Image (c) Matthew Tiller/Young Sounds UK
Talented school-age instrumentalists have enjoyed a hands-on introduction to period performance at a pilot Arcangelo workshop facilitated in partnership with leading national music education charity Young Sounds UK.
Held on 13 September at Highgate Junior School in London, the workshop offered 20 teenage string, wind and brass players presently supported by the Young Sounds 'Thrive' programme an immersive day of performance and discussion with Arcangelo mentors Emma Williams (Violin), Thomas Kettle (Viola), Jonathan Byers (Cello), Timothy Amherst (Bass), Flavia Hirte (Recorder), Inga Maria Klaucke (Bassoon), Ursula Paludan Monberg (Horn) and Paul Sharp (Trumpet). The day concluded with an informal performance for parents and families, featuring ensemble repertoire prepared during the afternoon.
The initiative sprang from Arcangelo's finding, through its New Ensemblists programme, that period performance is typically first introduced as an option to musicians at conservatoire - a relatively late stage. The Young Sounds Thrive musicians resoundingly endorsed the project through their enthusiastic experimentation with period instruments and accessories, and their wide-ranging questions in the facilitated discussion groups. One participant said:
“It was really good to get insight on what baroque music and early period music was like. Also experiencing the baroque and classical bows was very interesting.”
Another participant commented:
“I definitely learned a lot having not had much experience with Baroque instruments before. The most beneficial part was the opportunity to spend time playing the natural trumpet, which gives me more insight into taking it as a second study at conservatoire.”
The workshop also represented a rare opportunity for Arcangelo's musicians to introduce their specialist discipline to a younger student audience. Emma Williams enthused:
“Today has been such an inspiring and reinvigorating experience, especially as someone who’s been working and playing this music for quite a while now. It’s so nice to see the next generation start to see some links and some new worlds open up in the different ways
they could be exploring the way that they play their instruments.”
100% of Young Sounds participants surveyed following the workshop agreed that it had increased their understanding of career options and pathways, with one commenting:
“I found it really interesting and valuable to learn from the professionals and hear about their pathways and what inspired them. It was good to learn that there is no real conventional pathway into historical performance.”
Founded in 1998 as Awards for Young Musicians, Young Sounds UK is now a leading national music education charity supporting thousands of young musicians every year whose talent would otherwise by restricted by financial and social obstacles. The Young Sounds Thrive programme presently supports over 450 young musicians and their families with financial grants and opportunities including workshops, careers advice, mentoring and creative projects.
In pictures
Click/tap to open the gallery.
