It was great to be back with the Radcliffe Orchestra this spring with another highly enjoyable concert in the Tingewick Hall on 11 March.
I have long wanted to perform Berlioz’ Rob Roy Overture as the composer’s overture that has passed me by over the years. Despite the Berlioz’ own misgivings about the work, it is a wonderful concert opener with so much to enjoy. It worked in this context as it gave a chance for the orchestra’s harpist, Rupert McShane, to play the extended duo with cor anglais (beautifully played by Henry Bettinson) at the heart of the overture. Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Rob Roy, the music admirably reflects the dramatic story of the outlaw at the time of the 1715 Jacobite Revolution with Scottish tunes, Scots wha hae and The Bonnie Woods of Cragielea quoted.
The violinist, Edgar Bailey, made a welcome return to the orchestra to play Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole in a brilliant performance of this five-movement showpiece. It was a treat for the orchestra to accompany such fine playing and there was some beautiful ensemble playing from all. Edgar captured the character of this work with real insight and poise.
We completed our programme with a spirited performance of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony that gave opportunities for many players to shine. Amy Thakurdas’ horn solo in the slow movement was a real high point and Alison Matthews’ bassoon solo in the third movement was equally eloquent. Clarinetists, Steve Guard and Simon Kroll opened the symphony most beautifully whilst flutes (Andrew Turberfield, Katie Marshall, Huw Morgan) and oboes (Henry Bettinson and Sarah Pendlebury) provided many lovely moments. Brass (led by John Stradling’s trumpet, Dominic Vella’s trombone and John Underwood on tuba) gave great energy to the performance and the strings led by Sky Jaskutelyte, Helen Stradling (violin 2), Peter McElwaine-Johnn (viola), Rosie Powell-Davies (cello) and Tim Baker (double bass) played with unified commitment and musicianship.
The concert was given in aid of Guide Dogs which has done much to address the considerable need for the care and promotion of the work of guide dogs across the UK. Thanks to Amy Thakurdas for this connection and for bringing three fine Guide Dog mothers to a rehearsal and the concert. As ever, Rosie Adams is to be thanked for all her work for the orchestra along with all the committee.
I look forward to conducting another concert with the Radcliffe Orchestra in March 2024.
It was a real pleasure to be asked to join the Adjudication Panel, with Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey and John Traill, of the Oxfordshire Junior Concerto Competition on 4 February. Adeptly accompanied by the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra conducted by John Traill, three talented finalists performed to a full hall at the Centre for Music.
The Competition is a joint venture between the the Oxfordshire County Music Service (Director, Emma Coulthard) and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra (Music Director, Marios Papadopoulos; Education Officer, William Emery). It has enabled many talented young musicians in Oxfordshire to gain valuable experience at a high level.
The competition programme began with the first movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto played with real authority and technical command by Tabitha Appel. Xander Quinney followed with the last movement of Richard Strauss’ First Horn Concerto, showing great facilitry and natural musicianship. And Josef O’Connor played the Concerto for Alto Saxophone of Paul Creston, interestingly on a century-old saxophone. His rapid articulation and dexterity in this challenging work made a big impression.
All three competitors gave most enjoyable and impressive performances. Congratulations go to Tabitha Appel for winning the first prize of £500 and a chance to perform the concerto at a future OCYO concert. Tabitha received her trophy from OPO Advisory Council member Peggotty Graham.
The evening ended with an exhilarating and expressive solo recital by last year’s winner, Oliver Simpson (cello) accompanied by Nicholas Simpson in works by George Crumb, Brahms and Sarasate.
I was very happy to be asked by Josette Bushell-Mingo to attend the CUK conference this month and to catch up with some of my friends in the UK’s conservatoires. The conference itself was hosted by Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and featured presentations from Maria Delgado and Low Kee Hong on Ethics and Action as key note openers, encouraging a more far-sighted approach to leading our performing arts sectors across the world. I was impressed by the thoughtful contributions from Broderick Chow (RCSSD), Alistair Smith (The Stage) and Diana Salazar (Royal College of Music) on the challenges and opportunities facing our conservatoires where perceptions of what conservatoires stand for can be misunderstood. And it was good to see Vanessa Ewan leading on intimacy training at a time when this topic is so live.
Now that I have completed my time working for my fifth conservatoire over so many years (whilst continuing my teaching at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), it is heartwarming to see how strong our leading institutions are depsite the challenges presented by the pandemic, Brexit and the economy. We have outstanding training in the UK which needs to be supported and celebrated continuously! CUK, chaired by Linda Merrick of the Royal Northern College of Music, does much to contribute to this.
Wibb Bennett was surely one of the greatest British instrumentalists and his loss will be felt deeply by so many who knew and worked with him. I was lucky to experience his amazing playing as a member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields where so many wonderful flute solos come to mind. I remember especially his Domine Deus in Bach’s B minor Mass as well as so many classical symphonies and, of course, Mozart piano concerti, as well his performances of the Mozart flute concerti and flute and harp concerto. The sound, the phrasing, his abiltiy to blend with other instruments (Celia Nicklin, Andrew Marriner, Graham Sheen and all ASM wind players) and to create endless tonal variety, his commitment to finding something new to say with the music – Wibb was simply inspirational.
This inspiration was also the hallmark of his teaching and I was lucky to work closely with Wibb at the Royal Academy of Music in the 1980s and early 1990s. With Sebastian Bell, Michie Bennett and Keith Bragg, Wibb led a flute department of incomparable strength and inventiveness. Wibb’s reputation and quality as a teacher drew the most outstanding young flute players to the RAM and in these years we were privileged to work with Wibb’s students including Anna Pyne, Daniel Pailthorpe, Eline van Esch, Emily Beynon, Halit Turgay, Hallfrídur Ólafsdóttir, Janne Thomsen, Jeffrey Zook, Joel Tse, Lorna McGhee, Mary-Anne Blades, Mireya Royo, Rachel Brazier, Sarah de Bats, Shu-Chun Chiang, Sinead O’Carroll, Siobhan Grealy, Susan McCarthy, Susan Torke and Susan Thomas. I was present at the entrance auditions when all these players were admitted to the RAM and was always impressed by the way in which Wibb selected his students, hearing and spotting those qualities that go to make a fine, interesting player with their own sound and ideas, and with whom he could work.
Wibb continued to teach at the RAM long after my time as Head of Department and he also taught and gave masterclasses in many other instituions around the world. I was so happy to welcome him to Codarts, Rotterdam during my time there (2011 – 2016); his classes with the brilliant students of Juliette Hurel were, as ever, great – and I so enjoyed connecting with him again.
So thank you Wibb, for everything – your playing, your teaching, your inventiveness and your humour. You will be missed and thought about for many years to come.
Now that I have completed my time as Interim Principal and then as Associate Principal to support Josette Bushell-Mingo in her first year as Principal at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama it is good to look back on my time there. Central is undoubtedly a powerhouse in the world of Performnace, Education, Training and Research in Drama and Theatre. In the 20 months that I spent there, there was never a day when I did not discover something new about the institution, its 37 courses and its wonderful students and staff.
What is striking about Central is its range across Acting training, Theatre Practice (including Lighting Design and Production, Sound Design and Production, Scenic Construction and Painting, Prop Making, and Stage Management) and Applied Theatre. This range is expressed in so many ways – the continual flow of productions that graduates and students are involved with that keeps Central constantly involved in ‘what’s on’ in the theatre; the countless projects and partnerships that courses and individuals undertake again involving activity every week across the UK and further afield; and the connections that Central’s Theatre Practice courses maintain with the industry in live theatre and film also provides another dimension.
This summer, Central must be commended for its Research where its 31 FTE staff entered achieved 75% of 4* ratings and, in the THE rankings were placed 4th out of 84 entrants. This outstanding achievement is a significant step forward from the last assessement in 2014 and a real accolade for Vice-Principal, Maria Delgado, who has led research through these years. Congratulations to all those involved in this great result.
With Josette Bushell-Mingo completing her first year as Principal it is good to note that Mark Hunter has now taken his place as Vice-Principal (Curriculum and Students) and Central at last has a full team of senior management in place. There is much to do with all the challenges that face all HE institutions these days: changing application patterns as a result of the pandemic and Brexit amongst other factors. But Central is strong and there are signs of exciting developments ahead.
I would like to thank all Central’s students for all their achievements during my time there. Parker Hollants van Loocke and Ed Callow have both been exceptional Students Union Presidents and they have been supported by their officers in maintaining a great environment for all students. I have so enjoyed the many productions that I attended and can vouch for the sheer quality of all the work that goes on throughout the year. I hope to continue to visit to see more of these productions in the years ahead.
So thank you Central! It has been a real privilege to work for you all and to be immersed in all that you do.
As we come to the end of an extraordinarily busy autumn of 2021, it is good to reflect on the many exciting events and developments that have been taking place despite the challenges of the pandemic. Firstly, this was Josette Bushell-Mingo’s first term as Principal and it has been very exciting to work for her and with her in setting the future direction for Central. The new Strategic Plan is now being developed with ongoing work on the move to a Departmental Structure (thanks to the work of Stephen Farrier and Kathrine Sandys) and with the planned Portfolio Review following shortly. Working with senior managers Debbie Scully, Maria Delgado, Ola Adeyemi, Hugo Burchell, Vinita Suryanarayanam and Verna Rhodes, much is being achieved for the future of Central.
In placing students at the heart of all that Central does, I would wish to thank Ed Callow, our new Student Union President and all the SU representatives for their work. Central’s students do a great amount towards the life of the institution and provide invaluable input into our processes. The SU manages many activities through the year and it is good to note that we are participating in a number of sports leagues and events.
I should also register congratulations to Parker Hollants-van-Loocke (SU President 2020 -2021) on graduating on 6 December along with other SU representatives and all the 2020 and 2021 year groups. We held two ceremonies on the same day at the Royal Festival Hall and were delighted to have a full house for both whilst also providing a streaming service for those who could not attend.
Key successes have included Dr Nicola Abraham and the Innovating Knowledge Exchange Team together with the Dementia Care staff from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Whitefield School being finalists in four awards at the 2022 Music & Drama Education Awards and Dr Kate Elswit’s research project “Dunham’s Data” (with international co-investigator Dr Harmony Bench and postdoctoral research assistants Dr Tia-Monique Uzor and Dr Antonio Jimenez-Mavillard) receiving the ATHE-ASTR’s Award for Excellence in Digital Scholarship.
I have been working with colleagues Broderick Chow, John Sibley and Anna Tulett in the Faculty Office to support the work of all Central’s courses. Broderick Chow has done considerable work on the Repairing the Curriculum Project whilst course leaders, supported by James Perkins, Head of Quality Assurance, have worked with External Examiners on maintaining and enhancing our courses. Anna Tulett and Jennifer Williams-Baffoe have been conducting a Digital Learning Survey that will contribute to Central’s commitment to digitising the curriculum. In addition, Helen Davies’ Library Strategy is in preparation for the New Year. John Sibley’s work in supporting the resourcing of all our courses and keeping an overview on how they interrelate is a vital part of the Faculty Office.
So much of the success of the work at Central is down to the leadership of our courses and professional services. Thanks go to Claudette Williams, Ben Buratta, Wendy Gadian, Ben Naylor, Morwenna Rowe, Amanda Brennan, Jessica Hartley, Lynne Kendrick, Steve Farrier, Amanda Stuart-Fisher, Selina Busby, Jesssica Bowles, Richard Hougham, Ayse Tashkiran, Vanessa Ewan, Paul Barker, Simon Donger, Jane Boston, Diana Damian Martin, Sarah Grochala, Gareth White, Kathy Sandys, Caroline Townsend, Nick Moran, Alex Stone, Dot Young, Carla Mardle, Peter Rice, Peter Maccoy, Lauren Patman, Verna Rhodes and all those working on our courses as well as our professional services staff including Charles Bermudez (IT), Adam Parker (Estates and Facilities), David Ripley (T&P), James Perkins (QA), Kim Myers (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), Dan Hetherington (Research Degrees), Susie Collins and Martin Juul Sorensen (Reception), Dan Prendergast (Facilities and Campus Operations), Rhys Thomas (Admissions), Angie Mugadza (Student Support Services), Scott Brown (Student Advice), Scott Bellamy (Student Recruitment), Megan Hunter (PR), Shauna Scott (Digital Marketing), Access and Participation), Phil Rowe (Technical Services) and all colleagues. Within the new Strategic Plan, future planning will bring together the cooperative power of all areas of Central.
We are delighted to welcome Kim Myers as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager. Kim is working with Broderick Chow, Javeria Shah and all colleagues in managing our Equity and Inclusion Action Plan that includes training, student support communciation and internal and external accountability. It has been a huge help to work with our IndependentEquity Committee during this past year and thanks go tom all members for their valuable input.
In welcoming Enya Evans to the vital role of Executive Assistant to the Principal, I would wish to record a huge debt of thanks the Susie Collins who provided a perfect transition in this role between the departuire of Sue Brymer in July and Enya’s arrival in October. Susie has been a long-standing member of Central’s staff and stepped into this key role with great understanding and expertise.
Most importantly, it has been especially pleasing to see that our aim to deliver all courses with at least 75% of teaching onsite has gone very well and that all productions went ahead successfully during the autumn. Our plan has been to retrun to a 100% online delivery (whilst keeping an eye open for digital possibilities for the long-term furture) but we are naturally remaining cautious as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 takes hold. Dan Prendergast’s work on our control of the pandemic needs a special mention.
Having mentioned our productions, it is worth noting just how impressive these have been during this year. Because of Central’s commitment to providing education and training across all aspects of the Theatre industries, I want to commend all those of who contributed to the complex and professional work that is part of our day-to-day life. Amongst many others, here are some of our productions I have had the privilege to attend:
MA Music Theatre presented dynamic première of Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum’s Garbo and Me in November. Detailing the life of Greta Garbo, from her early days in Sweden through her years of extraordinary success to her retirement as a Hollywood legend, the score presents a wonderful range of roles which gave scope to all our students.
Double cast in some key roles with Phoebe-Loveday Raymond and Amy Longeran playing Greta Garbo, Carl O’Dowd as John Gilbert, Camila Piccinini and Alice Spigariol as Mercedes de Acosta, Robbie Hébert as Sven Bergman, Isabella Farrell and Clara Hill Lavista as Mimi Pollak and Lauren Anne Paul and Bailey Grey as Louella Parsons, this was an energetic and enjoyable première production that bodes well for the future. Other roles were played by Taylor Bond, Keiran Capaldi, Emmanuel Duarte, Merilee Ettia, Michael Ewer, Anna-Louise LaFrance, Alex-Christian Lucas, Isabella Michaelidou, Rushalee Nirodi, Stelios Paul and Noo Stenning. Thanks go to all the cast, to executive producers Paul Barker and Maria Huesca, to Director Sarah Ingram, Musical Director David Merriman and all the production staff (Melanie Knott, Colin Mayes, Jack Weir, Alice White, Shaz McGhee, Judith Volk, Monica Trabucchi, Pippa Batt, Gareth Wide, James Melling, Russell Carr, Dylan Saberton, William Alex Howe, Patrick O’Sullivan, Alex Baker, Isobel Mackintosh, Jessica Cluff, Guildhall Live Events) for a major undertaking made more challenging by the uncertainties of the pandemic.
The Embassy Theatre and our BA Acting students also staged a very exciting revival of Ché Walker’s The Frontline written for The Globe Theatre in 2008 and showcasing the street life of London with intertwining personal stories that shock and touch in equal measure. Directed by Debbie Seymour with Joseph Roberts (Vocal Coach), Gerrard Martin (Choreographer and Movement Director), Neil Brinkworth (Lighting Designer), Claudette Williams (Course Leader), Ed Borgis (video production) and with a great production team (Chloe Toland, Emilia Perrone, Alice Greenacre, Jessica Linsey, Sophia Logan, Miya Tsuruda-Behan, Hannah Buckingham, Frída Frosta, Harriet Norman, Lily Brown, Vénusz Kárász, Helen Parkin-Moore, Lily Wanqiao Li, Lewis Champney, Nancy Fry, Faedra Hochgemuth, Vendy Pospíšilová, Lucca Serra, Harry Lacey, Cameroin Tarplett, natalie Moreton, Sasha Howe, Jessica Cluff, Patrick O’Sullivan, Ben Tarman, Kelsey Guidera, Alasdair Hood, Georgina Keck, James Maginn, Serafima Denisova, Xinyi Du, Joe Lee, Francesca Granville, Nathan Leung, George Martin, Peiyao Wang, Yimei Zhao), the cast brought this play fully to life: Zacchaeus Kayode, Rebecca Kleineidam, Venus Labozetta, Dylan Malyn, Gabriella Manning, Joanne Marie Mason, Jamie Musora, Jonathan Neilsen-Keen, Mooly Owen, Katarzyna Pachelska, Roby Singh, Xavier Starr, Divesh Subaskaran, Isaac Taylor-Jones, Ola Teniola, Paxina Tuvuka, Gracie Wall and Immanuel Yeboah. Thank you to all.
Our Contemporary and Devised Theatre (CDT) students offered a fascinating production in the Webber Douglas Studio, A Disturbance of Mirrors, written by Estrella Alonso-Gonzalez-Sinde and Sarah Woodmansey and inspired by the life and work of Sylvia Plath. Directed by Jocelyn Cox and Peter Rice with Bex Kemp (Costume Supervisor), Gareth Wide (Lighting Chief Electrician), Celeste Da-Palma (Movement Coach), David Salter (Production Manager), Tamsin Newlands (Voice Coach), Ben Buratta (BACDT Course Leader), Kathrine Sandys (BATP Head of Programme) and Ed Borgnis (video Prodcution) thanks go to the full production team (Isabella Laslett, Arvid Zollinger, Clara Moss, Jennifer Cashman, Adler Williams, Maria Guevara, Leeluu Dallas King, Alex Baker, Patrick O’Sullivan Isobel Mackintosh, Emily Gaskin, Rebecca Elsey, Megan Le-Marchant, Sophie Meikle, Rose Eke, Jehona Shapeta) and the CDT cast: Marvellous Ellyone-Fayose, Maximilian Fairley, Shoshana Jones, Jemma Martin, Natasha Stone, Prince Kundai and Vivek Sharma.
The Webber Douglas studio also hosted another CDT production this time of Franz Kafka’s The Castle directed by Russell Bolam with Anthea Lewis (Associate/Movement Director), Tamsin Newlands (Voice Coach), David Salter (Production Manager), Nicolai Hart-Hansen (Design Mentor), Kieran Lucas (Sound Mentor), Matthew Hales (Stage Management Mentor), Natasha K. Stone (Radio Voice Actor) and Ben Buratta (BSCDT Course Leader) that gives new insights into Kafka’s last masterpiece, with connections to today’s Europe of Brexit, the migrant crisis and issues of equity. Congratulations to the cast: Felicia Akin Tayo, Sebastian Alonso, Omer Cem Coltu, Ksenia Elinson, Adrian Greensmith, Wisdom Iheoma, Felix Kai, Marian Lee, Elinor Solly and Jason Theodoulou backed up by the production team: Thananya Kaewsanthia, Steven Cox, Ali Taie, Maria Guevara, Jordan Littlewood, Lauren Hastings, Rebecca Elsey, Nancy Fry, Vendual Pospíšilová, Jehona Shapeta, Clara Moss, Alex Baker, Patrick O’Sullivan, Dylan Saberton, Adler Williams and Jenny Cashman.
Our MA Acting (Contemporary) course produced Caryl Churchill’s Light Shining in Buckinghamshire in the Courtyard Theatre in December. Directed by Morwenna Rowe and Martin Wylde with Sammy Dowson (Designer), Tom Newell (Musician), Jamie Platt (Lighting Designer), Sachi Kimura (Movement Director), Fran Levin (Costume Supervisor), Jenny Cashman (Scenic Artist), David Salter (Production Manager), Catriona McHugh, Phoebe Eldekvist and Lisa Pleass (Stage Managers) this new look at the story of The Levellers in the Puritan England of the late 1640s gives many resonances to the England of 2021.
The cast: Anni Epstein, Joseph Evans, Diana Feng, Jack Firoozan, Joshua Going, Aleeza Humranwala, Tania Khan, Fabrizio Matteini, Alex O’Donnell, Luke Oliver, David Patterson, Sushant Shekhar, Lelix Uff, Emma Veares, Tegan Verheul and Clarisse Zamba worked as an ensemble throughout adopting interchanging roles that seemed to heighted the tension and project the radical ideas of the time.
Congratulations too, to all involved in MA Acting Classical’s adaptation of Gorky’s In Hell (from The Lower Depths), which survived the heightened problems of Omicron through to 18 December. This depiction of the lives of a group of people who have hit rock bottom and have nowhere to go drew strength from many current themes in the world today. Thanks go to a great cast team: Adam Anderson, Vassilis Awad, Huw Brenthall, Fraser Brooks, Stedroy Cabey, Arnas Danusas, Ashley Gillard, Grace Haydn, Solenn Mara-Lewis, Nina Mazodier, Mary McGurk, Carrie Rock, Thea Sutton, Paul Wallner, Steve Hangzhen Wu and Wenquan Yu. Directed by Ben Naylor and Natasha Fedorova, the production team included Anisha Fields (Set Designer), Manuela Harding (Costume Designer), Ben Jacobs (Lighting Designer), Beth Duke (Sound Designer), Alex Bingley (Voice Coach), Bethan Clark (Fight Director), and Catriona McHugh and Devika Ramcharan (Stage Managers).
So, as we turn towards 2022, Central has much to look forward to. The new Vice-Principal (Curriculum and Students) will be appointed within a few weeks and with the establishment of a departmental structure, there will be new appointments including key roles in actor training. As OfS reviews its specialist funding, Central will work to uphold its position as one of the world’s leading drama conservatoires, expanding its international reach and strengthening its position in Knowledge Exchange to match its considerable research profile. Under Josette Bushell-Mingo, Central has the vision and capability to make a great contribution to the world of Theatre.
I was very happy to return to The Oxford Sinfonia this year and to conduct a live concert with the orchestra on 16 October in St Mary the Virgin, Oxford. The programme of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 1, Mozart’s Symphony 29 and the remarkable Divertimento in D, K131 was a beautiful mix of two favourite works with one that many of the players were meeting for the first time.
In fact, we had plenty of time to prepare for this concert. Our planned summer concert had to be postponed but we were lucky to have two days of rehearsals with a play through on two hot summer days in July at the Village Hall in Beckley.
With thanks to Neil Halliday for his management of the concert, it was a pleasure to work with the orchestra. The Brandenburg Concerto featured Kate Bailey’s beautiful violin playing with Aldus Whitfield, Sarah Kendall and Matthias Winkel as a fine trio of oboists.
The orchestra’s horn section (Martin Priestley, Helen Newing, Samantha Dunwoody and Richard Todd) gave star performances in the Mozart Divertimento – a unique work from 1772 that also features solo parts for flute (Kate Roberts), oboe (Aldus Whitfield) and bassoon (Chris Grosvenor). In six movements with a dynamic opening Allegro and brilliant finale, the two minuet movements offer trios for the four horns alone, solos for flute and oboe and a trio for violas. There is a moving Adagio for strings, too, as well as a touching Allegretto movement featuring the flute and the oboe. A gem.
All best wishes to the Oxford Sinfonia for its future concerts.
18 May 2021: It is five years today that we lost dear Michael Hill after a courageous battle with illness. Michael was a unique musician and person, remembered with admiration and love by all of us who knew him. His wonderful musicianship and insight into so many things in music, the arts and literature along with his total modesty defined him. Always looking after others including the many, many students that he came into contact with at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and earlier at Manchester College Oxford, Michael was a dear colleague, mentor and friend. His work as Registrar of the Conservatoire and his leadership of the APD Diploma will always be remembered.
Michael would be 75 this year. I will raise a glass to working with him for so many years, playing concerts (Rubbra Oboe Sonata comes to mind), to spending time with him and to enjoying that sense of humour…….
Here are two pictures of Michael, courtesy of Spike Wilson:
Michael Hill with that fabulous smile…..….and a memory of the musician that he was.
Five months after starting my interim year as Principal of Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, I am delighted that we have appointed Josette Bushell-Mingo as the new Principal. Josette, who is currently Head of Acting at the University of the Arts (Uniarts) in Stockholm will take up her post in August and so I will continue in my role until August to ensure that there is continuity and a smooth transition. I am already working with Josette by holding weekly meetings with her on Zoom and the whole of Central is buzzing with excitement at the appointment.
Having worked for many years as an actor and director in the UK (RSC, National, Manchester Royal Exchange and many others), as well as in Canada, the United States and in Europe, Josette is superbly placed to take over at Central. She is leading a busy Acting Department and has also been Director of the National Touring Theatre for the Deaf in Sweden in a career that has done a huge amount for diversity and inclusion. Josette is brimming with ideas for Central – it is going to be a very dynamic School under her leadership.
This news comes at a moment when the national lockdown is due to be lifted, too. We are now planning to fully re-open from 6 April with some work starting as early as 8 March when the School will start to come back to life. Final year students will be able to complete their courses and we will be able to begin the new academic year normally in the autumn if all goes to plan.
I am grateful to the many colleagues who have worked so tirelessly to ensure that we have remained safe throughout the last year and also that we can ensure the best experience for all students. It has been a tough time for us all and it should be acknowledged that so many people have worked beyond the limits to make everything work for us.
So I begin March with renewed energy, looking forward to the end of lockdown and over the next months to welcoming Josette to Central. Congratulations Josette!
Arising out of the Tribute to Telemann Fantasias Webinar last July, the Telemann Fantasias Recording Competition is now well under way. Launched by Jeremy Polmear and myself in the October 2020, this competition has set applicants the aim of recording all or a part of one of the 12 Flute Fantasias of Telemann on any instrument for awards of £250 and a place on a prize CD to be published by Oboe Classics label. We received over 120 applications by the deadline in December and we are now receiving the recordings on diverse instruments: flute, baroque flute, piccolo, recorder, oboe, baroque oboe, oboe d’amore, cor anglais, bass oboe, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, bassoon, clarinet, viola da gamba and others. Our aim is to reflect the huge diversity of interpretation that these great works inspire. We are really looking forward to hearing the complete range of recordings and excited to find out which players and which instruments will come through to be celebrated on the CD. We have applications for all 12 of the Fantasias with some emerging as more popular than others. More news will follow!
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