Creative Learning visit to the Instituto Baccarelli, Sao Paulo

The Instituto Baccarelli is an amazing and inspiring organisation based in the favelas or slums of Sao Paulo. It provides high quality musical education for the children of the area. They run the Heliópolis Symphony Orchestra, and the students who are members of this orchestra are given financial support,so that they can dedicate themselves to their artistic development. The Instituto also provides musical education to younger instrumentalists and singers.

The view from the Music School - acres of slums and Sao Paulo in the background

To get to the Instituto we drove through rows and rows of higgledy-piggledy shacks, built one on top the other, before arriving at the Instituto’s modern building. We were welcomed by the Choir who performed to us and gave us an incredibly warm reception. Straight away we were put at ease by these wonderful smiling children. Through their performance I could feel their innate sense of rhythm and musicality as it seemed to just flow out of them.

This was my first ever time giving a masterclass and I loved it! Supported by a wonderful translator who was one of the string tutors, I spent half an hour each with 5 violin students – aged between 16 and 29. They all presented heavy-weight concertos to me, including Lalo Symphonie Espagnole. The standard of the students was incredibly high and they were technically advanced. Only being able to spend 30 minutes with each student, we spent most of the time on performance help – for example, how to project their sound to the back of the hall, or different ways to use the bow to get a variety of colours in their sound.

I found the students extremely receptive and eager to learn and develop and it was a joy to work with them. We were also really pleased to see some of the students and their teacher attend our concert later that night.

I was humbled by my experience of the Instituto, which is doing incredible work in extremely challenging circumstances. They are currently trying to raise the money to build a concert hall next to their music school – and we wish them all the very best with their venture.

Nicola Goldscheider
Violin, Britten Sinfonia

Meet Henning Kraggerud

For the opening concert's of Britten Sinfonia's 2011-12 season the orchestra will be joined by violinist Henning Kraggerud. In this edition of our occasional series of Q and A's with soloists, musicians and staff, Henning answers a few questions.


What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Hard to single out, but probably Beethoven with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, but I also loved Tchaikovsky at the Proms in 2010.

When are you happiest?
With my family at Christmas.

What is your greatest fear?
You think I will tell?

What is your earliest musical memory?
Listening to Beethoven symphonies as a toddler.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Haruki Murakami, because he is like Beethoven in the way that he didn’t give up before he became a genius through hard work, rather than born a genius like Mozart.

What is your most treasured possession?
My violin.

What would your super power be?
Controlling the flow of time.

If you were an animal what would you be?
Pan-dimensional being, partly mouse, as described by Douglas Adams.

What is your favourite book?
At the moment 1Q84 (Haruki Murakami), but is has been Lord of the Rings, Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, Never Let Me Go, The Corrections…

What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Peshawari naan and Madras curry with Cobra beer.

If you could go back in time, where would you go?
To listen to Chopin play maybe?

How do you relax away from the concert platform?
Reading lots of books.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having 2 children

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Not believing in easy answers you can write in one sentence.

In a nutshell, what is your philosophy?
Those who have both legs firmly planted to the ground go nowhere.

Henning will be directing and performing with Britten Sinfonia in Mozart's 4th Violin Concerto, Mahler's arrangement of Schubert's Death and the Maiden and a new work by Piers Tattersall. Concerts take place at Norwich Theatre Royal on Sunday 2 October, Cambridge's West Road Concert Hall on Wednesday 5 October and in London at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday 7 October. For more info click here

Tour of South America

I’m snatching some time prior to boarding my (14 hour) flight home to London from Buenos Aires. The orchestra meanwhile, after two concerts at the Theatro Colon and with concerts in Rio and San Paulo behind them, are now off to Montevideo and then a return to Sao Paulo for the final concert of this epic South American Tour.

Well so far it’s been a hugely successful tour. How does one qualify successful though? With this group it’s about more than the performances; more about the camaraderie and joie de vivre that also reflects positively on the concerts – a good example of how important touring is for achieving the highest artistic results. Certainly the strings have been on cracking form, led by the unique genius (a description I don’t use lightly) that is Pekka Kuusisto. His innate and edgy musicality inspires performances that are never the same and always electrifying. The rapport is there for all to see and was also evident with our tenor Allan Clayton, whose roles ranged from singing Purcell to Britten so movingly, as well as being our encore triangle player! Fresh in my memory this morning is an extra encore last night from Pekka for audience and orchestra: a Finnish tango (yes, really) with the violin plucked and strummed like a mandolin and the tune expertly whistled by our multi-talented soloist. The 2300 porteños who filled the Colon cheered their approval.

A few other random memories (from too many to mention)…

· A three hour tango lesson for the orchestra, and dancing into the early hours in on of BA’s finest tango halls where they took to the dance floor with many of the locals.


· An impromptu party in our San Paulo hotel after the first concert, where we were joined by our great friend Angela Hewitt who coincidentally was playing in a concert in the same hall as us earlier on that day. (Angela wisely avoided Caipirnaha – Brazil’s national (and lethal) cocktail – being sampled by everyone, as she was due to play the Goldberg’s the next afternoon!)


· The BS running team following a route along Copacabana & Ipanema beach followed by freshly coconut milk for all.

Ipanema Beach

Coconuts

· Too many delicious meals to mention, many a number courtesy of our generous sponsors Ashmore Brasil and Cambridge University Press.

· Entertainment (usually at airports and backstage) from two young recruits - Rachel Byrt’s and Suzanne Lose’s daughter and son respectively – Yoga, tango, monopoly all demonstrated admirably. On returning to school their answers to “what did you do the in holidays” should provide for colourful responses.

· An inspirational (and moving) workshop performance at the Institute Felix F. Bernasconi – courtesy of support from the British Council - with Pekka and 3 of our players and 20 or so young musicians from across Buenos Aires.

Young people in concert


· Some of the said young musicians reaction on seeing the Colon & mixing with the orchestra backstage – awestruck!

Teatro Colon

I’m sure there will be more to report following the next three or so days in Montevideo and Sao Paulo before the journey home*… my flight’s been called so “ya me despido” for now.

David
Chief Executive, Britten Sinfonia

* I hear the orchestra’s Montevideo flight has been cancelled; the new plan is to go by ferry to Mondevideo (3 hours!) to arrive just in time for the show at 8pm! Let’s hope they make it!

Rivers of the World... Creative Learning Project in Buenos Aires

Getting ready for rehearsal!
Next week Britten Sinfonia is going to South America. We’ll play 6 concerts in 3 different countries. It’ll be a bit of a whistle-stop tour – we’re going to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, then back to Sao Paulo and then home! Phew.

La semana próxima, Britten Sinfonia visitará a Suramérica. Presentaremos 6 conciertos en 3 distintos países. Será una gira relámpago por Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, São Paulo y por fín a casa!

On their day off in Buenos Aires, 3 members of the orchestra and our soloist Pekka Kuusisto will be spending a day with talented young string players who have been especially chosen by the British Council Argentina to take part in a concert at the Instituto Bernasconi.

Tres miembros de la orquesta, más nuestro soloísta Pekka Kuusisto, pasarán un día libre en Buenos Aires junto con un grupo de jovenes instrumentistas de cuerda talentosos, escogidos por el Consejo Británico en Argentina. La culminación del proyecto será un concierto al Instituto Bernasconi.

The concert will be inspired by the theme of Rivers of the World and during the day, the string players will compose a new piece inspired by perhaps, Rio de la Plata in Buenos Aires, the River Thames in London and perhaps some of the many lakes and rivers in Finland (Pekka’s homeland). The string players who we will work with on the 9th August have already started rehearsing other repertoire which they will perform in the concert, under the baton of the amazing music teacher Humberto Lopez from Northlands School, Buenos Aires. All of the pieces are inspired by water, so the students are practicing Scott Joplin, The Cascades, Argentinian Tangos called Orillas del Plata (Silver Shores) and Leyenda del Río (Legend of the River) and Claudio Griggio has composed a new piece called H20 especially for our visit.

La inspiración del concierto sera ‘Los Ríos del Mundo’ y durante el día, los instrumentistas escribirán una nueva pieza, tal vez con la inspiración del Río Plata en Buenos Aires, o quizás el Río Thames en Londres, o los ríos y lagos de Finlandia (la tierra natal de Pekka). Los instrumentistas con quienes trabajaremos el día 8 de agosto, ya empezaron ensayando otro repertorio, que se presentará al concierto, bajo la batuta de Humberto López, distinguido profesor de música de la escuela Northlands en Buenos Aires. Todas las piezas son inspiradas por el agua, asi que los estudiantes estan practicando Las Cascadas de Scott Joplin, los tangos Argentinos Orillas de Plata y Leyenda del Río, y además Claudio Griggio ha compuesto una pieza nueva, H2O, especialmente para nuestra visita.

We can’t wait to meet the students in 2 weeks time and to hear the result of their hard practice!
If you are taking part in this project, please tell us what you are doing, so we can learn about it before we arrive!

Anticipamos con mucho placer conocer a los estudiantes en dos semanas, y a disfrutar el resultado de toda la práctica dura.

Best wishes
Britten Sinfonia Creative Learning Team

Saludos de Britten Sinfonia
Equipo de Educación Creativa

This project is taking place through a partnership between the British Council and Britten Sinfonia. Special thanks to the Instituto Bernasconi who have let us use their fantastic concert hall.

A new work by Luke Bedford

Will (Development Director) went to see a performance of Luke Bedford’s new opera, Seven Angels, at the Linbury Theatre recently.

“The opera shows glimpses of Luke Bedford’s stunning grasp of musical texture and colour. There are wonderful passages, with some fantastic singing too from the seven-strong cast (Rhona McKail, Emma Selway, Louise Mott, Christopher Lemmings, Joseph Shovelton, Owen Gilhooly and Keel Watson). I think we’re going to be in for a real treat when we give the world premiere of Luke’s work for our ‘At Lunch’ series as part of our 2011-12 season. His ability to control and nurture shades of light and dark will really work well in the hands of our players, and I’m particularly looking forward to hearing how it sounds when set against the Franck Piano Quintet, with all its passion and emotion – it’s a work I’ve never heard live before.

More generally, I’m looking forward to hearing all of our new commissions across 2011-12, from the likes of Elspeth Brooke, Charlie Piper, Piers Tattersall, and Jonathan Dove. Nurturing the future of music is vital so that we keep our repertoire fresh, relevant and alive. It’s no overstatement to say that hundreds of donors are helping us make our ambitious commissioning programme a reality, and helping Britten Sinfonia lead the way. It’s going to be quite a season!”

You can hear Luke Bedford’s new work for Britten Sinfonia in Brighton, Norwich, Cambridge, and London from 03 March 2012. The concert will also be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

More Info

Creative Learning in Mexico!

Judith Kelly leading a sectional

Ali Read in the full rehearsal

We've just got back from two extra days in Mexico working with the Carlos Chavez Youth Orchestra. While the rest of the orchestra spent Monday evening at the airport, I [Ali Reid] went with Judith Kelly (violin) and Bridget Carey (viola) to a hotel on the other side of Mexico City to meet with teachers from the youth orchestra.

We had a fascinating discussion hearing about the project which was founded twenty years ago: two orchestras of the best young musicians in Mexico form a school that the students attend daily. Their orchestral work is complemented by individual tuition from some of Mexico's top professionals as well as more wide-ranging lessons including Alexander Technique and movement classes with a dancer. Having told us about their work the teachers were keen to hear about the British system. We also discussed the difficulties facing music education on opposing sides of the world: some problems are the same everywhere, but they have unique challenges to face and were keen to hear our views.

It was inspiring to meet such a fascinating group of teachers together with the visionary Julio at their helm, and it helped to prepare us for the two days ahead.

Early the following morning we departed the hotel for sectionals with the violins and violas. We spent 3 hours with them (and a translator of course!) putting them through their paces with Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem and Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. They were enthusiastic and really receptive: they have two concerts at the end of the week so were keen to work hard together before the afternoon's full rehearsal.

Having finished the morning we all piled onto two buses to go to the full rehearsal - packed lunches on the way! We arrived at a vast complex for the Arts in another part of the city. Not only is it home to a concert hall, but there's also a theatre, art gallery and dance studio just around the corner! This was the first meeting of the orchestra with their conductor for the week (Kenneth Jean) and he played through all of the programme, which also included a new Spanish work. We sat within the sections which was really useful: we could give some help as well as see how things felt in the thick of things!

The following day was a similar pattern of morning sectionals then full rehearsal. I think the three of us found this day even more productive. Having got to know the students and their playing we progressed quickly, and the full rehearsal that afternoon already sounded like a different orchestra. Sadly we had to dash to the airport straight from the hall, so won't have a chance to hear how they change towards the concerts. But we had crammed a lot into two days!

Before leaving we had several good chats with the students, who were also keen to hear all about musical life in England - we will hopefully keep in touch through the wonders of email! They are a really exciting group and the whole project is doing amazing things for the future of classical music in Mexico. An inspiring few days!

Ali Reid

Second Violin with Britten Sinfonia

Our Creative Learning work in Mexico was generously supported by Cambridge University Press, our International Partner.

Photos from Mexico

The musicians and management team safely touched down at Heathrow airport on Tuesday afternoon following their successful tour of Mexico. We're currently hearing tales of tequila, beautiful concert halls and grass hoppers....

The following pictures were taken by our Orchestra Manager, Hannah Tucker;

Zocalo - the cathedral in Mexico City

The view of Cathedral square from the hotel terrace

Dancing in the square

Amy Wein and Bridget Carey enjoying a glass of wine at a reception following the first concert which celebrated the British Chamber of Commerce in Mexico's 90th anniversary

Violinists Miranda Dale, Kathy Shave and cellist, Juliet Welchman

Gillon Cameron and Ben Chappell talking to a guest at the reception


Walking towards the concert hall in Leon

Teatro del bicentenario - Leon

Inside Teatro del bicentenario

Rehearsing in Leon

Henning Kraggerud and some of his fans after the concert in Leon

Henning talking to some younger fans

Enjoying some food after the concert in Leon

Thomas Gould and Henning Kraggerud deep in conversation

The band at the restaurant

Walking to the Sala Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico City

Sala Nezahualcoyotl Concert Hall

Rehearsing at the Sala Nezahualcoyotl Concert Hall