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Volume 2, Issue 1
Welcome…
I really can’t believe we are into our autumn
issue already: mind you I did “lose” a month
of the summer tripping around South America
(there’s an outline of our musical experiences in
this newsletter but a description of our holiday
in Peru will be in the local press).
We are still reeling in the after effects of our
wonderful June concert with the “No Strings”
charity: with talk of future children’s programmes
in Harrogate and further afield (The Sage at
Gateshead has been muted) and further fund
raisers. Did you see the review on the No Strings
website? Some very kind comments and what
a major plug for the HSO. Just follow this link:
www.nostrings.org.uk/a-wolf-and-a-96-pieceorchestra-an-incredible-fundraising-event
Some new items in this issue include profiles
on players. This time it will be some of our new
players. Also a new competition – “Spot the Logo.”
All the best, and looking forward to the next
concert already! PS – Don’t forget to use the
website to add comments, make suggestions or
simply chat to us. The new website is ready to go
as we speak and should be stunning. Do have a
look and pass a link to your friends.
Bryan
The Andean version
of the Orient Express!
OCC
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November 2013
Bryan’s intrepid explorations
Although a month sounds like a long period to
be away, time, as ever, just flew by. The beauty of
our trip was that we spent 2 weeks in Buenos Aires
preparing for the concert and 2 weeks in Peru. The
two were so completely different; it was a perfect bit
of planning with lots of variety of experiences. Just
to remind you, Bryan had been invited to work with
the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, the concert being
held in the impressive Law Courts.
The law courts
We were not sure what to expect in BA. Being
country bumpkins, we don’t like big cities and BA
was big! We must have worn out a pair of shoes
each as we walked everywhere. We were surprised
by the amount of graffiti on all the buildings and
the way all the roads were organised. Straight lines,
you would have thought would have been easy:
well they were… to get hopelessly lost! It was their
winter but whilst the Argentineans were wearing
hats, gloves and thick overcoats we were soon
walking round in T-shirts! It really was warm at
times, with blue skies every day. Rather concerned
that there were few places to eat in the evening, we
consulted with the musicians who asked when we
were eating, only to be told that the restaurants
don’t even open until 9pm!
Rehearsing with the musicians was very
interesting. There were only 30 players: very
enthusiastic and some young ones too. Everyone
constantly referred to me as “maestro” followed
by endless kisses: a custom I was not accustomed
to but soon took great pleasure in accepting. Not
sure if I quite took to bearded men doing likewise
but you have to take the rough with the smooth!
Many of the players relied on a fee, playing with
the orchestra and all had more than one job
merely to exist. If a better-paid job came up, then
you simply didn’t see them at rehearsal. Some
were musicians with the local Philharmonia: a
professional orchestra. Alfredo (Corral), their MD
and conductor, was very jealous of me: knowing
that players in the HSO actually paid membership
fees to play. The situation was also different for
audiences. Apart from the only 2 professional
orchestras in Argentina, where audiences paid for
concerts, everywhere else, concerts are free. Music
groups therefore rely on sponsorship.
Amadeus rehearsal
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
h a r r o g a t e o r c h e s t r a . o r g . u k
New members
The Amadeus group is sponsored by a local radio
station. It is quite an experience working with a
group such as this for the first time, knowing you
have only 3 rehearsals to put everything in place.
It took a good half hour of rehearsing, for them
to play the Beethoven (symphony 5) they way I
wanted it playing! They were amazingly responsive
and soon we were all enjoying the music.
Rodolfo Critto Director of Radio FM, Alfredo
Corral, Kathy Western, Bryan Western and
Alberto Portugheis
Our Casita in the Sacred Valley, Peru
You might well ask how I got on with the language
barrier. Well, this was no issue at all. Interestingly
enough, once we started playing everyone knew
Italian musical terms and could follow my
gestures, so the only problem I had was quoting
bar numbers to rehearse passages. Alberto’s wife
plays viola and, like Alfredo, spoke perfect English
too, so problem solved. One interesting point is the
fact that film music is not played by orchestras in
this kind of concert: it was quite a novel experience
for the players and audience. When I asked Alfredo
how he thought the audience would react he simply
said, “It depends on how much they like you and
the music”. As we were playing the 2 string pieces
from Walton’s Henry V and an arrangement of
Barry’s Dances with Wolves I was quietly confident,
especially as the orchestra seemed to love them.
I don’t think I will ever get over the relaxed
Argentinean way of life. The dress rehearsal didn’t
go particularly well. There were at least 10 people
missing; a bassoonist I had yet to meet and a timp
player who came in for the last 2 minutes of the
rehearsal – he had a valid reason as his transport
broke down. The players had their other jobs to do!
Our concert was at 8.00pm supposedly, but as there
were concerts at 4pm and at 6pm in the same hall,
naturally things started getting out of hand. We
eventually started at 8.25pm. The audience (some
250 of them including young children) didn’t
seem to bat an eyelid and just sat patiently for me
to enter. The concert was astoundingly successful.
I will never forget the responses of the audience
and players alike. I had to come on 4 times to the
platform and do an encore piece amidst shouts of
“bravo”, “Maestro Bryan”, whoops and whistles.
Lots of people were on their feet and Kathy was so
amazed by this, that she managed to record the
response on our camera. “Are they always like this?”
I asked Alfredo. “Certainly not” was his response.
“If they don’t like the music or the conductor, they
let you know instantly. They obviously liked you!”
Following the concert 20 of us went out for a
meal: yes it was midnight when we arrived at the
restaurant, which was full on 2 floors with many
children too. Typically, the most amazing meat was
served with our guests offering “tastings”. Needless
to say it was past 3.00am when we got back to our
hotel and couldn’t eat another meal containing
meat for at least 3 days.
So lasting impressions/thoughts:
1. People from Buenos Aires have no idea about a
real “winter” (many have never seen snow).
2. The people we met were so friendly and generous:
adorning us with gifts and invariably not allowing
us to pay for meals. Particular thanks to Alfredo
who kept us on the straight and narrow in BA.
3. HSO members – don’t get the idea that you can
avoid attending rehearsals and especially dress
rehearsals.
4. “Maestro Bryan” would be a good way to address
me in future (instead of the usual stuff people
throw in my direction!)
5. General kissing should be encouraged (but not
necessarily for the bearded variety or certain older
bass players!)
6. I look forward to performing other South
American rhythmically exciting pieces. (HSO look
at your suggested future programmes notably
Estancia Suite by Ginastera)
7. We should all go to BA as they will love us!
As far as the rest of the holiday is concerned I
won’t bore you with the superlatives we used whilst
there. Needless to say the pictures will speak for
themselves and we would go back tomorrow if the
HSO would sponsor us!
Bryan and Kathy Western
Machu Picchu at 5pm
facebook.com/HarrogateSymphonyOrchestra
twitter.com/HSOHarrogate
A warm welcome to —
Tom Chamberlain (cello)
Returning
after the birth of his daughter.
INCA workshop
Adrian Field (violin)
No-one quite knows where he’s been but the
streets of Harrogate seem much cleaner now!
New members —
Nathaniel Elcock (violin)
Naomi Norton (violin)
Kat Lambeth (viola)
Rhona Carse (trumpet)
Love this picture of Tom Chamberlain and his
family, Charlotte and baby Florence!
PLAYER PROFILE
Lauren Oldacre
I’m twenty-years-old, and I lived in Solihull before
moving to Leeds to study. I am currently a third
year English and Writing student at Leeds Trinity
University and also have a part-time job at Candy
Hero, an imported confectionary shop. I started
playing the ‘cello in mid-2007, though I also
sing in a choir and can play the steel pans and
tin whistle. In addition to this, I am also teaching
myself to play the accordion, violin and piano.
Though I’ve never studied music, it has always
been something I thoroughly enjoyed and always
kept as a hobby, even after I stopped receiving
lessons. Creative writing and playing sports are also
other hobbies of mine.
youtube.com/HarrogateOrchestra
Friends
Kathy Western has been working hard and has
already signed up nearly 100 friends for this
year. Well done that woman! It is certainly a
package that can’t be ignored: preferential
seating and free, signed programmes plus a
summer concert June 2013
reduced yearly cost. All this and to be greeted
by Kathy’s ever smiling face: who could wish
for more? Consult the web page for details to
become a Friend of the HSO or read one of our
concert programmes.
PLAYER PROFILE
What a day that was! I don’t think anyone could
have wished for a better event. Well over 750
children and parents attended the afternoon
matinee: a fantastic response. Clearly this was
well received too with a call for similar events
in the future for children. Certainly, visiting the
schools was a good indication of the interest
around the area: huge enthusiasm from all the
children. The pay off: a full house. And didn’t
they enjoy themselves too? The anticipation
was electric and when Wayne the Wolf appeared
you could feel their excitement. By the end of
the performance, once the children had become
accustomed to Wayne I looked round and there
they were, 6 children following him in a line!
Harry my 5-year-old grandson was acting with
great bravado until Wayne walked past him; at
which point he shot up into the lap of his mum!
The press reviewer spoke to me during the
interval and said that he had seen Peter and
the Wolf many times. Our performance, he
said, was the best he’d ever seen (even from
pro orchestras). Although the numbers in the
audience in the evening were very disappointing
we managed to raise £3,700 for No Strings and
this should increase when we start to sell the
DVD. One young lady was so influenced by her
experience, that she sent me a picture. It is from
5-year-old Alice Milner and just in case you can’t
quite read the words, it says:: “At the weekend I
went to see Peter and the Wolf. The wolf kept
REVIEW
www.nostrings.org.uk/a-wolfand-a-96-piece-orchestra-anincredible-fundraising-event
Hot off the press
Bryan’s South American
escapades to be featured
in the Harrogate Advertiser
saying “I am a vegetarian.” It was a puppet
show.” In the picture Alice tells me that Wayne
and Bryan are at the front with the narrator
and the two figures on the left are mummy and
daddy playing the violin.
The performance of the Beethoven Pastoral
Symphony attracted some very complimentary
comments too, from a number of listeners who
praised our sensitive and moving interpretation.
Certainly, listening to the DVD, it is a wonderful
performance and possibly musically and
technically the best we have ever played.
HSO SALES
Please go to the sales stand at concerts
where all the following are available…
HSO logos for the car — free!
DVDs
March 2012 Carmina Burana
with St Aidan’s Community Chorus and
Chamber Choir with Caroline Heard playing
Bruch’s violin concerto – £10 (Double DVD)
nathaniel elcock
I just joined HSO in September. First impressions
are very good, so you may see me around more!
I’m from the posh South originally but have
lived in York for the last ten years. I consider
myself a wannabe Northerner so feel right at
home in HSO. I’m a conference interpreter and
translator (French and German) and fit in some
university teaching alongside freelance work. I
first started learning the violin when I was five
and have belonged to various orchestras and
ensembles over the years. Rumour has it that I
also play viola, but this cannot be confirmed…!
CDs
March 2013 – World Music Programme
with Inca – £8 (Double CD)
New
June 2013 – “No Strings” Concert
This is a fantastic recording of the evening
programme: a wonderful Peter and the Wolf
with Wayne the Wolf and a fabulous Beethoven
Pastoral performance. A charity fund raiser for
a bargain £10 (Double DVD)
T-shirts – £7 Polo shirts – £10 Fleeces – £20
Don’t forget…
Any advertising is good advertising!
h a r r o g a t e o r c h e s t r a . o r g . u k
diary dates
2013
10th November, Leeds Uni.
HSO with guests Alberto Portugheis (piano)
and Alfredo Corral (conductor)
16th November, Royal Hall
Aquarelle Guitar Quartet
14th December, HIC
Family Christmas Concert
Tickets on sale soon
16 schools will be taking part.
Tickets: http://bit.ly/192cU1s
2014
Please note that there is not a typing error in
the dates below. We had to alter the dates from the
previous newsletter, switching the November 2014
concert with the March 2015 due to Laura’s busy
schedule.
15th November
Beethoven – Coriolan Overture
Brahms – Piano Concerto No 2
(Soloist – Julian Saphir)
Rachmaninov – 2nd Symphony
13th December, HIC
Family Christmas Concert
2015
March 15th
Beethoven – Egmont Overture
Beethoven – Violin Concerto
(Soloist – Bartosz Woroch, YCAT)
Sibelius – Symphony 1
7th June
Tour de France Gala Concert
British and French National Anthems
2 new commissions to celebrate the event
(Bryan and Nick)
Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man
Offenbach – Can Can (Orpheus in the Underworld)
Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries (Die Walkure)
Adams – A Short Ride on a Fast Machine
Williams –Flying Theme, from E.T.
Herold – The Clog Dance (La Fille Mal Gardee)
Schonberg – Les Miserables (extracts)
Elgar –Nimrod
Elgar – Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1
Henry Wood/Malcolm Sergeant –
Fantasia on British Sea Songs
Rule Britannia
Parry – Jerusalem
21st March
Sibelius – Karelia Suite
Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No 1
(Soloist – Laura van der Heijden
BBC Young Musician of the Year 2012)
Salmon – Air Fandango
Respighi – Pines of Rome
20th June
‘Songs from the Shows’ theme
21st November
By popular request…
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Rumour has it that our principal clarinettist
Chris Armitage will be delighting us with Mozart’s
Clarinet Concerto!
facebook.com/HarrogateSymphonyOrchestra
twitter.com/HSOHarrogate
PLAYER PROFILE
Naomi norton
Naomi was born and raised a Southern Fairy
down in Kent, however back in 2007 she made the
erudite decision to move northwards in order to
study music at the University of Leeds. Following
her successful undergraduate degree she continued
to avoid ‘real life’ by taking a Masters in the Applied
Psychology of Music, also at Leeds. Continuing on
this trajectory she is now aiming for the hat-trick
with her PhD studies, based at the Royal Northern
College of Music in Manchester. Her research,
entitled ‘Health education in instrumental/vocal
music lessons: the teacher’s perspective’, began
in January 2013 and is progressing apace with a
variety of studies exploring health education and
support for musicians and how teachers fit into this
complex picture.
She also teaches violin in a variety of situations
around Leeds and occasionally takes the
opportunity to perform professionally as a member
of a function string quartet (The Broadgate
Quartet, available for weddings and functions!). In
addition to this she is an active advocate for The
British Association for Performing Arts Medicine
(BAPAM for short) as she manages their Student
Advocate Scheme, sits on the Education and
Training Advisory Group and generally bends the
ear of anyone who stands still long enough. Having
decided that there were not yet enough strings to
her bow (pun intended) she has also just taken
on the role of Editorial Assistant for the online
journal Music Performance Research. In her
spare time she enjoys playing with the Harrogate
Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras, helping
to organise events for the charity River Legacy
Trust, playing canoe polo (like water polo but with
more weapons), running, biking, salsa dancing
and skiing.
She’s not really sure what she wants to do ‘when she
grows up’ but is keeping options open and enjoying
the opportunity to keep learning and experiencing
new things. Having made the decision to settle in
the North she’s applying for full Northern Monkey
status; if you’d like to support her application
please feel free to show your support by emailing
her at: [email protected]
youtube.com/HarrogateOrchestra
November concerts
Don’t forget there are 2 concerts in November:
1. Sunday 10th at Leeds University Music
Department 7.00pm at the Clothworkers’ Hall.
This is to celebrate our invitation to guest
conductor Alfredo Corral. Alfredo will be joined
by Bryan’s old friend Alberto (Portugheis) for
Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto. The rest of the
programme is Rossini’s Semiramide and new work
by Argentinean Juan Carlos Figueiras, Rhapsodia
Concertante. The final work is Tchaikovsky’s fifth
symphony. Tickets @ £13 for adults and £4 for
students/children, are available now through our
website or directly through the University.
Carrots Night Walk
Follow the link to buy them on-line:
www.concerts.leeds.ac.uk
Please do what you can to encourage a good
audience: there are only 160 seats available so
booking is recommended.
2. 16th in the Royal Hall at 7.30pm. This is a
similar programme to the 10th but will feature the
Aquarelle Guitar Quartet playing Nikita Koshkin’s
4-guitar concerto. This will be the 3rd time we have
invited the quartet to work with us and since their
first appearance have had successes all over the
world appearing frequently on Classic FM.
We are particularly proud to have been asked to
play the Koshkin: another world premier for the
HSO. Quite a responsibility, but one we can rise to
as always. We are sure that our audience will love
this quirky work for strings, piano and harpsichord.
Tickets as always are £13 for adults, half price
students and under 11s free and are available at the
Harrogate Theatre Booking Office on 01423 502116
The programme is Rossini Semiramide Koshkin
guitar concerto Folias by Krouse (for solos guitars)
and Tchaikovsky’s amazing 5th symphony. Judging
by rehearsals this is going to be sensational!
spot the logo
Always something new and exciting with the HSO!
Here’s your chance to win some free tickets. All you
have to do is inform us via the website where you
think the picture below is taken. The idea is that
people send in their picture, which highlights our
HSO logo in unusual places. It could be our car
sticker on a car in the middle of the Sinai Desert, a
T-shirt in a field in Knaresborough in the snow or a
fleece up a mountain in Wales. All the competitors
have to do is guess the location.
This issue — Where is Bryan?
And finally…
Liz Clegg and Julia Priestley from second violins
took part in a 15 mile charity night walk around
London in September organised by ‘Fight for
Sight’, the UK’s largest eye charity dedicated to eye
research and raised over £1000. They were walking
with their colleagues from the British Thyroid
Foundation along with 100s of other walkers, most
of who were dressed as carrots! They said it was
a fantastic experience and that they saw all sorts
of sights along the way (especially at three in the
morning!) Well done girls!
The Swedish venture blew up on us when we
found out that the concerts were to be held at the
two most extreme points of the country! Airfares
and logistics proved to be too much for us: a great
shame and disappointing for everyone. Don’t
worry though… we have now been invited to
attend a festival of music in Spain. Bryan and
Flick are now exploring the possibilities of a short
tour with 3 concerts including a world premier
piano concerto written for Alberto. The dates (to be
confirmed) are Saturday 23rd May 2015 to either
Wednesday 27th or Thursday 28th, depending on
costs. The main issue at the moment is air travel
from Heathrow directly to Coruna. Any thoughts?
Andy Williams our principal horn has been
successful in applying to run the London
Marathon next year. More news on how we can
support him in the next newsletter. Bryan has
applied to the “Grand Depart, le tour” committee
for funding for our 2014 gala concert. Surely we
were one of the first ones to think of this kind of
event to celebrate the Tour de France (see Bryan’s
Profile in the Harrogate Advertiser in March
2013). Here’s hoping we are successful. Watch
this space.
h a r r o g a t e o r c h e s t r a . o r g . u k