choral Scholarship at Christ’s College Cambridge to study Music - well deserved! Viktoria Nekhaenko auditioned for, and was offered, a named part in the recent Royal Opera House production of Massenet’s Werther, and Calam Virk Tamana took part in a tour of Japan with the prestigious treble voice choir Libera, and both have written about their experiences. New young singer Natalia Tello achieved a Distinction for her Grade l, 2nd study singer Grace Byrne a Merit for Grade 7, and Hugo Brady achieved a well-deserved 138 mark Distinction for his Grade 8!

Last term, with a larger than usual Junior Choir we worked on the William Matthias’ Learsongs with poetry by Edward Lear, well known for his nonsense prose and poetry, which are great fun. We performed the first one at the Friends AGM

Junior Choir Concert last term and look forward to performing the entire Cycle at the Junior Concert later this term.

The Vocal Faculty Concert last term showed very solid performances throughout, with a stand-out performance worthy of many professionals by 15-year old Lily Barker, who sang Meadowlark from The Baker’s Wife by Stephen Schwartz and repeated this success in the Stagecraft Concert two weeks later, where the theme this time was Storytellers.

Each song, as the name suggests often involved recitative, and the singers had to learn how to move from speech into song as seamlessly as possible - a new skill for many of the younger students who had perhaps not sung from an acting or Music Theatre point of view before. Some of the more experienced singers ... especially Clemy Quilley White, who sang Jason Robert Brown’s very tricky Stars and the Moon, not only made it look easy, but had the audience in the palm of her hand totally enraptured with the story. That’s the way to do it - bravo Clemy!

Left ro right, Andrew, Celine, Lily and Millie

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Lynda Richardson with Ruari Paterson Achenbach, ex CYM, now ENO Casting Assistant

On 30 October I was invited by CYM singing alumnus Ruari Paterson Achenbach (who has now graduated from Oxford, and landed his first job as Casting Assistant to the ENO!) to bring a choir to the English National Opera House to sing and record a new song, written by BBC Young Composer of the Year Alex Woolf, in aid of the homeless charity Shelter.

Although this fell in half term Lily Barker, Millie Dogar Hurd, Andrew Morton, Celine Markantonis and Constanza Keiffer came along at short notice, and sang along with my local Kentish Town Community Choir, the LaLa Ladies. The ENO Chorus and Orchestra were joined by opera stars Sir Bryn Terfel, Lesley Garrett and Alice Coote. who gave a very moving speech about her brother who had been homeless for many years, and the traumatising effect it had had on him, which was why she was supporting the project.

The idea was to record Alex Woolf’s song A Place to Call Home and try to get it to No. 1 in the charts by Christmas and raise lots of money for the charity. With about 2,000 miked-up amateur choral singers in the House, plus the ENO Chorus and Orchestra, the sound was amazing, and it was a great experience for our students to take part in their first recording session, and at the ENO! Lynda Richardson Head of Singing

Libera, an all-boy English vocal group, on tour in Japan

Calam Virk Tamana writes: Early in the morning at 6.00am, we were at the airport waiting for our plane.The flight was going to be ten hours so we had all our snacks ready for then.When we got there we went straight to our hotel. In a few days we had our first concert.

It was brilliant! The next day we had another concert, but first we went bowling.

Then we went on a bullet train to Osaka.We had another concert and then we went to a theme park! We had so much fun there. Finally, we went back home, all looking forward to meeting parents.

Libera, directed by Robert Prizeman regularly performs concerts in many countries, including the UK, the US and Asia, and makes recordings for their own album releases and other projects.

Photos: Julia Mustard

A few months ago, Lynda Richardson at CYM offered me a wonderful opportunity to audition for a role at the Royal Opera House performance of Massenet's opera Werther.

I was chosen to be one of the six children and got the chance to perform on the main stage!

There were ten rehearsals, a dress rehearsal and six performances. It was interesting to find out more about what happens backstage at the ROH, and even meet some stars!

For example, it turned out that there are actually three conductors - one main one, one spare and one backstage. I also learned that the sets for some productions are built on a separate platform so that they can be wheeled onto the stage. Our set was slanted like a hillside - not the most comfortable surface to dance on.

We got our own dressing room, a huge room with tables and illuminated mirrors lining the walls. Another exciting part was getting our costumes fitted.We were led through a large part of the costume section, which was absolutely huge! This was where all the costumes for all the shows were handmade, including ours. I also enjoyed the fact that we could eat in the private artists' cafe.

During the rehearsals and in between some scenes, we got to meet and chat to the main stars of the show! These even included the actress who played our older sister Sophie, Heather Engebretson. She was the best, in my opinion. I loved this experience, and would definitely do something like it again. It was amazing and thrilling!

Vika Nekhaenko UPBEAT Spring 2020

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THE ROADS TAKEN

Deborah Olakigbe

I was at CYM for two years during my life as a sixth-former. My music teacher steered me there after putting in a bit of time at Blackheath Conservatoire. I studied horn with George Woodcock and played in the Symphony Orchestra, as well as choir and composition classes, a brass chamber ensemble and musicianship with Tom Deveson.

I went on to a Foundation course at Camberwell College of Arts, and a four-year degree in Art and Psychology at Reading

Albert Potter

At CYM I experienced many classes and ensembles where I played trumpet, sang or used my mind. They were: Musicianship, Chamber Choir, Dance Band, Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Group.

After CYM I studied Music Technology for a year at the University at York, but it was not to be, so I moved back to London and trained to be a chef and managed to work at a Michelin starred restaurant amongst other eateries. However, after a couple of years of ungodly hours and lack of sleep I am now

Helena Kernan

I spent three years as a classical flautist at CYM, playing in several chamber groups and Chamber Orchestra, and enjoyed musicianship lessons listening to music from a wide variety of genres and exploring how they intersected with theory, literature, art, philosophy and our own experiences. In my second year I won the Louis Watt Competition for instrumentalists. I was lucky enough to play with the LSSO at Barbican and Royal Albert Hall, and on

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Teenagers turn into adults and become – we hope – the people they were meant to be. CYM alumni once spent their Saturdays together, but now do an astonishing variety of different things. CYM tutor Tom Deveson spoke to some of ‘his’ teenagers to find out how they got to where they are now.

The questions he asked were: a] what did you do at CYM? b] what did you do after CYM and what are you doing now? c] what if anything – links the answer to a] and the answer to b]? d] what is your special/memorable thought about the role of CYM in your life so far?

University. Then it became more exciting.

I was one of the fourteen post-graduate students chosen each year at the Royal Academy Schools, following in the footsteps of Constable, Blake, and Turner.

This gave me three years to develop my work as an artist. I couldn’t keep on playing the horn, because my instrument had been on loan from the Cherubim Trust, but I did [and do] a lot of listening! Finding employment in the Art World isn’t always easy, and since leaving the Academy I’ve done different things – working in a food market in Soho, acting as a Teaching Assistant at a school in North London – I met the Head at Tom’s seventieth birthday party – and serving time on the Lewisham Fostering Panel, reflecting the support that was given to me as a looked-after teenager.

My time at CYM now seems fairly brief, but I was very engaged and wish I might have begun earlier. Having regular and consistent Horn lessons meant I made great progress in a short span of time. Realising I could do that gave me the confidence to pursue Art, not as the hobby it had been before, but as a serious pursuit. I saw musicians at CYM who took music seriously but not solemnly or strictly; music was given more time and more resources than anything I’d experienced at school. I saw that painting could be approached in the same manner.

Playing in the Symphony Orchestra was like nothing I’d done before. It was a big sound; it felt epic. We did a movement of Sibelius 2 with Peter Ash and I felt the energy of all the other players coursing through my body. That’s something that I’ll not forget.

training to be an Electrician, both at college and working as an apprentice, which I am enjoying thoroughly.

My three years at CYM were very gratifying. I have made friends whom I still see regularly. If I were to have a favourite set of moments it would be the Musicianship classes I had with Tom Deveson where he enlarged my music brain by using his knowledge mixed with his trademark humour and wit. I would also like to mention John Skinner and his extraordinary jokes which entertained so many people. tour to Turkey, Scotland and Czech Republic. One particular highlight was playing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the LSSO in a 13th century church that had lived through fires and destruction and the upheavals of the 20th century After CYM I studied Russian and French at Cambridge and discovered a love for Eastern European and post-Soviet languages and culture. Over the past few years I have worked at the State Hermitage

Museum in St. Petersburg, interviewed victims of Stalinist repression, launched a website dedicated to the memoirs of young European political prisoners of the 20th century to name but a few, as well as traveling across the region. I am now studying for a master’s degree in Slavic Studies in the USA and working on literary translation projects.

One of the main life lessons I learnt at CYM was to persevere, to be patient and to strive constantly to improve, to be more nuanced, refined and precise. This sense of focus and determination, as well as the wonderfully supportive CYM community, has proved invaluable ever since.

Isha Crichlow

I had eight years altogether at CYM, so it was a major part of my teenage years. There were the Clarinet lessons, of course, but also Clarinet ensembles and a whole assortment of trios, quintets and other chamber groups, plus the Chamber orchestra, the Symphony orchestra and the LSSO where I played for five years.

I went straight on to pursue Clarinet studies at the Guildhall, where I did a B Mus and then a Masters in Orchestral Artistry in conjunction with the London Symphony Orchestra. That’s given me the chance to

Stav Zalel

I spent three years at CYM – a great discovery via the internet, having just moved to London from Israel. I auditioned for the LSSO first and then found there was a Centre where I could do choir, musicianship, study Flute with Peter Shrubsall, play in the Chamber Orchestra with Peter Ash and the Baroque Ensemble with Marion Scott and make loads of friends.

James Moriarty

I spent two years at CYM as a sixth former.

I’d met people from Hackney who were at CYM and they seemed to be doing more interesting and advanced stuff than I was, so I applied. I studied Piano and played in a trio, went to Musicianship classes and played violin in the Symphony Orchestra. Sibelius 2 is a vivid memory and – even more – so is Ravel’s Ma mère l'Oye. Then I did a Composition degree at the Academy. That was a four-year course, and it was extraordinarily valuable. But a lot of my time is now spent in the world of live music-making – running creative projects for the Academy and Trinity Laban, working as a freelance in schools and with community and youth choirs and refugee and young migrant groups, and a singing group for people with chronic lung conditions. I don’t have a trained background as a singer, but singing is a big part of my life now. It’s the central human musical activity. We can all play the voice and

play in major venues like the Barbican and with high-profile professional ensembles like the LSO, the London Mozart Players and the European Youth Wind Orchestra.

The link between CYM and what I do now was the orchestra which was where I really started. There was a moment when I absolutely took great joy in playing the Clarinet, being there, doing that. It was Dvořák 8, the busy introductory tune; I realised that I’d found the thing I loved doing more than anything else. Huge thanks go to Peter Ash and to the late Liz Elliott, an inspiring teacher who gave me extra

rehearsals at her house.

She was the first teacher who was 100% demanding in the best possible way.

There was another very big moment when the LSSO was doing Sibelius 1 in Prague. I needed huge confidence to play in that vast hall.

I can relate that feeling to doing Mahler 7 much more recently in the Barbican. It’s good to feel the pressure and it’s even better to respond to it and overcome it.

After a gap year spent partly at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris, I did a degree in Theoretical Physics, followed by a Masters and now the first two years [so far] of a PhD. My field is quantum gravity – looking at how gravity works on a very small scale and how it relates to space/time and what happened at the Big Bang. The work is 80% mathematical and 20% interpreting what the maths means.

The Large Hadron Collider is not yet near providing the energy for this work; my own science would find its real-world confirmation in cosmological observation.

I’m part of a loose international ‘team’ of a dozen people within a larger ‘family’ of about two hundred.

I still play music when I can. I’ve performed with the Rehearsal Orchestra in Edinburgh, where I had to sight-read Bernstein and Sibelius; and there’s an

unrehearsed folk band of PhD students. My breathing is better – maybe less nervous – than when I was in the LSSO, my tonguing perhaps not quite so good.

CYM was like an extended family for me after my own family changed continents.

Amy Roberts became a special friend.

I learned so much that has stayed with me – TS Eliot’s poetry in Musicianship classes [Time present and time past/ Are both perhaps present in time future], and serious commitment in practising the flute.

I loved the orchestra, and felt so happy the first time I sat in a rehearsal. Peter Ash was continually interesting and inspiring.

Shostakovich’s Festive Overture was a landmark, as were Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Sibelius’s Karelia with the LSSO. A solo in the Prokofiev remains a special memory. The skills and application I learned at CYM feed into my work now.

it’s very moving to do it with others.

Composing is still important, of course.

My piece Windows was played by the LSO under Daniel Harding at the Barbican; it was a real change to hear my music performed by professionals. I’ve written pieces for Armenian ensembles where I respond [I hope] to Armenian music and poetry in a contemporary non-appropriating way. The Britten Sinfonia did one of my pieces and another has been done recently in Portugal. I reckon to write about three pieces a year.

My music is harmonically expressive without being tonal; it reflects an unstable harmonic world. I sometimes use free forms of notation enabling the performers to explore the sounds they make in the moment rather than be tied to what’s precisely written down.

CYM means a lot to me. For a start, I still do music. My sense of myself as a musician is still evolving and part of that is influenced by my time at CYM. It’s about finding a musical

identity that builds on but goes beyond sheer enjoyment. Music-making is a social activity, with shared values and a shared sense of engagement. I feel a direct link still with that performance of Ma mère l'Oye. Ravel’s aesthetic is dazzling, and so is his power to communicate musical joy.

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COMPOSITION WORKSHOPS

N

ow in its third year, the Composition Department is going from strength to strength. Each year, the composers have two opportunities to compose pieces that are then performed by musicians live. Previous projects have included writing for a string quartet and a trio for piano, horn and violin.

This year, the composers are writing for chamber orchestra, and the completed pieces will be performed by the CYM Chamber Orchestra at a special concert on the last day of the Spring term, on Saturday 21 March at 2pm.

The orchestral workshops provided the opportunity for each composer to hear their pieces at an early stage in the compositional process, when they are still ideas. Hearing them played helps the composers to decide which ideas work best and enables them to get advice on how to develop them further.

All six composers got to hear the Chamber Orchestra play through their ideas last November and received invaluable feedback and support from the Head of Composition Ehud Freedman and conductor Peter Ash. We’re all looking forward to hearing the completed pieces in March!

Judith Robinson Parent

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Ehud Freedman writes: The first workshop we had was fantastic and, thanks to Peter, the students also got at first hand a lesson in Beethoven's craft - with a live orchestra.This, and the opportunity to work often and intimately with an orchestra, is quite special in the world of music education and as far as I know, unique among Saturday centres, so we are very fortunate.

CYM composer Tom Buss said: This is the first time I’ve heard my music performed by an orchestra. I have written pieces for orchestra before, but I’ve only ever heard those pieces via my composition software, so it doesn’t sound nearly as good. It’s really amazing to hear it with a full orchestra.Wow, I won’t forget that experience!

CYM composer Isaac Robinson agreed: It’s also the first time I’ve heard a full orchestra playing my music. It’s refreshing to have a new perspective on it, because I can see how my music is for the players and also see how it plays out with a live orchestra. It has let me hear how the orchestration actually sounds and highlighted any difficulties the players had, and I will make some changes as a result.

Tom added: I’m going to change my piece now too.The Chamber Orchestra piece was a rough draft. Hopefully, I will find what works on the instruments.

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FRIENDS OF THE CENTRE FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS

A DIVISION OF THE GUILDHALL SCHOOL

Charity no 297745

L

ast term was full of activities for the Friends. Ex-parent Ralph Dew continues to support our fundraising activities with his ‘pop up’ Saturday music sales in Notre Dame canteen, which have raised almost £1000 since he began them last year. With many items going for as little as 50p and £1, that figure is extremely impressive. But the most notable event of the Autumn was our FCYM & Friends 50th Anniversary Social, which we held on Saturday 16 November. Almost seventy people attended the evening, and the newly-refurbished reception area at Morley College made a perfect mingling space for everyone. The Friends had worked hard to provide a wonderful buffet, with sparkling French wine and organic fruit juices from Normandy sourced especially for the occasion.

The evening opened with an informal performance by senior CYM students, including the CYM Horn Quartet, a string quartet, a beautiful guitar solo by Poppy Lashley and concluded with an upbeat set by the Jazz at 4 Ensemble. After that everyone was able to mingle and help themselves to the food and wine prepared by the Friends.

So many people contributed homemade treats: we thank them all for generously donating their time and catering talents. Particular thanks are owed to ex-Friend Rachel Ortas who, despite not being able to attend, made quantities of delicious frittata and to the FCYM team on the day, who prepared the dishes and transformed the Morley reception area into a fitting party venue.

Amongst the evening’s guests I was delighted to meet members of the Friends going back a number of decades, including long-term Friends Daphne Ellis, and Vernon and Catrina Nurse. Other key Friends alumni included Ruth

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Jenkins and Pete Davies, Lucia Gomez Santana and Ben Norbury, Shell Newton, Alberta Mills and Alison Higgs, previous FCYM treasurers Liba Hoskin and Kerry Crichlow, and my esteemed predecessor, ex-chair Rahul Patel. It was delightful to be meeting up again in such a convivial atmosphere: we hope many of them will join us again at the 50th Gala concert on 10 June.

Although it was not the sole purpose of the evening, we were very pleased to make the evening the opening of the CYM at 50 celebrations, and to contribute all profits to FYM’s bursary fundraising initiative, in addition to any specific donations made by members of the Friends and Friends Alumni. As we have also decided to donate the proceeds of this year’s very successful Christmas Cake Sale to the pot (£320), we expect to make a donation of around £1000. A very impressive figure!

The well-attended Friends Annual General Meeting on 12 October was an excellent way for the FCYM committee to introduce ourselves to the new CYM families. The event was sandwiched between a special student lunchtime concert, showcasing a range of group and individual performances, culminating in the Junior Choir’s first public outing. We are very grateful to the tutors and all the performers who make the AGM so musical an event.

As I write, the first of the CYM Open Days has taken place. The volunteer Friends team who come out each week to help Alice and the CYM office staff host the events by taking prospective students and their families around the three CYM sites, gain much pleasure and inspiration themselves from discovering just how much goes on across the Centre. As ever, we are so grateful to all the tutors and students who allow access to their classes: it enables the visitors to get a really in-depth understanding of the quality and range of the teaching offered. Do keep spreading the word: as parents, CYM Friends are in the best place to encourage new families to discover the Centre. Its reputation for high quality music provision for London children continues to grow, but there are still schools and families who have yet to hear about it.

My thanks go to Judith Robinson who once again coordinated all the parent helpers and liaised closely with Alice to ensure the days run seamlessly, and to Dagmar Morton who coordinated an additional canteen team to run the specially-organised refreshment table at the Notre Dame Q&A. Christine Bisatt, Chair, Friends of CYM (FCYM)

FCYM & FRIENDS 50th ANNIVERSARY SOCIAL

A convivial evening in the company of FCYM friends both past and present to mark the beginning of CYM’s 50th Birthday year, with music by CYM’s young musicians.

Photos: Julia Mustard

Rescue and Liberate your Musical Instruments!



An on-going initiative from FCYM; inviting CYM & LSSO parents, family, friends, alumni and others to donate musical instruments they are no longer using for use by CYM students. We want to ensure there is no barrier to students’ musical development either as a beginner or when moving on to more advanced instruments.

Don’t worry about the condition of instruments as FCYM will get them back into playing condition. We also need accessories such as cases, covers, bows, etc.

• What instrument? Any • Can we pick up? Whenever possible we try. Ask us!

• Does size and condition matter? No • When can I do it by? Any time! This is a permanent FCYM scheme.

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Please email friends@cym.org.uk or ring CYM Office on 020 7928 3844 as soon as you can!

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FOLK WORKSHOP with Joe Broughton

J

oe Broughton is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator based in Birmingham. As well as his own internationally renowned band The Urban Folk Quartet, Joe has played with everyone from Joss Stone to Fairport Convention. His compositions have been performed at The Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre in London and his workshops in performance and ensemble playing are legendary amongst the teaching community.

forgetting that you are entertaining an audience. Joe encouraged the students to practice in front of a mirror so that they can see how they look when they perform.

CYM invited Joe Broughton to work with both Senior and Junior Folk groups.

With the Junior group, they practised playing with energy, moving around the room rather than remaining static. Joe encouraged the group to play whatever they were doing with confidence, that even if there is a wrong note, to make sure it has a full tone and energy!

Senior Folk were encouraged to think of themselves as a band, being part of something with energy and commitment.

He reminded them of the slip jig and 9/8 time signature. The group were asked to think about the connection with the music and how they felt like on the inside so that it comes out on the outside. He also talked about playing the notes with the feeling of the song behind it and with energy, not

Folk students will be delighted to hear that the next workshop is in May with Archie Churchill-Moss – see adjacent page.

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Lilia Porter commented: The workshop with Joe was fabulous and it helped us understand better what a slip-jig was. Joe was so much fun, it was an exhilarating experience! I wish we could have such workshops more often!

CYM FOLK groups offer students the opportunity to learn traditional tunes and songs of Britain and beyond. To discover their characteristics and develop their ability to learn and play by ear as well as explore harmony, rhythm and creativity as a whole ensemble, with the guidance of expert tutors from EFDSS.

Junior Folk with their regular EFDSS tutors Tom Newell and David Malkin

SATURDAY 2 MAY LUNCHTIME FOLK WORKSHOP Archie Churchill-Moss – melodeon Widely regarded as one of the best players of English Traditional Folk music, Archie is also a Senior Lecturer in Folk Music at Leeds College of Music All welcome

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Young at Heart Celebrating 120 years of excellence in youth music

Centre For Young Musicians 50th Anniversary Gala Wednesday 10 June 2020, Barbican 7.30pm – 9.30pm Evening celebration headlined by a specially created Anniversary Orchestra and Choir, featuring CYM alumni performing alongside current CYM students.

Conductors: Christopher Warren-Green, Peter Ash Cello soloist: Vashti Hunter Programme to include: “There Was a Child” - Jonathan Dove “Carnival of the Animals” - Saint-Saëns

Young at Heart Celebrating 120 years of excellence in youth music

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Tickets £5 - £60 Booking cym.org.uk/whats-on