SinfoniaStudents

Britten Sinfonia's Student Ambassador scheme is a great way for students to get involved with a world-class orchestra. The scheme runs in Cambridge and Norwich with students from Anglia Ruskin and Cambridge Universities as well as from the University of East Anglia.


The role allows students to gain an insight into the workings of a professional orchestra through helping to market Britten Sinfonia concerts to their peers and work experience in the office. Two students who have been part of the scheme have shared their experiences below. 


If you would like to become involved and build up your CV in 2012 do get in touch! Email Hannah Perks with why you'd like to work with Britten Sinfonia and a bit about what you think you can offer.

I found the Sinfonia Student Scheme through the Cambridge University Careers service and decided to apply as it seemed like a good opportunity both to gain relevant experience and to make contacts in the arts and music industry.

Becoming a Sinfonia Student is an extremely worthwhile experience, especially for those interested in a career in the arts, but also for those who wish to gain general experience in management, organisation, marketing and so on. The work is not very arduous and can easily be done alongside a university degree. In the main I helped with advertising the Sinfonia concerts to my fellow students through word-of-mouth, leafleting, putting up posters and so on. Every term the Sinfonia Students and the Sinfonia management team (who are all extremely friendly and helpful) met to discuss strategy and fresh marketing ideas. Sinfonia Students are also given the opportunity to steward at the Sinfonia concerts (or to just go to the concerts for free) and a week of work experience is offered to all who take part in the scheme. 

I had a great time as a Sinfonia Student. While providing a very useful service for the Britten Sinfonia, a Sinfonia Student also gains a valuable insight into the world of arts administration and I would highly recommend the experience to anyone – whether a music student or not.

Bea Ramsay

I am really grateful to Britten Sinfonia for the opportunity to work with them, both on a week-long placement, and on a more long term basis as a Sinfonia Student.

Sinfonia Students are mainly involved with marketing and increasing the footprint of the orchestra in Cambridge, especially within the university. I distributed publicity, created events on social networking sites, and followed it up by surveying the student attendance at concerts. I stewarded at many concerts and at several Education Days, where I loved meeting the public and supporting the smooth running of Britten Sinfonia events.

During the work placement, you spend a day in each department of Britten Sinfonia, which really influenced my decisions about which area of the arts I wanted to pursue. For Creative Learning, I wrote programme notes for a combined workshop and concert for children; in Development, I researched strategies to increase individual giving, an area becoming ever more vital in arts funding. I also became familiar with databases through updating artist records and the score library. 

Being a Sinfonia Student is an invaluable opportunity which has started me on my ideal career path; having now completed an Internship in London with English Touring Opera, I am Administrator and Finance Officer for Cambridge Summer Recitals.

Olivia Downs

Meet Pekka Kuusisto

This week Britten Sinfonia welcomes back the violinist Pekka Kuusisto as rehearsals begin for the Concentric Paths tour with composer, pianist and conductor Thomas Adès. Pekka has worked with Britten Sinfonia a number of times before but ahead of this tour we asked him a few questions to help us all get to know him better! 

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Playing in the forest surrounding Sibelius' home, dressed up as a spruce.

When are you happiest?

At about 3 p.m. on most days.

What is your greatest fear?

The end of the world, I guess.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Listening to Rasputin by Boney M.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Barack Obama. He is facing a giant political machine that gets a lot of its fuel from ignorance - and still manages to send a message that it's useful to actually know stuff.

If you were an animal what would you be?

A squid. A giant one. Imagine the ease of playing Paganini things with all those tentacles.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Singing Coldplay tunes while accompanying myself with arpeggiator synths.

How do you relax away from the concert platform?

For instance by singing Coldplay tunes while accompanying myself with arpeggiator synths.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Caramelising the top of Crème Brûlée with a blowtorch and getting it right the first time.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Don't eat yellow snow. 

Pekka performs Thomas Adès Concerto for Violin (Concentric Paths) on tour with Britten Sinfonia this month. Click here for more details.

Dijon Opéra de Dijon Saturday 11 February 8pm Book tickets
Cambridge West Road Concert Hall Monday 20 February 7.30pm Book tickets
New York Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall Wednesday 22 February 7.30pm Book tickets
Norwich Norwich Theatre Royal Saturday 25 February 7.30pm Book tickets
London Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall Monday 27 February 7.30pm Book tickets
Dublin National Concert Hall Tuesday 28 February 8pm Book tickets

Germaine Greer and Britten Sinfonia go Dutch!

In November Britten Sinfonia went to Amsterdam and Eindhoven for a series of chamber concerts and conversation with speakers from world of science, journalism and philosophy. Concerts Assistant James Calver gives us a reflection on their trip.

The Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw Frits Philips welcomed Britten Sinfonia principals Huw Watkins, Thomas Gould, Miranda Dale, Clare Finnimore and Caroline Dearnley for a mini chamber tour in the Netherlands last week.

We were joined by Professor Germaine Greer, delivering a stimulating talk on the subject of biodiversity, as a prelude to a programme featuring Messiaen, Takemitsu and Cage. The event entitled ‘Sharpthinkers’ is the brainchild of the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips and forms part of a wider series providing a platform for eminent intellectuals to deliver lectures on their specialist topics.

In Amsterdam we discovered the beautiful surroundings of the Recital Hall of the Concertgebouw; built in the 1880s, the 478-seat auditorium forming part of the larger Concertgebouw structure proved the perfect setting for this intimate event. The experience was repeated in the similarly intimate, but modern surroundings of the Small Hall of the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven.

Huw Watkins’ flawless performance of two excerpts from Catalogue d’Oiseaux followed by Takemitsu Rain Tree Sketch I & II (the second of the Rain Tree Sketches, dedicated to Oliver Messiaen following his death in 1992) were very well received and complimented John Cage’s Quartet in Four Parts (1950) which rounded-off the evening’s proceedings. The Quartet is based on the Indian notion of the seasons (creation, preservation, destruction and quiescence) with its four movements entitled Quietly flowing along, Slowly rocking, Nearly stationary and Quodlibet.

The trip concluded with a rather unexpected, but very pleasant dinner at a casino in Eindhoven. I can assure readers that none of the party were tempted to have a flutter at the blackjack tables.

Despite the anticipated strike delays when flying back into Heathrow on Wednesday, our travel plans ran very smoothly and Huw Watkins managed to make it to the RPS British Composer Awards, where he received the song category award. Congratulations, Huw!

We look forward to returning to Amsterdam Concertgebouw on Tuesday 20 December to perform Handel’s Messiah.

James Calver
Dec 2011

Meet David Hill

On the last Sunday before Christmas we will be performing Handel's Messiah in Norwich Theatre Royal with renowned choral conductor David Hill. The concert will then be performed at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw on  Tuesday 20 December. Ahead of the events we asked David a few questions for our Q&A series, we hope you enjoy his answers below.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Conducting a Gala Concert at Covent Garden in which the Bach Choir sang ‘Belshazzar’s Feast, the Prince of Wales joining the Choir in ‘Zadok the Priest’.

When are you happiest?

When I’m with my family on holiday. It’s the only time I don’t work.

What is your greatest fear?

Being stranded on a desert island without music.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Playing the theme tune to Z Cars on the piano to aged great aunts and grandmother when I was three. I was equally baffled as to why I could do it!

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Mariss Jansons: He is the greatest orchestral trainer living with impeccable ears.

If you were an animal what would you be?

I’ve always wished to be taller so a giraffe would be good.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Eating chocolate bars by myself in the car.

How do you relax away from the concert platform?

I enjoy cooking, drawing and reading.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

It was a long time ago but the first disc for Hyperion we recorded with Westminster Cathedral Choir won a Gramophone Award much to my surprise.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Humility; the most successful people I have come in to contact with are some of the most humble.

Spirit of the Games - Creating a new Anthem for Norfolk

Britten Sinfonia Creative Learning Department has just embarked on a new project - working in harmony with local school children to compose an anthem for Norfolk’s Village Games.

Pupils from Framingham Earl High, Rockland St Mary Primary and Surlingham Community Primary School are taking part in the project, organised and funded in partnership with South Norfolk Council and Orchestras Live.

On Thursday 17 November, we headed up to Norfolk to meet 35 children from feeder primary schools, and 30 instrumentalist from Framingham Earl High School for a Big Ideas event.

Orchestral players from the orchestra, music leader James Redwood and librettist Hazel Gould held creative workshops throughout the day to encourage youngsters to come up with inspirational lyrics and music. The students were also joined by Active Norfolk, who ran Olympic-themed games and activities to get pupils into the spirit of composing the sporty anthem and Olly, Active Norfolk’s mascot also came along to oversee the proceedings.

By the end of day one, we had completed the outline of the song, entitled ‘Spirit of the Games’ had written a catchy chorus and were working on the melody for the verse. We all went away at the end of the day humming to ourselves.

The creative team will be back in January with the completed lyrics, to finish the compositional process, to develop the instrumental parts and some more vocal harmonies.

The finished anthem will be premiered at a special concert at Poringland Community centre on Friday 27 January 2012 with players from Britten Sinfonia accompanying the musicians and singers from the schools.

Isobel Timms
Creative Learning Director

Meet Roderick Williams

Next week we'll be performing Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ in London, Cambridge and Brighton. Baritone Roderick Williams will be performing in our cast of soloists under the baton of Sir Mark Elder. In our regular series of Q and A's Roderick answered a few questions;




What has been the highlight of your career so far?
That’s very hard to answer – perhaps singing on stage at La Scala Milan, even if it was for the ballet… but at least I got to stand in the Maria Callas spot.

When are you happiest?
When I’m out walking in the countryside with a clear blue sky and a beautiful view.

What is your greatest fear?
That something might happen to my family,

What is your earliest musical memory?
Recorder and singing lessons with Mrs Druce (or was it Mrs Juice?) when I was about four or five. She taught me how to hold my hands when I sing.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Bishop Desmond Tutu is probably hard to beat.
If you were an animal what would you be?
A dolphin.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Cornish clotted cream.
How do you relax away from the concert platform?
Walking, for me, is one of the simplest and best ways to relax mind and body, and find a real sense of perspective.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Probably writing the music for an entire broadcast of BBC R3 Choral Evensong. How many composers get that chance, even dead ones?

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
That it is never too late to learn and you can learn something valuable from anybody.

Berlioz and Sir Mark Elder

Sir Mark Elder recently spoke to our programme note writer, Jo Kirkbride about his forthcoming performances of Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ. Despite a career dedicated to Berlioz’s music the tour with Britten Sinfonia will be the first time he has conducted L’enfance du Christ, so it is a wonderful opportunity for him to embrace this unique work, as he remarks;

‘I can’t even remember ever hearing it live – since it is very rarely done. Of course I’ve studied it, and thought about it, and I think I have an old recording of it... I’ve been thinking about L’enfance du Christ for many months and letting it marinate inside me.’

Berlioz had been criticized by the French press for his style of composition. At a concert in 1850 Berlioz presented a short choral work entitled L’adieu des bergiers (The Shepherds Farwell) under the name of a ficitional composer – the critics adored it and this confirmed to Berlioz that it was his name and not his music that the critics were biased against. Emboldened with this knowledge he continued the work and it was finally completed in 1854.

Sir Mark says “Everyone thought that this was Berlioz finally learning how to write music but that is so short-sighted of them. What’s fascinating for me is that he conceived the work as a series of pictures, and that he then went about finding a sound-world for them. There is a deliberately judged archaic quality to the music that needs a great sensitivity and yet it must never be sentimental, it must never be filled with a false emotion. Everyone must trust the intimate, honest, direct quality in it.”

When talking about the drama and colour of L’enfance du Christ Sir Mark commented; ‘I am always reminded of those Renaissance painters who painted a series of smaller pictures which would be adjoined by their colours – I see this piece very much like that. Each particular scene has its own timbre. It is not a rich, twentieth-century sound but rather more restrained with little vibrato in the voices and instruments. One has to make the drama of the words live without being too respectful – you need to give it full blood. Thinking about this and getting to grips with this is something that I adore.’
Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ will be performed in London at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Thursday 8 December, West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge (sold out) on Friday 9 December and Brighton Dome on Saturday 10 December.


This blog post uses extracts from the programme note for L'enfance du Christ by Jo Kirkbride which will be available online from Thursday 1 December.