1. 4 Behind the Scenes
Playing in Rep
6 Your latest School
news and stories
12 Guildhall to
the World
New York, New York
14 My Legacy Gift
Kevin Webb
16 Where art
meets business
22 Doctor in the House
Philip Venables
26 The Interview
Athole Still
30 Then & Now
Debbie Wiseman
32 Class Notes
35 In Memoriam
Sir George Martin
38 A Day in the Life
Sara Lee
PLAYThe
Guildhall
School
Magazine
Spring/
Summer
2016

2. 2 3
Welcome to the latest edition of PLAY
Recently, I spent two days meeting with current students who
had applied to be involved in our Easter telephone appeal. I
asked them all the same questions and their responses, regardless
of subject or level of study, were astonishingly consistent and
often quite touching.
When asked ‘Why did you choose to study at Guildhall?’, many
students spoke of loving the ‘easy-going’, ‘friendly’, ‘progressive’
environment at Guildhall; how they felt at home as soon as
they walked in for an open day, an audition or to visit a friend
who was here before them. They talked of the collaborative
opportunities that arise from the combination of conservatoire
and drama school, and from the School’s partnerships with
external organisations such as the LSO, the Barbican and the
Royal Opera House.
In answer to ‘What do you most enjoy about your course?’ the
common replies were ‘the great teachers’ (naturally), ‘freedom’—
the freedom to experiment, to take risks in a safe space and to
be entrepreneurial – and the ‘variety’ of projects, electives and
performance opportunities available. It is fitting, then, that
this edition of PLAY features some truly enterprising students,
staff and alumni.
Over the years, I have spoken to many alumni about their time at
Guildhall and, while the specifics of the courses and opportunities
on offer have changed, the essence of Guildhall seems to have
remained the same. Our student callers look forward to hearing
about, and learning from, the experiences of those who came
before them as well as – in years to come – talking to the next
generation of Guildhall students in their turn.
Rachel Dyson, Editor
P.S. As ever, I look forward to receiving
your comments on this edition of PLAY.
Editorial Group
Deputy Head of Development
(Alumni & Supporter Relations)
Rachel Dyson
Head of External Affairs
Jo Hutchinson
Head of Development
Duncan Barker
Marketing &
Communications Officer
Rosanna Chianta
Writer & Editorial Consultant
Nicola Sinclair
Art Direction & Design
Pentagram
Jessie Earle
Contact
Email
editorial@gsmd.ac.uk
Twitter
@guildhallschool
Facebook
GuildhallSchoolAlumni
Post
Development & Alumni
Relations Office
Guildhall School
of Music & Drama
Silk Street, Barbican
London EC2Y 8DT
Photo Credits
Clive Barda, Tom L. Blau,
Carnegie Hall, Paul Cochrane,
CompanyPictures/Playground
Entertainment for BBC2,
Lizzie Coombes, Rachel
Dyson, Guy Levy, R. McElroy,
Juan Carlos Orihuela, Laura
Radford, Morag René, ROH/
Lyric, Susana Sanroman,
Clive Totman, Felipe Tozzato
Short Courses
2016
Summer Arts Camp
New Summer Arts Camp for 11-14 years
(in association with the Barbican)
Drama Summer School
Acting in Shakespeare & Contemporary Theatre
Acting in Musical Theatre
Drama Summer School for 16-17 years
Music Summer School
New Brass and Percussion Week
Advanced Saxophone
New Advanced Viola and Performance Health
New Advanced Oboe
New Oboe and Cor Anglais Artistry
Jazz and Rock Week
Jazz Singers’ Weekend
Advanced Jazz
Singing Taster
A Cappella Choral
Essential Music Theory
Music Theory: Beyond Grade 5
New Essential Aural Skills
New Aural Skills: Beyond Grade 5
Technical Theatre Summer School
Stage Management Skills
Opera Stage Management
Stage Lighting Skills
Practical Theatre Sound Skills
Video Projection Mapping
Prop Making Skills
Introduction to Costume
Continuing Professional Development
New Training in Classical Voice
Mindfulness for Performers
Creative Music Training
Introduction to Automation for the Entertainment
Industry (in association with Stage Technologies)
Booking now open. Find out more at
gsmd.ac.uk/summer

3. 4 5
PLAYING
IN REP
This February saw
Guildhall stage its first
‘rep’ season in over a
decade, scheduling
alternating performances
of Patrick Marber’s
Dealer’s Choice and a
Pinter triple bill in the
Studio Theatre. The format
provides a great challenge
for all involved, so
PLAY took a peek at the
backstage drama
Mike Alfreds
Director, Dealer’s Choice
Dealer’s Choice is a naturalistic play about
six men whose main occupation in life is
poker, and it destroys them. The play is set
in a restaurant and we are trying to make
it feel as realistic as possible, especially
the actual poker games.
Reps can be difficult for the technical
staff, because the performances are more
spread out. As a director, you’re not sure
whether the cast will return from the
two-day break feeling refreshed, or if
the show will have lost some of its
momentum. In fact it’s going very well
so far, and it’s proving useful to have
more time to refine things.
This isn’t my first time directing
Guildhall students (I directed Twelfth
Night here last year) and I’ve found the
cast excellent once again. They’re well
trained, skilled and talented performers.
In fact, I don’t see much difference
between working with Guildhall students
and seasoned professionals. What they
lack in experience they make up for in
commitment. Egos can be challenging
to deal with for a director but these
students have a very healthy attitude and
are eager to learn. It’s been particularly
impressive to see them staying late after
rehearsals to master the art of poker – I
hope we’re not encouraging bad habits.
Rory Beaton
Lighting Designer
I’m really enjoying taking part in
Guildhall’s rep season. I have some
experience of rep from Pitlochry Theatre,
where they do up to seven shows in one
rep, so it was great to put that experience
to use here. For this double bill we have
two separate directors but one designer
and one lighting designer, plus the video
designer for Pinter. You have to schedule
everything very carefully, with a technical
rehearsal then dress rehearsal for each,
but it all works in reverse so the last show
you checked is the first show you open.
Then there’s the lighting rig. You either
have to set up one rig and refocus it for
the next show, or design one solution that
works for both. In this case you have two
shows with two very contrasting briefs.
Dealer’s Choice is quite naturalistic as it
takes place in a restaurant, whereas Pinter
is more abstract and off the wall, with
lots of big shafts of light and abstract
angles. It’s logistically challenging but
good fun. In our third year at Guildhall
most of our time is spent managing
shows and dealing with new challenges
like this, and it’s a great opportunity to
get out there and learn through osmosis.
Kathryn Mercer
Technical Manager
As Technical Manager I take charge of
the set, making sure it can be assembled
and dismantled quickly in the turnaround
and that everything is safe. It’s important
to make sure everyone knows what
they’re doing, and to find solutions that
keep everybody happy. Part of that is
making sure the designer, lighting
technician and director are talking to
each other about what they want, and
finding compromises that meet everyone’s
needs. It can require a lot of tact! You
have to be ready to change things every
day and not take it personally or get
precious about it. That’s the thing about
working with creatives!
I think reps are a great opportunity to
teach us a different way of working.
Guildhall has such high professional
standards but when we graduate we
won’t always be working in venues that
have the resources to put on a really slick
production. The rep has a nice fringe feel:
we call it ‘scissors and glue management’
because you use whatever you can,
however you can, to make it work. It
teaches us to be creative and resourceful.
George Edwards
Actor, Dealer’s Choice
I play Sweeney in Dealer’s Choice. Sweeney
works in the restaurant where the late
night poker game takes place, and is
under pressure to join the game. He tries
to resist because he needs to keep his
money for his daughter’s birthday day
out, but ultimately ends up joining in
and gambling it all away. It’s the journey
of someone trying to do the right thing
but being unable to defeat his own
addictions. In many ways it’s an ugly
role, but a really interesting part to play.
Dealer’s Choice is a joy to perform in
because the writing is so rich, and Mike
Alfreds is a brilliant director. I’m in my
third and final year at Guildhall, yet
despite having had this amazing training
I felt surprisingly nervous about taking
on the modern text. I needn’t have
worried. What I found is that my natural
instincts are still there but now I have
this new technical ability from training
on totally different plays, like Shakespeare
and Chekhov. All that training comes
to the fore and actually feeds the modern
text. Suddenly this big scary role comes
to you quite naturally, and you discover
you can trust in the training that’s got you
here. That’s a great feeling.
Jo McInnes
Director, Pinter triple bill
I don’t have the opportunity to direct
students very often, but I do work with
Guildhall once every couple of years.
It’s a process I find really nourishing.
You learn a lot by going back to a place
of learning and working with people
who are just starting out. Because their
learning process is much more visible
you gain so much as a practitioner,
and become more aware of your own
working practices.
Doing Pinter feels particularly important
because he strips his writing to the core,
which forces the actors to be economic
in their choices. It’s a great challenge for
the actors, and the rep format also allows
them to work on a shorter text as part
of a smaller cast. So far the actors have
been fantastic to direct: very open, strong,
talented and creative. This industry can
be depressing because at times you feel
it’s driven as much by fashion as talent,
but I love working with Guildhall
because they work holistically, focusing
on the person as much as the actor. The
result is a well-rounded professional
who has the tools to cope with whatever
the job throws at them. As a director I
find that really refreshing.
BEHIND THE SCENES

4. 6 7
News Congratulations,
Class of 2015
On Friday 6 November Guildhall presented
200 students with their degree and diploma
certificates, and announced Fellowships
for a distinguished list of honorands.
The annual Graduation Day at City of
London’s Guildhall included a welcome
from the Chairman of the Board of
Governors, Deputy John Bennett, before
an address by Principal, Professor Barry
Ife, and presentations by the Right
Honourable The Lord Mayor Alderman
Alan Yarrow.
This year, those made Fellows of the
School included:
Hannah Bibbins, Estates & Facilities
Senior Projects Manager
Jim Dean, Orchestral Manager
Alderman David Graves, current
Deputy Chairman of the School (and
outgoing Chairman)
Danny McGrath, Head of Physical
Actor Training
Caroline Palmer, Piano Professor
Jonathan Vaughan, Vice Principal and
Director of Music
Jodie Whittaker, Acting alumna
Acting graduate Jodie Whittaker gave
the acceptance speech on behalf of the
honorands, while 2014 Honorary Fellow
Mark Jonathan also attended to receive
his Fellowship from last year.
Honorary Fellowships were awarded
to Wigmore Hall Artistic and Executive
Director John Gilhooly OBE, Chief
Executive of Arts Council England Darren
Henley OBE, lighting designer Johanna
Town, and Chief Executive of Aldeburgh
Music Roger Wright CBE.
Prior to the presentation of degrees and
diplomas, the School awarded Gold
Medals to Marta Fontanals-Simmons
and Jennifer Witton (Music), Oscar
Batterham (Acting) and Emilie Kaas
Claesson (Technical Theatre).
The Lord Mayor’s Prize and Lady Mayoress’
Prize were awarded to Edward Sayer and
Seth Scott Deuchar respectively, while
Jonathan Quaintrell-Evans and Martin
Wade were presented with Sheriffs’ Prizes.
Already a Gold Medal recipient, Emilie
Kaas Claesson was further awarded
the Chairman’s Prize, while Matthew
Rainsford won the Principal’s Prize. The
Lutine Prize for Junior Guildhall was
presented to Dan-Iulian Drutac.
Congratulations to our distinguished
Class of 2015!
Student success
Junior Guildhall violin star
makes history – twice
Talented violinist Leia Zhu has won two
prestigious international competitions in quick
succession, marking her out as one of the
prodigious music talents of her generation.
In October, Leia was awarded first place at
the International Russian Rotary Children’s
Music Competition in Moscow. Then aged just
eight years old, Leia became the youngest prize
winner the competition has ever seen, as
well as being the first British winner in the
13 years since it began.
Out of six young musicians selected for
the final, Leia’s performance of Mendelssohn’s
Violin Concerto at Moscow’s Gnessin Special
School of Music gained her first prize in the
competition for 8-12 year olds, and included
an award of US$3000.
But Leia was not done yet, and just two
months later, now aged nine, she went on
to win first prize in the 16th International
Television Contest for Young Musicians
‘Nutcracker’ Competition in Moscow. Once
again, Leia became the youngest-ever winner,
and this time the first British winner in the
history of the competition.
For her winning performance, Leia played
alongside the Russian National Orchestra,
conducted by Mikhail Pletnev in the prestigious
Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.
Leia joined Junior Guildhall in September
2015, with her areas of study covering chamber
music, composition and piano. She also studies
privately with Itzhak Rashkovsky. “It is so
exciting to play in different countries and
meet so many new people,” said Leia. “Russian
classical music has such a distinctive history.
For me to play in the home land of names such
as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich,
was such an inspiration!”
Professor Barry Ife, Johanna Town, Danny
McGrath, Jodie Whittaker and Mark Jonathan
Leia Zhu performing in the
Nutcracker Competition

5. 8 9
Saffron Hall
School news
Guildhall signs
unique new
China partnership
In the first partnership of its kind,
Guildhall School and Beijing’s Central
Academy of Drama (CAD) have agreed
to launch a joint Bachelor’s Degree in
Acting Studies for Chinese students.
The course will start in September 2016
and offers 25 students, nominated by
CAD, the opportunity to train for two
years at each institution, with those
eligible receiving a joint BA in Acting
studies from both Guildhall and CAD,
subject to validation by both institutions.
The unique degree will see students
spend the first and fourth year of the
course in Beijing, while studying in
London for the second and third years.
In preparation for the overseas study
period, the CAD students will undertake
intensive study of English in the first
year, and upon arrival in London will
be enrolled in an intensive induction
programme. The two-year London
programme will allow the CAD students
to follow, as far as possible, an equivalent
training process to that of Guildhall’s
BA Acting students. Throughout the
programme students will be provided
with support and guidance from both
institutions to ensure the training in
both continents is as accessible and
rewarding as possible.
Professor Barry Ife, Principal of the
Guildhall School, signed the agreement
at a ceremony in December on CAD’s
Dongcheng Campus, along with CAD
President Professor Xu Xiang. “This
is a ground-breaking initiative in
international acting training, aiming
to equip Chinese students to work in
what is increasingly a global industry,”
said Professor Ife. “Developed during this
UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange,
our partnership forms part of the
UK’s growing commitment to work
collaboratively with Chinese performing
arts institutions to enhance mutual
understanding of each other’s cultures,
performance traditions and training
methodologies. The Guildhall School is
delighted to welcome Central Academy of
Drama students to London and is proud
to be making a significant contribution
to cultural exchange in this way.”
In signing this agreement with CAD,
Guildhall is partnering with one of the
finest drama and stage arts institutions
in China. The first theatre higher
educational institution of the People’s
Republic of China, CAD is now affiliated
to China’s Ministry of Education, and
acts as the headquarters of the China
Alliance of Theatre Higher Educational
Institutes, Asia Theatre Education
Centre and holds the UNESCO Chair
on Theatre Education. The Academy has
the only state-level teaching team in
acting, the only national innovative
experimental zone for talent cultivation
in musical acting, and the only state-level
demonstration centre for experimental
teaching in Drama (Film & TV).
Announcing the partnership, Professor
Xiang said: “The Guildhall School of
Music & Drama is a world-renowned
arts institution, and the Central Academy
of Drama has complete confidence in
the quality of training by the Guildhall
School. We hope that through the
two-year study at Guildhall, the students’
level of expertise in acting can be greatly
improved, and that they will play a vital
and decisive role in the development of
China’s performing arts.”
School news
Guildhall calling!
In early April, current students from the Guildhall School will
telephone alumni to talk to them about their respective
experiences at Guildhall and the positive impact that former
students continue to have on the School today.
The calls will provide an opportunity for alumni to hear about
new developments at the School and to find out what it is like
to be a Guildhall student in 2016. How much has changed?
What remains the same?
For more information and to find out about our student callers
go to gsmd.ac.uk/telephonecampaign
School news
Guildhall says thank you
On 16 February, 100 staff and students of Guildhall filled the
Silk Street foyer to pay tribute to the generosity of the School’s
donor community. In the past year, some 924 donors have
supported the School, raising more than £2m between them.
With 47% of Guildhall students receiving financial support
in 2014/15, staff and students turned out in force for the second
annual Thank You Day. Together they recorded video messages
about what Guildhall means to them, signed donor thank you
cards, donned props for a fun photo shoot and even got baking!
Meanwhile, the ‘thank you’ messages continued on social media,
under #guildhallthanks:
Oscar Colomina Bosch
5 fab years @guildhallschool changed my life. Anonymous
donor was crucial. Now I teach @RoyalAcadMusic and
@MenuhinSchool #GuildhallThanks
Malcolm Edmonstone
In my 5 years @guildhallschool I met my now wife and closest
friends, had an incredible education and learned how to teach
#guildhallthanks
Erin Witton
#GuildhallThanks The almighty @LeverhulmeTrust, without
whom I couldn’t spend 95% of my waking hours in a theatre,
and still afford to eat.
Emily Laing
#GuildhallThanks. That is all. You guys know what you did for
me for three years. @guildhallschool. Miss it everyday.
School news
Techs in the City
Guildhall’s Technical Theatre students
have been leaving their mark on the City
of London with a range of ambitious and
innovative projects.
In the autumn of 2015 Guildhall
produced a composition of music and
light inspired by the stories behind the
Magna Carta, to mark 800 years since
the creation of the Charter. The spectacular
Son et Lumière was projected onto the fine
Hindoo-Gothic architectural façade of
the City’s Guildhall, bringing the building
and this unique chapter of history to life.
The 800-year anniversary also provided
inspiration to Guildhall’s student costume
designers, who were approached by the
City of London Cleansing Team to create
costumes using recycled products to be
worn in the Lord Mayor’s Show 2015.
Taking inspiration from the 800 years
theme, Year One Costume Supervision
students married old and new with
costumes constructed from video tape,
plastic bags, bottle tops, sofa covers, sweet
wrappers and more. The costumes were
a great success and featured on the BBC
television coverage of the procession.
On 4 March, Technical Theatre students
once again helped the City of London to
celebrate a great national anniversary:
the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s
death. Hot on the success of the Magna
Carta Son et Lumière, Guildhall Library
and Guildhall School hosted another
spectacular light and sound production,
this time in celebration of the Bard. The
historic façade of Guildhall was transformed
with 3D projection mapping technology
and a special music composition. This was
followed by a celebratory event featuring
Shakespeare-themed cocktails and
displays including Shakespeare’s signature
on his mortgage deed and Guildhall
Library’s copy of the First Folio, considered
one of the five best in the world.

6. 10 11
Flashback
Up to Room 69, John Carpenter Street, 1950
Were you a student at Guildhall School in the 1950s? Do you still have your
Guildhall scarf, as modelled by the lady on the left? Do you recognise these students?
We would love to hear your stories and see your photographs of life at Guildhall.
Please do get in touch (see contact details on p3).
School news
Guildhall appoints András Keller as
Professor of Violin
Guildhall School is delighted to announce that András Keller
has been appointed as Professor of Violin and began teaching
in January 2016.
This is the first UK appointment for the renowned violinist who
served as head of the Chamber Music Department at his alma
mater, the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, from 2012–2015.
András commented: “I’m extremely pleased to join Guildhall,
where I will do my best to build up a great violin class. In
the past few years, I’ve met several exceptional young artists
from Guildhall, and besides their great technical ability,
I find all of them have great musical sense, commitment,
interest, and understanding. So I said to myself, this could
be ‘my school’! I can’t wait to pass on to them what I have
learned from my great masters, Sándor Végh, György Kurtág
and Ferenc Rados.”
School news
New Seaboard
lab brings next
generation of
musical instruments
to Guildhall
Guildhall is delighted to announce
the opening of a state-of-the-art new
Seaboard Lab in its Electronic Music
Department. Under a new collaboration,
London-based technology company
ROLI has opened its first Seaboard Lab
at Guildhall, with eight of the Seaboard
RISE instruments – hailed as the next
generation of piano keyboard – housed
in a dedicated studio. Guildhall will
make the most of the opportunity by
establishing a Seaboard Ensemble
comprised of Electronic Music students,
and will perform the first ensemble
performance of Seaboards at the
Barbican Centre.
ROLI is credited with inventing award-
winning musical instruments for the next
generation of music creators, and this
partnership will enable the School to teach
its students in some of the most cutting-
edge, contemporary ways to make music.
Through the Seaboard Lab and
Ensemble, Guildhall has access to the
award-winning Seaboard RISE, a
multidimensional MIDI controller that
lets music-makers control and shape
sound through five dimensions of touch.
This touch-sensitive interface moves the
Seaboard RISE several steps beyond the
traditional keyboard, which offers only
one dimension of touch – strike – for
controlling sound.
“We are delighted to announce this
exciting new partnership that demonstrates
Guildhall School’s commitment to be
at the cutting edge of Electronic Music
performance and production,” said
Mike Roberts, Head of Electronic Music.
“The Seaboard RISE is one of the most
exciting and important developments
in expressive music technology for
many years.”
Roland Lamb, ROLI’s CEO and inventor
of the Seaboard, added: “At ROLI, we
are committed to enabling people of all
ages and backgrounds to access their
potential as expressive music creators.
We are very excited to be partnering with
such a prestigious institution to bring the
Seaboard to students who are studying
music at the very highest level.”

7. 1312
The event
Every two years, Guildhall gives three musicians the
opportunity to perform in New York, at Carnegie Hall.
I was selected for the performance on 20 January, along
with pianist Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula and clarinet player
Stephen Williams. I was so excited to have the chance to
be heard at such a prestigious venue.
However, we had quite a tough challenge ahead of us. The
programme included Debussy’s La terrasse des audiences
du clair de lune and Première Rhapsodie; Stravinsky’s Three
Pieces for Clarinet Solo; Ravel’s Violin Sonata, and Janácek’s
In the Mists, before culminating with Bartók’s virtuosic
Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano.
The piano, clarinet and violin are such distinct instruments,
it was a challenge to get them to blend well together, and
while I’ve been playing Ravel’s Sonata for years, Bartók’s
Contrasts was new to all three of us, so we had lots of
work to do!
Getting ready
We obviously had a very intense rehearsal schedule to get
ready for our New York debut, but the great thing about
playing with Jean-Sélim and Stephen is that we all
shared the same level of professionalism. We took the
opportunity really seriously and worked well together,
recognising that the performance needed to be polished
without overdoing it and losing that sense of freshness.
It was incredibly helpful to have the chance to perform
the concert at Milton Court on 8 January. We were a little
on edge because the programme was still so fresh, but
having that first performance under our belts gave us the
confidence we needed to make the most of the opportunity
at Carnegie Hall.
Out and about
I haven’t been to New York since I was 10 years old so it
was great to experience it as an adult. We were lucky to
get out there just before the storm descended, but it was
still absolutely freezing cold! When we arrived we made
the surprise discovery that our hotel rooms had all been
upgraded, so we had lovely rooms overlooking Central
Park. We spent most of our five days rehearsing, but we
did manage to fit in some sightseeing.
One of the great things about New York is that it’s easy to
walk everywhere, so we had a wander around and visited
the Empire State Building, the Met and Times Square.
It was a great way to get a feel for the city, and I definitely
made two new friends along the way.
The big night
There’s so much hype attached to the name Carnegie
Hall, it was hard not to feel intimidated by such a
prestigious venue. However, by the time we took to the
stage we were well prepared, so the nerves didn’t stop
us really enjoying the performance, and the audience
gave us a very warm welcome.
After the concert we went to a drinks reception for
performers, alumni and friends of Guildhall in New York.
We had a fantastic time – I think we were still all on such
a high from the performance! I met some really interesting
people, and it was particularly good to meet musicians who
had studied with some of my Guildhall teachers in London.
The opportunity
Opportunities like these are absolutely central to becoming
a professional musician. By this stage of my studies I
already know how to practice, but you never stop learning
how to communicate the music and make it mean
something to your audience. On the more practical side,
I also learned how to perform with jet lag!
Last year, I was selected for representation by the Young
Classical Artists Trust, so 2016 is giving me my first taste
of a professional diary. I can hardly think of a better start
than with a performance at the Carnegie Hall. These past
few months have passed in a blur of excitement!
GUILDHALL TO THE WORLD
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
NEW YORK, NEW YORK ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This January, three senior Guildhall
students headed to the Big Apple for the
opportunity of a lifetime: their debut
performance at Carnegie Hall. Violinist
Savitri Grier tells all
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
ˇ

8. 14 15
Former Junior Guildhall
student Kevin Webb has
pledged to leave a legacy
to Guildhall in his Will.
He takes time out to tell
PLAY why Guildhall has
earned his support
Can you tell us about how you first
got to know Guildhall?
I was very lucky to grow up in the days
when local authorities still funded 100%
bursaries at the junior departments of
the London conservatoires. I auditioned
for a bursary with West Sussex County
Council. At the time, I played in a local
wind band and the principal trumpet
had gone to study at Guildhall, so I told
the Council that I would like to go there
too. I didn’t realise at the time how
prestigious Guildhall was, but the West
Sussex Music Advisor did and he wasn’t
confident that I would get in – which
just made me even more determined to
prove him wrong! Thankfully I did get
in, and for the next six years I had a fully
funded place at Junior Guildhall to learn
the trombone. My dad used to drive me
up there every Saturday morning, leaving
at about 7am (it was a 90 minute drive
from Chichester) and from there I’d have
a whole day of tuition.
What impression did Junior Guildhall
make on you?
I still remember playing in the brass band
under John Clark and to begin with, I
was rather scared of him! But he had a
forensic eye for detail and pushed all of
us to beyond what we all thought we
were capable of. I will always be thankful
to John for that. Then there was the
Symphony Orchestra’s wonderful
conductor, Fred Applewhite. If Fred didn’t
think the brass section was up to scratch,
he’d walk straight up to us, with the
string section of the orchestra parting
like the Red Sea and he’d tell us what we
had to put right! People like John and
Fred were the teachers that shaped us
and to this day I still credit them for
the sense of professionalism I developed
at Guildhall. I came to realise the
incredible standard of musicianship that
was all around me and many of my
contemporaries have gone on to have
successful performing careers.
Where did your interest in music
come from?
My Dad taught me. He had no
professional training himself, but he
had played in his local St John’s
Ambulance Band as a child, then joined
the Regimental Band of the 10th Royal
Hussars during his National Service. He
taught me up to Grade 6. I specifically
remember that, because to get into
Guildhall I needed a distinction at Grade 5,
and I only had a pass. So, I took Grade 6
and then anxiously awaited the result.
On Christmas Day he presented me with
a certificate of distinction for Grade 6.
I remember being a bit annoyed that
he kept it from me until Christmas Day
– he couldn’t resist a bit of drama!
Could you have attended Junior
Guildhall without this funding?
No, absolutely not. I’m sure my parents
would have done their best to find me a
decent local private instrumental teacher,
but there was no way they could have
afforded the Junior Guildhall fees. As
you progress and if you want to get to a
high standard, it’s important to have a
teacher who specialises in your instrument.
I never became a professional performing
musician but for some years I was an
instrumental music teacher and if I had
a pupil with an aptitude for trumpet I’d
take them as far as I could, then hand
them on to a trumpet specialist. Junior
Guildhall made all the difference for
me. It shaped me as a person because of
all the skills I learned, which I still use to
this day, playing in amateur orchestras
and brass bands. Supporting Guildhall is
my way of helping children who will
face the same financial challenges I had
back in the 80s, and giving them the
same opportunities I had.
Is widening participation in the arts
a cause that’s important to you?
It’s very important to me. After
graduating from Cardiff University I
worked for West Sussex Music Service,
where part of my role was to encourage
children to take up subsidised music
lessons. We were reaching young people
whose parents had never played music,
and who might not otherwise have
thought about it for their children. Sadly,
funding cuts from central and local
government mean that the substantial
subsidies for instrumental lessons are
just not there anymore. That’s where I
think gifts should be directed: to give a
leg up to young people who otherwise
wouldn’t have a chance to shine.
Why did you decide to help out
by leaving Guildhall a legacy in
your Will?
I have a tremendous affinity for Guildhall
because of the impression it made on me
at a young age. I do feel very strongly that
those of us who benefited from a free
music education have an obligation to
help the next generation obtain the same
benefit we enjoyed. I don’t regard myself
as wealthy and other Guildhall alumni
may also say that they don’t have lots of
money and smallgifts won’t makea
difference. However, if enough of us were
to donate within our means that would
add up to a huge amount. I think we all
have a duty to give something back and we
cangivewhatwe canwhilst still providing
for our families when we’ve gone.
gsmd.ac.uk/legacy
MY
LEGACY
GIFT:
KEVIN
WEBB
Junior Guildhall, 2015

9. 1716
WHEREARTMEETSBUSINESS
Guildhall’s Creative Entrepreneurs
are pioneering a new vision of
the arts that combines commercial
sense with social purpose
Nicola Sinclair finds out more about this unique initiative.

10. 18 19
Creative entrepreneurship is part of our
commitment to excellence now and it
fits solidly with our values. We want
to encourage a mindset of curiosity, of
willingness to commit and experiment,
to work hard and keep going when
things are tough, to learn from mistakes
and nurture an artistic voice with the
integrity to make a real difference in
the world. These are essential aspects of
creative entrepreneurship.”
Social plus profit
Indeed, far from insisting on polished
presentations and slick business plans
from the off, the programme encourages
its entrepreneurs to keep an open mind
throughout the process, accepting that
mistakes will be made along the way,
listening to expert advice and then
shaping their strategy accordingly. “The
importance of learning from our
mistakes is a key message throughout
conservatoire teaching in the arts,
and it’s important that our Creative
Entrepreneurs benefit from this idea
too,” says Kieron. “It runs in our DNA
to pick ourselves up and come back
stronger. None of our entrepreneurs will
get success handed to them on a plate,
so we need to make sure they have the
resilience to keep dusting themselves
off and knocking on doors.”
“A key element of this is about giving
people the freedom to develop within the
changing professional landscape,” adds
Marina. “That in itself is a positive impact.”
From there, the challenge is for the
enterprise to sustain itself by striking
the right balance between commercial
profit-making activities and a sound
creative and social business model. “One of
the biggest difficulties for entrepreneurs
operating within the creative sector is
that of scale,” says Kieron. “There’s lots of
financial support for start-ups in digital
media and tech, because these ideas are
often scalable and quick to realise profit.
With the creative arts, it’s often about
one individual and their business idea.
“It’s been really interesting to observe the
various growth strategies adopted by our
Creative Entrepreneurs. For example,
Bach to Baby, a concert series for babies,
toddlers and parents developed by pianist
Miaomiao Yu, is expanding through a
franchise model, while communications
company Turn of Phrase is subsidising
its not-for-profit social goals with a
broad programme of revenue-generating
workshops. There are many creative
ways to make an arts business work, but
I’m a strong believer in social plus profits.
You need both to make it sustainable.”
What unites Guildhall’s diverse group
of Creative Entrepreneurs is a deep
commitment to the artistic, economic
and social value of their enterprise, with
most businesses nurturing a direct social
mission. In this way, they are part of a
generation that could radically transform
the common conception of the arts
– from the lofty vision of a creative elite
to an inclusive and joyful pursuit with
its feet set firmly on the ground.
H
ave we entered the age of the
creative entrepreneur? Over the
centuries our conception of the
artist has evolved, from the artisan
‘maker’ struggling to make ends
meet, to the elusive genius supported
by a wealthy patron, to the latter-day
professional boasting a wealth of
credentials and contacts. Whatever the
image, each has had to satisfy a market,
and yet the relationship between
arts and business has often been one
of distinct unease.
Enter the internet, globalisation, and a
biting recession, and suddenly we find
the boundaries blurred between consumer
and creator, commerce and craft. In the
21st century the paradigm is changing,
and modern artists have a new power to
shape their own future – the question is,
are they ready?
“Creative entrepreneurship is about
building bridges between the
traditionally artistic mindset and the
realities of establishing a sustainable
modern business,” says Kieron Tilley,
Entrepreneurship and Enterprise
Manager at Guildhall. “The creative
industries make a significant contribution
to the UK economy – new figures
published by the Department of Culture,
Media and Sport show the sector’s growth
rate is double that of the wider UK
economy, contributing approximately
£84.1 billion each year.
“It’s become clear that entrepreneurship
is essential to the toolbox for emerging
professionals in the performing arts, not
least when developing portfolio careers as
self-employed individuals. Unfortunately,
artists can become preoccupied by the
creative vision and lack the confidence
to pursue the commercial skills that are
essential to thrive in the modern market.”
To market to market
Addressing this skills gap, the Guildhall
Creative Entrepreneurs scheme is a
unique programme designed to support
artists in setting up their own business
or social enterprise. Run in partnership
with development and fundraising
enterprise Cause4, the intensive year-long
programme provides access to mentoring
and coaching, office space, networks,
events, funding advice and support,
steering each participant from initial
idea right through to business growth.
“This is a really exciting programme that
addresses a key need in the performing
arts sector,” says Enterprise Co-ordinator
Marina Papageorgiou, who has a
hands-on role in delivering the scheme.
“We support all aspects of the business’
growth, responding to both start-up
and scale-up. From personal experience,
the Creative Entrepreneurs have been
extraordinary. They come in armed
with an idea and it’s amazing to watch
them grow.”
Originally open to alumni and staff of
Guildhall, from September 2016 the
scheme will also include artists from
outside the School community. “This
initiative is an essential part of our
contribution to cultural change in the
performing arts, so I’m delighted that
we’re now able to scale it up,” says
Vice-Principal Professor Helena Gaunt.
“It’s really important to the School that
we continue to respond to changing
needs and opportunities in the professions,
support creativity and innovation, and
enable professionals to make a real
difference in society. Opening the
Creative Entrepreneurs scheme to a
wider range of practitioners will enrich
the scope for fresh ideas and exciting
new businesses to take root.”
Multi-award-winning social enterprise
Cause4 has proved the perfect partner
with which to take the scheme to the
next level. Thanks to an innovative and
modern approach to fundraising, the
organisation has raised more than £40m
for its clients since it was founded in 2009
by Guildhall alumna and entrepreneur
Michelle Wright.
Says Michelle: “When we launched the
programme three years ago we recognised
that there was a gap in the market for a
course that could specifically meet the
challenges of the creative entrepreneur
– the artist who is savvy enough to know
that success means developing a portfolio
of business and enterprise skills. Our
vision, in this next step, is to support
upwards of 20 new creative businesses to
launch and grow each year, providing
an important spur to both individuals
and the creative economy alike.”
Creative catalyst
A first in the performing arts sector, the
scheme has the benefit of offering a
non-threatening environment both to
help aspiring entrepreneurs to develop
their business idea away from the
competitive ‘dragon’s den’ culture of
conventional incubator schemes, and
to support early established businesses
to grow. The scheme is unapologetically
about the creative sector, for the
creative sector, but with a solid and
pragmatic foundation.
“We’ve found that these people need
different kinds of support to catalyse
the ideas and make them happen,”
says Kieron. “Guildhall has always
championed artistic work at the highest
levels, evolving the learning environment
to help the student become the best artist
and professional practitioner they can be.
‘I’m a strong believer
in social plus profits.
You need both to
make it sustainable.’
About Creative Entrepreneurs
Guildhall’s Creative Entrepreneurs
programme has been running for
three years, and in that time has
nurtured the development of 22
creative businesses led by Guildhall
alumni and staff, and provided
enterprise workshops and events
to many more.
From September 2016, the
programme will expand beyond
the School community, accepting
applications from aspiring
entrepreneurs across the creative
industries. Course participants will
benefit from an intensive 12-month
programme offering:
Mentoring and Coaching – an
average of 30 hours of tailored,
one-to-one support
Office Space – access to approx.
20 hours central London office
space per week, including free
Wi-Fi and use of utilities
Networks – access to citywide
networks and influential institutions
such as Deutsche Bank and City
of London Corporation
Training – an average of 80 hours
of seminars and workshops on core
entrepreneurial management skills
Events – an average of 15 special
events per year, including regular
evening talks and a range of
networking opportunities
Funding advice and support
– including the opportunity to
pitch to select investors, funders
and supporters
Interested?
Applications for this year’s Creative
Entrepreneurs programme close
on 17 June 2016. We are also
looking for mentors and coaches
to share their expertise with the
entrepreneurs.
For more information, visit
gsmd.ac.uk/
creativeentrepreneurs
Song in the City

11. 2120
Docklands Sinfonia
A young and pioneering orchestra, Docklands Sinfonia stages
groundbreaking concerts in London’s Docklands. The business
is led by Spencer Down, Professor of Euphonium and head of
the brass department at Junior Guildhall.
Says Spencer:
“Docklands Sinfonia was inspired by my grandfather: he
worked as a shipwright in the docks, and played the trumpet
and saxophone in the local working men’s clubs. It was my
grandfather who first introduced me to music, and I lived in
the Docklands most of my life, so it was the perfect place to set
up a pioneering new orchestra with the mission of bringing
high-quality music to new audiences.
Creative Entrepreneurs forced me to go right back to the
beginning and ask ‘Why?’ It helped us clarify what we want
to do, so that when we meet someone we can quickly tell them
who we are, and they get it. That ability to tell our story has
had an incredible impact: since starting Creative Entrepreneurs
our donations have increased ten-fold year-on-year.
Creative Entrepreneurs has injected fresh energy into our
business, and we have a number of exciting projects on the
horizon, including the recording of our first CD. We recently
staged a concert for 1,600 kids in Tower Hamlets, many of
whom had never experienced a live orchestral performance.
This was their local orchestra performing in their local concert
hall, and it was brilliant to see the kids really engage with it.”
docklandssinfonia.co.uk
Song in the City
Song in the City takes classical music out of its comfort zone,
staging concerts and social projects that aim to revolutionise the
relationship between classical musicians and their audiences.
Former Guildhall student Gavin Roberts has nurtured the idea
from social project to flourishing charity.
Says Gavin:
“I started Song in the City while I was a student at Guildhall.
I wanted to bring together different singers around
challenging and unusual themes, and experiment with the
space, the actors and audience interaction. The Creative
Entrepreneurs programme shook the idea up, asking: What
is all this for? The need to ‘sell’ the idea profoundly shaped
us as a business.
Today we operate as a charity, covering our costs through the
generosity of our donors. This enables us to focus on our social
programme, staging free lunchtime concerts to broaden
participation and running work in the community, such as
our recent project Creative Madness through Song, with the
Maudsley Mental Health Charity.
The Creative Entrepreneurs programme helped us to develop
a business strategy that protected our core values, and package
up the strands of accessibility, social mission and professional
development into an attractive sponsorship opportunity.
I realised that you don’t have to compromise your art to make
money, just refine it.
I’ve changed a lot because of Guildhall and Creative
Entrepreneurs. I initially wanted to study piano accompaniment
because I love music, but I’ve come to realise that the world it
inhabits can be stuffy and intimidating. That should never be
the case – we grow up singing songs and I hope Song in the
City captures the joy in that.”
songinthecity.org
Meet the Entrepreneurs
Drum Works
Drum Works is a music project based in east London that uses
drumming as a tool to inspire and empower people. Originally
a project manager for Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning,
Jenny Beer is now in the process of launching Drum Works as
an independent Community Interest Company.
Says Jenny:
“Drum Works started out in 2007, when the Barbican invited
two London-based musicians to collaborate with Brazilian
group Afro Reggae on a secondary school samba project. After
Afro Reggae left we found ourselves with a pile of samba
drums and a group of teenagers and we had to decide what to
do next. We asked the young people what they wanted to do
and the group started creating new work together, inspired
by the music they listen to. This approach was incredibly
successful: from 20 kids in 2007, we now reach more than
400 young people across six secondary schools.
The project just kept on growing, and Creative Entrepreneurs
was the perfect opportunity to move forward. Business
planning was new to me, so the guidance I had through the
course was invaluable. We spent a lot of time thinking about
what elements of the original project we wanted to hold on
to and what we should change. The challenge was finding
a business model that would enable us to be self-sustaining
while preserving our ethos and achieving our social and
artistic objectives.
We decided to establish as a Community Interest Company,
and we subsidise our non-profit-making activities with
commercial services such as corporate training workshops
and paid performances. This protects our core programme
and enables us to keep doing the work we want to be focusing
on. Some of our original participants, now in their early 20s,
have gone on to study music – two of them at Guildhall – and
it’s amazing to think that Drum Works ignited that interest
for them and helped them on that journey.”
drumworks.co.uk
Turn of Phrase
Communications training company Turn of Phrase teaches people
the skills, freedom and power of public speaking, while addressing
issues of gender equality in communications. The brains behind
the business are actors Francesca Wilding and Timothy Allsop.
Say Fran and Tim:
“We want speaking to be as highly valued as reading and writing.
As professional actors we understand the skills it takes to stand
up in front of an audience, and to communicate your point in
a way that’s confident and engaging. A few years ago we began
collaborating on a series of workshops designed to teach that
skill to professionals in the corporate sector and schools across
the UK. At the same time, we were aiming to address an issue
close to both our hearts: that of gender inequality. We wanted
to make people aware of their subconscious gender bias, and
provide tools that could be applied in working life.
While we cared deeply about our work, we lacked a formal
business background, and Creative Entrepreneurs was the
perfect opportunity to develop the skills we needed. It really
put us through our paces, with a useful and well-structured
programme covering accountancy, business planning,
fundraising and pitching. We found ourselves surrounded by
enterprising people, and it was an invaluable learning experience.
It helped us to realise that arts and business aren’t mutually
exclusive – as an artist, business skills can enable you to take
control of your life.”
turnofphrase.co.uk
Lyribox
Lyribox helps people to sing classical music by providing them
with digital learning tools. Launched by Guildhall vocal student
Vincent Bruggeman, Lyribox won the ‘Music Award’ of the
2015 Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprise.
Says Vincent:
“In November 2012, I began looking for resources to help me
learn a Russian song by Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin. From
this came the question: If I were a singer at a small institution
without a specialist in Russian repertoire, where would I turn
for help? The concept of Lyribox was born.
Creative Entrepreneurs is the only incubator for the arts in
London, and I was attracted to the programme because I felt
it would give me the credibility I needed to secure investment.
Although I’m passionate about entrepreneurship, the only
business training I had was from books, and the programme
brought quality control to my business activities. It was
particularly useful in writing my business plan and pitching
to investors.
The main focus of the investment in Lyribox has been to grow
the catalogue so that whatever repertoire people want to
learn, we have it. We also launched a paid service in September
2015 offering both individual and institutional subscription
models, and our longer-term focus will be on developing those
revenue streams to fund further growth.
One of the great advantages of Lyribox is that the content is
timeless and international, so it has a massive reach. It’s still
difficult and expensive to access good quality translations
and accompaniments in classical music, and Lyribox aims to
fundamentally change how people access learning.”
lyribox.com

12. 2322
Philip Venables, the first Doctoral
Composer-in-Residence under Guildhall
and Royal Opera House’s innovative
collaboration, reflects on the experience
Doctorin
theHouse
O
n 24 May, an ambitious new operatic work makes its
world debut at the Royal Opera House: the haunting,
poetic and lyrical elements of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis
reimagined in music. For composer Philip Venables the
opera is the culmination of three years of painstaking
planning, research and writing, a project he readily admits
is “the most exciting and challenging and high profile I have
ever taken on.”
Philip is the first participant in Guildhall and Royal Opera
House’s unique Composer-in-Residence programme,
which provides an intensive three-year studentship leading
to a doctoral degree. One of the first examples of an opera
company and a conservatoire joining forces, the studentship
offers an enriching model of opera development, allowing
the composer substantial research experience, critical
reflection and creative research, in both professional and
academic contexts. The residency, which started in September
2013, culminates in the performance of a major new
operatic work.
“The programme in itself is amazing – there’s nothing like it
anywhere else,” says Philip. “As the programme’s first ever
Composer-in-Residence, both Guildhall and the ROH have
been incredibly open and generous in working with me to feel
our way through how this might go. As a result my experience
has felt very tailor-made and individualised.
“I’ve spent a great deal of time with the programme supervisor
Dr Julian Philips, Guildhall’s Head of Composition, and John
Fulljames, Associate Director of Opera at ROH. The support
has included one-to-one development sessions, building
relationships with writers and performers, running workshops
and rehearsal sessions with Guildhall students across both
music and drama… I’m astounded at how huge an enterprise
all this is and how utterly focused everyone is on producing
the most fantastic work. I spent a week at Guildhall in January
doing a full read-through with a band and cast of Guildhall
students and it was an invaluable opportunity to have those
resources and that range of talent at my disposal. It’s both
flattering and daunting to see so many people come together
to work on my project.”
The right fit
The project in question did not have an easy genesis, and Philip
credits the residency with giving him the freedom to find the
right fit. “I initially wanted to work with a completely new text,
and Julian, John and I spent a whole year building relationships
with writers, which was a rewarding experience in itself,” says
Philip. “However, I decided to turn to an adaptation instead. At
no point did anyone try to change my creative direction or talk
me around – in fact I recall John saying right at the beginning
‘Whatever it is you want, ask for it, and we’ll try to make it
happen.’ It’s to the credit of Guildhall and ROH that they were
willing to be so open minded.”
Once Philip had settled on an adaptation for his final year
production, the pieces started to fall into place. Known for his
dark and visceral approach, Philip was drawn to the works of
the late playwright Sarah Kane, and the lyrical quality of
4.48 Pyschosis proved particularly compelling.
“I love the formalised, avant-garde nature of Kane’s writing,”
he reflects. “I have a long-standing interest in the spoken word
and in representations of violence in the arts, so this perfectly
fit my aesthetic.”

13. 24 25
Introducing 2015 Composer-in-Residence
Na’ama Zisser
As Philip Venables oversees preparations for the debut of
4.48 Psychosis, he will be joined by the second Composer-
in-Residence Na’ama Zisser, who entered the studentship
programme in September 2015. The rehearsals provide
a glimpse into the future for Na’ama, as she begins
her journey towards the creation of her own original
operatic work.
“I’m extremely excited about this unusual opportunity to
focus on what I’m interested in within opera and modern
storytelling, creating a work that is very personal to me,”
said Na’ama at the time of her appointment. “It’s quite
rare to have the time to reflect and research, work at my
own pace, and have mentorship, support and resources.
This will have an enormous impact on my own creative
development and the work produced. I’m very much looking
forward to building meaningful collaborations and to
exploring ideas to their full potential.”
Having completed compulsory military service as a
pianist in her native Israel’s Air Force Orchestra, Na’ama
began her compositional studies at the Jerusalem Academy
of Music and Dance, before landing prestigious commissions
with leading Israeli orchestras. Na’ama continued her
studies with a BMus in Composition at Guildhall School
and recently graduated with Distinction from the Royal
College of Music with an MA in Composition. During her
time at the Royal College, she studied under Mark-Anthony
Turnage and was awarded the Hurlstone & Cobbet RCM
special prize for outstanding achievement.
Na’ama’s work centres around collaborations, with a
particular focus on contemporary dance, opera, installations,
theatre and instrumental music. Her work has been presented
at well-known venues in the UK including Aldeburgh Music
Festival, National Portrait Gallery, Sadler’s Wells, Kings Place
and the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House.
Recent projects include a work for members of the
London Symphony Orchestra with live karaoke as part of
the LSO Soundhub residency, Sound & Music New Voices
Composer, a Sound & Music Portfolio Residency, and
a commission for the London Sinfonietta/Kings Place
Minimalism Unwrapped series which will be performed in
Tel-Aviv later this year.
On with the show
4.48 Psychosis chronicles Kane’s struggles with depression, and
the accompanying world of medical treatment, therapy and
drugs. The title refers to the hour when Kane would wake
haunted by desperate thoughts, and the play resonates with
disjointed voices and thoughts. Tragically, the play came to
represent the author’s suicide note, with Kane taking her own life
a few days after it was complete. It’s a dark and unconventional
play to adapt for opera, but Philip maintains a clear vision of
its musicality.
“I knew I wanted to set a play to music but I didn’t want to
take conventional dialogue and turn it into song,” he says.
“4.48 Psychosis is more like a poem than a play, with its use of
stream of consciousness and its polyphony of inner voices. It’s
incredibly lucid. It’s also very flexible. The play itself doesn’t
specify the setting or the number of characters – you could
have anything from one to 60. The original production had
a cast of three, and we’re using six female singers to capture
the polyphonic atmosphere.
“The biggest challenge is that there’s so much text for opera
libretto – we have to make time and space for the music
around all that. The tableaux combines a great variety of styles,
from dark and raucous band music to colourful rhythmic
sounds and heartfelt arias. Contrary to expectations, the play
itself is actually quite jolly in places. There’s lots of black
humour, lots of reflections on the absurdity and banality of
everyday life. Yes, it’s about depression and death but it’s also
about the protagonist’s search for a deep, intense love.”
Philip’s opera will run at the Lyric Hammersmith from 24–28
May, but while this represents the culmination of the residency
programme, it certainly doesn’t feel like the end. “The nature
of opera and of this residency is that you gear up towards one
big production, but after that there’s the write-up to do and
all the professional reflection that comes with the end of a
three-year programme of study and creation,” he says. “I’m
intensely excited about the show but this has also been a huge
learning process for me into how opera gets made. It’s been
an eye-opening experience and one that will stay with me for
the rest of my career.”
gsmd.ac.uk/ROHcomposer
“bothGuildhallandthe
ROHhavebeenincredibly
openandgenerous”

14. A
LESSON
IN
HARMONY
If there’s one person who understands the essence
of performance, it’s Athole Still. The former
Olympic swimmer, sports correspondent, tenor and
opera agent has forged a successful career from
a diverse range of skills and interests. In an
exclusive interview, Athole shares his secrets with
Guildhall’s Head of Vocal Studies, Armin Zanner
THE INTERVIEW
26

15. 28 29
Your career is quite unique in blending
sports and opera, both as a performer
and an agent. How did this unusual
mix come about?
Many people comment on the fact that I’m both an opera agent
and a football agent, but actually the way it happened seemed so
logical and natural. Sports came first. I was raised in Aberdeen,
the only child of two wonderful parents. As a working-class
boy my childhood obsession was football, and I played in the
street from the age of six until about 10. However my mother
also instilled in me a love of music – I’m sure she must have
sung to me in the womb, because I had such an affinity for it.
We lived in a little two-room tenement with an outside toilet,
yet my mother bought an upright piano and taught herself –
and me – to play. Back then, singing was just a fun interest for
me, and I never thought of doing it professionally. I won an
open scholarship to Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon College, a
prestigious institution, which played rugby not football, but
they had a swimming pool and a very good coach, so I became
a swimmer. By the age of 14 I was swimming for Scotland,
and I swam for Britain at 16. For the next 10 years swimming
was the main thing in my life, although I somehow managed
to fit in an MA in Modern Languages from the University
of Aberdeen.
So when did you first consider singing
as a potential career?
I enjoyed a hectic, varied career after graduation. I had my own
sports roundup programme on Grampian TV and was a regular
sports commentator for the BBC, and at the same time I was
a partner in my father’s betting shop and to this day I still love
horse racing. So there was lots of interesting stuff happening
for me but I still loved singing, so I decided to have my voice
trained, just for fun. After about a year of lessons I realised
that singing, and particularly opera, was what I wanted to do.
I still clearly remember the moment I decided: I was driving
home from golf on a Sunday and the duet from Madame
Butterfly came on the radio. I was so moved I had to stop the
car; it just hit me.
I didn’t want to be naïve about my chances, so I wrote to the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden asking if I could audition
for them, more for advice not for a job! I guess they knew of
me as a swimmer and were curious enough to agree to see me!
I sang the flower song from Carmen and they told me I had a
fine, natural tenor voice, but if I was serious I would need to
move to London and go to a proper school. I took classes in
basic musical training and composition at Guildhall and Morley
College Opera Studio, which was very valuable because I had
a lot to learn. From that point on I was absolutely obsessed with
singing and opera, to the exclusion of everything else. The
strange thing was that I was able to support myself through my
media jobs, as a swimming correspondent for The Sunday
Times and The Times, so all the time I was focused on singing, to
the rest of the world I was a swimmer and sports commentator.
It was a confusing dichotomy.
For many aspiring singers, the major
challenge is breaking into what is a
very competitive industry. How did you
get your break?
I auditioned for Scottish Opera at the Savoy Theatre, for the
late, great Peter Hemmings. He said he had nothing for me
immediately but he liked me, and would try to find something
for me. A few days later I was offered the role of cover for The
Simpleton in Boris Godunov. It was to be a baptism of fire.
After a month or so, my wife got a call on a Saturday afternoon
asking me to perform that evening, in Aberdeen, as the first
cast singer, Duncan Robertson, had taken ill. Unfortunately
I was already on my way to Coventry, where Great Britain
was swimming against Canada. I was covering the event for
The Times. Of course this was in the days before mobile phones,
so the only way Isobel could reach me was to leave a message
with the pool in Coventry.
I picked up the message and flew into a panic. I asked another
reporter to write and submit my article for me (a fact the
paper does not know to this day!) and raced for the next flight
from Heathrow to Aberdeen, which I missed by five minutes.
My only option was the next flight to Edinburgh, but I then
would have no way to get to Aberdeen in time. By happy
chance I trained as a pilot with the Aberdeen University Air
Squadron, so I rang the Edinburgh Air Squadron and relayed
the whole story to them. Incredibly, they arranged for a
Squadron Instructor to fly Isobel and I to Aberdeen. I arrived
at the theatre in Aberdeen with a police escort, had three
minutes at the piano, was sewn into my oversized costume,
and suddenly found myself on stage. That was my major
company professional debut!
That’s an astonishing story, and of
course it was the first of more than 20
leading principal tenor roles. What do
you think casting agents saw in you?
They certainly weren’t seeing an exceptional voice, I’ll be
frank about that. I had a very nice voice, an easy voice, with
a dark middle which gave the impression that it was heavier
than it really was. I never pressed it or pushed it; I simply
sang with my own voice. I was also lucky to have, if I may say
so, an exceptional ear with virtual perfect pitch, so I learned
very quickly. I can honestly say that I never once failed to
succeed at an audition in those days. I might not have always
been offered the biggest roles, but I always left with something.
I was brimming with confidence, and I think that was the
secret to my early success. In fact I think it’s one of the most
important qualities of any successful singer: confidence will
fill in the cracks. The audience can feel it, and they respond
to it. Unfortunately I became over-obsessed with reaching the
top quickly and that effectively ended my career.
How so?
I won a Major Award in Music of the City of London, which
enabled me to embark on a year-long period of study in Naples.
I worked with a wonderful repetiteur/teacher virtually every
day for 10 months. However, I sang too much and pushed too
hard. I was young and fit so I got away with it for a few months,
and I could hear the improvement, but then my voice started
to deteriorate. My coach was used to the big Italian voices, but
if you don’t have natural maturity in your voice, you have to
be very careful. I was so enthusiastic and eager that I tried to
do five years development in 12 months. Young voices are too
delicate to cope with that. After one year in Italy, I had messed
up my voice. Even more crucially, I had also lost my confidence.
I went out there brimming with confidence and came back
almost frightened to sing. After a year of torture, singing badly
through many previously booked professional engagements,
I decided to quit. I looked in the mirror and told myself ‘No
bitterness’. Two years later I started my agency, Athole Still
International Opera.
Did that experience affect your
approach to managing talent?
Absolutely, I always want my singers to learn from my experience,
and I won’t represent someone who wants to pursue a repertoire
that’s vocally wrong for them or potentially dangerous to their
voice. Sadly it does happen too often in the opera business.
The number one thing I try to get across is the importance of
knowing what your voice is appropriate for. Never go outside
your natural repertoire, that’s one of the big secrets of this
business. To use a sporting metaphor, you could be the number
one middleweight boxer in the world, but an ordinary
heavyweight will kill you if he’s lucky enough to land one blow.
It’s particularly important for male tenors, especially in
mastering the passaggio, or voice break. Look at Pavarotti: people
think he was born with that voice. No, he was born with a good
voice and his teacher taught him to get the passaggio right.
That’s why he never sang a ‘wild’ note, except perhaps for effect.
In that sense you believe that a good
teacher, and the right advice, is as
important as natural ability?
Yes, it’s crucial to find the right teacher. They should always
give the impression that they want to care for your voice. They
must try to instil in you the importance of looking after your
instrument. A great teacher will bring out the best in you and
give you the confidence that’s needed to perform to the best of
your ability. Look at football managers and how often they
get sacked – look at Chelsea. Did Mourinho suddenly become a
bad manager and the team suddenly become bad players? Of
course not. The connection was lost; the connection that gives
performers confidence in their abilities and in turn the belief
that they can excel. On the other hand, the right manager/
coach/teacher can find a team with young talents, no stars,
and they will achieve things that on paper seem impossible.
They’ve been transformed into professional performers, but
it cannot happen overnight.
Of course, for young students keen to
make their way, that’s a difficult lesson
for teachers to impart.
Absolutely. What you’re dealing with here at Guildhall and at
conservatoires around the world, is two delicate little vocal
folds in an eager 21-year old or younger! Unfortunately there
are too few people in the teaching and casting professions who
really understand the need to protect the voice, and advise on
the best repertoire for that voice. If I could offer one piece of
advice to young singers entering the profession now, it would
be to work hard, but in a controlled way. Don’t be too obsessed,
as I was. Be patient with your voice and allow it the time to
build up experience. Be “cool”, enjoy yourself, and look forward
to improving tomorrow and every day thereafter.
Athole with American tenor Bruce Ford
Athole as Macduff in Macbeth,
Glyndebourne Touring Opera, 1973

16. 30 31
THEN&
NOWFresh from her successful concert
‘The Film & TV Music of Debbie
Wiseman MBE’ at Guildhall, the
renowned composer takes time
out to share her memories and
professional advice with PLAY
T
his January, I had the thrilling
experience of returning to Guildhall
to conduct a concert of my own film
and TV music. With a selection of
my scores rearranged as concert
suites, it was an incredibly demanding
production, and I was aiming for a
filmic and glamorous sound, so the
performers had quite a challenge on
their hands. I can honestly say they were
just stunning, and the end result was
even better than I could have imagined.
And of course, walking back through
the Guildhall building brought back so
many memories.
I was one of the first Guildhall students
to do a joint principal study, in Piano
and Composition, starting in 1981. The
two subjects for me went very much
hand in hand – the skills you acquire as
a performer feed into your craft as a
composer, and you have a natural instinct
for what will work and what will be
enjoyable to perform. My composition
teacher, Buxton Orr, liked his students to
be able to play a scale on every instrument
in the orchestra as he felt it taught you
to write sensitively; and that idea has
stuck with me throughout my career.
I always felt that Guildhall was ahead of
its time. I set out knowing that I wanted
to work in media, because my passion
was bringing music to life, and it was
unique to have drama and music together
in this wonderful, friendly, inclusive
environment. Sadly, film music is
sometimes viewed as a lesser art, but
there was no sense of that at Guildhall
– good music was good music.
On the right path
My three years at Guildhall were among
the best of my life. I went in as a naïve
young composer who could string
together a tune, and came out with the
skills to write for an orchestra. I also met
my husband Tony there – he was a
student on the Acting course – so that
was another highlight! I loved everything
about the experience; the people, the
atmosphere, the spirit, but most of all
the way it set me on the right path for
my career.
Writing for TV and film is an art in
itself: working alongside a director you
must be able to embrace a collaborative
environment, and that’s a whole different
skillset to composing in relative isolation.
You have a whole team of people to
comment on your work and keep happy,
so you have to be prepared to set your
ego aside and to listen, and get along
with people. I learned many of those
skills working in the professional
environment at Guildhall and they’ve
served me well.
After graduation I had two fun-filled
years playing in a function band with
my husband while I knocked on doors
and started to make my work known.
I didn’t have many contacts so I was
starting with a blank page, but slowly
I started to build up credits in TV and
film. I got my break when a production
company I had worked for became very
successful, and took me with them along
the way. They were making a show for
Channel 4 and my showreel – featuring
a recording I did with Dave Foister at
Guildhall – hit the right desk at the
right moment. They were looking for
something choral and I’d written a choir
piece, so they decided to take a chance
on me.
Work ethic
Luck and good timing go a long way in
this industry. However it’s also important
to have a passion for what you do, to
understand drama and the role of music
in it, and to deliver what’s expected of
you on time. I have a strong work ethic
and actually thrive on the adrenaline
rush of having a deadline. Again, I think
of Buxton, who used to say that if you
write every day you never run out of
ideas. Media isn’t an environment where
you can sit around and hope the muse
visits you – composer’s block is not an
option. You have to be very disciplined
and get something out, then fine-tune
it until you’re happy. I start work early,
often sitting down at my piano at 6.30am.
I really enjoy that quiet, peaceful time,
when I can focus on the music and not
worry about the phone ringing. By 11am
I’ve often done the equivalent of a full
day’s work, and I can have the afternoon
to myself.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate to
have worked on a fantastically diverse
range of productions. Wilde with Stephen
Fry will always be one of my highlights
as it opened so many doors for me, as did
Warriors with Peter Kosminsky. More
recently (and in my sixth collaboration
with Kosminsky) Wolf Hall was an
incredible experience. There was such
an immense love for the book that
people couldn’t wait for the TV series to
come out, and it built up a wonderful
momentum. When we released the
soundtrack it went to number one in the
classical charts. People responded to it
really well.
I have a couple of live Wolf Hall concerts
coming up soon, which I’m really
excited about. So much of my work is
studio-based so I love seeing the audience
reaction during live performance. That
was one of the nicest things about
returning for my concert at Guildhall.
I was also reminded of just how high
the standard is, not only in terms of
the instrumental skills but also the
professionalism. As we were going
through rehearsals I was looking at all
those young musicians and remembering
how wonderful it was to be sitting there,
right at the beginning of your career.
At that age there shouldn’t be anything
to fear, so I’d tell those students to play
with the utmost confidence. Those years
are just magical and you don’t want to
miss one moment.
Wolf Hall, BBC, 2015Debbie Wiseman rehearsing with the Guildhall
Chamber Orchestra, January 2016

17. Nicholas Jenkins
(Early Music Voice 2005)
Nick’s current engagements include
conducting Offenbach’s Mesdames de la
Halle for Opéra de Lyon, and Chorus
Master for Rameau’s Platée at Paris Opera.
He recently conducted Mozart’s Idomeneo
for Blackheath Halls Opera, and was
Assistant Conductor to Sir Simon Rattle
and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
for Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier at
Baden-Baden Easter Festival.
Prach Boondiskulchok (Piano 2010)
and Vladimir Waltham (Cello 2012)
Prach and Vladimir are two of the Linos
Piano Trio, who won first prize in
the Piano Trio section of the Melbourne
International Chamber Music
Competition 2015 .
Bryn Terfel (Opera 1989)
Bryn Terfel was presented with Freedom
of the City last November, to coincide
with his 50th birthday. The private
ceremony was followed by a dinner in
Bryn’s honour, with music performed
by current Guildhall School students
Francesca Chiejina, Milan Siljanov and
Dylan Perez.
Elsewhere, Bryn’s 50th birthday was
celebrated with major concerts at the
Royal Albert Hall in London and the
Wales Millennium Centre.
Janet Way (Flute 1966)
Janet Way founded and continues to run
the Oxford Flute Summer School, which
celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Originally inspired by a desire to provide
an environment where players of widely
differing abilities could share their love
of music and the flute, the course has
become internationally recognised as
inclusive, stimulating and a very special
experience for flute players of all ages,
all abilities, and all nationalities.
“The eagerness of people to respond to
new ideas, develop their skills, or make
some small but vital change is key to the
success of our course. A trust fund is
in place to give financial help to young
talented players.”
Chris Wells (Percussion 1990)
Chris has recently had the privilege of
working with American drumming
legend Harvey Mason, co-writing a
track and appearing as a guest vocalist
on the latest album from jazz super-
group Fourplay, Silver, celebrating the
band’s 25th anniversary. He has also
been collaborating on new material
with Grammy-winning Brazilian artist
and songwriter Ivan Lins, in addition
to playing drums for his European
performances. Chris recently released
his 4th solo album 3 BEAT featuring
Memphis keyboard virtuoso Charlie
Wood, and continues to write music for
television, published through his own
Sound Designs Music and Atabaque
Music catalogues.
“I will always be very grateful for my
time at Guildhall, for the opportunities
that it gave me and the manner in which
it expanded my musical outlook”.
DRAMA
Eileen Atkins (Speech & Drama 1953)
Eileen Atkins received the 2015 Gielgud
Award for Excellence in the Dramatic
Arts. Dame Eileen was presented with
the prize at the UK Theatre Awards 2015
at the City’s Guildhall last October.
Catriona Carter (TTA 2014)
Cat Carter is now Lighting Designer at
Imagination Ltd, where she joins fellow
alumnus James Shirley.
Sarah Elizabeth Harrison (TTA 2012)
Sarah has launched her own business,
lovelidesignco, selling bespoke handmade
leather bags. lovelidesign.co.uk
Kate John (SMTT 2001)
Having spent the last three years
teaching in the Guildhall School’s Stage
Management department, Kate has
now left to take up her new post as Scenic
Workshop Project Coordinator at the
National Theatre.
Jonathan Lyle (SMTT 2008)
Jon Lyle won the Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Media Server
Programming at the 2015 Technical
Theatre Awards.
INBRIEF
Fergal O’Mahony Keyboard Prize
Hannah Watson is the first student to be
awarded the prize in memory of talented
pianist and alumnus Fergal O’Mahony
who died suddenly in September 2014.
New Year’s Honours
Congratulations to former Director of
Music, Leslie East, and alumna Professor
Helen Odell-Miller, who were made
OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours
list, and alumna Alina Ibragimova who
was awarded MBE.
War and Peace
Those of you who tuned in to the BBC’s
luxurious new adaptation of the Tolstoy
classic may well have recognised a
number of Guildhall actors, including
Lily James as Natasha Rostova, Kate
Philips as Lise Bolkonskaya, Olivia Ross
as Mademoiselle Bourienne, Chloe Pirrie
as Julie Karegina and Ben Lloyd-Hughes
as Tsar Alexander. Do you know of
any more Guildhall alumni involved?
Please let us know if you do!
3332
Mariko Brown (Piano/Composition
2000) and Leo Patsalides (Junior
Guildhall 1999)
Pianists Mariko Brown and Leo Patsalides
studied at Junior Guildhall at the same
time just over 20 years ago. Yet they never
met, never heard each other play, and
have never worked together. Until now.
They recently crossed paths at the 2013
Memorial concert for the late and much
missed conductor Frederick Applewhite.
In 1992, as a result of winning the Lutine
Prize, Mariko made concerto appearances
with Mr Applewhite and the Junior
Guildhall Symphony Orchestra. Just a few
years later, Leo became a conducting
protégé of Mr Applewhite.
In the years in between, Mariko has
become a highly respected pianist and
teacher. As a composer her piece for
the duo, Travels Through a Mist of
Chinese Mountains, has been performed
to great acclaim.
Leo closed the lid on his piano for the
final time in 2004, became a professional
conductor and founded the Amati
Orchestra, which is today one of the
country’s finest amateur orchestras.
All three joined forces in a performance
of the Grieg Piano Concerto in March
2016, a short tube ride away from the
Guildhall, where it all began 20 years ago.
Alexander Campkin
(Junior Guildhall 2001)
Alexander Campkin’s composition
Imagined Cities was the finale of the
2015 Colourscape Music Festival on
Clapham Common. In the world’s largest
walk-in structure of colour and light,
Alexander was commissioned to create
a cross-media performance that filled
the entire structure and brought to life
the many journeys that could be taken
through it.
Alexander has also been appointed
Composer-in-Residence with London
chamber choir The Cantus Ensemble.
Ariadna Castellanos Pliego
(Piano 2005)
Latin Grammy-nominated pianist
Ariadna Castellanos was singled out in
Vanity Fair’s piece, Jazz on the Loose,
which featured a group of musicians
described as “The Jazz Youth-Quake”.
Stella Jean Compton Dickinson
(Music Therapy 1995)
Stella Compton Dickinson was awarded
the Doctor of Philosophy in October 2015
in a ceremony at the Cambridge Corn
Exchange, for her ten year NHS based
research in music therapy: A Feasibility
Trial of Group Cognitive Analytic Music
Therapy in Secure Hospital Settings.
Stella’s project was the first randomised
controlled manualised Music Therapy
PatientPreferenceTrialto be implemented
in a national high security hospital.
The results demonstrated statistically
significant improvement in favour of
the treatment arm in how patients
related to others, with improvements
in relating sustained at follow-up.
A higher percentage of treatment
participants moved to conditions of
lower security over a shorter period
of time than those in control.
Alexandra Dariescu
(Piano Fellow 2011)
Alexandra has been named Special
Ambassador to Romania.
“This is a tremendous honour and I will do
my best to live up to the trust that has been
invested in me. I’m quite pleased to have
been issued with a diplomatic passport also,
which will make my travels a lot easier!”
Sameeta Gahir (Flute 2013)
Sameeta Gahir has been appointed
principal piccolo of Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra, where she
joins fellow alumni Cormac Henry and
Fiona Fulton (née Paterson) to form
an all-Guildhall flute section.
MUSIC
ClassNotes

18. 34
King Charles III
Original Soundtrack
By Jocelyn Pook (Viola 1982),
featuring Belinda Sykes (Early
Music 1989) and Richard
Goulding (Acting 2007)
Pook Music
Before the Love Goes
Sam Mumford
(Leadership 2008)
WW Records
Imaginary Symphony
and other tales
Anthony Piccolo (Piano
Accompaniment 1983)
Navona Records
Mendelssohn in
Birmingham
Jennifer Pike (Violin 2009)
with CBSO
Chandos
February 15
NAO
Nao (Jazz Voice 2010)
Little Tokyo Recordings
Schumann:
Davidsbundlertanze
Cordelia Williams
(Piano 2013)
SOMM Recordings
Recent Releases
Shakespeare Sonnets
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Ashley Riches (Opera 2012)
and Emma Abbate (Opera
Studies Coach)
Resonus Classics
In Memoriam
Sir George Martin
1926 – 2016
(Piano/Composition 1948)
We are deeply saddened to learn of the
death of Sir George Martin, celebrated
record producer and a dear friend and
alumnus of the Guildhall School.
Known as ‘the Fifth Beatle’, Sir George
was successfully producing classical,
jazz and pop records and breaking new
ground with his spoken-word and
comedy recordings long before Brian
Epstein brought the Fab Four to Abbey
Road studios in 1962. Speaking to
Guildhall School News in 2011, Sir
George recalled telling Epstein: “If you
want to have the expense of bringing them
down to London, I’ll give them an hour
in the studio to see what they’re made of.”
When he met the band, he fell in love
with them. “It wasn’t anything to do with
music. It was falling in love with four men
who had charisma. And they were cheeky,
they were funny, they were fun to be with.”
Over the next eight years, he produced
almost every record The Beatles made.
Sir George studied Piano and Composition
at Guildhall from 1946 until 1948, with
Oboe as his second instrument. “What I
liked about the Guildhall was that it wasn’t
just a music school. I found the drama
content very attractive… that combination
of learning affected me. I’m sure it helped
me eventually when I became a producer at
Abbey Road… working with a lot of actors…
I could approach them more confidently”, he
told us in 2011. We were honoured to have
Sir George as a Patron of the fundraising
campaign for our new building, Milton
Court, which opened in 2013.
In 2006, Sir George returned to the
Guildhall School to give a talk about his
remarkable career. Following this,
students, alumni and staff were inspired
to create an unprecedented event in his
honour. Tomorrow Never Knows took
place in 2008 in the Silk Street Music Hall
and Theatre. The event saw Guildhall
artists revisit and reinterpret some of the
highlights of Sir George’s career in music,
as well as spoken word and comedy. Sir
George said: “It was amazing, absolutely
amazing, because they had done things
which were quite outrageous. But they were
fantastic too.”
Sean Gregory, Director of Creative
Learning, recalls: “George was an
extraordinary musician and human being
to work with. His generous and collaborative
spirit shone through. Coming from a
relatively humble background, he was
very passionate about music education,
particularly for young people who may
not have access to regular high-quality
music-making opportunities. Above all,
George loved people. There were no airs
and graces to him and I witnessed him
having many conversations with people
from all walks of life. It’s no wonder that
he facilitated such extraordinary musical
and artistic results from artists.”
In 2011, Sir George approached us with
the idea of setting up an annual music
placement for Guildhall graduates on
Montserrat in the Caribbean, an island
he had been close to since he first visited
with his wife, Lady Judy Martin, in 1977.
In 1979 he set up AIR Studios there,
attracting many big names to record.
Following the devastating hurricane of
1989 and subsequent volcanic eruption
in 1995, Sir George raised awareness
and funds to rebuild the community
and its cultural activities. In partnership
with the Guildhall School, an annual
placement was created for Guildhall
graduates to facilitate music projects
on the island and inspire young people
to engage with music-making. The
placement has been running successfully
for five years, with MMus Leadership
graduate Cris van Beuren currently
in post.
This is just one example of how Sir
George’s remarkable legacy continues
to revolutionise music-making around
the world.
Virtuosi of the Baroque
Victoria Baroque Players
featuring Andrew Clark
(Horn 1986)
Marquis Classics
CDs
Music for Winds
Janácek, Nielsen, Barber,
Hindemith, Ligeti
London Winds, including
professors Philippa Davies,
Robin O’Neill and Peter Sparks
Chandos
35
ˇ
Sir George Martin speaking
at Guildhall School, May 2008

19. 36
Christine Jackson
1962 – 2016
(Cello 1983)
Christine Jackson, the experienced
British cellist, has died at the age of 53
following complications from a brain
aneurysm in 2009.
Christine trained at Guildhall before
taking the role of principal cellist of
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Hallé, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Christine enjoyed a varied career both
as a soloist – working with Talarc and
Jacqueline du Pré, among others –
and as a chamber player, touring with
Ashkenazy and York Piano Trios.
Her ventures in pop music included
collaborations with everyone from
Dame Shirley Bassey to Kylie Minogue.
Christine emigrated to Australia to
work with the Australian Chamber
Orchestra, where she earned the nickname
the Barefoot Cellist. Initially settling in
Sydney, she later moved to Queensland,
where she encouraged local children to
take up musical instruments and worked
with didgeridoo artist David Hudson.
Patricia Kern
1927 – 2015
(Voice 1952)
Talented mezzo-soprano and voice
teacher Patricia Ann Kern has passed
away in Toronto at the age of 88. Born
on 14 July 1927, the singer had an early
introduction to music, becoming a
child star in cabarets and concerts at
the tender age of five. The daughter of
a master shipwright, Patricia was the
family’s chief breadwinner when her
father lost his job in the Depression,
and this experience was credited with
instilling a strong sense of responsibility
and discipline.
After the war Patricia won a scholarship
to Guildhall, studying Voice from 1949
to 1952 under Welsh tenor Gwynn
Parry Jones. She began her career with
Opera for All (1952–55) and went on to
join Sadler’s Wells, where she performed
as a member of the company for ten
seasons. Her most notable achievements
of that time were her interpretations
of La Cenerentola, Rosina (The Barber
of Seville), Isolier (Le comte Ory) and
Isabella (L’italiana in Algeri).
Many international debuts followed:
Covent Garden in 1967 as Zerlina Don
Giovanni; Washington DC in 1969;
Scottish Opera in 1969 in Rossini’s La
Cenerentola; and the Canadian Opera
Company in 1973 in Rossini’s The
Barber of Seville.
Patricia joined the University of Toronto
in 1980 as adjunct professor of voice,
and taught there for more than 20
years. Patricia’s love of music stayed with
her throughout her life, as she once
commented: “I love the theatre; I love
the stage. It’s what I’ve known since I
was five, so it’s in the blood.”
Maureen O’Hara
1920 – 2015
(Speech & Drama 1936)
Maureen O’Hara, who has died at the
age of 95, is perhaps best known as the
Hollywood actress who starred opposite
John Wayne in five of his films. Famed
for their on-screen chemistry, Wayne
once commented: “I prefer the company
of men, except for Maureen O’Hara.
She’s the greatest guy I ever met.”
Born Maureen FitzSimons on 17 August
1920 at Milltown near Dublin, Maureen
had a large family who shared her
interest in show business – she once
likened them to the Irish von Trapps.
After a number of roles in local amateur
productions, Maureen enrolled at
Abbey Theatre school, where she was
quickly cast in major Shakespearean
roles. In 1936 she became the youngest
student to complete Guildhall’s Drama
course, and by 16 she had been awarded
a degree and an associateship by the
London College of Music.
Maureen became an overnight star
in 1939 playing Mary in Hitchcock’s
adaptation of Jamaica Inn. Later that
year she played Esmeralda in The
Hunchback of Notre Dame, and by the
time of her 1941 appearance in How
Green Was My Valley Maureen was
becoming a firm favourite for wartime
romance, historical drama and adventure
films. After a short period of low-key
productions she was cast with John
Wayne, first in Rio Grande then The
Quiet Man. Throughout the 50s and 60s
Maureen became known as Queen of
the Swashbucklers for her spirited roles.
Maureen spent much of her later life
on the Caribbean island of St Croix, and
in 1993 was honoured by the British
Film Institute for her contribution to
‘moving image culture’. She is survived
by her daughter.
Mollie Petrie
1921 – 2016
Mollie Petrie was Head of Singing at
Junior Guildhall from 1984 to 2006.
She taught, by invitation, at the Banff
Centre for the Arts, Canada, in the
winter of 1985. More recently, she was
invited to work regularly with members
of the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff.
She conducted classes in Ireland, the
United States, Belgium, France and New
Zealand and lectured at the International
Congress of Voice Teachers, Helsinki,
in 2001.
As a performer, Mollie sang for 40
years in oratorio, recital and opera,
especially as a regular soloist with the
BBC West of England singers in recital,
and as a founder member of the BBC
West of England Singers.
She taught at Dartington College of Arts
for several years and helped to found
the Bristol Intimate Opera and a group,
Hit for 6, for which she wrote a great
deal of comic material which led to
her one-woman show, With a Frog in
my Throat.
Her private teaching practice catered for
many well-known professionals as well
as amateurs of all ages.
Laura Ponsonby
1936 – 2016
(Piano 1957)
Laura Ponsonby studied violin and
piano at Guildhall School. The great
granddaughter of the composer Sir
Hubert Parry, Laura spent much of her
life guiding academics around the
family archive of his diaries and work,
but ultimately opted for a career in
botany instead of music.
Laura joined London’s Kew Gardens in
1965 and spent three decades there as a
guide, lecturer and education officer. In
1990 Laura published Marianne North
at Kew Gardens, considered a definitive
book on the Victorian artist and botanist.
She travelled the world in the footsteps
of North, giving hundreds of lectures
while furthering her passion and
knowledge for plants.
Laura died at the age of 80 and is
survived by her nephews and nieces.
Don Rendell
1926 – 2015
By Martin Hathaway, Professor of Jazz
I first met Don Rendell at Monkey’s Jazz
Club, Brentwood in 1984 for my first
ever jazz workshop. I can remember
that day as if it were yesterday. He was a
towering presence, and first impressions
were that he was rather intimidating,
but I was soon struck by his warmth,
generous spirit, love of music and his
enthusiasm for sharing that love.
I must have played okay that day, because
he remembered me at our next meeting
– the first Guildhall Summer School
in July 1985. That was the start of a
continuing friendship, through the next
four Guildhall Summer Schools, and me
starting as an undergrad in September
1987 (Don had started teaching at senior
Guildhall in 1984).
You never quite knew what was going to
happen in a Don Rendell lesson. There
could be ‘new’ fingering he’d discovered,
a discussion about which sounded the
best, or you would try to find your way
through one of his new fiendishly
difficult compositions whilst he bashed
the sequence out in his idiosyncratic way
at the piano.
Don wasn’t the most structured of tutors
at times, but you always came away
from a lesson feeling very inspired. The
anecdotes were always amusing, usually
ending with ‘…and the funny thing
was Martin, it sounded better than ever.’
My favourite was the one at a gig where
his saxophone had fallen off its stand,
bending it almost beyond recognition.
‘The only thing I could do, man’, said
Don, ‘was to try and bend it back into
shape using the back of a chair. And the
funny thing was Martin…’
Towards the end of one lesson he said:
‘Whenever you play, you always sound
happy, and that’s not always a good
thing! It’s a good idea to explore other
moods and expressions, man!’ Until
then, I’d never really considered it. It’s
something that has stayed with me and
I often find myself passing that gem
on to my own students.
Thanks for everything, Don.
R.I.P.
Duncan Robertson
1924 – 2016
Morag René writes:
My father, Duncan Robertson, died
recently.
He taught singing at the Guildhall School
of Music & Drama during the 1970s
and 1980s. Many of his students were
medal winners and had successful careers.
He himself had a long and varied career,
singing many seasons at Glyndebourne
travelling with Benjamin Britten and
Peter Pears to music festivals in Bavaria,
singing in many broadcasts on the BBC
Light Programme such as Music Tapestry
and having a wide repertoire including
lieder, oratorio, Scots song and a special
link with Thea Musgrave.
He had been suffering from Progressive
Supranuclear Palsy for several years.
He leaves my brother, David and me,
seven grandchildren and three great
grandchildren.
NOTICES
Ronald Flanagan
1949 – 2015
(Speech & Drama 1969)
Gwyneth George
1920 – 2016
(Cello 1937)
Raymond James
1923 – 2016
Former Drama television tutor
Dr Brian Trowell FGS
1931 – 2015
Director of Opera, 1963 – 1967
^
37

20. 38 39
I
’m lucky enough to have a job that combines the two things
I love most in life: music and people. As Artistic Director
of The Irene Taylor Trust, my job is about shaping and
implementing the artistic vision of the organisation – from
developing a programme of work in partnership with our
office and creative team, to working out the relationships
involved and trialling new and unusual artistic opportunities.
It’s a demanding and exciting role, and a typical day for me
could range from writing new music with prisoners to flying
to Europe to forge new creative partnerships.
Generally speaking, I start my day early so that I can have the
opportunity to talk to prison staff. After 9am prison life is
in full swing so the best time for a phone call is between 8am
and 8.45am, allowing us time to discuss new opportunities,
troubleshoot existing projects or simply exchange information.
Our Music in Prisons programme is central to the Trust’s vision
to create music and transform futures. The programme is flexible
in format but generally involves a five-day workshop of
intensive creative music making, which supports a small group
of prisoners through the process of forming a band, creating
original music, and then professionally recording their own CD.
Even today, 21 years in, I’m still amazed to witness the difference
that music can make to the way people view their future.
Unfortunately, this is the toughest time I have ever seen for the
arts in criminal justice sector, so each day I dedicate a lot of
time to reading about how any changes could affect us. The
landscape can change at a moment’s notice. I’m on the steering
group for the National Alliance for Arts in Criminal Justice,
which meets regularly and filters our concerns through to the
political system.
It’s really important that I’m able to work with curve balls as
and when they appear. The role is visionary but it must also be
responsive: it’s not enough to have the ideas, you also have to
make sure they work in context. We’re currently laying the
groundwork to collaborate again with the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, so I’m spending a lot of time honing the plan,
getting buy-in from the prison system and sourcing funding.
I also frequently travel to set up international projects, recently
returning from a Churchill Travelling fellowship to the States
and Norway, and I am heading back over the pond next month
to work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for our fourth
annual project.
Whenever I present the work of the Trust I try to bring a previous
participant, such as an ex-prisoner or young person from our
Making Tracks programme, to perform or speak about their
experiences. It’s great that so many people are happy to come back
as ambassadors – after all, they’re what it’s all about. Making
Tracks has been really successful in expanding the horizons of
at-risk young people, and in the evenings I often go along to
see the culmination of their project to write new music.
Happily, a large part of my day is still spent on project delivery.
When I set up the Trust, I was clear that I’m a musician, that’s
what I want to do. I love the feeling of driving up to the prison
and unloading a van full of instruments, ready to meet a new
group of interesting people. Prisons are bleak places but music
can bring so much joy. This is a very human job, and the stories
you hear make it hard not to get emotionally attached. That’s
exactly why I love it. It’s an organic and creative process – full
of heart. There’s no such thing as a nine-to-five.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Sara Lee
Twenty-one years ago, musician
and Guildhall alumna Sara Lee
was asked to establish the Irene
Taylor Trust, an organisation
dedicated to bringing the joys of
music to vulnerable groups. As
she tells PLAY, it’s a role that’s
taken over her life in the best
possible way
Making Tracks