Tag Archives: Colyer-Fergusson

New music building: latest images

A flurry of photos from yesterday’s site meeting at the new music building construction, with some exciting facets of the building now starting to develop.

First, and most importantly, though, there was the necessary assessing of the audience chairs: pictured right are Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Keith Mander, and BNP Paribas Project Manager, Tony Forbat, most definitely NOT sitting down on the job, but rather giving due consideration to the retractable audience-seating for the hall!

The foyer roof-light continues to develop, and looks particularly exciting, and will afford plenty of light into the foyer space welcoming people into the building and the small foyer performance stage.

The roof-light in the concert-hall itself is also taking shape: pictured here, looking directly up from the floor of the hall.

Additionally, the wooden interior of the hall is starting to appear, in particular as part of the roofing; walking across the temporary boarding to examine this was certainly not for the faint-hearted, according to the Director of Music!

And finally, an exterior view of the north-facing facade, with windows onto large ensemble rehearsal rooms to the right and left, and staff office windows.

See a full gallery of all the images from yesterday, and throughout the project, by clicking the album below.

Images

New music building: latest photos

A crop of photos taken last Friday at the new Colyer-Fergusson construction site. The windows of the upper ensemble rehearsal rooms and the staff offices have been going in recently, as well as the rather large window in the western side of the concert-hall.

North elevation
Upper rehearsal rooms and offices
West wall
West wall of the concert hall

Thefoyer roof-light is in the process of being installed as well.

Foyer roof-light being installed

View all the images from the construction project by clicking on the album below. Exciting times…

Images

Topping-out ceremony

Last Friday saw the ‘topping-out’ ceremony for the new Colyer-Fergusson music building, a significant moment in the life of the new edifice.

Gathered together were senior University figures, guests, supporters, members of the architectural and construction firms, and friends to celebrate this major landmark in the project, and to witness the symbolic turning of the final nut in the roof’s construction.

A tour of the construction site gave the assembled visitors the chance to see the shape of the emerging building, the concert-hall, foyer, and practice rooms.

Ending up in the roof, and to an heraldic fanfare from the University Brass Ensemble waiting below, the party looked on as Chairman of the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, Jonathan Monckton, wielded the spanner and officially closed the construction of the roof.

 

Exciting times…

View all the images from the event by clicking on the album below.

Images

Photos: Mick Norman.

Haydn’s Creation: reflections of an American violinist

Masters student and violinist Jon-Mark Grussenmeyer reviews the  recent Cathedral concert.

—-

On the fiddle: Jon-Mark Grussenmeyer

After rehearsing with Sue into the late hours of countless Thursdays, performance day was finally upon us.  It promised to be a busy day, not least because my family had flown in from New Jersey to watch the concert.

My father kindly offered to drive me from my flat to the pre-concert rehearsal, at which we were supposed to arrive by 10:45.  He promptly made a wrong turn at one of the roundabouts, though thankfully he was, at least, still driving on the wrong—I mean left—side of the road.  By the time we pulled into town, I was nearly late.  Knowing the English fondness for punctuality, and fearing being skewed by Sue’s angry baton, I sprinted into the Cathedral only to find that half of the orchestra had yet to arrive!

As a postgraduate student of Mediaeval Studies, I am often in the Cathedral, usually examining tombs and other objects related to long-dead people, but filling such a building with beautiful music was completely new to me.  To sit and play in the vast nave, the gothic vaulting soaring far above our heads, sunlight piercing the leaded windows in dusty golden shafts, was, for me, an unforgettable experience.

After practicing for a while, we were allowed a brief respite, during which my stand partner and I rushed to purchase the coffee and muffins that would keep us alive for the rest of the afternoon.  Of course, as we ate, poor Miriam was then subjected to a mini-lecture on the finer points of the Great Cloister’s architecture, which was only halted when we heard the rest of the orchestra tuning inside.

The second half of the rehearsal went quite well for the orchestra.  Several times, the combination of such beautiful harmonies and stunning setting was so powerful that it brought tears to my eyes.  Then, the beautiful shafts of sunlight began to shift until they shone directly in my face whenever I attempted to look up at Sue, so teary eyes necessarily remained an integral part of the rehearsal.

Rehearsal at an end, I ate a late lunch and wandered around town with my family.  As evening wore on, we repaired back to my parents’ room in the Falstaff Hotel, where I changed into my dinner jacket and then walked back to the Cathedral, violin in hand.  The only mishap en route was a ‘gentleman’ who attempted to lay hands on my dinner jacket whilst babbling something unintelligible, though I rid myself of him with a fierce look and a few well-chosen words.

We set up our instruments in the shadowy Cathedral Crypt, one of my favourite places in all of Canterbury, and waited for the concert to begin.  As 7:30 rolled around, the chorus marched out to take their places on the enormous risers that seemed to reach as high as the quire’s rood screen, and we took our seats and tuned our instruments.  I was stunned by the number of people filling the Nave, including the Lord Mayor, who was sitting across from me in the front row with his impressive chain of office.  We certainly ought to have chains of office in the States.  Finally, Sue, Jeremy, and the soloists emerged to thunderous applause, and the concert took off in the whirlwind of Haydn’s interpretation of Chaos.  I am glad that I had time to appreciate my surroundings whilst playing during the rehearsal, for I had little time to notice anything but the notes, the baton, and Jeremy’s bow as I shifted into my intense concert mode.  As I am on the front edge of the orchestra, I found it amply necessary to concentrate; in the complete view of the audience, I have to at least appear to know what I’m doing.

As with any performance I have ever completed, orchestral or theatrical, the concert seemed to fly by at breakneck speed, and suddenly, after weeks and weeks of tiring rehearsals, the orchestra and chorus were belting out the last magnificent strains of the Creation.  As the echoes of our final chord lingered among the high-flung columns and the audience filled the nave with applause, I gazed up at that splendid Cathedral and at my fellow musicians, trying to etch the moment into my memory.  Though I shall take many amazing memories back with me to New Jersey when my time here is over, the memory of this concert numbers among the very best.

New music building: latest images

New photographs from last Friday’s site visit, where construction on our new Colyer-Fergusson music building is progressing apace.

Views now of the corridor of practice rooms on the ground floor, and the developing reception foyer and social space as visitors walk in the entrance.

Corridor of ground-floor practice rooms
Reception foyer, looking towards stairs to first floor

There’s also a photo of the new band rehearsal room: see all the new photos online by clicking the album below.

Images

New concert diary now online

Looking at the new concert diary over the next four months, I think it’s fair to say this is one of the busiest I’ve seen here at the University.

Big bandEvents kick off in a few week’s time with the award-winning St James Quintet opening the Lunchtime Concert series for the term with an eclectic programme for wind quintet. February begins with a bang as the Concert and Big Bands storm back to the Gulbenkian in ‘Nice ‘n’ Easy,’ with a selection including classic Duke Ellington and pieces fromWicked, to name but a few; the Chamber Choir will take you on an evocative journey ‘From Morn to Midnight‘ in the intimacy of Canterbury Cathedral Crypt towards the end of the month.

March promises to be an epic month; there’s the glory of the Colyer-Fergusson Cathedral Concert as the Chorus and Symphony Orchestra unite in Haydn’s Creation; student and staff musicians in Jazz @ 5; the exciting prospect of Korngold’s lyrical second string quartet with the Brodskys; exoticism from the Bamboo and Silk Ensemble; not one – not two – but three bands as the Concert and Big Bands team up with St. Edmund’s School for Big Bands3, before the term finishes with a valedictory lunchtime concert at St Peter’s Church in Canterbury from the newly-founded University Mistral Ensemble and the Chamber Choir.

Phew.

Click here to view online, and get the dates in your diaries now, or download a copy of the brochure as a PDF. Something for everyone…

Massive (picture) Attack: new hoardings

Since Friday, the hoarding around the construction site of the new Colyer-Fergusson music building has taken on a different aspect – it now features several giant photographs taken by the illustrious photographic arm of the Music Department, Mick Norman.

Walking from the visitors’ car park to the Gulbenkian, visitors will be greeted with images of music in action – the images feature some of the Music Scholars performing – as well as information about music at the University.

Exciting times…

Music featured in the Kent magazine

I’m delighted to see that we’ve been given a double-page spread in the latest issue of the University magazine; the feature includes a review of last year’s Music Scholarship prize-winners; a focus on Humphrey Berney’s musical success after life at Kent; a look at the latest on the Colyer-Fergusson music building; and a look ahead to the last ever concert in Eliot Hall!

[issuu width=420 height=297 pageNumber=10 backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=111101114012-7b8ed41db8604711913f22e5664cf093 name=kent1111 username=universityofkent tag=alumni unit=px id=da653c82-6d63-90a3-a9b6-dec31133543e v=2]