International Concert Series 2023-2024
INSIDE THE ORCHESTRA WITH LONDON MOZART PLAYERS EVENT PROGRAMME
NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ROYALHOLLOWAY.AC.UK/MUSIC
Department of Music
School of Performing & Digital Arts
International Concert Series 2023-24
OUR 2023-24 SEASON We are pleased to welcome you to our 2023-24 International Concert Series at Royal Holloway. We, at the Department of Music, cannot wait to showcase the varied talent of our students and staff, but also bringing internationally renowned musicians to the College. For 2023-24, we are back and better than ever with more student and staff opportunities through the creation of 'The Platform', an open opportunity for the community at the Department of Music to share with you what makes us so special. Alongside our popular Midweek Music and Pocket Concert Series, we are excited to continue our special partnerships with the Young Classical Artists Trust and BBC New Generation Artists and continue our alumni recital series by bringing back the epoch ensemble. We are pleased to also bring a wealth of international artists to our series, including pianists Pina Napolitano, Mary Dullea, Sholto Kynoch, Alexander Soares, and Joseph Havlat, violinst Darragh Morgan, guitarist Laura Snowden, clarinettist Jonathan Leibovitz, 1|P a g e
sitarist James Pusey, mezzosoprano Helen Charlston, jazz group Solstice, and the London Mozart Players. 2023 also marks the final season for our quartet-in-residence, the Tippett Quartet, as we say farewell to this stellar group with their final concert at Royal Holloway. All in all, this season is representative of the world-class talent our community at the Department of Music has fostered as we showcase our students and the range of music performance we programme and encourage; from jazz to world music, orchestral performance to solo piano, as well as presenting performers from the international stage. We look forward to welcoming you to our series this year. Dr Nathan James Dearden Music Performance Manager & Curator of the International Concert Series
International Concert Series 2023-24
Inside the Orchestra with London Mozart Players International Concert Series 2023-24 Thursday, 26 October 2023 Windsor Building Auditorium with
London Mozart Players Royal Holloway Chamber Orchestra Rebecca Miller Conductor & Presenter
This event will include the following musical items:
Louise Farrenc (1804 – 1875) Symphony No. 3 in G minor II. Adagio cantabile IV. Finale-Allegro Estimated finish time: 8.30pm There will be no interval during this evening’s event, but please feel free to come and go as you please. Please no flash photography or visual/audio recording throughout the event. For news about our future events, please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/music/events 2|P a ge
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11 III. Menuetto: Allegro molto IV. Allegro con fuoco
International Concert Series 2023-24
PERFORMERS
London Mozart Players Don’t let their name mislead you – they don’t just play in London, and they certainly don’t just play Mozart! As well as their residencies at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, St John the Evangelist in Upper Norwood, and Opus Theatre in Hastings, LMP are well known internationally for working with many of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists. They’re proud to have developed a reputation for making and playing adventurous, ambitious and accessible music, and for being at the forefront of embedding arts and culture into the life of local communities across the UK and beyond. LMP work with schools and music hubs around the UK and beyond to inspire the next generation of musicians and music lovers. They’re continuing their long tradition of 3|P a g e
pr omoting young talent: Nicola Benedetti, Jacqueline du Pré and Jan Pascal Tortelier are just three of many young musical virtuosi championed early in their careers by them. In 2021, violin virtuoso Leia Zhu was appointed as their Young Artist-in-Residence: this is a nurturing and collaborative relationship to encourage her young talent. After celebrating their 70th birthday in 2019, they soon found themselves navigating orchestra life during the pandemic. During that time, they created an award-winning digital concert series which reached millions of people – reaffirming LMP’s commitment to their audiences. LMP launched Croydon’s Borough of Culture in April 2023, and they’ll be continuing to host their own concerts and events throughout the year.
International Concert Series 2023-24
Rebecca Miller Conductor California-born conductor Rebecca Miller has earned an international reputation for her compelling, insightful, and energetic presence on the podium and for her ability to communicate with audiences of all ages. Recent guest-conducting includes the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Västerås Sinfonietta, DalaSinfoniettan, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan, The Orchestra Now, The Bard Music Festival, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, London Mozart Players, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, National Youth 4|P a ge
Orchestra of Scotland, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. Following her debut with the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in Sweden, she was immediately reinvited and appointed Chief Conductor, a post which she held from 2019-2023. In previous seasons, Rebecca has guest-conducted the Houston Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, Bakersfield Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Chicago College of the Performing Arts, Huntsville Symphony, Williamsport Symphony, and Musiqa Houston, and with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Israel. Firstprize winner in the Eduardo Mata International Conducting
International Concert Series 2023-24
Competition, she has conducted throughout Mexico, including repeated engagements with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional and Orquesta Filarmonica del UNAM, and the state orchestras of Yucatan, Aguascalientes, and Sinaloa. In 2017, Rebecca was also featured in the Bruno Walter National Conductors Preview with the Nashville Symphony. Rebecca’s discography includes CDs with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (CPE Bach Symphonies / Signum Records, which made the final shortlist for a 2014 Gramophone Award), with the BBC Concert Orchestra (Henry Hadley Orchestral works / Dutton Epoch), with the BBC Scottish Symphony (piano concertos by Amy Beach, Dorothy Howell, Cecil Chaminade / Hyperion Records), and three CDs with the Royal Northern Sinfonia (Haydn Symphonies / Signum Records; George Frederick Bristow’s ‘Jullien Symphony’ / New World Records; Concertos by Aaron Jay Kernis / Signum Records). Rebecca is passionate about her work with young musicians – she has recently started regular partnerships with the National Children's Orchestra and the with the London Symphony Orchestra Discovery, and previously worked with the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, NYO Wales, and NYOGB, with the Chicago College of the Performing Arts, and with the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela (Teresa Carreño), much to the acclaim of its late founder José Antonio Abreu. She was conductor at 5|P a g e
the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior Department for many years, where she formed the ground-breaking and unique JA Classical Orchestra, and works regularly with the Southbank Sinfonia in London, where she was Associate Conductor for three years. As Director of Orchestras at Royal Holloway University of London, she has been widely acclaimed for building the orchestral programme to new heights – starting an orchestral scholarship programme, initiating a side-by-side programme with the London Mozart Players, securing highprofile engagements (including ‘Magna Carta 800 at Runnymede’ a project with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Temple Church Choir, performed in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and 4000 dignitaries and honoured guests), and establishing a new initiative called ‘Music +’, which aims to build bridges through music with interdepartmental projects and interdisciplinary research. Previously, Rebecca served as Resident Conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and American Conducting Fellow of The Houston Symphony, and Assistant Conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She holds a B.Mus. in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory, an M.Mus in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University, and for two years was the Paul Woodhouse Junior Fellow in Orchestral Conducting at London’s Royal College of Music.
International Concert Series 2023-24
London Mozart Players & Royal Holloway Chamber Orchestra Violin 1 Martin Smith ^ Lydia Callomon* Hatty Haynes ^ Livia Domaingue* Ernest Lui Olivia Khouw Phaedra Low Caroline Soderlund Violin 2 Clare Hayes ^ Clarise Chong* Jayne Spencer ^ Nicole Yuen Cylysce See Hannah Lam Amelia Tamblyn Bella Morgan Viola Sophie Renshaw ^ Bertram Nicholson* Christine Anderson ^ Harry Aldridge* Laura Field Pavit Dhadyalla Violoncello Leo Popplewell ^ Katie Mair* Oliver Grimes Rowan Watts Claudia Buchanan Double bass Catherine Elliot ^ Gregory McCrorie-Shand 6|P a ge
Flute David Cuthbert ^ Holly Payne* Gwendolyn Schneider Evelina Venslovaite Oboe Christopher O’Neal ^ Clarinet Emma Canavan ^ Ari De’Freitas* William White Bassoon Meyrick Alexander ^ Anjeli Valydon* Luke Passmore* Horns Martin Grainger ^ Sebastian Rowe* Trumpet Alan Thomas ^ Daniel Clough* Timpani Faye Jones* ^ Member of the London Mozart Players *Orchestral Scholar at Royal Holloway
International Concert Series 2023-24
THANK YOU A heartfelt thank you from the Department of Music to the following people for making this event happen and supporting the ongoing work of Orchestras at Royal Holloway: Monique Smithers Orchestra Manager Bella Morgan Assistant Orchestra Manager Holly Payne Communications Director Clarise Chong Orchestra & Production Assistant Gregory McCrorie-Shand Stage Manager Evie Dyke Assistant Stage Manager Ari De’Freitas Librarian Livia Domaingue Librarian
With thanks for our donors and sponsors of our Orchestral Scholarship programme: Jenny Jones David Beaver
With thanks to the London Mozart Players team: Flynn Le Brocq Chief Executive Sophie Haynes Artistic Projects Manager Alex Mackinder Operations Manager Jason Weir Orchestra Manager
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International Concert Series 2023-24
OUR PROGRAMME NOTES The notes created for this event programme have been written by a team of students at the Department of Music, as part of the Concert Management & Artist Personnel Programme (where listed). This is a professional development initiative run by the Concert Office where students are able to experience first-hand what goes on behind-thescenes, who organises the publicity for an event, to even how to coordinate and manage a rehearsal schedule. All members of the programme are mentored by the College's Performance Manager, Nathan James Dearden, and receive training from industry specialists.
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VISIT OUR WEBSITE ROYALHOLLOWAY.AC.UK/MUSIC