Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Newspaper - Issue 3, Winter 2015

FREE WINTER 2015

ISSUE 3

Photo: Kiran Ridley

Inside the ROYAL WELSH COLLEGE

www.rwcmd.ac.uk

On Top of the Brass Band World A

s the Welsh rugby team suffered a critical defeat to Australia at Twickenham in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, another great Welsh team were lifting a British Championship trophy at the Royal Albert Hall and securing their place at the top of the world rankings for the ninth year in a row. The Cory Band, which is RWCMD’s Brass-Band-In-Residence, stormed to victory in the final of the National Brass Band Championships for a remarkable seventh time.

Of the 29 band members, 10 are current students or graduates of the College.

Wild Creations

A third of the members of the championship-winning Cory Band are current or past students of the College.

Hannah Plumridge was invited to join the Cory Band in September when she started her undergraduate studies at RWCMD. “It was my first experience of the national finals and of playing at the Royal Albert Hall,” she says. “It felt so good to be a part of such an awesome performance, and winning it was absolutely incredible - an unforgettable experience.”

The Cory Band is not alone in continuing the legacy of Welsh banding. Tredegar Town Band is another giant of the brass band world, regularly earning a place in the world’s top five and also featuring many RWCMD players.

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The UK’s Best New Stage Designers 3 4

Round-Up: Graduate Success Stories

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National Acclaim for ‘Splott’ Play

RWCMD to Host World’s Largest Harp Festival

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he College has and international harpist announced its Catrin Finch. successful bid for Cardiff to host the World “Cardiff regularly plays host Harp Congress in 2020. to international cultural, and sporting Held every three years, the political events,” said Finch, who World Harp Congress aims is the Artistic Director for to promote harp music WHC2020.

“And we have internationally with concerts, workshops and seminars wonderful venues in which embracing all aspects of to hold world class concerts, harp music and performance. exhibitions and masterclasses, including the spectacular The successful bid to bring Royal Welsh College of the festival Wales was led Music & Drama, which will

by Caryl Thomas, Head of be the host venue.”

Harp Studies at RWCMD

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Proms Highlights

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Image: Johan Persson

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Rambert’s Dark Arteries, ft. Tredegar Town Band

Continued from page 1 It was the Tredegar Band who provided the soundtrack to the 2014 film Pride, which told the story of events surrounding the 1984 miners’ strike to coincide with its 30th anniversary. And this year, pushing the artistic boundaries of the brass band genre, the band joined forces with contemporary ballet company, Rambert for the world premiere of Dark Arteries at Sadler’s Wells. The piece, which received widespread critical acclaim, explored the interwoven stories of the brass band movement and the Welsh mining industry. Tredegar’s CD release of the Dark Arteries score, composed

by Gavin Higgins, has been selected as CD of the Year by Brass Band World magazine.

Jack Lapthorne joined the Tredegar Band in his first year at RWCMD and is now Solo Baritone.

“Professional collaborations like this are possible because of the incredibly high musical standards achieved by the top brass bands,” he explains.

“The emphasis on competition means that your playing is under constant scrutiny. Every year, the test pieces become more and more complex as it becomes increasingly difficult to judge between the top bands.

The intensity of that experience is fantastic preparation for any

Young Composer Appointment

The College has played a key role in helping to bring Welsh bands to the forefront.

18-year-old student composer Daniel Hall has been appointed Young ComposerIn-Residence with the award-winning Grimethorpe Colliery Band. His first commission, Sea of Crisis - Mare Crisium, was performed during the Brass in Concert Championships at The Sage Gateshead in November and will be published later this year by Prima Vista Musikk.

Grimethorpe’s Music Director, Dr Robert Childs described being ‘bowled over’ by the ‘freshness and maturity’ of Hall’s music.

performance setting, not just brass band. Many of the top orchestral players have come up through the brass band route.”

Kevin Price is Head of Brass Studies at the College. “The College has played a key role in helping to bring a number of Welsh bands to the forefront over the last ten years and we really value our close relationships with the community bands,” he explains. “They offer our students a fantastic experience, and everyone benefits from the exchange of ideas.

This work is hugely important in helping to develop the College’s role not only as a conservatoire but as an arts centre for the wider community.”

Brass musicians at RWCMD have the opportunity to follow a specialist brass band pathway directed by Dr Robert Childs. Two College brass bands meet regularly to explore repertoire and concert opportunities, with supporting lectures providing opportunities to develop complementary skills in composing, arranging, conducting and adjudicating. The College’s brass musicians are also able to benefit from a broader experience which includes solo performance, chamber music, orchestral playing, historical performance, jazz, teaching and outreach activities.

A New Youth Training Band for Wales

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n partnership with Ty Cerdd – Music Centre Wales, RWCMD announced the formation of a new National Youth Training Brass Band of Wales earlier this year. Its first ever training day was held at the College in October bringing together 35 players aged 11-16 from across Wales to work with Cory Band MD Philip Harper and the RWCMD Brass Band. This pioneering project aims to nurture future players for the National Youth Brass Band of Wales.

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Beyond The Band

Matt’s Wild Creations

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atthew Williams performed with the Cory Band before landing a contract as Co-Principal Trumpet with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales during the final year of his undergraduate studies at RWCMD in 2013. Since then he has also appeared with BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

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ormer percussion student and Cory Band member Dave Danford now balances a busy schedule of solo recitals, orchestral concerto performances, studio recording sessions and masterclasses. He has performed with artists including Bryn Terfel, Evelyn Glennie and Karl Jenkins. Danford also works as a composer and producer, and manages three orchestras – British Sinfonietta, the Cinematic Sinfonia and the Welsh Session Orchestra.

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rguably one of the most iconic images of the 2015 Rugby World Cup - the ball-in-the-wall installation at Cardiff Castle - appeared overnight to mark the start of the Rugby World Cup in September. The stunt was a huge hit with locals and visitors, prompting a mass sharing of selfies and parodies on social media. At one stage on Twitter, the hashtag #ballinthewall even overtook #RWC2015 – the official Rugby World Cup 2015 hashtag.

The genius behind the stunt? Matt Wild - a graduate of RWCMD’s stage management course - and his team at Wild Creations. Matt, who discovered a passion for prop-making during his time at the College, worked in the Art Department for BBC Cymru Wales’ Doctor Who before founding Wild Creations five years ago.

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ollowing his success in RWCMD’s annual Concerto Competition earlier this year, euphonium player Grant Jameson performed as a soloist with the Cory Band in the Dora Stoutzker Hall in October. Jameson, from Ohio USA, is a fourth year undergraduate at RWCMD, where he studies with virtuoso performer David Childs. Jameson is the current holder of the BBC Young Brass Musician title and his first solo CD, Genesis, was released this summer. Audiences will have the chance to see him perform with the Central Band of the Royal Air Force at RWCMD in March 2016.

“After I graduated from RWCMD I had no desire to move away from Cardiff,” says Matt, “I loved living here and the creative industries are thriving, so the opportunities for freelance work are in abundance.

After gaining some valuable experience in film and television, I knew I wanted to start my own business and Cardiff was the ideal place to do it.”

The company, which creates all sorts of weird and wonderful projects for the ever-growing entertainment industry, recently moved to larger premises in Cardiff Bay. It currently employs five people and aims to double its workforce within the next year or two. For large projects, they often bring in a larger team of part-time craftsmen and women and they also provide regular placement opportunities for students from the College.

Earlier this year, the company created life-size velociraptor models as part of an installation at London’s Waterloo Station to promote the cinema release of the Jurassic World movie. In October, they made a life-sized prehistoric lizard erupt through the pavement of the South Bank as part of a PR campaign to mark the film’s DVD and Blu-ray release.

“The brief from Cardiff Council was to put Cardiff on the map during the Rugby World Cup. We feel a huge sense of pride to have played our part in helping bring people to Cardiff and boost the local economy during that time. We never anticipated such a massive response and it was fantastic to see it become such a phenomenon.”

“As a business, it’s allowed us to showcase the quality of the product we can deliver - even in the most challenging locations. There’s been a huge amount of media interest.”

The creative industries are thriving in Cardiff, so the work opportunities are in abundance.

The ball in the wall at Cardiff Castle was originally to be taken down following the quarter final matches at Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium, but was so popular that organisers decided to leave it in place until the end of the tournament.

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Graduating Designers Make Linbury Shortlist

There’s no bigger platform for emerging stage designers.

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he Linbury Prize for Stage Design is the most important of its kind in the UK, providing the best emerging designers with a unique platform at the start of their careers.

Every two years, twelve finalists are shortlisted from around 150 entries, each receiving a cash prize and the opportunity to work with a prominent director at a leading British theatre, dance or opera company.

This year, RWCMD has been celebrating record levels of success in the competition - six out of

the twelve finalists being recent graduates of the College.

Over the past few months, Camilla Clarke and Cindy Lin (pictured) have been working with the Royal Court Theatre; Valeria Pacchiani and Rebecca Jane Wood with the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton; David Allen with Lyric Theatre, Belfast; and Jen McGinley with Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

The creative output of these collaborations will be exhibited at the National Theatre from Monday 30th November 2015 until Sunday 3rd January 2016.

Four winners will each receive a professional commission from one of the companies, together with an additional cash prize.

RWCMD has enjoyed enormous success in the competition over the years; previous winners from the College are Madeleine Girling (2013), Jean Chan (2009), Rhys Jarman (2007), Tom Scutt (2007), Adam Wiltshire (2003), Crista Noel Smith (2003) and Max Jones (2001), with many more having reached the final shortlist.

Winner 2013:

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adeleine Girling’s winning designs were commissioned by Nottingham Playhouse for their production of Time and the Conways. The following year, she designed a second production for the same company, and two plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Midsummer Mischief season of new work at the Courtyard Theatre.

In 2015, she has worked on productions at Nottingham Playhouse, the Orange Tree Theatre, Bath Ustinov Studio and London’s Gate Theatre.

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Winner 2007:

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ince winning the Linbury Prize, Tom Scutt has established himself as one of the leading lights of a new generation of British theatre designers. He was the Production Designer for the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles (below), and is one of three judges of this year’s prize.

Finalist 2003:

C Time and the Conways at Nottingham Playhouse.

Photo: Robert Day

Madeleine Girling with Lady Anya Sainsbury, one of the founders of the Linbury Trust, which funds the prize.

Photo: Sheila Burnett

olin Richmond on the set he designed for Welsh National Opera’s recent production of Sweeney Todd. Richmond also designed the current production of Wendy & Peter Pan for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Winner 2009:

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former Trainee Designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jean Chan’s recent work includes Mother Courage, Tonypandemonium and Bordergame for National Theatre Wales.

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Inspired by Greek myth, Iphigenia in Splott, is a tale of social injustice, which seems to have hit a national nerve. It tells the story of Effie, a young woman whose life spirals through a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night.

“She is the sort of girl we’ve all encountered,” says Melville. “She has an intimidating front, a huge fire in her belly. I connected with Effie

immediately - she is someone I could very easily have become, and I have friends who have ended up in similar situations so it’s very close to home. I feel very protective over the character and think about her all the time. I feel almost a desperation to tell her story.

I’m excited by the idea of letting people spend time with a character they would be unlikely to socialise with. I think Effie exists in every place in the world and the message is universal – reminding us to be wary of judging or turning a blind eye.

It is hugely relevant in light of the current refugee crisis. I cannot wait to take the show to London and I am determined to do Gary’s play justice.”

to premiere at RWCMD and London’s Gate Theatre during this year’s NEW season.

RWCMD has a longstanding relationship with Gary Owen since commissioning Welsh-language play Amser Canser in 2003 in collaboration with Sgript Cymru.

Owen’s adaptation of Wedekind’s Spring Awakening featured as part of the College’s first season of new writing in 2014, and Ring Ring his reworking of Schnitzler’s La Ronde - was one of four new plays

The Guardian

Melville’s performance is a perfect whirlwind of aggression, seduction, violence and pity.

Image: Mark Douet

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phigenia in Splott, written

by Gary Owen for Sherman Cymru, has been winning nationwide praise since its Cardiff premiere earlier this year. The onewoman play performed by RWCMD graduate Sophie Melville was named Best New Play at this year’s UK Theatre Awards; Melville herself winning The Stage Award for Acting Excellence for her performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

And it has been announced that the play, which was described in the Guardian’s five-star review as ‘perfect theatre’, will be part of the National Theatre’s 2016 line up.

Image: Burning Red

‘Splott’ Play Goes National

“The work coming out of Wales is so exciting at the moment,” says Melville. “I feel very lucky to be here and surrounded by such inspiring creatives. It feels like being part of a team and I would love to do some more work in Wales after the tour ends in April.”

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phigenia in Splott is at The National Theatre from 27 January to 20 February 2016 in the temporary theatre, which celebrates new work that is original, ambitious and unexpected. Gary Owen and Director Rachel O’Riordan will talk about the play, and its journey from Cardiff in a post-show talk on 4th February.

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Image: Patrick Baldwin

Gary Owen’s Ring Ring, commissioned by RWCMD as part of its new writing season in February 2015

lso at the National Theatre’s temporary theatre from the end of January, RWCMD graduate Arthur Hughes stars in Jack Thorne’s acclaimed two-hander The Solid Life of Sugar Water – a co-production for Graeae Theatre Company and Theatre Royal, Plymouth.

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Photos courtesy of BBC/Diogo Gomes

A High-Profile Proms Season for RWCMD

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he 2015 BBC Proms season presented student musicians from RWCMD with opportunities to get involved in the world’s largest classical music festival.

Forty singers from the College appeared with the BBC Proms Youth Choir for three high-profile performances of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle. The Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall followed a first performance at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. The ensemble then travelled to Switzerland to take part in the famous Lucerne Festival.

The Guardian’s reviewer said, “It was the BBC Proms Youth Choir who really shone in this performance of Elgar’s

Continued from page 1 “We particularly want to use this opportunity to reach out and engage young harpists and the wider harp community and connect them to this international celebration of our instrument. I feel very privileged to be leading a wonderful, artistic team to deliver a truly memorable harp festival in 2020.”

Caryl Thomas spoke of the opportunities for harpists at the

oratorio…pinpoint in their accuracy and clarity, and commanding a phenomenal dynamic range… simply extraordinary.”

In the same week, postgraduate musicians from RWCMD met and rehearsed with Swedish composer B Tommy Andersson before performing his chamber works in a special concert

College. “The students will be at the heart of the organising process - involved in all the events running up to the festival itself. Some will have the opportunity to play during the event and others will be able to perform a variety of volunteering roles. They will all experience the excitement of attending a weeklong celebration of the harp, and have the opportunity to meet and listen to an incredible programme of recitals and concerts by the world’s leading harpists. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students.”

at the Royal College of Music (left). The concert was recorded for broadcast as part of BBC Radio 3’s Proms Composer Portraits programme, which followed the live broadcast of the world premiere of a new work by Andersson performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

And during a UK-wide celebration of the Last Night of the Proms, Luke McCall (right) performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the Proms in the Park concert in Singleton Park, Swansea. McCall, who completed his musical theatre training at RWCMD last year, took centre stage to perform show-stoppers from Phantom and Les Mis in a line-up that also included soprano Rebecca Evans.

This will be the first time the World Harp Congress has been to Europe in twelve years. In 2014, it was held in Australia, and in 2017, members from more than 50 countries will gather in Hong Kong.

With more harps per capita than any other country in the world, Wales can truly stake its claim to being the instrument’s spiritual home. In Cardiff alone there are currently around 30 professional harpists and over 550 school children learning to play the harp.

Catrin Finch and Caryl Thomas led the successful bid for World Harp Congress 2020

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Round-Up Photo: Royal Exchange Theatre/Jonathan Keenan

Barber’s Stage Success Continues at The Globe

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mily Barber is currently appearing as Innogen in Cymbeline at Shakespeare’s Globe following her acclaimed performance as Gwendolen Fairfax in the The Importance of Being Earnest at London’s Vaudeville Theatre alongside David Suchet. Earlier this year, Emily won a Best Newcomer Award at the Manchester Theatre Awards for her performance in Billy Liar at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

2015 Graduate Leads in BBC’s Cuffs

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acob Ifan is starring alongside Ashley Walters and Sherlock’s Amanda Abbington in BBC One’s new police drama Cuffs (Wednesdays, 8pm). He was cast in the role of rookie cop Jake Vickers following his showcase performance at London’s Royal Court Theatre in February this year, and started filming on location in Brighton before graduating in the summer.

Tom Rhys Harries also has a prime-time role in ITV’s Jekyll and Hyde (Sundays, 7pm).

Designing for Pina Bausch

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ince completing her master’s degree in costume design at RWCMD in 2014, Rike Zoellner has split her time between London, Cardiff and her native Germany. Most recently, she designed for Neue Stücke (New Pieces) 2015, a special performance to mark the start of the new season of the worldrenowned Pina Bausch Dance Company at the Wuppertal Opera House. In Cardiff, Zoellner has worked with NoFitState Circus, Rubicon Dance and National Dance Company of Wales.

Prestigious Fellowship for Composer Boden

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former student of RWCMD’s Junior Conservatoire, Anne Denholm has been appointed Official Harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales. Denholm won second place in the Texaco Young Musician of Wales competition as a Junior Conservatoire student in 2009 before going on to study at the Purcell School, Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music in London.

She succeeds Hannah Stone, another former student of the College, as royal harpist.

Woman of The Future

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rts Management graduate and composer, Hannah Kendall was the Arts & Culture category winner at the 2015 Women of the Future Awards. Kendall, who was featured on BBC Radio 3’s Composer of the Week programme earlier this year, is also a director of the charity, London Music Matters. Another graduate of RWCMD’s Arts Management course, Melanie Goldsmith, features on the BBC’s 100 Women list of inspirational women for 2015.

Newspaper Design: Burning Red

Royal Appointment

Image: Chris Alexander

omposer Mark David Boden has been awarded the prestigious Collard Fellowship by the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

A former student and now a tutor at RWCMD, 29-year-old Boden is one of the youngest recipients of the prize whose past winners include Herbert Howells, Sir Lennox Berkeley, Alan Rawsthorne and Edwin Roxburgh. Boden’s music, which is published by Cadenza, has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and performed by a number of leading British orchestras and instrumentalists.