Few orchestras or orchestral academies can match the breadth and variety of the SbS programme
SbS seeks to develop players who are adaptable, open-minded, confident in a wide range of musical styles, and who have the desire to communicate their passion for music to audiences, young people and the next generation of musicians.
Southbank Sinfonia is an orchestra of young professionals recently described by The Times as ‘a dashing ensemble who play with exhilarating fizz, exactness and stamina’. SbS is firmly established as Britain’s leading orchestral academy, providing the most talented musicians with a much-needed springboard into the profession.
Every year 32 players, each supported by a bursary, undertake an intensive and wide-ranging programme of performance and professional development which comprises concerts across the UK and Europe; workshops and performances; orchestral repertoire, chamber music; education and management training; and sessions spanning subjects from improvisation to public speaking.
A distinctive and integral part of the programme is the orchestra’s work alongside leading performing arts organisations including the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and acclaimed artists such as Patrons Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Thomas Allen.
2011 has seen the orchestra perform Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine at the Royal Opera House, baroque repertoire with specialists Adrian Butterfield and Laurence Cummings, plus jazz with world-renowned singer Jacqui Dankworth. On top of this we have our ongoing Saturday Spectacular family concerts and eclectic series of free Rush Hour concerts at our home in St John’s Waterloo, London. We continue to work with acclaimed artists, such as patron Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor Oliver Knussen, ‘extreme cellist’ Matthew Barley and hot on the heels of her English National Opera debut, Elizabeth Llewellyn.
Southbank Sinfonia’s work has recently been recognised by the Japan Art Association, who awarded the organisation the coveted Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists.
Southbank Sinfonia receives no public funding and is indebted to its many individual donors, trusts and foundations, and corporate supporters to sustain the unique programme of professional development for talented young musicians.
Cadogan Hall Gala Concert 2009
Photo: Aubrey Kurlansky
