Monthly Archives: April 2015

International Impact, Scholars Spotlight

Celebrating the universal language of music: first-year Music Scholar Faith Chan reflects

Leave a comment

The University of Kent has a wonderfully diverse, international community, including many overseas students involved in its music-making; amongst this year’s Music Performance Scholarship students is first-year Faith Chan, from Malaysia, reading Law. I asked Faith about the reasons for her coming to Kent, and about her musical experiences so far this year.

Being an international student is undoubtedly a unique experience – having to adapt to different culture in a foreign country is both eye opening and challenging. Deciding to come to the UK was an easy choice for me – my father completed his tertiary education here and my brother is currently completing his third year in Durham University. The UK is generally a popular choice for university education in Malaysia, and those who have experienced it have always given positive feedback about their time here.

Faith Chan (l) with members of the cello section at the Cathedral Concert
Faith Chan (l) with members of the Orchestra in the Crypt of Canterbury Cathedral

I chose to read law in the University of Kent because it is very much an intellectually stimulating course – having previously studied both science and humanities subjects I have had a taste of both worlds and I enjoy the mind-twisting challenge that this course provides. Furthermore Kent Law School is a critical law school, offering an exceptional view and approach to law, not just focusing on legal rules and principles. This will help immensely when I return to Malaysia, as the Malaysian Legal System is closely related to the English Legal System, but is by no means identical.

I am particularly enjoying my experience here as a student as my hobbies are catered to very well – as a music scholar I take part in many of the music events organised here in Kent. Music has always been an important part of my life; the symphony orchestra was a huge factor in my choosing to study in this university. In the six months or so I have been here, I have taken part in multiple performances with the Orchestra and String Sinfonia, including being in the orchestra for Verdi’s Requiem in the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral. These are valuable memories I will certainly cherish and I look forward to the many more to come! I am also lucky enough to receive music lessons for my cello-playing right here on campus as part of my music scholarship. It is wonderful to realise how universal the language of music is – it is enjoyed and appreciated similarly all over the world. There is no doubt that music draws people together!

The cello section after the orchestral concert in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall
The cello section after the orchestral concert in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall

Having come close to completing my first year, I truly feel that I will enjoy the rest of the time I have left here in the University of Kent – I have had the chance to meet many different kinds of people and forged many unusual friendships, all while pursuing and fulfilling my passions.

Notes on Music

This floating, fleeting world: in rehearsal

Leave a comment

As a curtain-raiser to the performance of Tokaido Road, which comes to the Gulbenkian Theatre on 23 May, the lunchtime concert the day before is an exploration of the meeting-point between poetry and music for two pianos, set against a backdrop of some of the Hiroshige prints which inspired both poetry and opera.

Pianists Matthew King and myself, together with poet Nancy Gaffield, part of the Creative Writing team in the School of English and author of the original Tokaido Road cycle of poems, spent yesterday exploring the programme which we have put together, which intersperses music by Debussy, Ravel and Matthew himself with poems from the cycle, which Nancy will be reading. There is some wonderful connectedness between the words and the music – a phrase in a poem is echoed by a rising melodic shape; the opening arc of a poem emerges out of a slowly-dying piano chord; a cluster-sonority echoes the tone of one of the Hiroshige prints which is projected above the performers. We spent several hours immersed in floating words and chords in the darkened concert-hall, playing with moving between music and poem.

The concert will take place on Friday 22 May at 1.10pm, admission is free, more details here: come and immerse yourself in time-out-of-place with music, poetry and print.

Building for the future, Gallery Space

Picture-perfect: #walkSwaleMedway exhibition graces new gallery space

Leave a comment

It’s with an heraldic fanfare of trumpets that we’re delighted to announce that the new Colyer-Fergusson Gallery space is now open, with its first exhibition being the evocative and scenic #walkSwaleMedway project by Faversham-based artist, Hope Fitzgerald. 

The upper balcony now hosts an array of jewel-like images in beautiful frames, inspired by Hope’s walking project, and will be on display for two weeks until Friday 1 May. The exhibition is also the first of several ancillary events for the Tokaido Road chamber opera coming to the Gulbenkian next month, which explores similar ideas of travel and landscape. Hope’s exhibition is a response to, and is inspired by, her walking around the Swale area; read more about the project here.

   

   

Admission is free: come and lose yourself in the landscape of the county in Colyer-Fergusson. IdeasTest#walkSwaleMedway is sponsored by Arts Council funding via Ideas Test.

Notes on Music

Contemporary opera coming to the Gulbenkian: Swanhunter

Leave a comment

Contemporary opera makes the first of several appearances at the Gulbenkian next month; before Tokaido Road comes on May 23, Jonathan Dove’s Swanhunter swoops into the theatre on May 1 and 2.

swanhunterAn Opera North production composed to a libretto by Alasdair Middleton, the opera draws on the Finnish folkore epic, the Kalevala, in which Lemminkäinen travel to the icy north to face the Devil’s Elk and the Swan on Death’s River.

Told using puppetry in collaboration with The Wrong Crowd, the opera (written in 2009 with young audiences in mind) is billed as being ‘as much for adults as it is for children.’ Dove is the accessible end of contemporary music, as his beguiling choral anthems and rumbustious The Passing of the Year attest, and his prolific output includes music written for community music-making as much as for professionals.

”We’re really thrilled to be bringing contemporary opera for family audiences to the Gulbenkian,” enthuses the theatre’s creative producer, Mairi Coyle. ”Both Opera North and the Wrong Crowd have impressive international reputations in the fields of music theatre and the fact that they’ve come together with a top British composer to create such an inventive fusion of opera, puppetry and live action is really exciting and we’re proud to be part of it.”

Performances at the Gulbenkian are Friday 1 May at 7.00pm, and Saturday 2 May at 2pm; tickets and details here, or flick through the interactive resource pack for teachers and families here.

Gallery Space, Notes on Music

One step at a time: an interview with photographer Hope Fitzgerald

Leave a comment

As part of the Tokaido Road project coming to the new Colyer-Fergusson Gallery later this month, Faversham-based photographer Hope Fitzgerald will be bringing her #walkSwaleMedway series. In advance of the show opening on Friday 17 April, I caught up with Hope and asked her about the ideas behind her various walking projects, and what to look forward to in her forthcoming exhibition.

Hope Fitzgerald
Hope Fitzgerald

Tell us about the #walkSwaleMedway project

Walk Swale Medway began with a continuous walk of nearly three weeks through Swale and Medway starting on 22 June, 2014. Using a mobile phone, I took pictures as I walked and posted them to Instagram using #walkSwaleMedway. Links were also shared on Twitter and Facebook. As part of the original Walk Swale Medway three-week walk, I relied on the kindness and hospitality of my neighbours in Swale and Medway. I took a few photos, heard stories and shared them on Walk Swale Medway. Sometimes a friend recommended someone who could help.

WSM_06The website includes a selection of writing and photographs featuring the places seen, the people met, and the stories heard along the way. Walk Swale Medway continues to be an open ended invitation to take notice of and share where we live, connect with and contribute to our community

What was it about the Tokaido Road project in particular that interested you in taking part ?

 

St_Marys_HopeFitzgeraldIt was completely unfamiliar to me at first, so that was appealing. I was interested in the fact that a connection had been made between #walkSwaleMedway and the paintings Hiroshige made from views sketched while walking the Tokaido Road. Once I’d read up on it, I was really struck by the fact that Hiroshige’s paintings included details of date, location, and anecdotes of his fellow travellers, just like I had with WSM by adding text on my Instagram images before posting. There’s this lovely timeless parallel – of movement and looking around, and taking notice. It was also his job, really, and not that well paid, but the success of the Tokaido Road series increased awareness of his work.

#walkSwaleMedway explores similar themes of travel, landscape and people to Hiroshige’s ‘Tokaido Road:’ do you see WSM as a Kent-ish version ?

WSM_05The more I look, the more parallels I see. I’m also really pleased to be on the fringe of a project that has inspired a lot of people working collaboratively to make something new – the librettist Nancy Gaffield, composer Nicola LeFanu, and musician Kate Romano, among others. Not the first time Hiroshige has inspired others, I like this about it, too.

You’ve done similar projects walking in Faversham, and to Folkestone last year for the Triennial: what is it that makes you want to explore like this ?

Walking in Faversham is where it all began, almost by accident. I gave myself a two-week target of walking every day, with a new pair of trainers as my incentive. By about day 10, I was hooked, and walking was a reward in itself. I didn’t mean to do it – it sort of just kept going! I did that every day (barring a couple of sick days) for a year before #walkSwaleMedway. WSM was much more profound an experience than I’d anticipated – I thought I’d just go for a wander, but it was challenging and exhilarating in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I heard a radio programme later about long distance walking and how intimidating it can be, but I didn’t really think it through – I just thought ‘Hey, I know, I’ll walk across Swale and Medway.’

Great Lines 300dpiI walked to Folkestone to take part in Alex Hartley’s brilliant work called Vigil, in which a set of mountain climbing ledges hanging off the outside of the Grand Burstin Hotel was occupied by volunteers. It seemed like as good a reason to walk somewhere as any, so I went for it. It took three days, and the countryside that way is beautiful and walking for a long time is a great way to see things. There’s a wonderful metaphor for life built into walking for me – it’s just one step at a time – sometimes they are heavy, sometimes light, but always just the one step keeps you going. I’ve been so busy lately that I have been skipping steps here and there, but I’ll find my stride again. I’m looking for an excuse to walk somewhere most of the time.

What can we expect when #WalkSwaleMedway opens in Colyer-Fergusson later this month ?

WSM04The plan is to mirror, in number at least, the 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road along the eighteen panels of the new Colyer-Fergusson gallery. The photographs are small, so on an intimate scale and framed in hand-finished black shadow boxes. They are printed on aluminium, so some are jewel-like, while others glow with the feel of watercolour. They are pictures of my home.

 

 

Hope’s #walkSwaleMedway exhibition opens in Colyer-Fergusson on Friday 17 April and runs until Friday 1 May; admission is free.

IdeasTestAll images: © Hope Fitzgerald. #WalkSwaleMedway is supported by Arts Council Funding through Ideas Test.