First rehearsal with the chorus for Kommilitonen! (this term's RAO production, a première by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, jointly commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School). A real ensemble opera, this work relies heavily on the chorus input, both musically and in terms of staging. The music is extremely complex but […]
Great to see that the forthcoming RAO production of Peter Maxwell Davies' Kommilitonen! is amongst the Guardian Arts' pick of 2011 recommendations! See here for the full article.
My final concert of 2010 was a glorious evening of Iberian polyphony with the Renaissance Singers, in the opulent setting of St James', Spanish Place (which I've somehow never discovered before now, despite being just off Marylebone High Street and therefore within a stone's throw of the Academy, Wigmore Hall etc etc!). Joined by The […]
Delighted to have been invited with Marcus Farnsworth to perform in both Buxton and Oundle Festivals this summer. The Oundle Festival has always been very special to me; along with generations of other organists my formative training was on the ‘Oundle for Organists’ courses (and indeed several of my closest friends today are people I […]
The provisional dates for two recitals at Curry Rivel Music Club (Somerset) next autumn have been moved and are now as follows: 24th September with Marcus Farnsworth (baritone) and 15th October with James Turnbull (oboe). Having performed here in 2009 with James it will be fun to be back twice in such quick succession!
In the middle of a relentless fortnight as one of the official accompanists for RAM entrance auditions (tied to a ludicrous number of soprano panels this year, it would seem…), an excuse to escape to Winchester for the day was very welcome! It was the end of term at The Pilgrims’ School, marked by […]
Today saw the first Christmas carols of the year, with Uxbridge Choral Society, under the baton of conductor Jeff Stewart. Their cunning planning sees them perform the same programme twice in a day, once catching the afternoon shoppers, and once as an evening affair. It was a pleasure to be back playing for these […]
End of teaching term for visiting music staff at Eton: happy Christmas to all, and well done to the boys on another hectic but successful term of concerts, exams and auditions!
It was lovely to be back at the Westgate Chapel in Lewes, giving another recital in their monthly series. This beautiful intimate wood-panelled chapel, with its warm acoustic, makes a superb venue for chamber music. The first half consisted of Beethoven's A major sonata and Schumann's Fantasie-stücke with cellist Steffan Rees; the second half […]
The first reviews for RAO's Così fan tutte are out, and the production has gone down a treat, with lots of praise for all involved, in both casts, in the pit and behind the scenes. Particularly gratifying is the comment “there was distinguished, characterful continuo playing (on a fortepiano) from Elizabeth Burgess, almost like […]