TUNE IN – AUTUMN / WINTER 2023 –
LPO PEOPLE
BACKSTAGE Welcome to the LPO, Alice! You joined in February, so you’ve recently come to the end of your first season and your first summer at Glyndebourne. How was that? I joined the LPO during an especially busy part of the London season, and colleagues kept saying ‘Just wait until you get to Glyndebourne – it’s heaven!’ I remember stepping out on the first day of rehearsals and seeing the grounds and gardens, and thinking they were absolutely right. It’s such a big contrast from our touring and performing during the year, not just in terms of being in the beautiful countryside, but also musically: playing in the pit, repeating repertoire, and following the different nuances and timings of singers on stage each night. We can really refine an opera over the course of a run and add more and more detail – a luxury that’s not possible during the concert season. And the music itself was wonderful; I got to lead Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, which is full of so much vibrancy and beauty – it was incredibly special to lead such an iconic production. What has been your career journey so far, and how did it bring you to the LPO? I grew up in New York City and started playing violin when I was four years old, with bluegrass fiddle music from the Appalachian mountains. I then found my beloved teacher Nurit Pacht a few years later, and went on to study at The Juilliard School for my Bachelors and Masters degrees with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho. Like many violinists, I was very focused on solo and chamber music during my education, but I became increasingly interested in orchestral playing, especially after leading Scheherazade and Pulcinella under the batons of Xian Zhang and Barbara Hannigan, so when I spotted the LPO vacancy online I jumped at the chance to apply. The audition was wedged between so many final exams, performances, and work I was doing with the New York Philharmonic at the time, and I had never even been to the UK before, so it was certainly a bit of a leap of faith – but I was so drawn to the LPO that it felt worth it! The audition itself turned out to be only part of my first few days in London, because a last-minute illness opened up a spot in the section for a Royal
So it’s important that I try to match Pieter’s playing to create a clear and unified front desk. A real gift of the Co-Leader position has been the opportunity to play with Pieter and develop a partnership as a desk, which has been so enlightening, even just over the last few months. He brings over 20 years of experience to the job and has so many insights from past performances. And also, without saying anything, the way he’ll lead and play intricate passages or tricky entrances shows me a lot about what I can do in the future.
ALICE IVY-PEMBERTON
American violinist Alice joined the LPO as Co-Leader in February 2023. We caught up with her as she reflects on her first season with the Orchestra. Festival Hall concert that week, and I found myself performing with the Orchestra the very next day. I flew back to New York with a trial in place for autumn 2022 and then joined officially in February 2023. Needless to say, those few days back in April 2022 ended up being some of the craziest and most rewarding of my life. Can you tell us a bit about your role as Co-Leader, and what it’s like working so closely with LPO Leader Pieter Schoeman? Sitting at the front of the Orchestra as Co-Leader feels a bit like being in the ‘eye of the storm’ and co-piloting a plane! It’s exhilarating to be at the centre of so much sound, intensity and creative expression. My two primary responsibilities are leading the Orchestra when Pieter takes time off, and collaborating with his leading when he’s in. As people probably know, the Leader is the first point of contact in translating the conductor’s gestures into sound – literally leading the orchestra with timing, articulation, approach and colour, in response to the conductor’s wishes.
What have been your favourite discoveries in London so far? The sheer size and scale of London continue to amaze me, but I’m slowly exploring more and more on my days off. I’ve laughed with colleagues about the fact that during my trial I didn’t even make it north of the river because I was so focused on the work at the Royal Festival Hall. Even now, I have to say I continue to have a huge soft spot for the Southbank area. I love the food market on weekends, the vibrancy of the cafes and shops along the riverfront, and as a theatre fan, I so appreciate that you can just pop over to the National Theatre next door. It’s lovely to see how bustling and integrated the arts are within the area, with street food and drinks combined with concerts, plays, movies and exhibitions. Which LPO concerts this autumn are you most looking forward to, and why? I’m especially looking forward to our season opener of Mahler 2 [23 Sep] – this will be my first time playing it, and it’s a work I’ve longed to play for as long as I can remember. I know Mahler 3 with Robin Ticciati [25 Nov] will be incredible as well. We work with him all summer at Glyndebourne, and it’s fantastic to reconnect in a concert setting, since the Orchestra has such a deep musical relationship with him. Lastly, a very special concert for me will be the 6 December Scheherazade, because I’ll be leading and playing the beautiful violin solos that inspired me to embark on an orchestral career in the first place. I played it with the LPO in Eastbourne last year as part of my trial, so it will be a real dream come true to bring it to the Royal Festival Hall stage as an official member of the Orchestra.
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