Upbeat Spring 2016

UPBEAT SPRING 2016 NEWS FROM INSIDE THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC

IN THIS ISSUE DIGITISING THE RCM MUSEUM A DAY IN THE LIFE…

A NEW YEAR, A NEW LOOK

HIGHLIGHTS

SPARKLING DIE FLEDERMAUS

‘From the moment the Royal College of Music’s opera orchestra struck up the opening notes of the overture, supple and brisk with a quicksilver scurry of strings, there was cause for optimism.’

 The Guardian

Photos: Chris Christodoulou

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I am delighted to welcome you to our new look Upbeat magazine. I hope you like the fresh and modern design.

Our new visual identity pays homage to our long-standing history while recognising that the Royal College of Music is a dynamic environment for young musicians. No better is this encapsulated than in our new logo, which you can see on the front cover of the magazine. You can read more about the process to refresh our brand on page 4.

All of your favourite sections remain in the magazine. You can read about recent RCM activities in our News section starting on page 4, and find out about recent student, staff and alumni successes in our Updates section (pages 16–21).

Each issue of Upbeat will also contain feature articles where you can read about aspects of RCM life in more detail. This term we find out about the digitisation of the museum collections and the exciting news that we are the first conservatoire to be part of Google Cultural Institute. We also hear from Head of ICT Mark Soole, who describes a typical day in the life of this invaluable department.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the new look magazine, so please do get in touch at news@rcm.ac.uk. And don’t forget to tell us about your recent projects and achievements; the deadline for submissions to the summer issue of Upbeat is Monday 11 April.

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NEWS

The latest news and activities from the Royal College of Music

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CONTENTS

WELCOME TO UPBEAT

Digitising the Royal College of Music Museum

Discover how the RCM Museum became the first conservatoire on Google Cultural Institute

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A Day in the Life

Head of ICT Mark Soole describes a typical day for the team

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SUPPORT US

STUDENT UPDATES

STAFF UPDATES

ALUMNI UPDATES

IN MEMORY Professor Colin Lawson, Director

UPBEAT ONLINE Upbeat is available to read online at www.rcm.ac.uk/upbeat. Please help us to reduce our carbon footprint and receive Upbeat by email.

Director of Communications Talia Hull Editor Jacquelyn Williams Designer May Yan Man Design www.splashofpaint.com Contact news@rcm.ac.uk

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NEWS

IN THE NEWS RCM LAUNCHES PLANNING NEW VISUAL IDENTITY PERMISSION SECURED Opposite Dame Evelyn Glennie and Head of Percussion David Hockings Photo: Chris Christodoulou Below RCM Students’ Union football kit

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he Royal College of Music is delighted to announce the launch of a new visual identity.

The new logo and visual identity will be introduced into all of the RCM’s print publications and digital communications over the coming months. You can already see them in action in this edition of Upbeat, on our new responsive website and on our social media platforms. The Students’ Union football team are particularly proud of their new team kit!

Developed throughout the last year by worldleading brand-agency Landor, we have greatly benefitted from their expertise, which has been provided to the RCM at no cost whatsoever. The changes reflect the respected heritage, innovative spirit and collaborative environment the College has fostered since opening in 1882, while recognising it is also a modern and dynamic environment for young musicians.

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lanning permission has been granted for the Royal College of Music’s transformational development of the Blomfield Building. This will enable the RCM to deliver its vision for the highestquality learning environment and remain one of the world leaders in music education.

Renowned architect John Simpson has reimagined the RCM site and the planned developments will enhance the learning environment for students by providing new performance spaces, recording facilities and practice rooms. The More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of Music project will also transform the College’s public engagement programme, allowing more people than ever before to connect with the RCM in a variety of ways.

Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/moremusic for more information.

CONTRACTS EXCHANGED FOR MARKOVA HOUSE

GLENNIE OPENS PERCUSSION SUITE

RESEARCH PROJECT RECEIVES AHRC AWARD

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he Royal College of Music has exchanged contracts for the purchase of Markova House in South Kensington, the current headquarters of English National Ballet.

The enlarged estate will allow for a substantial increase in practice rooms, as well as providing two large orchestral and opera rehearsal spaces. Markova House will also provide a new home for the RCM’s leading Research department, offering a dedicated environment for work that includes research into the impact of music on health and wellbeing.

Many administrative and academic staff will also move into the new premises, returning the Blomfield Building into a space primarily for making music and providing an extraordinary environment for RCM students.

RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson said ‘Together with the planned development of the RCM’s Blomfield Building, the acquisition of Markova House will contribute to a state-of-the-art creative infrastructure across both sites, supporting and sustaining the RCM as a worldleader in music education for generations to come.’

ame Evelyn Glennie officially opened the Royal College of Music’s new percussion suite on 26 November 2015.

The renowned percussionist was greeted by an enthusiastic group of students who demonstrated the range of facilities available and the exceptional level of music-making fostered within the RCM’s Percussion Faculty. Dame Evelyn remarked ‘it’s such a pleasure, not just to witness the amazing playing from our young players, but to see this amazing facility.’

Introduced to the new percussion suite

by Head of Percussion David Hockings, Dame Evelyn saw the dedicated rehearsal spaces for timpani, vibraphone, marimba and orchestral percussion, as well as the rehearsal and studio spaces and state-ofthe-art technology for teaching, recording and rehearsing. The pair also reminisced about their own time as students 30 years ago, when space was scarce and large instruments often unavailable for practice.

he RCM has won an Arts and Humanities Research Council 10th Anniversary Cultural Engagement Fund Award of £50,000 to support a threemonth research project led by vocal professor Norbert Meyn.

Entitled ‘Exile Estates – Music Restitution: The Musical Legacy of Conductor/ Composer Peter Gellhorn’, the project aims to bring the work of Peter Gellhorn (1912–2004) – and especially his compositions, which remain largely unpublished – to a wider audience.

The award will, among other things, enable the employment of a researcher to assist in archival research for the project, which is part of the RCM’s wider research into musicians forced to emigrate from Nazi Europe in the 1930s and 40s.

More information can be found online at www.rcm.ac.uk/singingasong

Before cutting the red ribbon and officially opening the suite, Dame Evelyn praised the new facilities and said ‘there’s a wonderful working creative area here and that’s very important for any musician.’

The final sale is expected to coincide with ENB’s planned move to London City Island in autumn 2018.

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NEWS SUCCESSFUL SOIREE D’OR

T Opposite Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in Die Fledermaus Photo: Chris Christodoulou Below Joo Yeon Sir performs at Soirée d’Or Photo: Steven Morris

he RCM’s annual fundraising gala, Soirée d’Or, raised £216,000 to support scholarships for talented RCM students.

Attended by 400 guests, the event was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in December 2015, and featured live and silent auctions. Professor Colin Lawson presented the RCM’s More Music development plans to guests before RCM soprano Josephine Goddard gave the appeal speech.

Musical entertainment was provided by awardwinning singers Gemma Lois Summerfield and Simon Shibambu and violinist Joo Yeon Sir (pictured). Guests also enjoyed reception music from marimba duo Aristel Skrbić and Hyun-Gi Lee, and a performance of David Willcocks’ Infant Holy, Infant Lowly by the RCM Chamber Choir directed by Thomas Allery.

Support for the evening was generously provided

by Finsbury, BAE Systems, The Dorchester, Taittinger and Steinway. The RCM thanks all those who attended and donated on the night. The RCM is also grateful to members of the Soirée d’Or Committee, led by Lady Carr, who are integral to the success of this event.

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RCMJD FINALISTS FOR BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2016

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ive talented young musicians from the RCM Junior Department have made it through to the category finals of BBC Young Musician 2016.

Current RCMJD horn player Ben Goldscheider, pianist Tomoka Kan, percussionist Joseph Parks and flautist Marie Sato and RCMJD alumna violinist Stephanie Childress have all been selected to take part in category finals of this prestigious competition.

They are all hoping to follow in the footsteps of the previous three winners, RCMJD musicians Martin James Bartlett (2014), Laura van der Heijden (2012) and Lara Melda (2010).

Miranda Francis, Head of Junior Programmes at the RCM, comments: ‘I am thrilled that so many RCM Junior Department students have been selected to perform in the BBCYM category finals. They are all incredibly talented performers. We are all so proud of them, and wish them well!’ The competition final will be held at London’s Barbican Centre on Sunday 15 May.

OPERA STARS APPEAR IN DIE FLEDERMAUS

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orld-renowned opera stars Sir Thomas Allen and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa thrilled audience members by appearing as special guests in the RCM International Opera School’s November production of Die Fledermaus.

Directed by internationally renowned opera director John Copley, the production featured the singers as special guests at Prince Orlofsky’s party in Act II of the popular opera. Sir Thomas Allen, an RCM alumnus, sang Some Enchanted Evening on Friday 27 November, and on Saturday 28 November audiences were treated to a performance of O mio babbino caro by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, RCM Visiting Professor of Opera.

RCM Director of Opera and conductor Michael Rosewell said ’Dame Kiri and Sir Tom’s very public association with this RCM opera production shows the measure of their trust in our work and training, as well as in the high standards we consistently attain.’

RCM MUSEUM SUPPORTED BY NATIONAL LOTTERY The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced support of £3.6m to redevelop the Royal College of Music Museum.

This significant investment will kick-start a three-year project to create a new museum at the Prince Consort Road site, including new displays and a performance space for the RCM’s extensive collection of historic instruments.

Sir Peter Luff, Chair of HLF, said: ‘The Royal College of Music is home to an extraordinary collection. These exciting proposals are just the thing to [provide a] brighter space with increased opening times and instrument handling opportunities. Music should be for everyone’s enjoyment and I think a round of applause is due to National Lottery players for helping open up this treasure trove for that very purpose.’

RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson said: ‘This HLF grant will allow us to progress the vital work needed to establish a new Museum at the very heart of the RCM and offer greater public access than ever before.’

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NEWS RCM JOINS GLOBAL TRAINING PROGRAMME

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he RCM has joined the Global Auditioning Training Programme, an innovative international project to help players learn more about auditioning for different orchestras around the world.

The programme uses high speed network technology to connect the selected music colleges worldwide, and aims to increase awareness of the many diverse orchestral traditions in different parts of the world.

The first session, on Monday 21 September, saw RCM professor and Principal Viola of the English Chamber Orchestra, Jonathan Barritt, participating in the international jury. RCM violist Bryony Gibson-Cornish was auditioning, alongside viola students at the Cleveland Institute of Music, New World Symphony, Shanghai Conservatory of Music and The Royal Danish Academy of Music.

Dr Tania Lisboa, RCM Research Fellow, said: ‘Joining the Global Auditioning Training Programme will open new opportunities for RCM students to work on their auditioning skills and to establish contact with leading orchestras worldwide.’

LSO STRING EXPERIENCE SUCCESS

HONOURS AWARDED TO RCM ALUMNI

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ine of the fifteen places available on the London Symphony Orchestra’s prestigious String Experience Scheme for 2015/16 have been taken by RCM students.

Auditioning participants from the four London conservatoires, the scheme provides young string players with the opportunity to gain work experience in rehearsals and concerts with the LSO. Participants are treated as professional ‘extra’ players and receive fees for their work in line with LSO section players.

The scheme also provides an invaluable opportunity for young musicians to make professional contacts.

Congratulations go to violinists Alexandra Isted, Anna Lee and Lasma Taimina, violists Lisa Bucknell, May Dolan and Bryony Gibson-Cornish, cellists Kristiana Ignatjeva and Zoe Saubat and double bassist Jon Mikel Martínez Valgañón, who have all been chosen for the scheme.

he Royal College of Music is delighted to congratulate several alumni and individuals closely associated with the College, who have had their achievements recognised in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list.

Pianist Malcolm Martineau was awarded the OBE. Since graduating from the RCM in the 1980s, Malcolm has made his name as one of the world’s greatest accompanists. Leslie East HonRCM, former Chief Executive of ABRSM, was also awarded the OBE. Celebrated violinist Alina Ibragimova – who gave four performances at the 2015 BBC Proms – was made MBE, as was fellow RCM alumna Catherine Arlidge, a City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra violinist honoured for services to music education.

Also awarded an MBE for services to the arts and education was Nigel Woolner, a Fellow of the RCM, former RCM Council Member and current Chair of the Mills Williams Foundation.

BIG GIVE CHALLENGE BREAKS NEW RECORD The RCM received a tremendous £186,602 of support from the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2015, breaking all previous RCM donation totals. The RCM would like to extend its gratitude to all those who donated.

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest online match funding campaign and provides the opportunity for charities to have donations doubled during the challenge.

Raised through matched and unmatched donations, as well as Gift Aid, this year’s total will have a life-changing impact on many of the RCM’s exceptionally talented young musicians. All funds will go towards the RCM Scholarships Fund, which aims to give all talented students, irrespective of background, the opportunity to complete their studies without financial worries.

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RCM-NAFA PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES

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he Royal College of Music has reaffirmed its links with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) by signing a second five-year agreement to offer the RCM-NAFA degree programme.

The signing ceremony took place at NAFA on 12 January 2016, where RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson, Head of Keyboard Professor Vanessa Latarche and Deputy Director Kevin Porter were welcomed by NAFA President Mr Chia Mia Chiang, Dean Mr Lim Yau and Vice Deans Dr Eleanor Tan and Dr Ernest Lim. This ground-breaking undergraduate degree programme was launched in 2011. There have since been 67 graduates from the programme, with 28% achieving First Class Honours. Open to students who have completed NAFA’s threeyear Music Diploma, the programme provides an international placement at the RCM, where students can experience the exceptional education and performance opportunities available, as well as London’s rich cultural life.

JETTE PARKER YOUNG ARTISTS SUCCESS

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ingers Angela Simkin and Simon Shibambu have been selected for The Royal Opera’s prestigious Jette Parker Young Artists programme.

Above NAFA President Mr Chia Mia Chiang and RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson

The singers were chosen for the two-year programme following three rounds of auditions, in which they beat off competition from more than 400 applicants from 50 countries.

British mezzo soprano Angela Simkin graduated from the RCM last year after studying with Timothy Evans Jones as an Ian Evans Lombe Scholar. South African bass Simon Shibambu currently studies at the RCM with Graeme Broadbent as an ABRSM Scholar supported by the OMT and Minerva Trust.

Both have appeared to great acclaim in numerous RCM International Opera School productions.

The Jette Parker Young Artists Programme supports the artistic development of young professional singers, conductors, directors and repetiteurs at the start of their careers. During their two-year placement, Young Artists work on productions for The Royal Opera singing small roles, covering larger roles or working with music or directing staff.

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FEATURE

DIGITISING THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC MUSEUM Changes are afoot for the RCM Museum. Upbeat reports on its latest project to create a presence on Google’s Cultural Institute...

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n a world where digital is seen as the future for almost everything, it can be a challenge for museums – traditionally the guardians of the past – to know how to make the most of the opportunities the online world offers. There has been a lot of talk about ‘digital museums’, with many advocating that screens are the walls of the future. Various experiments and trials have achieved mixed success. So can Google’s new Cultural Institute platform live up to the hype and be the breakthrough we are all waiting for?

It is tremendously exciting to work with Google to enable so many people to connect with these beautiful and fascinating objects in a myriad of new ways.

Gabriele Rossi Rognoni Royal College of Music Museum Curator

Google Cultural Institute – originally launched as the Google Art Project in 2011 with just 17 museums involved – today has more than 300 partners in around 44 countries. The Royal College of Music is very proud of the fact it is the first conservatoire in the world to be featured on the online platform. As of November last year, items from the RCM’s internationally renowned collection of musical instruments and portraits sit alongside collections from other world-leading arts institutions including the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, The Metropolitan Opera and Musée d’Orsay.

‘It is tremendously exciting to work with Google to enable so many people to connect with these beautiful and fascinating objects in a myriad of new ways,’ says Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, Curator of the Royal College of Music Museum. ‘We are delighted that thanks to the wonders of modern technology there are so many more ways for people to explore our treasures.’

Through a series of carefully curated online exhibitions you can view and hear a selection of the RCM’s most valuable pieces. One exceptional highlight is a close-up view of the RCM’s most prized object – a clavicytherium – which at more than 540 years old is the earliest surviving stringed keyboard instrument in the world. It may no longer be playable but the interactive display allows you to listen to a replica made in the 1970s to experience how it may once have sounded.

You can also enjoy the novelty of listening to the strange sound of the Pochette, a type of string instrument used by dance masters in France in the 17th and 18th centuries. These little instruments were transported in specially designed coat pockets (‘poche’ in French), hence their name. Or if you’re just interested in perusing a few of the many greats who have passed through the doors of the RCM, take the tour of the ‘Royal College of Music Composers’ exhibit – from Stanford to Howells, it is a fascinating snapshot of the RCM’s remarkable history.

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Left Use Museum View to look inside the RCM Below Explore the RCM’s art collection including Jeffrey Spedding’s portrait of Benjamin Britten Opposite A selection of Pochettes from the RCM collection

‘Working on this project has been incredibly rewarding,’ comments the Museum’s Digitisation Officer Richard Martin. ‘What I love most is the fact you can zoom in and see every brushstroke of a painting, or every detail of an instrument. Uniting objects with recordings creates a really fulfilling interactive experience, and shows just how far technology has come. It makes me very excited for what the future holds.’

In addition to getting up close and personal with the RCM’s collections, the platform also offers Museum View, a tool that grants access to the main spaces and corridors of the RCM (an extension of Google’s Street View). By standing virtually in the magnificent Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, not only can you pretend to be performing on that great stage but also explore the portraits of some of the RCM’s most illustrious alumni and Directors which decorate the walls.

This partnership with Google comes at an opportune moment for the RCM as the physical museum is undergoing a transformative redevelopment, with a planned reopening in 2019. The three-year project to create a new museum is supported by a £3.6m Heritage Lottery Fund grant which will enable new displays and a performance space for the RCM’s collection of historic instruments.

So although these treasures have been carefully packed away in storage for a few years, they still live on in the digital world. And now they can be enjoyed by an even larger audience no matter where they are or what time of day it is – whether they are in London, New York or Beijing. When the Museum does reopen in a few years’ time the divide between the physical and the digital world will be much smaller than before, with more ways than ever to enjoy, listen to and appreciate the RCM collections.

Written by Katherine Smith RCM Marketing Manager

How to Access the RCM Collections on Google Cultural Institute Visit www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/royal-collegeof-music or type ‘Royal College of Music’ into the search box of the Google Cultural Institute home page.

From here you can explore three curated exhibitions and access Museum View.

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FEATURE

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE ICT TEAM The Royal College of Music’s Information and Communications Technology team is an integral part of the RCM’s digital agenda, driving innovation across the College’s many activities. Head of ICT Mark Soole tells Upbeat what a typical day is like for the team...

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7am Business Applications Manager Mike Knapp checks results of overnight upgrades from home.

Last night he made important upgrades to the Finance system. Most upgrades and disruptive work take place outside teaching hours so the IT systems are available to staff and students when they need them most.

9am ICT Service Desk Assistant Bridget Danso opens the ICT help desk and the front line team starts to deal with calls. Staggered working hours mean that we always have someone on hand to deal with urgent issues. We pride ourselves on being a friendly department with strong working relationships across the RCM.

8am Senior Service Desk Engineer Alex Razumov arrives on site and starts his day by checking the essential IT systems to make sure everything is running effectively. Alex also deals with any urgent calls on the help desk.

The ICT help desk answers around 9,000 calls per year, with demand continuing to grow alongside our ambitions. A typical day can see the team dealing with anything from password changes to major project work such as the Estates team’s largescale building projects or digital learning.

10am Mike meets with the RCM Junior Department team to help implement a software system designed to administer this valuable department. The RCM has a complex IT system matching the diversity of the RCM itself. The technology used to teach children is very different to the technology for the senior college, but the systems all still need to fit together holistically as we are one organisation. Mike will work on technical setup and integration, as well as project advice and support.

10.30am ICT Support Manager Birju Patel and I conduct a review of our print services with the supplier. The ICT team procures and manages all technology centrally for efficient management so that RCM resources can go into its main activity of teaching. The students are at the heart of everything we do here at the RCM. I also make sure that current print systems continue to be environmentally efficient.

12pm Birju and I have our weekly meeting where we discuss the current projects and plan future developments. On the list is technology for the upcoming redevelopment of our building. The More Music project will enable our students to stay at the forefront of digital technology for generations to come. We also discuss support for a studio event using the RCM’s pioneering real-time video collaboration system LOLA, lecture-capture systems and budget planning.

1.45pm ICT Service Desk Engineer Fong Wong helps a Russian and a Chinese student who are having difficulties with the mobile phone print system; they need to print a score for a rehearsal starting in 15 minutes. Cantonese and Russian are two of the ten languages the ICT team speak between them. This allows us to help many of our international students, especially those who have recently arrived at the RCM.

Above The ICT team at work Photos: Sheila Burnett Opposite The ICT team: Mazhar Jamadar, Fong Wong, Gbenga Akinrodoye, Alex Razumov, Mark Soole and Birju Patel

3pm ICT Service Desk Engineer Mazhar Jamadar has a conference call with the Danish provider of our room-booking system ASIMUT to complete testing of their new mobile app. ASIMUT enables students to book practice rooms and know their timetables and it’s the RCM’s main planning tool for concerts and rehearsals. We have been working closely with ASIMUT in the development of this app.

4pm I meet with Mike to discuss the RCM’s computer infrastructure, to see where we can improve speed and stability for students and staff. I take some time to plan future ICT priorities, including improving our online payment systems and tackling our data storage issues. We are really lucky to have such a rich audio and video archive, but we need to make sure it is stored safely and cost effectively.

5pm The ICT Helpdesk closes. The team has dealt with requests for assistance right across the RCM today, and will be back again tomorrow to deal with new challenges!

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SUPPORT US

SUPPORTING THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC Music has the power to transform lives. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, generations of gifted students from around the world have been guided and inspired at the RCM. We would like to thank in particular those listed below who have made donations of £1,000 or more in the last 12 months. Gifts are listed alphabetically in order of surname.

SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF MUSIC From becoming an RCM Friend, through to leaving a gift in your Will, there are many ways you can support the Royal College of Music.

For more information, please visit www.rcm.ac.uk/ supportus Alternatively, contact the Development team on 020 7591 4321 or development@rcm.ac.uk

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Supporters of named scholarships, bursaries and Junior Fellowships The Abinger Hammer Award ABRSM The Ackroyd Trust The Jane Barker Scholarship Laurie Barry and the John Barry Scholarship for Film Composition Dr Linda Beeley Phoebe Benham Junior Fellowship Bell Percussion The Big Give Trust The Bliss Trust Bocconoc Scholarship The Boltini Trust Scholarship The Gary & Eleanor Brass Scholarship The Derek Butler Trust The Richard Carne Charitable Trust Sir Roger and Lady Carr Soirée d’Or Scholarship Stephen Catto Memorial Scholarship The Estate of Miss Iris Chappell Edgar Tom and Hilda May Cook Else and Leonard Cross Charitable Trust The Cuthbert Smith Award Douglas and Kyra Downie Ann Driver Trust Gilbert and Eileen Edgar Junior Fellowship Amaryllis Fleming Foundation Fiona and Douglas Flint Soirée d’Or Scholarship The Future of Russia Foundation Gylla Godwin Award Peter Granger The Greenbank Scholarship HF Music Award+ HMD Meyer Violin Prize Royal College of Music Pete Handley Award Irene Hanson Scholarship The Estate of Christopher Hogwood Independent Opera Artist Scholarship Charles Jacobs Scholarship The JMC Award The Johnson Scholarship John Lewis Partnership Scholarships+ The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation UK Knights of the Round Table Kirby Laing Foundation

Lark Insurance Scholarship Hester Laverne Award The Lee Abbey Award Leverhulme Trust Carole and Geoffrey Lindey Philip Loubser Foundation Loveday Scholarship Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Mason Scholarship Mr James McAlinden Legacy The Mills Williams Foundation The Howard and Abbey Milstein Foundation Music Talks Scholarship Charles Napper Award Lydia Napper Award The John Nickson Scholarship Midori Nishiura Sir Gordon Palmer Scholarship The Charles Peel Charitable Trust The Stanley Picker Scholarship The Polonsky Foundation PRS for Music Foundation The Radcliffe Trust Norman Reintamm The Charles Stewart Richardson

Scholarship for Composition The Estate of Edith Mary Richmond Virginia and Simon Robertson Scholarship Victoria Robey Scholarship Emma Rose Memorial Scholarship Humphrey Searle Scholarship Frank Shipway Memorial Scholarship Dasha Shenkman Scholarship The Siow-Furniss Scholarship Soirée d’Or Scholarships South Square Trust Steinway & Sons Opperby Stokowski Collection Trust Ian Stoutzker OBE, CBE, FRCM Sudborough Foundation Tait Trust Scholarship HR Taylor Trust Ian and Meriel Tegner The Richard Toeman/Weinberger Opera Scholarship The Tsukanov Family Foundation The Wall Trust Sir Peter and Lady Walters Soirée d’Or Scholarship Bob and Sarah Wigley Scholarship

Arthur Wilson Trombone Award Professor Lord Winston The Wolfson Foundation Andy Woodburn Memorial Award The Worshipful Company of Drapers The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers The Worshipful Company of Musicians The Wyseliot Charitable Trust Supporters of RCM Sparks Karina and Dhairya Choudhrie Denis and Meredith Coleman Guy Dawson and Sam Horscroft The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust The Hedley Foundation HF Awards John Lewis Partnership Miss Joanna Kaye The Oldhurst Trust Georg and Emily von Opel Foundation Sykes & Son Universal Music Group Anne Wadsworth OBE Members of the RCM Chairman’s Circle Philip Carne MBE, HonRCM and Christine Carne* Karina and Dhairya Choudhrie+* Denis and Meredith Coleman+ Guy Dawson and Sam Horscroft+ Gisela Gledhill* Linda Hill HonRCM and Tony Hill* Terry Hitchcock* James and Clare Kirkman* Victoria Robey OBE* Roland Saam* Lady Sitwell Dasha Shenkman OBE, HonRCM* Michael and Ruth West HonRCM* Members of the RCM Director’s Circle Daniel Chapchal Tania Chislett Helen Chung-Halpern and Abel Halpern Miss Joanna Kaye+

JOIN THE RCM FRIENDS The support of the RCM Friends means a great deal to me... knowing there is a dedicated group who are so enthusiastic about everything at College is very gratifying. I have been lucky enough to meet many of these wonderful people and their support is second to none.

Josephine Goddard, Soirée d’Or Scholar supported by a Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Award To join the RCM Friends please contact Rachel Bowden, Friends and Patrons Officer, at rachel.bowden@rcm.ac.uk or call 020 7591 4331.

Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/friends for more information.

Mr James Lancaster and Mrs Margaret Lancaster Dr Mark Levesley and Christina Hoseason* Sir Sydney and Lady Lipworth Vivien McLean Beckwith Sir Peter and Lady Middleton FRCM John Nickson and Simon Rew* Richard and Sue Price Peter and Dimity Spiller The Vernon Ellis Foundation Anne Wadsworth OBE+ Quentin Williams* Members of the RCM Patrons’ Circle Isla Baring OAM* Jane Barker CBE* Halina and John Bennett Lady Bergman Ms Sylvia Bettermann Nathenson Lorna and Christopher Bown Mrs Lorraine Buckland Sir Roger and Lady Carr HonRCM* Sir Anthony Cleaver FRCM and Lady Cleaver Mr Peter and Mrs Tessa Ettedgui Mr Kenneth and Mrs Lillemor Gardener Professor Alice Gast MarieNoelle and Mathias Gislev Sarah Griffin Carol Hagh Greta Hemus John and Sue Heywood Mr William and Mrs AnnaMarie Hill Mr David James Sir David Lees David and Sue Lewis Charles and Dominique Lubar Mr David Mildon Ellen Moloney Judy and Terence Mowschenson Jennifer Neelands Russell Race* Victoria Rock Mrs Marcella Rossi Kerry and Dimity Rubie Mrs Piffa Schroder Barbara Simmonds Betty Sutherland Sir Richard and Lady Sykes

Louisa Treger John Ward Jane Wilson Sir Robert and Lady Wilson Dr Yvonne Winkler Mr Richard Wintour Mr Rhoddy Voremberg Corporate Supporters BAE Systems Campus Living Villages Finsbury Hatch Mansfield Huawei Technologies (UK) Niquesa Fine Jewellery and Hotels Major Supporters Jane Barker CBE* Karen Cook The Robert Fleming Hannay Memorial Charity Heritage Lottery Fund Professor Colin Lawson FRCM The Mirfield Trust Geoffrey Richards HonRCM The Rothschild Foundation Roland Rudd The Peter Sowerby Foundation Georg and Emily von Opel Foundation+ Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement The Garfield Weston Foundation Bob and Sarah Wigley* Supporters Mr Peter Beckwith Guy Black of Brentwood Mr Michael Boxford Brooks van der Pump English Song Prize Mr Sudhir Choudhrie Sir David Cooksey Mrs Paola Costa Sassi Mr Hugh Davidson The Derek Hill Foundation George Drexler Foundation Ms Lily Harriss Mr Laurence Hopkins Mr Michael Jeans

Mr Peter Lofthouse The Hon Richard Lyttelton Edward Mandel/Jaques Samuel Pianos Bursary Mr Marcus McDonald HonRCM Sir Douglas Morpeth FRCM St Marylebone Educational Foundation The Edith Murphy Foundation Mrs Paige Nelson Ofenheim Charitable Trust The John Ogden Foundation Mrs Helen Ogunbiyi Mr Christopher Saul Miss Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust Mr Ian Stoutzker Ms Simona Tappi Mr William Tilden Mr Rhoddy Voremberg Mr Nigel Woolner Mr John Wright * also supports a named award + also supports RCM Sparks

WELCOME TO NEW FRIENDS We are delighted to welcome the following individuals who have joined the RCM Friends between September 2015 and January 2016.

Khaled Al-Sabah Nicola Anderson Dennis Anthony Elizabeth Ashford Christy Austin Joanna Brod Niall Curran and Susan Reid Ronald Denny Louis Eslami Gilbert Gargour

Gavin Gilligan June Godfrey Michael Hutchinson Alison Kidd Abigail King Alastair and Penelope Maclachlan Ingrid Marsh Sue Neale Jean-Marie and Elizabeth Noel

Dame Anne Rafferty DBE and His Honour Brian Barker CBE, QC Pam Tabert John and Ruth Whetsel Keith and Jacqueline Williams John Wright

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STUDENT UPDATES 16

STUDENT UPDATES Right Julien van Mellaerts Photo: Chris Christodoulou Below Pavel Kolesnikov Photo: Colin Way

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KEYBOARD ACCOMPLISHMENTS Vitaly Pisarenko has won Third Prize at the 2015 Leeds International Piano Competition following a performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no 3 with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder.

The only finalist from a UK conservatoire, his performance was also broadcast on BBC Four...

Luka Okros (Okrostsvaridze) has won First Prize at the XIX Concurso Internacional de Piano de Valencia ‘Premio Iturbi’ in Spain. As the 2014 winner of the UK’s Jaques Samuel Intercollegiate Piano Competition, Luka also gave his debut recital at Wigmore Hall in November... Sonya Pigot has been selected for the AMF Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award at the Australian Music Foundation Awards. She was presented with her award at Australia House in November by the High Commissioner of Australia... Tolga Un won Second Prize at the Broadwood Horniman Harpsichord Competition, held at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in November... Ilya Kondratiev has won the 2015 Intercollegiate Beethoven Prize, awarded by the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe; his prize includes a recital at St Martinin-the-Fields later this year... Svetoslav Todorov has won First Prize in the Soloists Section of the 9th Kyushu International JS Bach Competition in Fukuoka, Japan... Samson Tsoy has won First Prize at the 9th Concurso Internacional de Piano de Campillos in Spain... Pavel Kolesnikov performed Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in February...

RCM Junior Fellow Imma Setiadi has performed at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall following a successful audition for the Manchester Mid-Day Concerts Society’s 2015/16 season... RCM Junior Fellow harpsichordist Nathaniel Mander, soprano Rowan Pierce, violinist Laure Chan, baroque viola player Lisa Bucknell and baroque flute player Amelia Shakespeare have performed in a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune from the opening of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Europe 1600–1800 Galleries. RCM alumnae Elin White and Florence Petit also performed.

VOCAL ACCOLADES Tenor Thobela Ntshanyana won the Clonter Opera Singing Competition in February... Bass baritone Simon Shibambu has received a 2015 International Opera Awards Bursary... Soprano Julieth Lozano has won First Prize in the Emmy Destinn Singing Competition... Soprano Carly Owen has won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2015 London Welsh Young Singer of the Year Competition... Soprano Rowan Pierce has won Second Prize and Special Prize at the Early Music Singing Competition in Poznan. Rowan will return to Poland next year to perform with the Poznan Baroque Orchestra... Soprano Galina Averina has won First Prize in the Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers’ Competition...

Tenor Peter Aisher has won the Schubert Society Singer Prize at the London Song Festival Lieder Masterclass, performing with accompanist Lucy Colquhoun. Peter’s prize includes recitals for the London Song Festival and the Schubert Society...

Bass baritone Julien van Mellaerts won First Prize at the 2015 Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards held at Wigmore Hall in November.

STRING SUCCESS Cellist Jamal Aliyev performed live in the studio for BBC Radio 3’s In Tune in January... Violinist Emily Sun has won the Strings Section of the Royal OverSeas League competition.

DOCTORAL ACTIVITIES Tamara Thompson has delivered her paper ‘Sibyl Sanderson and Massenet’s Esclarmonde: musical training and critical response’ at the Francophone Music Criticism annual colloque at the Bibliothèque nationale de France... Bruno Bower, Isobel Clarke, Vera Fonte and George Waddell have given presentations on how musicians and audiences approach unfamiliar repertoire at the 2015 International Conference of Students of Systematic Musicology in Leipzig, Germany... Nicholas Morrish Rarity has won a New Dots competition and has been commissioned to write a new work for the Workers Union Ensemble. He was also selected for the Divertimento Ensemble International Workshop for Young Composers, held in Italy in July... Edwin Hillier’s piece for alto flute, viola and percussion entitled engine oil and charcoal has received its premiere at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, by Luxembourgbased ensemble, LUCILIN. He also completed his year-long residency at Handel House Museum with the curation of a two-week new music series, an installation work and a large-scale commission, premiered at St George’s, Hanover Square...

Shiva Feshareki has been invited to give a presentation with Ivan Hewett at the Science Museum’s Alternative Histories of Electronic Music conference in April.

RCM JUNIOR DEPARTMENT ACHIEVEMENTS Vocal student Ella Rainbird-Earley has won First Prize and the Marian Lines Prize for best spoken poetry in the Association of English Singers and Speakers Catherine Lambert Junior Recital Prize. Isabelle Tett and Clover Kayne were also finalists in the competition... Three students have secured principal positions in the National Youth Orchestra. Flautist Marie Sato, clarinettist Matt Glendening and bassoonist Lucy Dundas were among 18 RCMJD students who were conducted

by RCM alumnus John Wilson in January at Leeds Town Hall and the Barbican... Laura Newey has been appointed as a National Youth Orchestra composer… Pianist Calvin Leung won the Kingston upon Thames Young Musician Competition 2016 in January.

Above Lillie Harris Below Left Samson Tsoy

SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk

COMPOSITION CONGRATULATIONS Samuel Hall has written the score for the winning film in the Shortlist Shorts Competition at London’s Raindance Film Festival. His music accompanied the winning entry Dan?, directed by Uzo Oleh...

Lillie Harris has been selected as one of five young composers to join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s first Composers Hub… Youngjin Lim has won Third Prize at the 2015 ChengduChina 11th Sun River Prize Students New Music Composition Competition with his chamber piece In the Shadow of Your Wings.

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STAFF UPDATES

STAFF UPDATES Below Jess Cresswell and her husband David Below Right Clara Rodríguez

RCM Junior Department recorder teachers Rebecca Austen-Brown and Sarah Humphrys have recorded a CD with their ensemble the Fontanella Recorder Quintet. Woods so Wild, launched at the RCM in January, features music inspired by nature from the 14th–16th centuries and was recorded on the quintet’s consort of 15 instruments, made for them by Adrian Brown.

Assistant Head of Undergraduate Programmes, Anastasia Belina-Johnson, gave a talk on the Rebel of the Keys documentary about André Tchaikowsky at Warsaw’s Jewish History Museum, in November. She also gave a talk on Jewish creative artists at the International Musicological Conference on the Centenary of the Death of Karl Goldmark at the Institute of Musicology in Budapest.

Timpani professor Adrian Bending has released Bending Bach’s Basslines, a higher level teaching book for timpanists which adapts the bass lines of Bach’s chorales for timpani. The book also includes an accompanying CD of professional recordings.

Adrian is donating all proceeds of the book to Cancer Research UK. RCM Junior Department viola teacher Sarah-Jane Bradley has made world premiere recordings of viola concertos with the Hallé Orchestra conducted

by Stephen Bell. Recorded in Manchester, the CD includes an orchestration of Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata by Ruth Lomon, as well as the Benjamin Dale Romance in its orchestrated version by the composer. The disc is due for release in 2016 on the Dutton Epoch label.

Two works by outreach mentor John Cooney have received notable premieres in Cardiff. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales performed a movement from In These Dark Waters, while Lisa Nelsen and Gwenllian Llyr gave the premiere of Ellipse for flute and harp.

Concert and Venue Manager Jess Cresswell (née Pearce) married David on Tuesday 27 October, at Weybridge Registry Office. They followed the ceremony with lunch and a honeymoon ‘cruise’ along the Thames before returning in time to collect their daughter Mimi from nursery!

RCM Junior Department Choral Conductor James Davey has enjoyed success with his London choir, Chantage, at the Malta International Choir Festival 2015. The choir won First Prize in both secular and sacred categories, plus a special award for best choreographed performance. The choir gained the highest score of the Festival and went on to win the overall ‘Grand Prix’.

Vocal professor Roderick Earle has directed the chamber choir at the McKinsey Music Festival in Kitzbühel, Austria. He also directed the Colchester Chamber Choir in the first modern performance of Robert Ramsey’s Dialogues of Sorrow (reconstructed

by Andrew Kerr and Hugh Keyte), 400 years after the first performance in Cambridge, for King James I and Prince Charles, in 1615.

Composer Russell Hepplewhite has been included in the Evening Standard’s Top 1,000 Most Influential Londoners List 2015. The paper described him as ‘one of the most exciting young talents to emerge in recent years’.

Clarinet professor Janet Hilton visited Australia for a two-week residency at the Melbourne Conservatorium in September. Her visit also included a recital at Melba Hall with RCM alumnus and pianist Rhodri Clarke and a masterclass at Sydney Conservatorium.

Works by composition professor Joseph Horovitz were featured in the Royal Northern College of Music’s Brass Band Festival in January to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Euphonium Concerto, Music Hall Suite, Ballet for Band, Concertino Classico, Tuba Concerto, Theme and Co-operation and The Dong with the Luminous Nose were performed by leading artists, including Black Dyke, Grimethorpe, Fairey, Tredegar and Foden’s Bands.

Vocal professor Janis Kelly will be appearing at Glyndebourne Festival Opera this summer as Berta in Rossini’s ll barbiere di Siviglia.

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Professor Colin Lawson and Professor Vanessa Latarche have visited the University of Macau, where they led an afternoon masterclass. They also joined Michael Kirby, Principal Clarinet of the Macau Symphony Orchestra, for an evening performance.

Piano professor Simon Lepper has released a CD of Debussy songs with soprano Gillian Keith. Entitled Songs for his Muse, it includes the premiere recording of an unpublished song called Seguidille. He has also performed with Mark Padmore, Sally Matthews at La Monnaie and a recital with RCM alumna Anna Huntley in Vienna.

Piano professor Leon McCawley has performed a solo recital at Wigmore Hall. His programme included works by Haydn, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn and Chopin.

Head of Strings Mark Messenger ran the Oslo Marathon in September 2015. He completed the race in 3 hours and 52 minutes.

Vocal professor Norbert Meyn has visited Berlin with RCM supporter Lord David Ogilvy to continue his research into émigré musicians. He examined the manuscript of Robert Kahn’s ‘Tagebuch in Tönen’ (diary in music) at the Akademie der Künste and discussed further research with Dr Werner Grünzweig.

Violin professor Madeleine Mitchell has undertaken a three-week US tour, giving recitals of British music, masterclasses and talks at universities and arts centres in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and California.

Area Leader for Electroacoustic Music, Michael Oliva, has featured on BBC Radio 3’s series Modern Muses. The downloadable podcast features Michael discussing the creative process of composition with RCM alumna, flautist Carla Rees.

Dr Rosie Perkins, Research Fellow in Performance Science, has been recognised as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in acknowledgement of her attainment in teaching and learning support in higher education.

Organ professor Margaret Phillips visited Nigeria, in December, with 11 members of the Band of the Household Cavalry. Together they accompanied the choirs of Lagos Cathedral and two Methodist churches for various carol services and concerts.

Margaret also spent a day teaching the three resident cathedral organists.

Above Russell Hepplewhite Below Adrian Bending’s Bending’s Bach Basslines

Paul Robinson’s score to the Russian silent classic Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera received its premiere at the Barbican as part of the City Visions series in October. Three further performances in Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea followed, given by HarmonieBand and violist and RCM alumna Shiry Rashkovsky.

RCM Junior Department piano teacher Clara Rodríguez will perform a recital at St James’s Piccadilly on Saturday 16 April. The programme offers a vibrant insight into the rich diversity of Latin American music and includes the famous Alma llanera joropo by Pedro Elías Gutiérrez.

Ensemble in Association Florilegium, directed by Head of Historical Performance Professor Ashley Solomon, has recorded a new CD of works by Telemann. The recording celebrates the group’s 25th anniversary and will be released at a special concert at Wigmore Hall on 3 June. Their recent release of the complete Brandenburg concertos was selected as one of Gramophone’s ‘CDs of the Year’ in December 2015.

SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk

Percussion professor Ralph Salmins has been voted one of the ten best pop/session drummers in the world by Rhythm magazine readers. He was also nominated for best drummer in the recent British Jazz Awards.

Head of Conducting Peter Stark has visited China and Russia. During his trip he gave masterclasses at both the State Conservatory in St Petersburg and the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

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ALUMNI UPDATES

ALUMNI UPDATES SHARE YOUR NEWS Tell Upbeat readers about your recent successes by emailing news@rcm.ac.uk

Guitarist Carlos Bonell released his new album Guitar Magic in November. The album features recordings of some of the world’s most famous guitar pieces including the Adagio theme from Concierto de Aranjuez and Recuerdos de la Alhambra, as well as arrangements of Eleanor Rigby and Freddie Mercury’s Love of My Life.

Pianist Chen Chen has been appointed a full-time professor at the Central Conservatory of Music Piano Academy in Gulangyu, Xiamen, China.

Photographer Chris Christodoulou recently celebrated the milestone of having worked with the RCM for 25 years. Chris regularly captures the RCM’s opera productions as well as taking official photographs, with many of his images being featured in Upbeat magazine through the years.

Pianist Margaret Fingerhut has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Birmingham Conservatoire where she is a piano tutor. She received the honour at an awards ceremony held at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, in March 2015.

The Foyle-Štšura Duo – Michael Foyle and Maksim Štšura – has won First Prize in the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition. Their prize includes a concert tour of Italy and a debut recital in New York. They also recently performed for the Beethoven Society at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Violinist Martyn Jackson has joined the Allegri String Quartet. The London-based quartet, founded in 1953, is Britain’s oldest chamber group.

Pianist Olga Jegunova has founded OlgaRhythm with Glyn Eggar. The charity is dedicated to supporting talented musicians of any age and ability by providing teaching and performance opportunities.

Violinist Mihkel Kerem has taken up the position of Joint Assistant Leader with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He is joined by fellow RCM alumnus Benjamin Mellefont, who has been appointed Principal Clarinet.

Composers Peter Longworth and Cameron Graham have been selected to join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s first Composers Hub. They will work with the RSNO’s contemporary group Alchemy and write a short piece for full symphony orchestra to be performed at the RSNO Centre in Glasgow, in April. One work will be chosen to be performed in the orchestra’s 2016/17 season.

Soprano Marie Lys (Jaermann) and her ensemble Abchordis have released their first recording.

Entitled Stabat Mater, the CD features music by Manna, Santangelo and Sellitto.

Pianist Warren Mailley-Smith has recorded a new CD, featuring a solo piano version of Gershwin’s immortal Rhapsody in Blue. The disc also includes a selection of popular works including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee and Gottschalk’s Souvenirs d’Andalousie.

Pianist Alison Mathews has released her first collection of piano pieces by Elena Cobb Publications. Piano Planets is a space-themed collection aimed at pianists at Grade 1–2 level.

It is designed to develop a variety of different technical challenges in an imaginative way, using contemporary styles.

Adrian More’s piano concerto was premiered by the Cape Town Philharmonic and pianist Francois du Toit in November. His chamber operetta AntiLaius was performed by Cape Town Opera in the Artscape Theatre.

Chris Mothersole has been appointed Principal Clarinet in the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra.

Future concerts with the Montana-based orchestra include Carmina burana and Brahms’ Symphony no 1 in April.

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Trumpeter Niall O’Sullivan has released his second studio album, produced by Julian Lloyd Webber on Ard Aidhin Records. Entitled Niall O’Sullivan and Friends, the CD features Danielle de Niese, Grammy-winning jazz guitarist Larry Carlton, Kim Criswell, Lisa Lambe, Emmet Cahill and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Niall will also make his Broadway debut this April in a show called The Bloody Irish.

Former Mills Williams Junior Fellow, pianist Luis Parés, has taken up the position of Head of Keyboard at Dulwich College.

Tenor Gyula Rab has received a 2015 International Opera Awards Bursary. The Awards were founded in 2012 with the aim of generating funds to support aspiring talent in opera from around the world.

Clarinettist Elaine Ruby has secured a full-time appointment with the Danish Chamber Players. The ensemble celebrates its 25th anniversary this year at the Summer Music at Fuglsang festival in August.

Kriss Russman’s completed version of George Butterworth’s Orchestral Fantasia has been premiered by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at Glasgow City Halls. Kriss has also arranged Butterworth’s music for a new recording with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Released in April by BIS Records, the CD will include an arrangement of A Shropshire Lad performed by baritone James Rutherford.

Guitarist Laura Snowden gave a recital at Wigmore Hall. Presented by the Julian Bream Trust, the concert included the world premiere of Julian Anderson’s Catalan Peasant with Guitar.

Pianist Natalia Sokolovskaya won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 11th International Piano Competition MozARTè in Aachen, Germany, in September last year.

Suzie Thorn has been appointed Principal Oboe with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Her sister, bassoonist Tammy Thorn, has taken up the position of Principal Bassoon at Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Above Niall O’Sullivan Below Florian Uhlig Opposite Left Marie Lys Opposite Right Alison Mathews’ Piano Planets

South-African based organist Roucher du Toit has received the Andrew Murray Bishop Desmond Tutu Prize 2015 for his contribution to retaining the organ as ‘king of the music instruments’ in church and society. Future performances include a recital at St John’s College, Cambridge on 9 October.

Amy Turner has been appointed Principal Oboe with Scottish Opera. Performing across Scotland in a range of concerts, forthcoming performances include Dvořák’s Rusalka and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado.

Pianist Florian Uhlig has been appointed Deputy Director of the Musikhochschule in Dresden. He also continues his active concert schedule with performances at the Musikverein in Vienna, Leipzig Gewandhaus and Dresden Semperoper.

Composer Clive Smith’s arrangement of I Saw Three Ships has won Classic FM’s annual carol contest. The work was recorded at King’s College, Cambridge by the King’s Singers and featured on their album Christmas Presence.

UPBEAT SPRING 2016

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IN MEMORY

IN MEMORY Timothy Bond was an academic professor at the Royal College of Music from the mid-1970s until 2004. Fondly remembered for the infectious enthusiasm of his history lectures, his passion for the music of Schoenberg inspired countless students. Timothy was also an eminent organist who, as an unashamed modernist, specialised in the most advanced contemporary repertoire. His performances at the BBC Proms and Royal Festival Hall generated considerable critical praise. Timothy died on 27 December 2015.

Composer and conductor Pierre Boulez was born on 26 March 1925 in France. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and, after graduating in 1945, he became established as a conductor of great orchestras around the world, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1971–75) and New York Philharmonic (1971–77). He was also the director of the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) until 1991. Boulez was a leading compositional voice of the 20th century and his 90th birthday was celebrated across the world in 2015, including at the BBC Proms. Winner of 26 Grammys as well as multiple honours including France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Boulez was awarded Fellowship of the RCM in 1976. He died on 5 January 2016.

Pianist and former RCM professor Peter Element was born in Croxley Green, and began playing the piano at the age of five. He joined the Royal College of Music in 1948, where he studied with Eric Harrison and Herbert Fryer. He made his London debut in 1954 and went on to give more than 100 performances for the BBC with the major British orchestras. He returned to the RCM in 1959 to take up the position of piano professor and was awarded a Fellowship of the RCM in 1982. Peter died on 13 November 2015, aged 84.

Composer Samuel Alexander ‘Sandy’ Faris was born in County Tyrone in 1921. He studied music at Christ-Church, Oxford, where he was a Kitchener scholar, at the RCM under Richard Austin and at the Juilliard School in New York. He forged a successful career as a conductor, working with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and Royal Ballet, among others. He was a popular composer of themes for television programmes. His theme for Upstairs Downstairs, entitled Edwardians, won him an Ivor Novello Award in 1975. Sandy died on 28 September 2015, aged 94.

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RCM alumnus John Harper was born in 1933, and attended choir school in Oxford before taking up the bassoon at 13. He studied at Clifton College, Bristol, before attending the RCM. He spent his National Service in the Royal Signals Band and joined the London Mozart Players in 1954. He was Principal Bassoon of the London Symphony Orchestra (1955–1965), later emigrating to Australia in the 1960s. He worked with the ABC orchestras before joining the Australian Chamber Orchestra as Orchestra Manager in 1991. He died on 6 October 2015.

Margaret Hearn, née Plummer, studied at the RCM under Arthur Benjamin, Angus Morrison and Herbert Howells. She returned later and became a professor of keyboard for many years. She died on 11 January 2016, aged 96. She was an exceptional teacher, and is remembered fondly by her pupils.

John Heath Stafford was born in 1953, and showed early musical talent, going on to study organ and piano at the RCM. He worked as a staff pianist for the Royal Opera House, before working at Oundle School and then Rugby School.

He was assistant director of music at Woodbridge School for 21 years, and artistic director of the East Anglian Academy of Organ and Early Keyboard Music. He was also an accomplished performer. John died on 28 October 2015, at the age of 62.

Former RCM professor Marion Studholme was born in Blackpool on 27 June 1927. She was awarded a scholarship to the RCM in 1948, where she met her future husband, singer and actor Andrew Downie. She had a distinguished performing career, appearing with Sadler’s Wells Opera for many years, as well as on BBC radio and television. She returned to the RCM as vocal professor (1975–95), and was awarded Fellowship of the RCM in 1983. Marion died on 6 January 2016.

Former RCM Registrar Jasper Thorogood devoted his career to the development of young musicians.

He was Director of Music at Chingford Girls School and Felsted School and was an examiner for ABRSM. Most recently, he directed the Chelmsford Cathedral Choral Foundation. He succeeded Michael Gough Matthews as Registrar of the RCM 1984–1988, before moving to the Royal Academy of Music. He died on 23 January 2016, aged 72.

COMING SOON

Sunday 26 June 2016

RCM Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall 7.30pm | Royal Festival Hall

RCM Symphony Orchestra Diego Masson conductor Samson Tsoy piano Stravinsky Symphony in 3 Movements Capriccio

Song of the Nightingale

The Firebird Suite (1945 version) The RCM Symphony Orchestra returns to London’s Royal Festival Hall to perform a thrilling all-Stravinsky programme exploring the myths and rituals behind his works.

Expect to be captivated by the orchestral wizardry of The Firebird Suite; charmed by a bird of a different feather in a Song of the Nightingale; impressed by the technical feats of award-winning RCM pianist Samson Tsoy in the virtuosic Capriccio; and entertained by Stravinsky’s final cinematicinspired Symphony.

To conduct, we’re delighted to welcome French conductor Diego Masson, one of the world’s leading exponents of 20th and 21st century music.

Part of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Stravinsky: Myths and Rituals series supported by Vincent Meyer Tickets: £5, £10, £15, £20, £25 RCM Box Office: 020 7591 4314 www.rcm.ac.uk/stravinsky

RCM ONLINE Discover more music from the Royal College of Music through our YouTube channel.

At youtube.com/RCMLondon you can: • watch selected performances from the RCM orchestras, ensembles and International Opera School • explore masterclasses with some of today’s greatest performers, including Sir András Schiff, Nicola Benedetti and Sarah Connolly • enjoy great music from wherever you are in the world You can also watch selected performances live from South Kensington on the RCM website at www.rcm.ac.uk/live

Prince Consort Road London SW7 2BS United Kingdom +44(0)20 7591 4300 info@rcm.ac.uk

www.rcm.ac.uk facebook.com/royalcollegeofmusic @RCMLondon youtube.com/RCMLondon

Box Office: 020 7591 4314 weekdays 10am–4pm Upbeat: 020 7591 4730 news@rcm.ac.uk Alumni: 020 7591 4861 alumni@rcm.ac.uk Supporting the RCM: 020 7591 4331 development@rcm.ac.uk Hiring RCM facilities: 020 7591 4764 mary.cosgrave@rcm.ac.uk Hiring RCM musicians: 020 7591 4367 diana.roberts@rcm.ac.uk The Royal College of Music is a registered charity. No 309268

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