The sell-out World Premiere of Jonathan Dove’s ‘For an Unknown Soldier’ took place in November last year. Now, The London Mozart Players have ambitious aims of crowd-funding a recording of this piece in collaboration with local schools. Using KickStarter, The LMP hopes to raise a total of £21,000 so the recording can go ahead. Co-commissioned […]
The London Mozart Players are delighted to be returning to Fairfield Halls in June with a brand new concert series, Music for a Sunday Afternoon: The London Mozart Players in the Community. Launching on 7th June with a programme of chamber music, members of the LMP chamber ensemble will have the pleasure of being joined by students from Trinity School whom they have been working with since March, for a side-by-side performance of the exuberant Mendelssohn String Octet. Also featuring will be the Chen Piano Trio, champions of the prestigious Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival, the Senior Saxophone Ensemble and the Junior Brass Quintet.
‘This is the beginning of a very exciting series given by the LMP, performing in the heart of Croydon at the Fairfield Halls in three concerts for the whole family,’ says co-principal cellist and Community and Education administrator Julia Desbruslais. ‘It is a crucial part of our artistic policy to engage with and be relevant to the community where we perform and have our offices. These concerts give us the chance to perform alongside local people, in the wonderful Fairfield Halls for the whole community of Croydon.’
Be sure to arrive early on June 7th to be serenaded by students from Trinity School in the foyer, while you enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake from the cafe at Fairfield before the concert at 3.30pm.
Later in the season on 4th October, the orchestra will be opening its doors to all string players* from the local area, rusty or up to speed to play side/side in two pieces and enjoy listening to the LMP on sparkling form in” Autumn” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and other popular pieces.
The final concert on 6th December will be a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, with the full orchestra of the LMP, joined by the Croydon Bach and Croydon Philharmonic choirs and any singers out there who would enjoy the opportunity to join with us.*
*If you are interested in taking part, please contact Jenny Brady at the LMP office on 020 8686 1996 or at [email protected]
Tickets are available from the Fairfield box office, standard price £12, under 16s £5, and under 5s go free.
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Concert details:
For all LMP in the Community concerts:
Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Tickets £12 (under 16s £5, under 5s FREE)
Box office on 020 8688 9291
www.fairfield.co.uk
Sunday 7 June 2015, 3.30 pm
COME AND HEAR!
MOZART Divertimento in F major
MENDELSSOHN String Octet
Featuring members of the LMP Chamber Ensemble and students of Trinity School, Croydon.
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Sunday 4 October 2015, 3.30 pm
COME AND PLAY!
MOZART Divertimento in D major, K136
GRIEG Holberg Suite
VIVALDI ‘Autumn’ from The Four Seasons
LEROY ANDERSON Plink Plank Plunk
JEFF MOORE Fiddler’s Hill
Director Simon Blendis
*Participation – Suitable for all ages and abilities – £5 participation fee for adults and those not in full time education. FREE for under 18s.
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Sunday 6 December 2015, 3.30 pm
COME AND SING!
MOZART Requiem
Conductor Dominic Peckham
* Participation – £10 participation fee.
We are pleased to announce that cellist Laura van der Heijden has been appointed ‘Young Artist in Residence’ with the London Mozart Players. Laura is the 2012 BBC Young Musician and first collaborated with the orchestra in 2013. The new partnership will commence officially in June 2015 with the opening concert of the Portsmouth Festivities on 19 June 2015. Further concerts take place in September and January of next season.
Laura van der Heijden comments: ‘I am thrilled that the London Mozart Players have chosen me to be their first Young Artist in Residence. Playing with them feels like chamber music, the way they play is very inspiring, the atmosphere is so supportive and working with them is always lots of fun.’
The Directors remark on the appointment of the LMP’s first ever Young Artist in Residence: ‘We are delighted to have a close association with such a vibrant and enterprising young cellist who clearly has an exciting career ahead of her’. We are actively looking for opportunities for further concerts together.
© James Laws
We are delighted to be returning to Surrey Hills International Music Festival this year with soloists Natalie Klein, Leticia Moreno and guest conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky. It’s a fantastic programme and line up this year, so be sure to get your tickets fast!
It was a pleasure to celebrate with Howard on Wednesday at St John’s Smith Square after our Mozart Explored lunchtime concert, with some bubbles and a fabulous cake, baked by the fair hands of the illustrious Julia Desbruslais (co-principal cello). We look forward to many more years performing with him! We hope to see you on 1st April at St John’s for the last of our Mozart Explored lunchtime concerts.
The London Mozart Players are delighted to be working again with the Classical Road Show in presenting another fantastic schools concert at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, Surrey. On Monday 8th June, the LMP will be joined onstage by David Leonard playing the esteemed role of Nelson/Narrator, dancers from the Central School of Ballet and our wonderful Associate Conductor, Hilary Davan Wetton.
Bookings are being taken from school groups via the Classical Road Show, so please contact Carol Leighton at [email protected] if you are interested in attending.
There will be two performances lasting one hour at 11.15am and 1.30pm.
£3 Tickets for pupils (7-11yrs) & staff including Teachers’ Pack of songs, word sheets, learning CD and history project.
Kindly sponsored by Orbit South.
The London Mozart Players are joined for this special concert by Claire Jones. Claire was Official Harpist to His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales until 2011. The LMP recently joined Claire to record her new album, ‘Journey’ a collection of pieces drawn from classical repertoire, film scores and the airs and folk melodies of the British Isles. These trace Claire’s personal journey from a dark and debilitating year suffering from ME Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, back to health. This concert forms the public launch of this new album, and a welcome return to the concert stage for Claire.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Optimum Health Clinic Foundation‘s research into treatments for ME.
St John’s Smith Square – 5th March – 7.30pm – Tickets
Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto – Soloists Claire Jones Harp and Juliette Bausor Flute
Tracks from Claire Jones’ CD “Journey”
Mozart Symphony 40 in G minor
Back in July 2014 we were at Henry Wood Hall with Naxos, recording with Hilary Davan Wetton, Roderick Williams and the City of London Choir. The subsequent recording described as ‘an anthology of twentieth century British music on the themes of war and lost youth, set against a background of the English countryside and a centuries-old pattern of rural life,’ includes the premiere recording of Finzi’s Requiem da Camera in its new completion by Christian Alexander. It also features Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons, who provides the narration for Vaughan Williams’ haunting Oxford Elegy.
Released in early November, the recording entered the Classical Album Charts at No.2 and then climbed to Number 1.
To buy from Amazon, click here.
We are delighted to be collaborating on this exciting event with Suzi Digby OBE and to be celebrating Christmas at St John’s Smith Square. Programme to include Britten’s St Nicolas cantata, Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols, and Frank Bridge’s Sir Roger de Coverley (A Christmas Dance). There’ll be carols to sing and Thomas Hardy readings; a very English Christmas. Sunday 14th December, 7.30pm
LMP Principal Double Bass player and conductor Stacey Watton will be presenting a Concert by Candlelight with the LMP on 30th November, 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, SE16 4JE, with programme to feature Beethoven’s Symphony No.2, Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Brahms Violin Concerto.
But that’s not all ladies and gents… If you purchase a ticket for the 30th November (£20), you will gain FREE entry to Stacey’s ‘New Talent Conducting Showcase Concert’ on 29th November, 2.30pm at St Mary’s Church with the LMP. Programme will include excerpts of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, Violin Concertos 3 & 5, and Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings.
Reserve your tickets by calling 07811373415 or email [email protected]
I happened upon some WW1 postcards when I was researching my family heritage. Building your family tree is extremely addictive I warn you, but it also gave a certain amount of inspiration to the ‘Hidden Croydon’ project. ‘History is made by individuals’ is an opinion thrown around often by historians, and I think on the whole they mean ‘great’ individuals; Kings and Queens, political leaders and human rights activists. This is great for school curriculum and for the study of the objective, but I don’t think we consider the subjective nature of history enough. The personal implications of world events. The effect of ‘great’ individual decisions on the ‘small’ individuals. It is focused on greatly in today’s news reports, but slowly through the ages we may lose perception of the human emotions felt at the time, whether they be anger or joy, confusion or certainty, fear or hope. 
However, I do not think that this is the case for the First World War. The events that led up to and followed the 4th August 1914 have been well documented not only by historians, but also depicted by many war poets and writers, classical composers and artists. A very human reaction; honest, brutal and unforgiving. But behind these writings, music and images, which are often at the risk of being glamorised, was a very real experience and can be expressed most effectively by the ‘small’ individual.
This is where ‘Hidden Croydon’ came in. When I found my Great Grandfather’s postcards, it was like holding a piece of history in my hands, and he and other ‘small’ individuals had been given a voice. Unfortunately the embroidered ones appear to have been stuck into a scrap book, so the writing on the back is illegible, apart from a long line of kisses on the bottom of one. However, on the one that reads ‘Till we meet again’, we can read written in pen by my Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Davies;
“I think of you today dear though we are far apart,
I send my loving wishes, to greet my true sweetheart.
From Lizzie.”
And then a reply in pencil from David Davies:
“From a hungry husband sending this out of the trenches to you. From Dai to Lizzie”
All my Great Grandfathers fought in the trenches and all of them returned home, a fact for which I’m extremely grateful for, as my grandparents were born post-1918. But I’m also grateful to my grandmother for recognising the significance of this world event in the context of the Davies family, preserving these postcards for future generations to truly appreciate the personal cost of the war.
I don’t think there are many who escaped school without at least touching upon the catastrophic loss of the First World War. I also don’t think there are many people alive today whose family weren’t affected in some way. Whether their ancestors worked on the land, in munitions factories, down the mines, volunteered as medics or played any part in the war effort, this all goes to paint a raw picture of that moment in time, made up of personal voices and faces of the significant unknown and ‘small’ individuals of that generation. This is what the ‘Hidden Croydon’ project is all about.
Jenny Brady
Hidden Croydon Exhibition open from 12 pm on 14th November at Fairfield Halls Croydon. ALL WELCOME.
As part of a wide-reaching WW1 commemoration project, the London Mozart Players, Croydon’s resident orchestra, have been facilitating the visits of newly established primary school choirs to Croydon senior’s homes
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As well as preparing Jonathan Dove’s new commission For an Unknown Soldier, the children of Atwood Primary Academy, Croydon Parish Church Juniors, Ecclesbourne Primary Academy and Monks Orchard Primary, have also been learning old wartime songs, and creating their own variations of them to sing to residents of local care homes. Repertoire includes Wish Me Luck, It’s a long way to Tipperary and other familiar tunes.
The choir of Monks Orchard Primary School performed at Elizabeth Court on Wednesday 1st October, which also happened to be International Older People’s Day.
The ‘Coffee Concerts’ which have come to be known as WW1 Songs Remembered and Shared, are an important part of the project for several reasons. They are providing an important performance opportunity for the schools in the lead up to the main concert on the 14th November, and they are also encouraging the children to engage creatively with a bygone era.
The London Mozart Players and The Portsmouth Grammar School collaborate to commission major new cantata from Jonathan Dove to commemorate WWI
• World Première performances in Portsmouth and Croydon in November 2014
• Over 300 children from Portsmouth Grammar School and Croydon primary schools involved in the first performances
• Featuring renowned choral conductor Nicholas Cleobury and outstanding young tenor Nicholas Sharratt.
The London Mozart Players and The Portsmouth Grammar School will present the World Première performances of a major new co-commission from Jonathan Dove on 9 November 2014 in Portsmouth Cathedral and 14 November in Fairfield Halls Croydon. For an Unknown Soldier is a setting for tenor solo, children’s choir, adult chorus and chamber orchestra of nine poems about the First World War. Opening with a setting of Wilfred Owen’s portentous ‘1914’, the work offers a moving meditation on the tragedy of war with poems by Mary Gabrielle Collins, Helen Dircks and Ivor Gurney among others.
The LMP is delighted to continue what has become an annual collaboration with Portsmouth Grammar School, which has in recent years seen the commissioning of important new work from composers such as Roxanna Panufnik and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
James Priory, Headmaster of Portsmouth Grammar School comments:
“We are thrilled to be giving young musicians from Portsmouth and Croydon the opportunity to work with a living composer and to be involved in creating a major new musical work inspired by Remembrance. I cannot think of a better way for young people to engage creatively in the centenary of the Great War.”
Viv Davies, Managing Director of the London Mozart Players comments:
“We are really excited to be collaborating with the Portsmouth Grammar School and Jonathan Dove on such a significant and important project. The preparation for the events in November has brought together diverse individuals and groups in a unified and common purpose. We have no doubt that the première performances of the cantata will be profound and moving occasions that will express, in a wonderfully creative way, the essence, spirit and deep significance of remembrance. We are looking forward to it immensely.”
Simon Blendis joined the LMP as Leader in 2014. As well as leading for a wide variety of concerts, Simon has particularly enjoyed developing his relationship with the orchestra through an increasing amount of directing. He has also created the innovative leadership development event Podium, which has become an important strand of the LMP’s work and is gaining a strong reputation in the business world.
Away from the LMP Simon enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestra leader. He has been a member of the Schubert Ensemble for twenty-three years, with whom he has performed in over thirty different countries, made frequent broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and appeared regularly at Europe’s major venues. After 35 years at the forefront of British chamber music the Ensemble will retire in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of over 80 commissions, 25 CD recordings and a large library of live performances on YouTube.
Simon is also in demand as a guest-leader and guest-director and has appeared in this role with most of the UK’s major orchestras. Since 1999 he has been one of the leaders of Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa in Japan, with whom he has recorded Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for the Warner label. As a soloist he has made recent appearances with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the RPO and the CBSO.
Simon is a keen exponent of new music. He has given over 50 first performances and has had new works written for him by, amongst others, John Woolrich, Tansy Davies and jazz legend Dave Brubeck, as well as violin concertos by David Knotts and Jeff Moore.
Help us to mark the WW1 centenary with the community of Croydon
As part of our commemorative concert on 14th November at Fairfield Halls, we are inviting schools across the borough to produce one piece of artwork inspired by the words ‘For an Unknown Soldier’ to enter an art competition. The three best pieces of work as judged by independent judges will be displayed at The Croydon Clocktower, Katherine Street.
For more information contact Jenny Brady at the LMP office, telephone: 020 8686 1996, or email: [email protected]
This event is expected to sell out. Tickets from £12.
Box office 020 8688 9291
Click here to purchase tickets
The London Mozart Players are proud to announce their special concert at Fairfield Halls to mark the centenary of WW1 on Friday 14th November at 7.30pm.
This concert is the culmination of a far-reaching community project funded jointly by the Arts Council of Great Britain, Croydon Council and Portsmouth Grammar School.
The project has touched the community of Croydon on many levels with the formation of four junior school choirs performing alongside Whitgift School, Croydon Minster and Portsmouth Grammar School choirs in the London premiere of For an Unknown Solider written by the renowned composer Jonathan Dove.
Riddlesdown Collegiate will curate a WW1 commemoration exhibition to be displayed in the foyer on 14th November created from their trip to the First World War, Stories of Croydon exhibition at the Museum of Croydon, memorabilia collected from the residents of Croydon and their written responses to these artefacts.
All schools in Croydon have been invited to produce artwork to mark WW1 that will be displayed that evening in the Fairfield Halls.
We will be joined in the concert by young instrumentalists from Croydon Music and Arts who will play side by side with the LMP. Flautist Emma Halnan, the Croydon Festival winner 2013, will also perform a concerto with us.
We invite you all to join us with the community of Croydon to mark the WW1 Centenary.
Friday November 14th 2014, Fairfield Halls, Croydon at 7.30pm
The LMP have been asked to play for a charity event for Kristina Rihanoff – professional dancer from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. The event will be at the Mansion House and those in attendance will include the Prime Minister.
Kristina was the ‘Strictly’ professional partner of John Sergeant (2008), Jason Donovan (2011), and James Bond actors Goldie (2010) and Colin Salmon (2012).
Late night eating in Wuhan
Full blog and photos. www.lmporchestra.wordpress.com
May19th/20th
Following a short rehearsal in London we all got on a coach and arrived at Heathrow 4 hours early.
Lots of time for shopping, eating and drink. Flight left on time.
Smooth 12 hour flight and landed bang on time but in a severe storm. We weren’t allowed to disembark because of the danger of lightning strike on the gangway!
The onward flight was then delayed due to bad weather and we landed at Wuhan about 9pm. There was an air conditioned limousine waiting – not of us but – for Gerard who whisked away into the night. We got onto one of 2 coaches (not sure why as there are only 27 of us) for the interesting hour long journey to the hotel. The 2 drivers raced each other through the busy streets both determined to get us to the hotel first but risking none of us arriving at all! En route some interesting sights of young girls dressed up in short skirts, high heals and lip stick but on what looked like a hair dryer purporting to be a motorbike with no lights and not wearing crash helmets!
We finally arrived at our luxurious hotel, about 11pm, after nearly 24 hours travelling. Then, after finding our rooms on the 23rd floor, it was off to eat, back for a drink, catch up on emails and bed.
May 21st
I woke at 5am. 1st problem to sort. The British council had emailed to say they were delighted to inform me that they had invited 20 people to use the 20 complimentary tickets I had promised for our Shanghai concert. The problem was that a) we had actually been allocated only 8 tickets and b) I had already promised 4 of them to someone else. Great. So it’s looking like my day off will be busy sorting that little problem. However, another email was a request from Kristina Rihanoff (strictly come dancing) to quote for providing musicians for an event in September.
Another email. The British council want to bring 14 people to the Beijing concert.
Enough for now. Back to sleep.
Awake again.
Our ‘free day’ to recover. News that Beijing has ‘sold out’ (2000 tickets). Amazing breakfast in the hotel. Noodles, Dim Sum etc etc. Then Paul, Scott and I took a taxi into town. We thought that last night’s coach was scary but this was something else. No seat belts, no signals, mains roads shared by lorries, cars, push bikes, pedestrians and chickens. Very smoggy and raining. Not hugely interesting. Back to hotel. Practise and then a managing group meeting at 6.30pm
Now just heard that Shanghai only have 8 seats unsold and Wuhan is also a sell out. Everyone loves the LMP out here. Are there any Chinese people who might like to come to Croydon next Thursday 29th?
David Wilson and Gerard went to the hall and met with Sa Chen – the soloist. In the evening the management group went to the most astonishing restaurant. Not one person spoke a word of English and I’m not sure they had EVER had a westerner in their restaurant. But they had wifi! We linked to “google translate” and typed in “spicy chicken” “spicy pork” “spicy noodles” and out popped the Chinese translation. The waiters had never seen anything like it and ran to the kitchen shouting Instructions.
A word of warning. DON’T use the word spicy unless you like mountains of red and green fresh chillies.
Downtown Wuhan
May 22nd
4.22am. Can’t sleep. Jet lag. Concert tonight as well.
First concert tonight. Amazing audience. The soloist had to do 2 encores and we did the whole of the last movement of the Jupiter symphony as our encore. Stats for audience. 90% under 30 years old! Everyone played brilliantly. I did a speech at the beginning of the concert with a translator by my side. After the concert back to hotel and a drink and now bed. It’s 12.21am and the coach leaves for the airport at 6.50am. That’s the schedule every day now. 6.30am coach, flight, rehearsal, concert, hotel by 11pm the coach at 6.30am!
Wuhan concert hall
May 23rd. Wuhan – Shanghai
Travel via plane to Shanghai. Very hot and humid. Short walk to concert hall. Apparently Putin had been there the day before. We found a restaurant in the Lonely planet but didn’t choose the Bullfrog! I had invited representatives from the British Council back to the hotel bar after the concert. I left the concert hall in a hurry to ensure I arrived at the hotel before they did only to find the bar full of “ladies of the night”. I quickly rang the BC and changed the venue. Phew!
May 24th Shanghai – Beijing
Travel to Shanghai station and bullet train for 5 hours to Beijing. 298kmh. Paul and I thought we’d managed a cheeky upgrade for £9.70 only to find that was only an upgrade for one stop! So we had to sneak back to our original seats. Check into hotel and we had 20 mins before coach to concert hall. Astonishing hall. Completely sold out. Met representatives and guests of British Council then back to hotel, drink and bed.
May 25th Beijing – Guangzhou
5.45am onto the coach to the airport. 3 hour flight to Guangzhou (it’s as far as London to Moscow).
Check into hotel and 3 hours before rehearsal. Had a noodles in a local tiny restaurant Followed by a sleep. Then to the hall. It’s VERY hot and sticky here. Wonderful hall and loads of children in the audience.
The audience were totally thrilled and afterwards about 30 of them wanted photos taken with me and Scott.
Then back to the hotel where Gerard bought everyone drinks. Our Chinese soloist Chen Sa joined us. We ate and drank until 1.30am. Then emails to sort until 2.30am and sleep. Up at 6am.
May 26th. Guangzhou – Hong Kong – London
Incredibly unhelpful coach driver refused to put the luggage on the bus so David Wilson got inside the underneath of the coach and did it himself. Then the driver had to reverse his coach out of the car park onto a busy road then drove erratically to the airport.
We have now checked in and having coffee before 16 hours flying back to London!