The philosophy of music: or the music of philosophy ?
Congratulations and thanks to first-year Music Scholar, Eloise Jack, who piped us home on Friday evening in honour of Burns Night.
Dressed in her Day Uniform, Eloise – who is in her first year studying Biochemistry – patrolled the piazza outside Gulbenkian as people headed home at the end of the day, sending a selection of traditional Scottish tunes skirling into the evening air.
The ever-developing Cellular Dynamics project, where science meets music, takes on an international aspect this weekend, with a performance as part of #SPARKhk2019 in China.
A Festival of Ideas run by the British Council in Hong Kong which takes place from 18-20 January, the weekend includes an incarnation of Cellular Dynamics at Tai Kwun, at the venue pictured here earlier today by Professor Dan Lloyd from the School of Biosciences.
Read the Festival programme online here, and follow Cellular Dynamics on Twitter here.
As the new year shuffles forwards into the light, we’re pleased to announce that our new What’s On season is now published, both on–line and as the new brochure.
The new issue is positively groaning ‘neath the weight of all the events we have coming up between January to July; the Lunchtime Concert series continuing, including a visit from players from the Philharmonia; our annual Cathedral Concert with Chorus and Orchestra, and the Concert and Big Band Gala in February; the Chamber Choir is leaping around the county with concerts in Wye and at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham; the Cecilian Choir and String Sinfonia come together for a performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas featuring several Music Scholars in the cast; the inventive Chineke! comes to the Dockyard Church; the Chamber and Cecilian Choirs voyage down the hill to sing Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral; plus an array of visiting local ensembles.
See all that’s to come online here, download a copy from here, or pick up one of the mighty tome hard copies from Colyer-Fergusson or Gulbenkian, and feast your eyes on all that’s to come. We look forward to welcoming you at one of our events over the coming months.
As we reach the end of a busy period marking the festive season, there’s just time to wish all our loyal readers a very Merry Christmas from the Music team, in the company of the University Big Band, conducted by Ian Swatman, with first-year Elle Soo singing Everybody’s Waiting for the Man with the Bag from the band’s recent ‘Christmas Swingalong.’
We’re back in the New Year; watch out for an action-packed spring season to be unveiled early in January!
The preparations to the University Big Band’s annual Christmas Swingalong were featured on BBC Radio Kent last night on The Dominic King Show.
Your Loyal Correspondent is heard talking with the conductor of the Big Band, Ian Swatman, as well as student players Owen Kerry (Physics), Megan Daniel (Law), Fleur Sumption (History of Art) and David Curtiss (Physics) about life in the ensemble, fitting music into their academic life, and Christmas jumpers…
You can listen to the interview online here, starting at 1 hr 28 mins and 31 secs. Many thanks to Dominic King for featuring the band on the airwaves.
Two events in three days with which to catch up, Loyal Readers!
Last Saturday brought the University Chorus and Symphony Orchestra together in a programme combining music from the past with reimaginings from a modern perspective: Vivaldi’s dramatic iMagnificat, two of Handel’s bombastic Coronation Anthems, Walton’s recasting of Bach in The Wise Virgins, Matthew King’s orchestral vision of Mozart’s piece for mechanical organ, and Respighi’s light-footed Ancient Airs and Dances Suite no.2.
Director of Music Susan Wanless wielded the baton in front of the assembled masses to a packed house, and it was lovely to welcome back some familiar faces and musical alumni to take part in the performance.
Last night, it was the turn of the University Chamber Choir to participate in the Carol Service, an evocative event at Canterbury Cathedral bringing together members from across the University community in a programme of lessons and carols to explore the season of Advent.
Second-year Music Scholar, Hannah Ost (pictured here in rehearsal), launched the service in energetic fashion conducting Gaudete.
Elsewhere, Your Loyal Correspondent directed the eighteen-piece choir in a lyrically colourful setting of Lullay My Liking by Will Inscoe, a sixth-form pupil at St Edmund’s School, and a deft Ding Dong! Merrily on High. Earlier on, second-year postgraduate Law student and Music Scholar, Helen Sotillo, ushered in the Christmas season with a clarion-clear solo verse of Once In Royal David’s City – as it lifted into the upper reaches of the Nave, the season unfurled above the heads of the assembled congregation, stood in an expectant, candlelit hush.
Next up: tomorrow brings a Christmas lunchtime concert with the Flute Choir and Minerva Voices, and later the annual festive knees-up that is the Big Band’s Christmas Swingalong. Well, it IS the season…
Rehearsals are underway for a performance in February of Purcell’s ground-breaking Dido and Aeneas by the University Cecilian Choir, String Sinfonia and soloists.
Driven by characterful choruses, the Chorus has a significant role to play throughout each of the acts. Whether courtiers to the Queen, a coven of witches or lusty and infidelious sailors, the Choir will have a major part to play in the gradual unfolding of the witches’ nefarious scheming to come between the Queen of Carthage and the Trojan prince…
The Choir has been working hard in rehearsals each week, and is here captured getting into character as palace courtiers for the start of Act I.
Soloists in the opera are drawn from the Choir, including third-year Music Scholar, Fleur Sumption and first-year Felicity Bourdillon, seen here in an earlier rehearsal for Acts I and II.
Banish sorrow, banish care…
The University Chorus is busy rehearsing works by Vivaldi and Handel each Monday evening, in preparation for the annual December concert.
As part of the programme, the Chorus will perform Vivaldi’s fiercely committed Magnificat, rich in dissonance and expressive chromaticism, as well as two of Handel’s Coronation Anthems, for which they will be joined by the Symphony Orchestra. Undergraduate and postgraduate students sit alongside University academic and administrative staff, senior management and members of the local community, all bringing Vivaldi’s dramatic work and Handel’s buoyant Zadok the Priest off the page
The group has been working hard throughout the term; there’s not long to go until the performance next week – come and hear the results for yourself on Saturday 8 December…
