FEATURE
MUSIC FROM THE SOUL: SUPPORTING THE FUTURE OF MUSIC Below Sabina Fatkullina and Peter Xie Opposite Peter Xie
The RCM is proud of its strong commitment to the provision of scholarships, and more than 55% of students currently receive some financial support. Thanks to the generosity of individuals such as Sabina Fatkullina, who supports scholarships at the RCM through her ArtPoint Foundation, first-year undergraduate student Peter Xie is able to study at the RCM.
Sabina, could you tell us a little bit about the ArtPoint Foundation?
How did you find out about the Royal College of Music?
SF: The ArtPoint Foundation was founded in June 2016 so it is still very young. A friend of mine, Russian violinist Dmitri Kogan, had recently supported a young pianist participating in one of his concerts and this gave me inspiration to start the foundation with Helene Benhamou. There are very few people in this world who are blessed with musical talent, and whether helping through scholarships, concerts or auditions, I could see that this is what I wanted to do with my foundation and support students like Peter.
SF: I was invited to a concert with a string quartet here a couple of years ago, and I really enjoyed it. I was able to see that the College is a real foundation for future musicians. As one of the best music education institutions in the world, for me it is such a privilege to be a supporter. I recently came to an Opera Scenes performance in the Britten Theatre, and the students were superb. I’m quite traditional and enjoy composers like Verdi, so to hear something by Britten instead was a revelation. Through being a supporter I am learning a lot about classical music. So have you always been passionate about music and the arts? SF: I was born in Moscow, and opera, ballet, books and education were very important to my family. From the age of about 7 or 8 I was a regular visitor to the Moscow Conservatory, so I learned from a young age that classical music is something you can never be tired of, even music that is now 400 years old. I’m not very musically talented and I don’t play, but I still enjoy it very much. Peter, why did you want to study at the RCM? PX: Good question! I came to the UK from China six years ago, to study at Wells Cathedral School with John Byrne. He is also a professor at the RCM, and encouraged me to study here. London is such a great musical environment and offers so many opportunities.
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UPBEAT SPRING 2017