As part of an ongoing partnership with Thomas’s London Day Preparatory Schools, Southbank Sinfonia has been visiting the youngsters at both the Fulham and Kensington sites for music-making workshops.
The day saw our players coaching the pupils, exploring music, from Saint-Saëns‘ Carnival of the Animals, Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory to Vangelis’s Chariots of Fire and their own samba creations. We were also joined by the chapel and senior choirs of Thomas’s in Kensington for Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and traditional English folk songs. Both days resulted in a concert, where parents were able to see their children perform alongside our young professionals.
The young(er) musicians had a great day. Here’s what they had to say about the experience:
“I loved the concert because I could perform with a professional orchestra and hear the music from a different point of view (the heart of the orchestra)”
“Now I am confident and enjoy music so much more. Before I loved it 100%, now 1000%”
“I feel very proud because it was very challenging, but encouraging as the orchestra was helping us”
In October 2011, our young musicians joined the BBC Concert Orchestra for a side-by-side project. The focus of the two days of sessions was to gain sight-reading and recording experience, as well as exposure to the 20th century, light and Viennese repertoire which are so characteristic of the BBC Concert Orchestra.
You can listen to an excerpt of Docker’s arrangement of Lane’s Finian’s Rainbow, broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s ‘Afternoon on Three’ Programme on Monday 21 December, below:
Southbank Sinfonia's Simon Over with other prize winners: Dame Judi Dench, Anish Kapoor and the Royal Court Theatre's Dominic Cooke.
Southbank Sinfonia is pleased to announce that it has received a prestigious award from the Japan Art Association. The Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists is given on an annual basis to organisations seen to nurture and develop young artistic talent – a concept core to Southbank Sinfonia’s mission. Previous award winners include Daniel Barenboim’s East-Western Divan Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra.
The Praemium Imperiale is a global prize which acknowledges leaders in the arts field and aims to support the development of art and culture worldwide, with categories ranging from film & theatre to architecture. Amongst this year’s laureates were sculptor Anish Kapoor, actress Dame Judi Dench and conductor Seiji Ozawa.
The award ceremony at Claridges Hotel, in the presence of H.I.H Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Art Association, was introduced by broadcaster and orchestra patron James Naughtie and Southbank Sinfonia’s award was received by Simon Over and Michael Berman with Katharine Verney and Stuart Angel in attendance.
Broadcaster and orchestra patron James Naughtie acted as compere for the event whilst Lord Patten of Barnes, who nominated Southbank Sinfonia for the award, made the announcement.
Simon, in a short speech of appreciation, thanked his fellow founders, the orchestra’s partners, its loyal supporters and its young players. The grant, which is shared with the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writers Programme, amounts to 2.5 million yen (£18,500) for Southbank Sinfonia, a sum which, along with the award, will help the organisation to develop its international reach.
The announcement has received a great deal of press coverage, from publications such as The Guardian, The Telegraph and internationally in The New York Times and many more.
Celebrations continued with an evening reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, a dinner at Spencer House, and then a further black tie dinner at the British Museum.
For more information about the Praemium Imperiale, click here
Our players were in Bradford for a mammoth education project. Working alongside the local music service, we delivered a project to over 8000 children, performing a mix of orchestral classics plus popular songs.
Rehearsals began in the morning, where the children learnt popular songs, including classics from the bands Queen and Bon Jovi. Following this, our players gave a concert of popular classics as well as music straight from Hollywood. Then, the big event: the stadium full of children and our musicians, who were playing side-by-side with children of the Bradford Youth Orchestra, performed the music learnt in the morning.
Below is some of the coverage from the day’s activities.
We had a lot of fun at our recent Saturday Spectacular concert – and here’s the proof! We explored the animal kingdom with our presenter Richard Sissons, taking us through Saint-Saëns magical The Carnival of the Animals.
Check out our Watch & Listen page to see what we got up to! Below you can see our Family Friends as well as children from the SE22 Piano School perform Happy Birthday accompanied by Southbank Sinfonia.
In November 2010, SbS players worked with school children from Blue Coat and Stoke Park Schools on a creative project exploring Britten’s War Requiem.
Animateur (and SbS alumni) Neil Valentine led the project which preceded the monumental performance by SbS and the Parliament Choir of Britten’s masterpiece the following evening.
Here is the Dies Irae created by the students. To hear the rest of the creative piece, visit our Watch & Listen page
Feast on Fine Food with Friends and Family and fundraise for your Favourite orchestra.
People love good food: from traditional roasts to lavish banquets or just a good tasty curry. Why not combine your love of great food with your love of your favourite orchestra? SbS are launching an exciting new fundraising initiative where you can host an enjoyable dinner party at home whilst also helping to raise funds for Britain’s ground-breaking orchestra of young professionals.
In September, SbS joined the BBC Concert Orchestra for a side-by-side project culminating in a performance recorded for Radio 2 programme, Friday Night is Music Night. Tune in to 88 – 91FM on Friday 26 November, 8-10pm, or listen via BBC iPlayer. Media will be available for up to seven days after the broadcast date.
We have received some great reviews for the Royal Opera House’s recent production of Haydn’s L’isola disabitata, featuring the Jette Parker Young Artists. Below are some of the highlights.
Underpinning all this glorious singing and impressive stage business was a near-perfect performance from the Southbank Sinfonia of young professionals. Miranda Jackson, Opera Britannia
The excellent young players of the Southbank Sinfonia barely put a foot wrong. Though the orchestra was relatively small in number (strings 6.4.4.3.2), it did not sound so; it sounded full of life and did not shirk the anticipations of Beethoven one hears even in Haydn of 1779 vintage. The aforementioned quartet features solos for violin, cello, flute, and bassoon: all were delectably taken. Indeed, the solo work of leader Olga Muszyńska was first class throughout. Mark Berry, Boulezian
The piece comes over strongly musically, thanks to conductor Volker Krafft and the excellent Southbank Sinfonia in the pit. George Hall, The Stage
…so engagingly played by Southbank Sinfonia under Volker Krafft Hilary Finch, The Times
Volker Krafft made a good case for it [L’isola Disabitata], wringing a full-blooded, forward-looking sound from the pocket-sized Southbank Sinfonia Intermezzo
…fantastic support from the Southbank Sinfonia, who played Haydn with joyous aplomb Nick Breckenfield, What’s On Stage.com
As part of an ongoing partnership with Thomas’s London Day Preparatory Schools, Southbank Sinfonia has been visiting the youngsters at both the Fulham and Kensington sites for music-making workshops.
