It’s never easy to take part in an instrumental masterclass; it’s like having a very public lesson, with someone you’ve only just met, who’s asking you to produce instant results in the way you play.
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So it’s many congratulations to flautists Rena Ward, Yuyu Hosokawa and Kiran Dehal, and pianists Will Morgan and Hana Fairuzamira, on this afternoon’s masterclass with members of London Conchord Ensemble, working on the three movements of the Poulenc Flute Sonata. The session followed on from the ensemble’s Lunchtime Concert, and was a great opportunity for some of this year’s Music Performance Scholars and Music Award Holders to work on Poulenc’s challenging work.
Several of the University’s singing Music Scholars had the opportunity to learn from one of the country’s leading singers last week, in a masterclass with Dame Anne Evans.
Dame Anne put several singers through their paces, in arias by Mozart and Handel and a piece by Cole Porter, sharing tricks of the trade in front of the audience in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall; as she said, later that evening when appearing In Conversation, ”If you can sing Mozart, you can sing anything.”
Later on, she talked about her career on the national and international stage, looking in particular at her performances at Bayreuth under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, taking the audience from her first professional engagements through the various stages of her career, accompanied by some extremely rare recordings and footage of her in the role of Brunnhilde in scenes from Götterdämmerung.
When asked what her secret was to preparing herself before performances of the epic Wagnerian role, she answered candidly: ”A large bowl of pasta two hours before the performance, and bananas in the interval.” Asked about advice for young singers starting out: ”Start with Mozart,” and ”In auditions, always sing pieces that you are really comfortable with.”
Performers, in order: Kathryn Cox, Philippa Hardimann, Olivia Potter, Vicky Newell, Paris Noble, Marina Ivanova and Steph Richardson, accompanied by Deputy Director of Music, Dan Harding:
Kathryn Cox
Kathryn Cox rehearses with Dame Anne Evans
Dame Anne Evans rehearsing with soprano Kathryn Cox
Dame Anne Evans works with soprano Philippa Hardimann
Vicky Newell (soprano) and Olivia Potter (mezzo) in Mozart
Dame Anne Evans in masterclass with University scholars
Dame Anne Evans works with soprano Paris Noble
Paris Noble confers with Dame Anne Evans
Marina Ivanova sings Mozart
Soprano Marina Ivanova
Marina Ivanova and Dame Anne Evans
Steph Richardson sings Cole Porter
Dame Anne Evans rehearses with Steph Richardson in the masterclass
We’re very excited to say that internationally-renowned singer, Dame Anne Evans, will be coming to the Colyer-Fergusson Hall in two weeks’ time.
Meistersinger…
Dame Anne will be giving a masterclass and appear ‘In Conversation’ at the Colyer-Fergusson Hall on Friday 8th November. As one of Britain’s most internationally successful singers, she sang a number of roles ranging from J.C. Bach and Mozart to Wagner, and performed the role of Brünnhilde at the Bayreuth Festival under the baton of Daniel Barenboim from 1989 to 1992.
At 6pm she will be In Conversation with University Director of Music, Susan Wanless, about her career in opera and her experience of performing and recording Wagner in this his bicentenary year, with film excerpts of her roles and some rare recordings. Earlier in the day, at 3pm, Dame Anne will give a masterclass with some of the student Music Scholars, who’ll be singing pieces by Mozart, Handel and Cole Porter (accompanied by your Loyal Correspondent), in which she will no doubt pass on some of her wisdom and professional experience.
Entry is free by ticket, available from the Gulbenkian Booking Office; see online details here. And, to whet your appetite, here she is in the Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung.
Via The Guardian, here’s conductor Antonio Pappano giving a masterclass on a Verdi aria: a short lesson in the importance of singing consonants in Italian, the continuity of line, and pacing dynamic change; filmed as part of a behind-the-scenes day in the life of Covent Garden.
Fascinating for singers and conductors alike.
Because it does. Doesn't it ? Blogging about extra-curricular musical life at the University of Kent.
