SLiDE <Insert Title Here> Dance Project April-June 2018
Performances
Croydonites Festival Saturday 12th May, Braithwaite Hall, Croydon
Overground Festival Sunday 17th June, St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood
It was the 7th December 2017 when the email came into my inbox from Jenny Brady (Creative Learning and Participation Manager). Would I be ‘interested in exploring a project with a group that provide dance provision for people with learning disabilities? They would like to collaborate with an LMP cellist on a new original work. It will probably involve a few days intensive work and a couple of performances at the end. Everything, including the music will be devised in the workshop process.’
And then the final telling line;
‘All you’d need is your cello, and the flexibility to improvise and freedom to go with the flow.’
Sounds intriguing I thought and so I emailed straight back to say yes I would be interested. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for but there were the words ‘improvise’ and ‘go with the flow’ in the email, ways of playing which we don’t usually get to explore in ‘normal’ orchestral concerts.
After an initial wait for the successful application to ACE for funding our first meeting was on Thursday 29th March at Croydon Youth Theatre, in a wonderful airy and light dance studio. A three hour get-to-know-you session for the main devisers and professional dancers for the project.
A few days before the first meeting another email came into my inbox from SLiDE’s co-founder Gemma Coldicott. And again there was one standout line;
‘I wonder if you will be comfortable moving/dancing with us?’
Well, I haven’t done that before, the best I can manage is a bit of boogying (in my youth) at the local disco, but in for a penny, in for a pound. The Dancing Cellist anyone?
So the first meeting brought together our main collaborators – Co-founder Gemma, Dramaturg and Director Louise Katarega, Dancers Vicky Malin and Takeshi Matsumoto. Also joining us a young graduate dancer Sorrel De Paula Hanika. Before the first meeting lots of organising of rehearsals and times, many more rehearsals than we normally get because this was to be a 40-45 minute piece created from scratch called <Insert Title Here>. This was one of the things I valued about the project, the amount of time we had to create and devise. Normally for an orchestral concert we get a 3 hour rehearsal and then we have to perform the concert. Just time to play through the notes a couple of times, rehearse a few corners and then perform. So this, for me, was rehearsal luxury. Although creating, rehearsing and memorising a 40-45 minute original piece with music and dance is still a tall order.
In the first meeting I don’t remember playing my cello at all! We did some movement warmups and then talked a lot about how we envisaged the project being created. Louise and Gemma have great experience in this area, having done this before, but not such a long piece and not with a live musician. So it was pretty new to all of us. We talked about what we each could bring to the project; what we found inspiring, moving or challenging, strengths and weaknesses. It was, if you like, an exploration of each other. I particularly loved this aspect of the project. Everyone had a say and all ideas were laid out for everyone to think about. No one was ignored and everyone mattered. That was the way the decision-making unfolded for the whole project which was important for incorporating the members with learning difficulties.
Now to introduce the SLiDE company dancers; Kumi, Jack, James, Isobel, Izzy, Kirsty, Fifi and Noelle. Age ranges from 18 to 62. Varying special needs but all mobile and lively characters who’ve been dancing with SLiDE for some time. The trust and respect between the members of the company was inspiring to see. There was so much support and everyone was given all the space they needed to express themselves. Some people need more time than others…
The pattern of each rehearsal always started with our warm up dance which was led by Louise. By the end we knew it pretty well, but took time to learn, moving our bodies in ways which were unfamiliar to some (especially me!). ‘Hand in back pocket to R, look in the mirror to L, comb your hair to R, sweep to the green dancer, sweep to the red door, turn on the spot and repeat’. It was very liberating for me to be moving like this surrounded by others doing the same.
Once warm ups had finished we then got onto our workshops, hoping to forge scenarios to build the piece. Multiple ideas emerged. Each of us created a movement based on our names, one of the main building blocks of the piece. Gemma asked people to bring holiday snaps from somewhere where they had felt very happy. From these, smaller groups working on dance fragments based on these memories. The results yielded embryonic material for inclusion – dancing with friends, boys building and selfies from New York. Vicky worked a lot on contact between people; starting with just looking then using touch, finally leaning and balancing using weight and resistance. Gemma had brought cardboard stools which you could sit, stand on and carry. These were included in nearly every part of the dance. I actually sat on one to play without a spike so I could move around the space which I did a lot as the piece evolved. And I started playing, at first just improvising and mirroring the moves I saw before me, but then later adding some music of my own and also fragments of music by Walton, Britten, Bach and a well-known song from The Wizard of Oz! We inserted a music workshop session where we talked about music form and decided that our piece would be in sonata form with a first and second idea, a development section and then a repeat of the first and second idea with a possible coda. Graphic scores were drawn while I played. Takeshi, who was also great at warmups, taught us all a Japanese folk dance with very complicated movements. We all decided it should be included. Somewhere near the beginning of the process we decided the piece should be performed in the round. Gemma wrote poetry inspired by our work and those were added in the mix, recorded by Sorrel. Louise did a fantastic job of corralling and ordering our ideas, constantly asking questions about everything, challenging us to explain and justify – how did we feel this fitted in? Where should we position it? How did you feel that went? Was the music suitable? The first 3 consecutive days of rehearsal were so rich and fulfilling, I looked forward to absolutely every day. A big roll of paper with our plan on it rapidly became covered in coloured stickies as ideas poured out from everywhere. By the end of those 3 days we had already created 20 minutes of <Insert Title Here>.
Let me explain about the title. Anna Arthur (Director of Croydonites Festival where we did our first performance) and Gemma wanted to include the audience in our piece so Gemma suggested it would be a nice idea to get the audience to name our piece after they had seen it. Answers on a postcard kind of thing. This then morphed into naming sections of the piece throughout, prompted by playing the music from Tony Hart’s Take Hart gallery music. Remember?
Each further day of rehearsal and more building blocks were put in place with more fine tuning of each little section; focussing everyone’s mind into the piece to create spectacle, variation and interest in each moment. There were solos from James and Kirsty and Isobel led what we called Dynamic Mass Shape. A new section in the middle featured a septet of Vicky, Sorrel, Takeshi, Kumi, Kirsty, Fifi and me. Jack moved offstage using the cardboard stools like stepping stones. A disco breakout in the middle provided a moment of freedom for us all. Especially Izzy who joined in with Michael Jackson at the top of her voice! I put my cello down and from the floor was rolled across the space back to my cello with great intent and precision by Fifi. Sorrel and Takeshi danced to a Bach suite.
There were challenges along the way. The fragile health of some meant missed time, and venue changes (from our rehearsal space at Croydon Youth Theatre to Braithwaite Hall, Croydon) caused consternation for some who prefer routine. Also some people needed more space to express themselves which occasionally meant decisions were made in more of a hurry than was comfortable. But every challenge was met with compassion and care, everyone was made as comfortable as they could be, no one got left behind. It really was a blueprint for how the whole world should work.
Two other people I must mention; Jess Hodge was our evaluator on the project and Sophie Standford came and took some fantastic photos for the Flickr page if you want to access it please go here;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99875694@N03/
The day of evaluation was also a revelation, I had no idea reporting on a project could be so enjoyable and inspiring. It was our chance to say how much we LOVED being part of the project.
Finally the two performances. Performance number one in the extraordinary oak-panelled, book-lined Braithwaite Hall for the Croydonites Festival. A fantastic sold out audience of about 80-90 people sitting entirely around us. We performed, the audience watched. Through the twittering huddle of the beginning, through the dynamic mass shapes, Sorrel and Noelle’s duet, the septet, the disco, boys’ building to the final Japanese folk dance. I could see people really concentrating and watching each little section, wondering what they were making of it. The ‘insert title’ sections were very popular; each person writing their suggestion and each being read out. It was incredibly moving to see the concentration and creativity of each performer and when we had finished I felt so proud of what we had all achieved. There was a massive sense of joy within the group which communicated itself to the audience.
The title we chose from the many suggested from the first performance was Ships and Walls: Where Old Memories Fall.
The second performance (at St John’s Upper Norwood) was over a month later so we had a few sessions to remind ourselves of the piece. Gemma’s one little suggestion during those rehearsals was ‘take your time with everything’. It made such an amazing difference to the performance and there was a greater depth and even more space and time for reflection. Louise loved that the arches and high ceilings of the church framed sections of the dance like a picture. Both spaces affected the performance in different ways.
The second title suggested from the myriad postcards was Held: The Ways We Can Be Together.
This was one of the most inspirational and moving projects I have been involved in. The care and compassion expressed between the members of the group was ever present. Everyone mattered. All ideas were valid, everyone listened and watched, learned and took note. Mums, Dads, partners and support workers who came to rehearsals commented on the wonderful atmosphere surrounding the project and said how valuable it was for the dancers to be involved in something this creatively important. I was honoured to be part of it.
I leave the last word to Gemma in the final poem from <Insert Title Here>;
Let’s dance on our chairs, around them and on them.
Fly on them and put them up our jumpers.
Let’s laugh and cry together, feel joy and sadness.
But repair and rebuild each other, nurture and take care.
Caretakers.
Let’s be anxious together but know that we have to do this.
There is no other choice.
The only option is this.
Let’s dance.
And so we did…
© Vipul Sangoi
“I would describe the piece as ‘destination happiness’, an inspirational way of being. It was very moving.” Audience member, Croydonites Theatre Festival
“That was a beautiful performance. What a gift for a Sunday. Great audience, serene setting and the work was mesmerising, romantic, peaceful, affirming and joyous. Congratulations to all involved.”
Ray Oudkerk, Assistant Principal, The Brit School
“Having been part of the audience for SliDE’s production ‘Insert Title Here’, I can honestly say that it was one of the most uplifting and moving performances I have seen in a long time. It was clear that the performers were totally immersed in presenting the work, with a level of authentic engagement often bereft in established dance companies. The production was highly professional and innovatively interactive. As an audience member I was totally engaged from the first movement to the last not, as was everyone else who had the privilege of experiencing such a motivational performance.”
Michelle Groves, Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance
70th Birthday Appeal: 35k out of 100k raised in 2 weeks
/in News /by LMPTo coincide with our 70th Birthday season launch, we launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to support the orchestra during its 70th anniversary season and beyond.
In just over two weeks, we’ve already received generous donations from our friends and supporters amounting to 35% of our target. Donations during our 70th year will be instrumental in extending the reach of our education and community initiatives, and also allow us to embark on an exciting year of music making.
Find out more about our what’s on during our birthday season, or alternatively donate to our appeal and help us reach our target goal in record time – Donations of any size are greatly appreciated!
LMP free concert at St Pancras 25 September @ 3.30pm
/in News /by LMPIf you are in London on the afternoon of Tuesday 25th September then do come along to St Pancras International Station at 3.30pm where London Mozart Players will be giving a FREE concert near the Eurostar Departure zone. We’ll be celebrating St Pancras’s 150th and the LMP’s 70th birthdays with a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto 21 in C K.467, with our Conductor Laureate Howard Shelley playing the station’s ‘Elton John’ Yamaha piano alongside the orchestra.
This is a joint promotion with Classic FM who will be livesteaming on their Facebook page.
Launch of LMP’s 70th anniversary series
/in News /by LMPThe LMP has launched it’s 70th anniversary year with a wonderful concert at its home in Upper Norwood, the church of St John the Evangelist, featuring the UK debut of acclaimed young violinist Radu Kis. This is the first concert in a packed 2018/19 season that will see the UK’s longest established orchestra perform in some of London’s most prestigious concert halls such as St John’s Smith Square, the Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and Cadogan Hall. The LMP will also perform at a gala concert in June to mark the re-opening of Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. The orchestra will also perform a season at SJUN in Upper Norwood, and appear in concert halls and some unusual venues around the country and abroad. All the concerts can be seen on the 70th Birthday page.
To mark the 70th birthday, the LMP will be using a brand new logo for the season.
Sarah Butcher: How a creative collaboration demonstrated how the world should operate
/in Blog /by LMPSLiDE <Insert Title Here> Dance Project April-June 2018
Performances
Croydonites Festival Saturday 12th May, Braithwaite Hall, Croydon
Overground Festival Sunday 17th June, St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood
It was the 7th December 2017 when the email came into my inbox from Jenny Brady (Creative Learning and Participation Manager). Would I be ‘interested in exploring a project with a group that provide dance provision for people with learning disabilities? They would like to collaborate with an LMP cellist on a new original work. It will probably involve a few days intensive work and a couple of performances at the end. Everything, including the music will be devised in the workshop process.’
And then the final telling line;
‘All you’d need is your cello, and the flexibility to improvise and freedom to go with the flow.’
Sounds intriguing I thought and so I emailed straight back to say yes I would be interested. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for but there were the words ‘improvise’ and ‘go with the flow’ in the email, ways of playing which we don’t usually get to explore in ‘normal’ orchestral concerts.
After an initial wait for the successful application to ACE for funding our first meeting was on Thursday 29th March at Croydon Youth Theatre, in a wonderful airy and light dance studio. A three hour get-to-know-you session for the main devisers and professional dancers for the project.
A few days before the first meeting another email came into my inbox from SLiDE’s co-founder Gemma Coldicott. And again there was one standout line;
‘I wonder if you will be comfortable moving/dancing with us?’
Well, I haven’t done that before, the best I can manage is a bit of boogying (in my youth) at the local disco, but in for a penny, in for a pound. The Dancing Cellist anyone?
So the first meeting brought together our main collaborators – Co-founder Gemma, Dramaturg and Director Louise Katarega, Dancers Vicky Malin and Takeshi Matsumoto. Also joining us a young graduate dancer Sorrel De Paula Hanika. Before the first meeting lots of organising of rehearsals and times, many more rehearsals than we normally get because this was to be a 40-45 minute piece created from scratch called <Insert Title Here>. This was one of the things I valued about the project, the amount of time we had to create and devise. Normally for an orchestral concert we get a 3 hour rehearsal and then we have to perform the concert. Just time to play through the notes a couple of times, rehearse a few corners and then perform. So this, for me, was rehearsal luxury. Although creating, rehearsing and memorising a 40-45 minute original piece with music and dance is still a tall order.
In the first meeting I don’t remember playing my cello at all! We did some movement warmups and then talked a lot about how we envisaged the project being created. Louise and Gemma have great experience in this area, having done this before, but not such a long piece and not with a live musician. So it was pretty new to all of us. We talked about what we each could bring to the project; what we found inspiring, moving or challenging, strengths and weaknesses. It was, if you like, an exploration of each other. I particularly loved this aspect of the project. Everyone had a say and all ideas were laid out for everyone to think about. No one was ignored and everyone mattered. That was the way the decision-making unfolded for the whole project which was important for incorporating the members with learning difficulties.
Now to introduce the SLiDE company dancers; Kumi, Jack, James, Isobel, Izzy, Kirsty, Fifi and Noelle. Age ranges from 18 to 62. Varying special needs but all mobile and lively characters who’ve been dancing with SLiDE for some time. The trust and respect between the members of the company was inspiring to see. There was so much support and everyone was given all the space they needed to express themselves. Some people need more time than others…
The pattern of each rehearsal always started with our warm up dance which was led by Louise. By the end we knew it pretty well, but took time to learn, moving our bodies in ways which were unfamiliar to some (especially me!). ‘Hand in back pocket to R, look in the mirror to L, comb your hair to R, sweep to the green dancer, sweep to the red door, turn on the spot and repeat’. It was very liberating for me to be moving like this surrounded by others doing the same.
Once warm ups had finished we then got onto our workshops, hoping to forge scenarios to build the piece. Multiple ideas emerged. Each of us created a movement based on our names, one of the main building blocks of the piece. Gemma asked people to bring holiday snaps from somewhere where they had felt very happy. From these, smaller groups working on dance fragments based on these memories. The results yielded embryonic material for inclusion – dancing with friends, boys building and selfies from New York. Vicky worked a lot on contact between people; starting with just looking then using touch, finally leaning and balancing using weight and resistance. Gemma had brought cardboard stools which you could sit, stand on and carry. These were included in nearly every part of the dance. I actually sat on one to play without a spike so I could move around the space which I did a lot as the piece evolved. And I started playing, at first just improvising and mirroring the moves I saw before me, but then later adding some music of my own and also fragments of music by Walton, Britten, Bach and a well-known song from The Wizard of Oz! We inserted a music workshop session where we talked about music form and decided that our piece would be in sonata form with a first and second idea, a development section and then a repeat of the first and second idea with a possible coda. Graphic scores were drawn while I played. Takeshi, who was also great at warmups, taught us all a Japanese folk dance with very complicated movements. We all decided it should be included. Somewhere near the beginning of the process we decided the piece should be performed in the round. Gemma wrote poetry inspired by our work and those were added in the mix, recorded by Sorrel. Louise did a fantastic job of corralling and ordering our ideas, constantly asking questions about everything, challenging us to explain and justify – how did we feel this fitted in? Where should we position it? How did you feel that went? Was the music suitable? The first 3 consecutive days of rehearsal were so rich and fulfilling, I looked forward to absolutely every day. A big roll of paper with our plan on it rapidly became covered in coloured stickies as ideas poured out from everywhere. By the end of those 3 days we had already created 20 minutes of <Insert Title Here>.
Let me explain about the title. Anna Arthur (Director of Croydonites Festival where we did our first performance) and Gemma wanted to include the audience in our piece so Gemma suggested it would be a nice idea to get the audience to name our piece after they had seen it. Answers on a postcard kind of thing. This then morphed into naming sections of the piece throughout, prompted by playing the music from Tony Hart’s Take Hart gallery music. Remember?
Each further day of rehearsal and more building blocks were put in place with more fine tuning of each little section; focussing everyone’s mind into the piece to create spectacle, variation and interest in each moment. There were solos from James and Kirsty and Isobel led what we called Dynamic Mass Shape. A new section in the middle featured a septet of Vicky, Sorrel, Takeshi, Kumi, Kirsty, Fifi and me. Jack moved offstage using the cardboard stools like stepping stones. A disco breakout in the middle provided a moment of freedom for us all. Especially Izzy who joined in with Michael Jackson at the top of her voice! I put my cello down and from the floor was rolled across the space back to my cello with great intent and precision by Fifi. Sorrel and Takeshi danced to a Bach suite.
There were challenges along the way. The fragile health of some meant missed time, and venue changes (from our rehearsal space at Croydon Youth Theatre to Braithwaite Hall, Croydon) caused consternation for some who prefer routine. Also some people needed more space to express themselves which occasionally meant decisions were made in more of a hurry than was comfortable. But every challenge was met with compassion and care, everyone was made as comfortable as they could be, no one got left behind. It really was a blueprint for how the whole world should work.
Two other people I must mention; Jess Hodge was our evaluator on the project and Sophie Standford came and took some fantastic photos for the Flickr page if you want to access it please go here;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99875694@N03/
The day of evaluation was also a revelation, I had no idea reporting on a project could be so enjoyable and inspiring. It was our chance to say how much we LOVED being part of the project.
Finally the two performances. Performance number one in the extraordinary oak-panelled, book-lined Braithwaite Hall for the Croydonites Festival. A fantastic sold out audience of about 80-90 people sitting entirely around us. We performed, the audience watched. Through the twittering huddle of the beginning, through the dynamic mass shapes, Sorrel and Noelle’s duet, the septet, the disco, boys’ building to the final Japanese folk dance. I could see people really concentrating and watching each little section, wondering what they were making of it. The ‘insert title’ sections were very popular; each person writing their suggestion and each being read out. It was incredibly moving to see the concentration and creativity of each performer and when we had finished I felt so proud of what we had all achieved. There was a massive sense of joy within the group which communicated itself to the audience.
The title we chose from the many suggested from the first performance was Ships and Walls: Where Old Memories Fall.
The second performance (at St John’s Upper Norwood) was over a month later so we had a few sessions to remind ourselves of the piece. Gemma’s one little suggestion during those rehearsals was ‘take your time with everything’. It made such an amazing difference to the performance and there was a greater depth and even more space and time for reflection. Louise loved that the arches and high ceilings of the church framed sections of the dance like a picture. Both spaces affected the performance in different ways.
The second title suggested from the myriad postcards was Held: The Ways We Can Be Together.
This was one of the most inspirational and moving projects I have been involved in. The care and compassion expressed between the members of the group was ever present. Everyone mattered. All ideas were valid, everyone listened and watched, learned and took note. Mums, Dads, partners and support workers who came to rehearsals commented on the wonderful atmosphere surrounding the project and said how valuable it was for the dancers to be involved in something this creatively important. I was honoured to be part of it.
I leave the last word to Gemma in the final poem from <Insert Title Here>;
Let’s dance on our chairs, around them and on them.
Fly on them and put them up our jumpers.
Let’s laugh and cry together, feel joy and sadness.
But repair and rebuild each other, nurture and take care.
Caretakers.
Let’s be anxious together but know that we have to do this.
There is no other choice.
The only option is this.
Let’s dance.
And so we did…
© Vipul Sangoi
“I would describe the piece as ‘destination happiness’, an inspirational way of being. It was very moving.” Audience member, Croydonites Theatre Festival
“That was a beautiful performance. What a gift for a Sunday. Great audience, serene setting and the work was mesmerising, romantic, peaceful, affirming and joyous. Congratulations to all involved.”
Ray Oudkerk, Assistant Principal, The Brit School
“Having been part of the audience for SliDE’s production ‘Insert Title Here’, I can honestly say that it was one of the most uplifting and moving performances I have seen in a long time. It was clear that the performers were totally immersed in presenting the work, with a level of authentic engagement often bereft in established dance companies. The production was highly professional and innovatively interactive. As an audience member I was totally engaged from the first movement to the last not, as was everyone else who had the privilege of experiencing such a motivational performance.”
Michelle Groves, Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance
Ben Rogerson
/in Galleries /by LMPAs well as playing the cello with the London Mozart Players Ben Rogerson is a member of the BBC Concert Orchestra. He spent most of the nought-ies with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and also enjoys playing regularly with the John Wilson Orchestra. With the ICO he toured all over the world giving concerts with artists including Maxim Vengerov, Steven Isserlis, Anthony Marwood and Nigel Kennedy in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall in New York, the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, and the Community Centre on Inis Boffin off the West Coast of Ireland.
His life with the BBCCO involves a more eclectic range of music making, from classical and pop concerts, to recording music for TV, film, radio and CD. Jeff Lynne and the ELO, Earth Wind and Fire, Kylie Minogue, Sinead O’Connor and Dame Edna Everidge are amongst the artists they have worked with recently, and the orchestra is resident for Radio 2’s flagship show “Friday Night is Music Night”.
Ben has been fortunate to play as Guest Principal Cello for the City of London Sinfonia, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera and Opera North, the Mozart Festival Orchestra and the Johann Strauss Gala Orchestra.
With violinist Gabrielle Painter and Leslie Hollingworth he formed the Szabo Piano Trio. Together they gave recitals throughout the UK and Ireland, recorded for Champs Hill Records, and broadcast on Lyric FM. Nowadays he gives chamber music concerts mostly with the Minerva Ensemble. He has appeared as a guest with the Carducci, Tippet, Merchant and St. Paul’s quartets for performances of the Schubert C Major Quintet.
Ben studied at the Royal Academy of Music where his cello teacher was Derek Simpson of the Aoelian Quartet, and at SUNY Purchase, USA,with Julia Lichten of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
For several years he coached the cello section of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, and served on the faculty of Con Corda, a chamber music course founded in Ireland by the late Hugh Maguire. Now Ben teaches the cello at Tonbridge School, Kent, and at Frensham Heights in Surrey.
He is married to the pianist Alexis White and is very proud of his two children Harry and Scarlett.
Jeremy Metcalfe
/in Galleries /by LMPI suppose it was as head chorister in a third-rate church choir, receiving the Fane Trophy, engraved ‘For General Progress’, that I perhaps realised my prospects of being a celebrated musician were to be down-graded. Being ‘the excellent leader’ (Oxford Mail) of the County Youth Orchestra counted for nothing as a student at the Royal Academy of Music. But by being generally inoffensive and largely invisible I have enjoyed a rich and varied career freelancing with orchestras including the RPO, LPO, BBCSO and Royal Opera Covent Garden. Opera has played a major role, being a member of ETO and GTO. I have probably played The Marriage of Figaro over 200 times, a record possibly unmatched?
On screen I’ve appeared in scenes with Keira Knightley, Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Michael Caine. Other highlights include concerts with George Harrison, standing at a urinal next to Andre Previn, and a few more. Downsides have been multiple Saturdays ruined by disappointing Everton results and late night motorway closures. Early in my student days I narrowly avoided death from a falling slab of frozen meat in Marylebone High St.
Embarrassing moments have been mercifully few, but the discovery that it was my mobile phone ringing in the hushed final moments of Boheme, and my subsequent inabilty to silence the wretched thing stands out. The fact that it was in full view of a packed hall was irksome to say the least. And the caller? LMP’s Orchestral Manager, Mr D Wilson. It obviously hasn’t spoiled our relationship as, for the time being, I still hang on to my membership of this esteemed group. Outside interests? Birding, gardening and the Guardian cryptic crossword.
Andrew Roberts
/in Galleries /by LMPANDREW ROBERTS studied in London with Carl Pini and in New York with Joyce Robbins. Whilst a student, he was principal 2nd violin of the Britten-Pears Orchestra and the European Community Youth Orchestra.
In 1981 he was a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, travelling all over the world and working with conductors such as Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Subsequently, he joined the Auriol String Quartet which studied with Milan Skampa (of the Smetana Quartet), Andras Mihaly (a pupil of Kodaly) and members of the Amadeus Quartet. The Quartet was resident at Aldeburgh in 1989 and gave recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Queen’s Hall Edinburgh, Snape Maltings Concert Hall and throughout the UK and Europe.
Andrew played for fifteen years in the Bernard Roberts Piano Trio, with his father Bernard and brother Nicholas, releasing CD recordings of music by Stephen Dodgson (Claudio Records CC5257-2) and Frank Bridge (Black Box BBM1028) to critical acclaim, the ‘Gramophone’ magazine praising “utterly sympathetic, beautifully prepared performances from this fine family group”. The Trio’s performance of the ‘Piano Trio no.2’ by Frank Bridge was broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s ‘Composer of the Week’ programme.
Other CD recordings include the ‘Piano Quintet’ by Georges Enescu (the Solomon Ensemble/Naxos 8.557159), music by Silvina Milstein (Lontano, to be released on Lontano records) and the ‘String Quartets no.1 and 2’ by Buxton Orr (with the Beethoven String Trio of London on Toccata Classics/ TOCC0103)
Andrew is a member of the London Mozart Players and his varied musical life also includes performance on period instruments as a member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Recent work includes live BBC Radio 3 broadcasts of chamber music from St Georges, Bristol and for the opening of King’s Place, London; concerts at the Finchcocks Keyboard Collection, Kent and the inaugural concert of the Elgar Concert Hall at the University of Birmingham.
In 2013, he formed a Duo partnership with the pianist Rachel Fryer, to explore the rich repertoire for violin and piano.
Ian Fasham
/in Blog /by LMPIan started playing the tenor trombone at the age of 11, and then joined the
Kent County Youth Orchestra on bass trombone in 1974, having been loaned an instrument.
He has played at the low end of the section ever since!
He went on to study at the Royal College of Music between 1978 and 1982 with Gerry McElhone, bass trombonist of The Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Ian developed a real passion for playing opera during this period, and works regularly at Glyndebourne, Garsington Opera, Welsh National Opera, and Covent Garden. He has also been involved in recording numerous film scores. Ian has been a member of the London Mozart Players since 1993, where he enjoys the different style of playing that is required for performing with a chamber orchestra.
Ian is married with two children, and in his spare time enjoys getting away to warmer climates.
LMP receive new ACE Catalyst grant
/in Galleries, News /by LMPWe are thrilled to announce that London Mozart Players (LMP) is the recipient of a Catalyst small grant from the Arts Council of England (ACE); these grants are designed to help create a more sustainable and resilient art and culture sector. This is the second grant LMP has had from ACE in the last 18 months and shows our strengthening relationship with this important funding body. This most recent grant will enable LMP to become more financially secure and widen the orchestra’s income streams.
LMP will be using the grant in three ways:
More information on the grants here.
LMP reinvents itself ‘triumphantly’
/in Galleries, News /by LMPAfter a wonderful night of music at St John’s Smith Square, with Nicola Benedetti and Leonard Elschenbroich on top form in a thrilling and visceral programme of Beethoven and Brahms, it was gratifying to read Ivan Hewett’s review in the Telegraph which opened with a couple of paragraphs on how the LMP had managed to successfully reinvent itself, while remaining true to its roots as custodians of excellence in classical music.
You can read the review here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/best-top-classical-concerts-january-2018-review/
Neville Osrin appointed new Chairman of London Mozart Players Orchestra Ltd
/in Galleries, News /by LMPWe are delighted to confirm the appointment of business psychologist and consultant Neville Osrin as the new Chairman of London Mozart Players Orchestra Ltd (LMP) with effect from 1st January 2018. He takes over from Paul Archibald who is stepping down after three years in the role, whilst remaining on the board.
Paul, who has has done a brilliant job over the last three years, commented: ‘I feel that now is an excellent time to bring in some new ideas that will take the orchestra forward over the coming years. I have been proud to be part of the team that has overseen the transition of the London Mozart Players to a player-governed orchestra. The orchestra has a history of 70 years of high quality music-making and I believe Neville is the right person to guide the next stage of LMP’s exciting journey. The orchestra is a dynamic organisation and I look forward to continuing to play my part as a Director of the Board of LMP and Principal Trumpet.’
The appointment comes as we look forward to celebrating our 70th birthday in 2019, and cements a relationship with Mr Osrin who, as a member of the LMP Development Group, has been instrumental in guiding the LMP’s recent initiative in the development of ‘Podium’ – an interactive leadership programme designed to help businesses achieve greater levels of performance through the example of an orchestra’s teamwork and leadership model. Launched in December 2017, Podium fuses the thrill of live music-making with dynamic and insightful analysis of leadership issues.
Neville Osrin commented: ‘Being invited to serve as Chairman the Board of one of the world’s finest chamber orchestras is both an honour and an immense privilege. In a national and international musical landscape populated by many fine orchestras, the London Mozart Players occupy a near-unique position. It’s performances and many recordings demonstrate the extraordinary and consistent quality of its virtuosity and interpretative strengths. It is directed largely by its leader rather than a conductor, and the players themselves fill key managerial and Board roles. Their outreach programmes, community involvement, commissioning of new works and numerous innovative initiatives reveal an ensemble whose accomplishments are truly beyond the ordinary.
I look forward with great pleasure to working with the Board in meeting the many challenges facing those in the arts; enabling the LMP to thrive, while continuing to amaze and delight audiences with their peerless performances.’
Martin Grainger, sub-principal horn for the LMP since 2014, has also been appointed to the Board of Directors for London Mozart Players Orchestra Ltd.
Martin Grainger – Sub Principal Horn
/in Galleries /by LMPMartin was born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. He read Music at the University of York where he studied the horn with Bob Ashworth, and later at the Royal College of Music in London with Julian Baker Whilst there he was awarded the Sir Arthur Somervell and Manns Prize for brass playing.
He spent the following years building a varied freelance playing career working with a wide variety of ensembles such as the BBC Symphony and Concert Orchestras, Royal Northern Sinfonia, English National Ballet, and Royal Ballet Sinfonia. He first worked with the London Mozart Players in 2006 and continued to play with them regularly before being appointed sub-principal horn in 2014. He also guests with other chamber orchestras such as Britten Sinfonia and City of London Sinfonia, and regularly plays principal horn with Brandenburg Sinfonia.
Martin has also performed extensively as a chamber musician – apart from LMP chamber ensembles, he plays regularly with Locke Brass Consort, Brandenburg Brass, Camerata of London Wind Quintet and Brass Monkeys Brass Quintet. As soloist in recent years Martin has performed Strauss 2, Mozart K417, and most recently Mozart K495 with Brandenburg Sinfonia.
Martin is a firm believer in the importance of music in education and is a keen and committed teacher, holding teaching positions at Trinity School Croydon, Winchester College, Croydon Music & Arts, and Sydenham School amongst others. He also coaches the horn and brass sections for the Croydon Youth Orchestra and Croydon Youth Winds.
When not playing or teaching, Martin enjoys spending time with his family, and tinkering with cars and mostly breaking bits of them.
Sijie (Susie) Chen – Co Leader
/in Galleries /by LMPSijie (Susie) Chen
Chinese-born violinist Sijie (Susie) Chen moved to the UK when she was five years old. During her studies in the UK, USA and Germany she became a string finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition, and also discovered a love for historical performance. She now enjoys a varied career performing on modern and period violins.
Her chamber collaborations have included performances with Nicola Benedetti, Roderick Williams, Elizabeth Watts, Iestyn Davies, Alasdair Beatson and Huw Watkins; at the Edinburgh International Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, and other festivals worldwide.
She is the co-leader of the London Mozart Players, tours with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and has appeared as leader and co-leader with the Academy of Ancient Music, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Dunedin Consort, Welsh National Opera and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Martin Smith – Violin
/in Galleries /by LMPMartin Smith was an Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and a scholarship winner at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied violin with Lionel Bentley and Manoug Parikian. He subsequently studied further with Nicholas Roth and the renowned Russian virtuoso Grigori Zhislin. For some years he was a member of the Duke String Quartet, with whom he appeared throughout Britain and Europe, and he has also appeared with the Allegri and Bridge Quartets. He currently performs with the Ellerdale Piano Trio, which he founded in 1992, and with the Primavera Ensemble.
Martin first played with the LMP in 1988, and joined the orchestra a year later. From the outset he has been involved with the orchestra’s educational and outreach work, and particularly relishes coaching young string players. As a result he has been a key player (no pun intended) in the LMP’s many Side-By-Side projects. Away from the LMP Martin has worked with most of the UK’s leading chamber orchestras, such as the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the English Chamber Orchestra. He also leads New London Sinfonia and Orchestra Nova, and has appeared as guest leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, Brunel Ensemble and London Concertante. He has made solo appearances around the UK and also in France, Germany, Holland and the United States, many as leader of the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, which he led and directed for over ten years.
Martin is also active as a conductor. He has appeared with the London Mozart Players, and has led orchestral workshops for them and for ESTA. He has been conductor and artistic director of Enfield Chamber Orchestra since 2008, and of the Richmond Orchestra since 2016, and has also worked with various other orchestras in the south of England.
Martin’s hobbies include Roman roads, the outdoors in general, and the avoidance of housework. He lives in St. Albans with his solicitor wife Margaret, and hopes one day to understand his daughters.
Peter Francomb – Principal Horn
/in Galleries /by LMPPeter Francomb began playing the horn at the age of ten. His early studies were in Eastbourne with Jane Allen, and in London with Ifor James and Ron Harris. Early performing experience was gained with the Brighton Youth Orchestra. In 1974, he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Douglas Moore. In 1976 at the International Festival of Youth Orchestras, he won the Van Cliburn Foundation Scholarship, which funded a further year’s tuition with David Cripps and Tony Halstead at the Guildhall School of Music. On leaving college, he worked as guest principal horn with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In the field of chamber music, he has worked with the Nash and Prometheus Ensembles and since 1985 has been a member of the Albion Ensemble.
In 1988 he was invited to become the principal horn of Royal Northern Sinfonia and in 2018 he will celebrate 30 years as principal horn. During his time in Newcastle/Gateshead, he has played a large part of the horn solo repertoire. In 1992 he was invited to perform Giovanni Punto’s 5th horn concerto at the International Horn Convention in Manchester, and he subsequently recorded this and three other concertos for Pan Classics with Royal Northern Sinfonia. In 2016, Peter was invited to become principal horn of the London Mozart Players and he now combines these duties with Royal Northern Sinfonia. In Spring 2016, Peter performed Mozart’s 2nd horn concerto with LMP at St. John’s Smith Square. This April, Peter performed Strauss 1st horn concerto with Thomas Zehetmair conducting, at Sage Gateshead, repeated at Keswick in October. Peter continues to be invited as guest principal with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, The Philharmonia, The RSNO, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Opera North.
Sebastian Comberti
/1 Comment/in Galleries /by LMPBorn in London, SEBASTIAN COMBERTI studied in Italy with Amedeo Baldovino and later with Derek Simpson and Sidney Griller at the Royal Academy of Music, from where he graduated in 1977.
In 1976 he became a founder member of the Bochmann Quartet giving concerts throughout the British Isles and in Europe. In 1983 he became principal cello with the London Mozart Players, with whom he has appeared frequently as soloist, as well as being an active member of the LMP Chamber Ensemble.
A keen interest in historically informed performance has resulted in participation with a great many of London’s period instrument groups, frequently appearing as principal cello with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and soloist with the Hanover Band. Research into early cello repertoire led to several recitals being recorded by the BBC.
As soloist for CPO he has recorded 4 Cds of the Sinfonia Concertantes of JC Bach, while as a member of several chamber groups he has recorded for CRD, EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion, Meridian, Phoenix and RCA. In April 2001 Sebastian Comberti founded Cello Classics, a label devoted to recordings of rare repertoire and artists, for which he has himself released CDs of hitherto unknown sonatas by Boccherini, quartets for 4 cellos, early 19th Century sonatas with fortepiano, and discs of Sonatas by Stephen Paxton and concertos by Haydn and Zumsteeg with the OAE.
LMP Christmas Treble 2017 Audition Sign up
/in Galleries, News /by LMPThe London Mozart Players are inviting young trebles, both male and female from the borough of Croydon to audition to perform Howard Blake’s ‘Walking in the Air’ and the opening unaccompanied verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. The winning treble will perform in the LMP’s Christmas concert at St John’s Upper Norwood on 15th December.
All applicants will be auditioned by a panel from the LMP and Adrian Adams, Director of Music at St John’s Upper Norwood. These will take place at St John the Evangelist, Sylvan Road during the week of 27th November. Applicants should prepare ‘Walking in the Air’ from the Snowman and the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. Piano accompaniment will be available.
If you require a copy of either ‘Walking in the Air’ or ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ please contact the Operations Manager, martin@lmp.org
Please send applicant’s details: Full Name/Age/School/Contact Email & Name
• by email to Jenny Brady (jenny@lmp.org); or
• by post to LMP at St John’s, St John the Evangelist, Sylvan Road, Upper Norwood London SE19 2RX
And please also indicate which days you would be available for audition:
Wednesday 29th November 4pm-6pm
Thursday 30th November 4pm-6pm
Deadline for application is Wednesday 22nd November 2017 and audition times will be confirmed by Friday 24th November. Please contact Jenny Brady jenny@lmp.org or 020 8686 1996 for any enquiries.
LMP on the Move Concert Series wins at Croydon Business Awards
/in Galleries, News /by LMPWe’re thrilled and delighted to have been awarded the Cultural Impact Award at Croydon Business Excellence Awards for our ‘LMP on the Move’ series. This new award, sponsored by the Rise Gallery, reflects our commitment to widen audiences for classical music – particularly among young people and non-traditional classical audiences.
Through the LMP on the Move series we have been able to develop new partnerships and discover new venues for classical music in Croydon and this has enabled us to reinvigorate awareness of the LMP within Croydon (while the Fairfield Halls undergoes a facelift) and attract an audience that really reflects all the borough’s communities.
We have been on an amazing journey, met and played with some fantastic young musicians and even surprised ourselves with the diversity of venues, audience and music. This award really is the icing on the cake. Huge thanks to our partners and collaborators and of course to our supporters and audiences!
Arts Council England | Croydon Council | Regent Land & Development | Centronic | Croydon Music & Arts | Coulsdon College | St Nicholas School | Matthews Yard | Rooftop Cinema/Lost Format Society | Croydon Libraries | Boxpark Croydon | St John’s, Upper Norwood | Fiona Brice | Ben Palmer | Paul Patterson | Rebecca Kenny| Sheku Kanneh-Mason | Shift K3Y