FRIENDS

Art Room Refurbishment Project 2022/23

As well as being incredible musicians, many of our pupils are wonderful artists and all of our pupils enjoy a visit to our art room. As the number of pupils has grown over the years, so the use of the art room has expanded until it is quite literally bursting at the seams! Whilst an art room will always be a riot of colour and a hive of activity, some updating is required to better improve the space.

We are thrilled to invite you to experience an exclusive performance and Q&A by a recent YMS alumnus, cellist Özgür Kaya. As many of you will recall, Özgür was a pupil at YMS from 2018 to 2021 and is currently studying at the Royal College of Music with another former pupil, Alexander Chausian. Özgür has an impressive list of accomplishments to his name, having won numerous prizes both as a solo artist and with his chamber ensemble, ‘Kiana Trio’. He is the principal cellist of the Ankara Youth Symphony Orchestra and Apollo Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded by former YMS pupils and brings together some of the best young musicians in and around London. Difficulties of cleaning this space in its current form were also recently highlighted during the pandemic.

In particular, we would like to install an extra sink with additional drying areas/racks, make the kiln space safer, provide closed fronted storage and improve display spaces. We intend to hold onto the beautiful tables, however, with their characterful paint splashes from generations of previous students. The plan is to make our art classroom a space we are proud to show off to parents and guests and do justice to the beautiful work of our pupils. We would like to refit the space to be a more modern, streamlined area with improved maintainability, light-reflecting surfaces, concealed storage and additional sink space. We are really grateful to the Friends of YMS who have generously agreed to grant £9,400 towards this project. We have also received additional donations from individual donors. If you would like to contribute to this worthwhile project, any donation is very welcome. Please make cheques payable to The Yehudi

Menuhin School or, if you would prefer to pay by bank transfer, please email Marion Chow at marion.chow@ menuhinschool.co.uk for the school bank details.

Thank you in advance.

Calling all Friends!

Save the date:13 October 2022

Further details of the event will be included in our Autumn/Winter Hall brochure, and online.

Özgür Kaya

From the Chairman of the Friends

Dear Friends

I hope you are enjoying this lovely summer.

I am writing this letter just after the 21/22 academic year at The Yehudi Menuhin School has ended and as we greatly look forward to a new year and a new intake of pupils in September.

The year just ended was particularly challenging for Ben, Ashley and their team as they strove to return school life to normality after all the disruptions caused by the pandemic. The year finished, appropriately enough for a music school, on a very high note indeed: the Summer Festival was simply sensational, with all the students going through their paces, culminating in an impressive Leavers’ Concert at Kings Place (a fine auditorium next to King’s Cross station) and a finale orchestral concert in The Menuhin Hall when the School Orchestra – inspired by the conducting and playing of world-renowned viola player Maxim Rysanov – played with thrilling beauty and energy.

The pupils responded very positively to playing in front of live audiences again but it was disappointing to see there were still large gaps in the audience, especially given the artistry on display and the excellent programming. It is understandable that after we have lived through the Covid experience many people have become anxious about going back into the crowds at concerts. But I do urge you all to support our pupils by coming to the new season’s concerts whenever you can.

And although our total number of Friends has held up remarkably well in all the circumstances, it is clear we now need more Friends and new Friends to help fill the capacity of The Menuhin Hall. So please tell your own friends about the school and the concerts, and bring them along with you. And could you possibly volunteer to help us by manning a stand and handing out leaflets about the Friends at events taking place in The Menuhin Hall or, indeed, other local venues? If you are interested in giving this helping hand, please get in touch with Marion Chow at friends@menuhinschool.co.uk.

And now some news about the financial support the Friends have recently given to the pupils. At our last Friends Committee Meeting we agreed to make a grant of £9,400 towards the Arts Refurbishment Project (see details below). The Art Room plays a big part in the life of our students both in terms of their studies and also for sheer enjoyment – but it badly needs an upgrade. And, secondly, as you may know, when each pupil leaves the school he or she is presented with a leather-bound music score of their choice as a memento of their time with us. This year, and for the future, the cost of providing these scores – £600 a year – will be met by a grant from the Friends, and the scores will be marked with a bookplate acknowledging the Friends’ donation, thereby, we hope, cementing not only a continuing relationship between the alumni and the school, but also between each student whose skills we have seen develop over the years as they have performed in front of us, their friends and audience.

With best wishes,

John Baker

Friends Administration

From 1 August 2022, all Friends administration, renewals and enquiries will be looked after by The Menuhin Hall Box Office team. You can still email

friends@menuhinschool.co.uk

or call the Box Office on 01932 559400. Sir John Baker Chairman of the Friends of The Yehudi Menuhin School