STAFF/ ALUMNI

Staff news

WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME THE FOLLOWING STAFF:

Christine Brown is joining us as Head of Marketing and Communications. She has spent most of her career working in marketing and communications in the music and charity sectors. She started in international marketing and promotions at Decca Records and spent nearly ten years at the charity Help Musicians (formerly the Musicians Benevolent Fund), where her last role was Director of External Affairs. She studied music and was a Choral Scholar at Royal Holloway, University of London. During the pandemic, she was Communications Lead for a health and social care charity.

Gerry Vermuelen is our new Assistant Bursar (Estates). Following a military career in the South African Defence Force (Royal Engineers), he worked in various areas of construction and engineering, owning his own engineering business prior to making the decision to emigrate to the UK in 2002. He has a broad background and wide experience within the Facilities Management industry, working initially as a skilled tradesman before making the transition into Estates management. He developed a keen interest in using these skills within education initially at Berkhamsted School, Hertfordshire. A relocation to Surrey in 2017 saw him move into Maintenance and Engineering management in FE/HE education before returning to working within the Independent Schools sector.

Gerry Vermuelen Christine Brown

MEANWHILE, THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF STAFF HAVE CHANGED ROLES WITHIN THE SCHOOL:

Rosie McCance is our new Music Department Administrator.

Nikki Davies has become Day Matron in Music House.

Victoria Hiscock has moved from Day Matron to Assistant Houseparent of Music House.

THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF STAFF ARE LEAVING OUR COMMUNITY THIS YEAR. WE WISH THEM ALL THE BEST IN THEIR FUTURE ENDEAVOURS:

Michelle Feeley, our Events and Membership Administrator, is returning to the City of London Freemen’s School to do administration and work more closely with the children.

Dorian Gable, our Professor of Violin, will return to a flourishing performing career but will remain engaged with YMS as a visiting coach when opportunity permits. Grace Gates has been the Academic Music Teacher with us for the last four years. Her new exciting post is to lead the music department at The Laurels School in Upper Norwood. Grace cannot wait to organise some school trips so she can come back with some of her new students to attend YMS lunchtime concerts.

Dave Greenwood, our Timetable Officer, is retiring from paid employment to focus on family and voluntary activities, including continuing to steward in The Menuhin Hall and assisting the Friends events team.

Ashok Klouda, our Interim Professor of Cello, will be continuing to play in a variety of chamber music settings, including the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble. He is also one of the directors of the Highgate International Chamber Music Festival, which will have its 10th Anniversary this year, 5–11 Dec.

William Hallworth-Cook, our Technical Assistant in The Menuhin Hall. Will is returning to his studies at the prestigious Tonmeister course but will be returning to help out in the Hall sound booth from time to time.

Emily Howell, our Music Department Administrator. We wish Emily every best wish and thank her for her support providing maternity cover in the Music Department this year.

Svetlana Kosenko, who was employed as a Staff Pianist. Sveta is leaving us after eight years of service as a staff pianist and also as a member of the resident boarding team. We wish her all the best for her future endeavours and look forward to seeing her back at YMS soon.

Margaret Norris

16 May 1939–4 June 2022

We were saddened to learn of the death of Margaret Norris after a short illness. Margaret was born in Wrexham in 1939 and studied at the Royal College of Music, where she won the Tagore Gold Medal and Stoutzker Prize. She was appointed as Alberto Lysy’s assistant at The Yehudi Menuhin School in 1963, just as she left college. She became full time in March 1964 and she and her husband Peter were resident in the school for 23 years. She continued to teach there until 1991 and became, in that time, a huge and lasting influence. Here are a few tributes from former pupils and staff:

Elisabeth Perry 1963–1972 “I first met Margaret Norris in 1963 when she was completing her studies at the Royal College of Music and was appointed by Yehudi Menuhin to assist at his newschool in London. I became her first student and began to flourish quickly under her special care.

She possessed remarkable qualities of modesty, practicality, true dedication and tireless energy which served her well in the important role she would play in the musical life of the school in those early years.

She had a unique relationship with Yehudi, and during his frequent visits she would be in his constant presence, translating his often complex wishes into a practical plan that we could grasp. I still own a treasured copy of Yehudi’s fingered and bowed Bach Sonatas and Partitas which were painstakingly copied for us by Margaret.

Her teaching was unique and she was my complete support during my nine special years at school. Her constant nurturing, daily lessons and total dedication as a teacher in every possible way set me up not only for my four years at the Juilliard school but for the rest of my life.”

Jacoba Vyse 1968–1977 “Margaret taught me from the age of eight for nine years. She was always supportive, kind and, most of all, calm, in what was an intense and often stressful time, especially for such a young child. I owe her a huge debt professionally. We always remained in touch – a friendship that lasted 54 years. She took a keen interest in everything that I did. Music was only ever touched on but dressmaking, knitting, my cats, cooking, travelling

Margaret Norris and, more recently, photography – she wanted to know every detail! I shall miss her presence in my life as it feels as though she has, quite simply, always been there. She leaves a huge musical legacy, not only to those of us who were lucky enough to study with her at YMS but also to the vast number of pupils she has taught over the years since she left the school.”

Peter Renshaw 1975–1984 “I first knew Margaret in the National Youth Orchestra in 1953 and then I had the pleasure of working closely with her when I became Head of the Menuhin School in 1975. There is no doubt that she was the pillar of the musical life at the school. Whereas Peter was musically inspirational, it was always Margaret that made everything happen. Together they made a formidable duo. In my early days as the Head, Margaret was my backbone as I tried to make sense of the most complex of timetables. In addition to her management skills, Margaret was an incredibly dedicated violin teacher, always “there” for her pupils right up to the end of her life. 60 years of teaching is no mean achievement and she leaves behind an enviable legacy. Over many

Margaret with Jacoba Vyse and Yehudi Menuhin

years, both Margaret and Peter put their stampon the school. They were very special, and it is sad to know that they are no longer with us.”

Robert Gibbs 1974–1984 “Margaret was the first person to meet and welcome me when I started at The Yehudi Menuhin School . With her beaming smile, any trepidation I felt immediately evaporated.That immense warmth and calmness was always apparent and I don’t remember a time when she wasn’t encouraging and supportive during my ten years studying with her.

The one time I remember the smile vanishing was when her car died when only five years old. Margaret had asked me to help choose anew car. Citroen at that time were the leaders in technology, so we went for their smallest model.Unfortunately, longevity wasn’t one of its strengths!

When I went to the Royal College of Music, if I won a prize then Margaret had won it when she was there too. I also met Maxine Franklin, a Jamaican pianist who lived in the room next door to Margaret in Queen Alexandra’s House, who said the most beautiful and memorable thing from her time at the Royal College of Music was hearing Margaret practising and then performing The Lark Ascending.”

Malcolm Singer 1977–2017 “I met Margaret in the summer of 1977 when I got my first job as a teacher at the Menuhin School. She has been a glorious constant in my life ever since – a lady of grace, kindness and a quiet, gentle but firm wisdom. In my early days at the school, it was Margaret whowasthe school – at the centre of everything that happened in the musical life there. It was Margaret who made the place tick, sorting out the day-to-day timetables and making sure, in the most pragmatic and unfussy way, that every pupil got the best musical education possible.She also had her own pupils to teach, and family life to negotiate – life with Peter was never dull and there were two young sons to look after. Margaret tackled all these tasks brilliantly. I owe her so much for her guidance and reassurance as I began my time on the teaching staff. She seemed unflappable and always so helpful and wise. As a violin teacher, Margaret has guided generations of musicians both in her time at the school and in her private practice. We should not think just of the outstanding professional musicians that passed through her hands, but the many others who went on to careers outside music but who gained their love of music and music-making from Margaret’s very special teaching. Margaret was always interested in the whole person and was not simply concerned with musical prowess. She would be embarrassed by any thoughts of her legacy but she has left a great one: the extraordinarily gracious spirit that was Margaret touched us all and we became better people for it.”

Margaret and Peter teaching

Alumni News

Nicola Benedetti was recently awarded with an honorary fellowship by The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has also been appointed honorary president of Royal Conservatoire Scotland.

Thanks to Tatiana Berman (née Kojevatova), who brought her film, Forte, to show to a captivated audience of staff and students.

Sergio Bucheli recently won rave reviews for his playing of the theorbo in the English Concert’s performance of Handel’s Xerxes in St Martin-in-theFields.

Haim Choi has been appointed as a featured soloist for the Oxford Sinfonietta. She will be helping to perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola. She was also awarded the Tagore Gold Medal on graduating from the Royal College of Music.

Sào Just won Third Prize at the 5th Tokyo International Viola Competition, as well as two other prizes: one for the performance of a concerto for viola and orchestra and one for a newly commissioned work.

Kevin Loh appeared in the Harrogate Music Festival in July. Tianyou Ma won second prize at the 8th

Sendai International

Violin Competition in Japan.

Congratulations to

Thea Maund (née

Butterworth), who has given birth to twin girls.

David McCarroll has been appointed concertmaster for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Esther Park won the Royal College of Music Violin Competition.

Kathryn Stott has been appointed Guest Festival Curator of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival in 2023.

Tianyou Ma

Kevin Loh