A View from a SinfoniaStudent on Work Experience

I was lucky enough to spend the first week of April away from my dissertation on a week of work experience with the Britten Sinfonia team. We had both brilliant sunshine and heavy rain in the same week, and the tasks I’ve helped with this week have been equally wide-ranging! The team here are all exceptionally helpful and friendly and told me about their different roles in the organisation in detail, Will Harris (Development Director) explained where the money comes from and who supports Britten Sinfonia; and Hannah Donat (Concerts Director) showed me where the money goes in her meticulous concert and recording budgets.

The internet is an incredibly important tool for all arts organisations these days, especially for an organisation like the Britten Sinfonia, which has regular concert series in three different cities and frequently tours the UK and abroad. The website is full of information about the orchestra and its concerts, as well as some interesting things like videos and, of course, this blog (which I’ve read several times on Facebook). On Tuesday I created web-friendly versions of the brilliant new publicity photos mentioned in the last blog entry. I then used these when updating the concerts page for the 2010/11 season.

Wednesday involved a lot of photocopying, as I helped Pippa (Concerts Administrator) with the library. We checked that there were no missing parts in the sets of hired music from this season’s concerts, and also took a record of the bowings in the front desk of the strings in case the same music was hired again. I then updated the OPAS database with all of this past season’s music. In the afternoon I sat in on the weekly Marketing meeting where Claire (Marketing Director) explained about the designs for the new season’s publicity material.

Thursday was the big day of the Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony concert in Trinity College Chapel with Carolyn Sampson. It was certainly a challenge loading the van with all of the music stands, lighting, staging, programmes, CDs and, of course, tea and biscuits for the performers’ rehearsal break. Hannah Perks (Marketing and Development Assistant) and I had to pack, unpack and repack a couple of times to make everything fit! Trinity Chapel was built in the sixteenth century and, as a soprano in Trinity Chapel Choir, I know how beautiful the building and its acoustic are. However, I’d never appreciated the effort it takes to set up all of those chairs! Brute strength is a definite requirement of this job, although Hannah Tucker (Orchestra Management) tells me that most of the venues already have seating in place…

The concert itself was fantastic and the audience clearly enjoyed the new works by Latvian composer Erik Essenvalds, who also gave an entertaining pre-performance interview. Carolyn Sampson was amazingly clear and forceful in Esenvalds Passion and Resurrection, and the percussion in Arvo Pärt was so atmospheric that we didn’t know if the concert had started or if it was chapel bells, but I have to say that my favourite item was Miranda Dale, Tom Gould and the Britten Sinfonia’s beautiful performance of the Bach double violin concerto. I joined the team of volunteer stewards to sell programmes, help people to their seats, and sell Britten Sinfonia CDs in the interval, and then helped put all of those chairs away again once the audience had left.

Because the new season will soon be on sale in Norwich, on Friday I wrote a letter to our regular subscribers there to let them know about the coming season’s concerts and the 20% discount and other offers that subscribers get. I helped to mail a letter to the Cambridge subscribers, inviting them to an interval drinks reception at the forthcoming Imogen Cooper concert at West Road, Cambridge. Finally, I helped Sophie (Creative Learning Director) come up with some Halloween names for all the events at the Family Music Day. Make sure you you ‘Come and Cackle’ with your ‘Little Spooks’ in October.

For the meantime it’s back to exams for me – but I’m looking forward to the At Lunch concert on 27th April where the Ravel Piano Trio will be perfect revision for my paper on Ravel!

Joanna Harries

All of us at Britten Sinfonia are extremely grateful to Joanna for all her hardwork during her work experience. Joanna is part of Britten Sinfonia's Sinfonia Student scheme - find out more about the scheme here.

Photographs

We’ve just uploaded the orchestra’s new publicity photos on to flickr! Take a look and let us know what you think.

Photographing an orchestra in an interesting way is always a challenge – trying to capture a live and dynamic ensemble is quite difficult with a static photo. You come up with an idea and then realise another orchestra has already done it or it dawns on you that it just won’t work.

For this set of images we worked with photographer Sussie Ahlburg. She’s photographed a number of soloists and ensembles in an engaging style. Firstly, we had a meeting with her to discuss what we wanted the new set of photos to convey and how we would be using them. At our meeting we realised the location for the photos was going to be key and set Sussie the challenge of finding somewhere that would be suitable. Sussie came back to us with some ideas and we settled on the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. This is a fascinating industrial building tucked away in a corner of London. It is now used as an exhibition space and café/restaurant (they serve excellent coffee!) but still houses a lot of the machinery used when it was a power station.

Our next challenge was finding a date that the musicians could attend. We wanted a selection of players who represented the different sections of the orchestra. Britten Sinfonia is made up of a core group of freelance musicians and as with all freelancers it’s always difficult to get them in one place at the same time!

Eventually it all came together and late last year we congregated at Wapping Power Station. Once all the lights had been set, furniture moved and the make-up artists had done their work it was time to start the shoot. Sussie started with the smaller group photos and then on to the whole group. Sussie’s experience paid off as she worked fast to capture the smaller and whole group shots; standing around for even a short amount of time can lead to people looking bored in still shots. After these photos we then moved on to individual portraits of some members of the orchestra which will be great to use in programmes or online when they feature in a specific concert.


We’re all really pleased with the results of the photos and will be using them online, in print and for press purposes for the coming season. Hope you like them too!

Claire (Marketing Director)

Cambridge College Chapels

It’s been a while since we’ve blogged. Life at Britten Sinfonia has been pretty busy with lots of concerts and a massive amount of planning going on regarding our 2010/11 season – more news on that will follow in the next couple of months.

In the meantime we have a concert this weekend at King’s College Chapel as part of the Easter at King’s Festival and then next week a concert of Latvian choral music at Trinity College Chapel. As I was driving into work this morning it led me to thinking about the number of Cambridge college chapels we’ve performed in this season and what makes them such special performance spaces. I think it has something to do with their intimacy, as an audience member you feel very close to the performers on stage (if there is a stage). It’s not to say being an audience member is always the most comfortable experience – more than likely you have to sit on uncomfortable wooden chairs or pews (bring your own cushion if you don’t want a numb bum!) and sight-lines are often terrible leading to a bad neck. However the acoustics are generally superb and the vast array of music on offer in Cambridge College Chapels, either in the regular services or special concerts is amazing.

Perhaps the most iconic chapel in Cambridge is King’s College Chapel. With its famous gothic splendour the view from the backs is used on postcards, as a backdrop to many TV news interviews, and is also the venue for the Christmas Eve service, A Festival of Nine Lessons which is broadcast worldwide. The interior is indeed splendid with the largest fan vault ceiling in the world and some of the finest medieval stained glass. Britten Sinfonia has performed in the chapel many times and this Easter Saturday is joined by soprano Lucy Crowe for a concert of music by Arvo Pärt, Bach, Haydn and Mozart. There are still some tickets available.

Then on Thursday 8th April we move a down the road to Trinity College Chapel for a concert conducted by Stephen Layton and featuring the music of Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds. The orchestra will be joined by choral group Polyphony for this performance. As these two concerts show, vocal music particularly flourishes in these spaces and all of the college chapels have associated choirs. In December we performed with Jesus College Choir in a Christmas concert of music by Benjamin Britten, and visitors to Cambridge are often welcome to attend evensong at the college chapels – a great way to experience these buildings in all their glory!

Claire (Marketing Director)

Creative Learning Bus(es)

Here in the Creative Learning Department it feels a little like we’ve been waiting for a bus. December and January were relatively calm – a few days at schools down in London, our annual Composers’ Workshop [with Nico Muhly] and our regular work at Cambridgeshire Pupil Referral Units, but by and large we’ve been in the office planning and preparing and watching February sail into view like the proverbial three buses that all come at once when you’ve been waiting for ages.

So on Monday 1 February, we were split three ways – quite a feat when you consider that there are only two of us in the department. Creative Learning Intern Nick Jukes spent the day in Witchford Village College, near Ely, for the conclusion of a project based on Aaron Copland’s Sextet. The aim of the project was for pupils in years 8 and 9 to discover more about minimalist techniques used by Copland, and to compose their own pieces in a similar style. In early January, Rachel Leach (workshop leader) worked alongside Joy Farrall and Miranda Dale (principal clarinet and principal 2nd violin respectively), using music, games and group activities to explain the theory behind Copland’s music. Between then and 1 February, students worked on their own pieces, and attended a concert at West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, to see Joy and Miranda playing the Copland sextet and (amongst others) a new piece by Nico Muhly. On our 2nd and final trip to the school, Rachel listened to the students’ pieces and spent the day developing and extending ideas through group discussion and performance.

Meanwhile I, along with oboist Emma Feilding and project leader Hannah Conway, journeyed to Norfolk to visit the lovely Browick Road Infant School in Wymondham (one of those wonderful English place names that is pronounced nothing like how it’s spelled – more like “Windam”, but why use one letter when three will do?).

Along with five other primary schools in the area, Browick Road is working with us on a project inspired by a children’s book about a character called Mr Big – a scary-looking gorilla who, despite his gentle persona, frightens off any potential friends. Finding his voice through music, his beautiful piano playing eventually charms his neighbours, until one day he receives a letter asking him to join a band, bringing fame and, more importantly, friends. The story is a gift to music making – from thumping gorilla footsteps to the sad and tender sound of lonely Mr Big’s tears as he watches other people enjoying themselves.

Hannah Conway has already led a training session for the teachers at the six schools, giving them plenty of ideas and resources to create music based on the story with their classes. The visit on Monday enabled us to see how they were all getting on, and help the children to develop their ideas further. With many primary schools lacking a music specialist on the staff – and music often a much-feared subject amongst teachers – projects like this one can be hugely helpful in demystifying the process of composition and showing that, as long as children are being creative and listening to each other and the sounds they are making, there’s no “right” or “wrong” way of doing it. Oh, and to continue with the bus theme, we also discovered that, when asked to mime being on a bus, most children did the traditional steam train action (arms shunting round, knees bobbing). Maybe with all the rail replacement services going around at the moment, it’s all getting a bit too confusing for young minds.

Finally workshop leader Simon Gunton and Britten Sinfonia flautist Sarah O’Flynn spent Monday afternoon at Romsey Mill in Cambridge, working with a small group of pupils from Ascham Road Pupil Referral Unit on writing and recording music. As that’s the bus that Nick and I both missed (so to speak) we will have to wait until we hear the results to find out what went on, but I’m sure that the pupils will have gained enormously from the opportunity to work so closely with such experienced musicians.

Looking ahead, there are plenty more Creative Learning projects to hop on to. We’ll be starting major new projects with two more providers of non-mainstream education in Cambridgeshire: Fenland Learning Centre and Hartford Student Support Centre, which both take pupils who are excluded from mainstream schools for medical, behavioural or other reasons. We’ve also got another visit to Handsworth Grammar School in Birmingham; the culmination of our Mr Big project in Norfolk; coaching / mentoring work with Orchestra Europa in London; and a masterclass at Krakow Academy of Music. So whether by bus, train, plane or (more usually, because - try as we might to be a green orchestra - carrying 30 percussion instruments on public transport attracts a bad back as well as some pretty strange looks) the Britten Sinfonia van, there will be a Creative Learning project coming to somewhere near you soon.

Sophie Dunn, Creative Learning Director

Iconic Musical Buildings

The concert hall is the natural home of the orchestra and although Britten Sinfonia regularly perform in alternative spaces (Latitude, Colchester Heritage Weekend etc) the concert hall is where we are more than likely to be found. During January the orchestra will be performing in many concert halls throughout the UK (Cambridge’s West Road Concert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Birmingham Town Hall) and also the Netherlands. However, perhaps the two most iconic music buildings we’ll be playing in this month are London’s Roundhouse followed by Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. What makes these buildings so special though?

The Roundhouse started life as a Victorian steam engine repair shed before becoming the legendary cultural venue it is today. It was first used as an arts venue in 1964 when playwright Arnold Wesker established Centre 42. In 2006 following extensive refurbishment the Grade II listed building was opened as one of the major venues in London and since then has hosted the BBC Electric Proms, James Brown, Paul McCartney and Jarvis Cocker amongst others. Although not a traditional concert hall, this month the Roundhouse hosts Reverb, a series that explores the many sides classical music. Reverb is about introducing new audiences to classical music and breaking down the barriers that exist for audiences.

The final date of Britten Sinfonia’s tour to the Netherlands is the orchestra’s debut performance at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Literally meaning concert hall, the Concertgebouw is considered one of the finest concert halls in the world. Bernard Haitnik once described Concertgebouw as the best instrument in the orchestra it houses. This must have been what the great and the good of Amsterdam had in mind in 1881, when they decided that the Dutch capital should have a proper concert hall worthy of the name. Seven years later, in the marshy fields just outside the city limits, there stood a wonder of neoclassical architecture, the Concertgebouw. Acoustics were something of a black art (some may say they still are) so when the Concertgebouw was built designers drew upon what had worked in the past without entirely understanding the underlying science. When the building was completed, the acoustics were not perfect, and a lot of effort went into fine-tuning the aural ambience. During later restorations, particular care has been taken not to alter the materials used for interior decoration with this in mind. The building now enjoys a worldwide reputation.

We’re very much looking forward to performing at both of these venues. At the Roundhouse on the 23rd January we’ll be joined by pianist Joanna MacGregor - find out more here. Then on the 24th January (also at the Roundhouse) young American composer, Nico Muhly will direct and perform Britten Sinfonia in a programme of his own compositions alongside works by Steve Reich and Philip Glass - find out more here. On 31st January Britten Sinfonia perform a programme of music from both sides of the Atlantic at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw including music by Purcell, Tippett, Britten, Steve Reich, Nico Muhly and John Adams - find out more here.

Pictures from Morelia (part of our tour to Mexico)

Here are some pictures of Morelia which we visited as part of our tour of Mexico earlier this month. Stephen Bourne, CEO of Cambridge University Press and Britten Sinfonia board member is the photographer.

Lunch in Morelia

Views of Morelia

Rehearsals with Joanna MacGregor in Morelia

Mexico Tour Blog from Stephen Bourne

Britten Sinfonia performed in Mexico earlier this month with pianist Joanna MacGregor. In this blog posting Stephen Bourne, Britten Sinfonia Board Member and CEO of Cambridge University Press (who sponsored the tour) talks about his experiences on tour with an orchestra and the benefits Cambridge University Press receive through sponsoring Britten Sinfonia;

Two years ago, Cambridge University Press was one of Britten Sinfonia’s sponsors on its extraordinarily successful tour of South America. This year, we repeated the venture, wrapping a two-concert tour of Mexico round a business agenda for me and the Press’s Mexican team.

If you've never toured with an orchestra, it's a thrilling experience - particularly when it's a chamber orchestra like Britten Sinfonia. This is a band that consistently manages to bring together first-class musicians and world-renowned soloists, who together put on exciting programmes for audiences at home and abroad.

The short Mexico tour in November 2009 was no exception. Only two of the players had previously visited Mexico, so we began with a tangible anticipation of exotic things to come. Even the otherwise tedious business of a long flight can become an entertainment, with all the buzz generated by a swarm of musicians, marked out by the cellos cases seated amongst them, like a cluster of chubby totems.

It was only a matter of minutes after hotel check-in before the musicians sallied forth into the dusk and onto the streets of Mexico City’s Centro Historico, in search of tacos and mezcal and salsa – and that was the shape of things to come. Although bed came relatively early that night, at only 11.00 pm, it was already 5.00 am back home in England. Small wonder, then, that many of the team were somewhat subdued during the 4-hour coach journey to Morelia the next morning!

Morelia is the state capital of Michoacan, in the west of Mexico. The occasion for our visit was rather more significant than we had at first realised, in three respects: it was a coming-of-age for the Morelia Music Festival, its 21st anniversary; the United Kingdom had been chosen as the special guest country, with our Ambassador participating in the opening ceremonies; and Britten Sinfonia had been selected to perform the inaugural concert with soloist and conductor Joanna MacGregor.

Such venues are never without their hiccups, and there were stressful moments while we waited for piano-tuner to work his wonders, and while the bassists accustomed themselves to their borrowed instruments. But the rehearsals provided me with the kind of education to which so few of us in the business world ever have access: education in leadership, in collegiality, in the pursuit of excellence, and in patience. These are the hidden gifts of participation in tours of this kind. And there are opportunities to do the altogether unexpected, such as ascending into the vaulted roof-space of the concert hall, in my self-appointed role as Tour Photographer, to take photographs from on high of the band in rehearsal!

The Morelians proved to be an audience who appreciated excellent music, but probably did not receive their fair share of the world’s talents. Without doubt, the wide-ranging programme was a huge success with them, showcasing JS Bach, the gentle beauty of Tudor composer John Dowland, Brazilian Egberto Gismonti, Stravinsky and Scotland’s James Macmillan – all rounded off with a thrilling encore from Astor Piazzolla that elicited a standing ovation for Joanna and the orchestra.

Morelia was a lovely place to visit, offering us an instant glimpse of Mexican history, through its gorgeous haciendas, palacios, museos and its cathedral.

Two days later, and after further detailed but fascinating rehearsal, we were back in Mexico City, performing at the Sala Nezahualcoyotl of UNAM, the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. This is a splendid auditorium, where Joanna and the band again delivered another storming performance, the finale this time being three Piazzolla pieces, including Milonga del Angel, a delicate trio played by Joanna MacGregor (piano), Jacqueline Shave (violin) and Roger Linley (double bass), who together were responsible for many a misty eye in the audience. And then the inevitable encore, a movement from Macmillan’s Piano Concerto #2, which ensured that the concert-goers ended the evening on their feet, stomping and whooping.

But for me and my colleagues, as business sponsors, there had to be more than that. The concerts presented us with opportunities to entertain our publishing connections in a manner they had never previously experienced from any other business associate. Booksellers, wholesalers, authors, teachers, printers, typesetters, shippers: such people are the bread and butter of our industry, and we are able to thank them for their loyalty to us by inviting them to a reception and to an unforgettable concert. Afterwards, they were able to meet the players and to share enthusiastically their several experiences. We know that brief interludes of this kind will result in Cambridge University Press remaining in their memories, as generous hosts, as purveyors of quality products, and as constant patrons of the arts, even in difficult economic times such as these. Thereby, we enhance our corporate image. But the appreciation of these people provides us with the real payback on our investment.

Nor should we forget our own staff, in our offices around the world. For them, such moments provide a tremendous thrill, as well as a first-hand insight into the things the Press holds dear and into the effort that goes into striving after perfection. These musical tours provide an opportunity to thank them, too, for their efforts on behalf of our business.

For me, though, as a member of the touring party, the greatest surprise and delight was still to come. Back in the hotel after the final concert, those of us who were too drained to spend another night in the musical bars had a final drink or two together. Then David Butcher, Chief Executive of Britten Sinfonia, dragged me away at 11.00 pm to spy on an impromptu string quartet, formed by Jackie Shave just a few minutes earlier, sight-reading Bartok’s incredibly difficult String Quartet #1. Fortified by the odd swig of tequila from a convenient hip-flask, players were heard to mutter ‘I think I played a wrong note’ (just one?), or ‘That was almost right, wasn’t it?’ (having never seen or heard the piece before). It was a performance to turn any Bartok-sceptic into an instant believer. Close to midnight, I finally retired, utterly inspired by the devotion and brilliant musicianship of these players. There is much to be learned from examples such as theirs.

The next day, I sat down with Cambridge University Press’s Mexican management team for a day’s business discussions in the office. Oddly, perhaps, no-one resented being there, despite it being a public holiday. We were still re-living the treat of the weekend with Britten Sinfonia. And we talked some really good business.

Stephen Bourne, Chief Executive, Cambridge University Press

We hope to have some pictures of the tour online soon - watch this space!