Year in Review: Performing Arts

Year in Review: Performing Arts

The stage has come back to life and the College community has had the privilege of enjoying some wonderful musical and theatrical performances this year. Stephenson Choir re-started this year and has gone from strength to strength, performing at many Formals and our JCR masquerade ball. Howlands Ensemble, a joint group with musicians from Josephine Butler College, was founded in November 2021.

Stephenson Creative also launched in November 2021 with a poetry workshop and reading with acclaimed Indian poet, translator, artist, and editor, Sudeep Sen. Rocket Theatre Company delivered an excellent production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull in February 2022, staged in Platform 2 in Stephenson Central. Set in the blaze of the Russian summer The Seagull follows a complex cast of characters as they grapple with life, death, art and love.

One of Chekhov’s finest pieces, The Seagull is set on the country estate of retiree Peter Sorin, who lives there with his niece and aspiring author Constantina Treplieff. Constantina has written a play that is soon to be performed by her love Nina Zarietchnaya, and witnessed by a varied mix of locals and visitors alike. But the audience members Constantina are the most nervous about are her mother Arkadina, and Arkadina’s lover, famous author Boris Trigorin. Little does Constantina know that writing this play will lead to a convoluted series of events resulting in both Nina’s downfall and her own. In April 2022 we were thrilled to receive two new Steinway pianos in College, including a beautiful baby grand piano, as part of the wider University’s All-Steinway School accreditation. Durham University is now the largest AllSteinway School in the UK, demonstrating our commitment to excellence and to providing the very best equipment possible for the study and practice of music. In March 2022, JCR Music Officer Benjamin Southwick visited the Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg to select our pianos. “I spent a lot of time considering the space the piano would live in and its purpose; the piano needed to be accessible to all. It would be easy to access the full range of tone but not be unrewarding for the more advanced players. I also thought about its use as a rehearsal instrument for choirs and how important it was that each note in a chord could be clearly distinguished, allowing singers to tune to the right note. I tried several pianos before settling on the tenth AS Model. I chose this piano because of its beautiful bass tone and solid high register, making it perfect for recitals and rehearsals alike. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in Hamburg. It proved very fruitful for me as a musician; I wrote three compositions in the space of 48 hours which is very rare for me. The creative freedom and exposure to so many sublime instruments allowed my creative side to flourish. It was indeed an experience I will never forget.”

Durham University is now the largest all-Steinway School in the UK, demonstrating our commitment to excellence and to providing the very best equipment possible for the study and practice of music.