Many congratulations to second-year Wildlife Conservation student in the School of Anthropology and Conservation, and Music Performance Scholar, Charlotte Farmer, who this week achieved Distinction in her grade 8 examination on the flute with the ABRSM.
All posts by Daniel Harding
Easy like Sunday morning: Chorus and Orchestra warm up for the Cathedral concert
A busy weekend for the Music department; following the Saturday concert at St Mary of Charity in Faversham with the String Sinfonia, Sunday brought together the combined forces of the Chorus and Symphony Orchestra in an all-day rehearsal, as we prepare for our concert in Canterbury Cathedral this coming weekend.
A morning devoted to Faure’s sublime Requiem was followed by an afternoon working on Brahms’ epic Symphony no.4 with the orchestra alone.
It was a pleasure to welcome back a few familiar faces as some alumni who will be joining us for Saturday’s concert came back to Colyer-Fergusson to take part in the rehearsal.
Join us this Saturday to see how all the hard work pays off…
Coffee concert with the String Sinfonia
Congratulations to the University String Sinfonia on the standing ovation at the close of their Coffee Concert at St Mary of Charity in Faversham at the weekend.
Directed by Floriane Peycelon, the ensemble delivered a programme focusing primarily on women composers, with a scintillating Suite for Strings by Libby Croad; a movement from the wonderfully colourful Piano Quintet by Louise Farrenc, for which the ensemble was joined by first-year pianist, Ronja Haller; an enigmatic compositional response to Tallis’ If Ye Love Me by local composer Juliet Lewis (who also conducted the piece); before the programme closed with a full-blooded string orchestral ‘reimagining’ of music from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, with the closing Lament featuring final-year student, Jack Chan, on solo viola.
A great programme and an enthusiastic audience; many thanks to the church’s Coffee Concert series for welcoming us.
Cecilian Choir singing Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral: watch on demand
Congratulations to the students, staff and alumni of the University Cecilian Choir, who sang the service of Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral earlier this week.
The choir, accompanied by organist John Wyatt and conducted by Your Loyal Correspondent, travelled to the heart of the city to take part in the service as one of the visiting choirs that carries on providing music whilst the Cathedral choir is on half-term break, a wonderful opportunity to sing in the Quire and be part of the tradition of evensong.
If you missed the service, it was livestreamed on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel and remains online for online viewing; click below to watch the whole service (the Choir begins processing at just after the six-minute mark).
French Connection: exchange student Juliette reflects on her term in the Music Department
In the autumn term, we welcome new faces to extra-curricular music-making here at Kent, and this year that included exchange student and trumpet-player from France, Juliette Brouzeng-Lacoustille. We were delighted to be able to provide an instrument for her to use, thanks to the generous Barry Wright Legacy, which supports overseas students who want to get involved in music; here, Juliette reflects on her time.
When I moved to England, I didn’t think I’d be able to pursue my passion: music. But thanks to the university’s music department, I was able to do it.
I was able to join the university Concert Band and its weekly rehearsals because the department provided me with a trumpet. It was a very rewarding experience that allowed me to share my passion with other students at the university, to meet new people and to blossom in the extra-curricular environment.
I would like to thank Sophie Meikle and Dan Harding, as well as the members of the university’s music department, without whom the pursuit of my passion would not have been possible.
Image Gallery: December concerts round-up
Our seasonal programme has brought the musical term to a richly-colourful conclusion, ending a busy term for the University’s extra-curricular music provision.
The Cecilian Choir, comprising staff, students and alumni, travelled to St Michael’s church, Hernhill, at the start of the month to sing a sequence of Advent plainsong and carols to usher in the festive season.
Our Wild Musical Revelry Weekend presented a pair of concerts exploring themes of myths and legend; the first evening with String Sinfonia, directed by Floriane Peycelon, and Concert Band with Ian Swatman:
and the second evening with the University Orchestra, Chorus and soloists,
The upper-voices chamber choir, Minerva Voices, sang as part of the University Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral, conducted by second-year Wildlife Conservation student and Music Performance Scholar, Charlotte Farmer:
and the term came to a rousing conclusion with the Big Band’s annual Christmas Swingalong, conducted again by the evergreen Ian Swatman sporting a Christmas Hull City jumper.
And making her debut with the big band was first-year singer, Tayo Fanifosi, whi delivered several crowd-pleasing festive numbers.
A fitting conclusion to an industrious term; with thanks to everyone who took part!
Scholars’ Spotlight: a profile of Rachel Fung
In her second year studying Law, Rachel Fung is a University Music Performance Scholar, singing in the Chamber Choir, Cecilian Choir, Minerva Voices, playing the violin in String Sinfonia, and also singing in scholar lunchtime concerts. Here, Rachel reflects on her experience being involved in extra-curricular music, and the possibilities offered by the Music Scholarship she holds.
I entered the University when I was in Clearing, realising that the music-related Scholarship excited my vision to come to Kent. I’ve always been dreaming of being a lawyer, to uphold justice; I was born and raised in Hong King, where the social movements in 2014 and 2019 have been a major point for me to pursue a legal career.
I’ve been studying three music instruments since I was 3; being eligible for the Music Scholarship has definitely persuaded me to continue making music alongside my academic life. As I am a singing scholar, I’m involved in the choirs at Kent, and a singing lesson every two weeks. My uni life has been made more fruitful as I’ve got the opportunity to meet like-minded friends.
I like how the staff have been so supportive throughout the year, and very responsive. The facilities are very accessible and I really enjoyed myself coming to the Colyer-Fergusson Building! I enjoy music activities and was really grateful when I made many like-minded friends. The staff are really friendly and really hope for the best from you; I’ve definitely improved in terms of my singing abilities. The performance at the end of last year which I performed in is one of my fondest memories so far, it was also streamed online!
I’m hoping to enter the legal field, but apart from that, I’ve love to be a donor for the Music Performance Scholarship in the future, to continue this kind act. People really benefit from the scholarship, and I do think the scholarship improves the uni as a whole.
The Mystery of the Elements: new exhibition by Earthbound Women comes to Colyer-Fergusson
This December, the weekend of 8th and 9th December programmes an exhilarating pair of concerts exploring witches, wizards, storms and spirits by the University Chorus, Symphony Orchestra, String Sinfonia and Concert Band. The concerts are accompanied by an ancillary exhibition by the Kent-based art collective, Earthbound Women, exploring similar themes.
From Monday 31st October to Sunday 10th December, visitors to the Colyer-Fergusson gallery will be able to view a fascinating collection, entitled The Mysytery of the Elements, for which two Earthbound Women, Ruth McDonald and Kristiina Sandoe, and guest Lucy Marks will be exhibiting paintings and prints that relates to the dramatic programme of music exploring mythology, folklore and the world of witches.
The artwork combines dramatic images of storm, drama at sea and wild skies with contrasting periods of calm reflection, aiming to push the boundaries of Landscape Art investigating what it means in relation to abstraction and representation, with a range of media from painting to mixed media, printmaking and collage.
Earthbound Women are bound by a passion for clay, earth, form and landscape. The painting, drawing and printmaking coming to the exhibition is a record of dreams, annotations, observations, aspirations as a series of artistic responses to life and landscape in the region.
The exhibition is free to view during the hours Colyer-Fergusson is open. Find out more about Earthbound Women here; and see the concerts on our What’s On page here. It promises to be quite a spectacle…