21st-24th April 2015
Jersey young musicians had the opportunity to perform side by side with musical friends from Coutances in a series of concerts. The exchange link between the Jersey Academy of Music and the Ecole de Musique de Coutances was formed in 2012 through the St.Ouen’s Twinning Association, and in 2013 an trio of young musicians from Coutances visited the island, which was then reciprocated in 2014 when seven local academy students visited Coutances. This time round, a six-strong French flute ensemble visited Jersey, led by their teacher Pascale Mabire.
The residency began with rehearsals in which the French and Jersey students met for the first time and put together the various pieces of music they had learnt in advance, led by local academy tutors Claire and Andrew Harvey. On the Wednesday morning, the French musicians performed a schools concert at Janvrin Primary School, introducing the various types of flute, including piccolo and bass flute, and one particular highlight was the Arabian Dance performed at the end with the support of the schoolchildren on various percussion instruments. That evening the combined Jersey/Coutances ensemble gave their first concert at St.George’s Church, St.Ouen. The audience were treated to a wide range of solo and ensemble pieces, culminating in a massed group performance of Chitty Bang Bang.
The following day the French group were back at St.Ouen, performing to Les Landes Primary School, and many of the children were already familiar with Coutances through the parish’s link. That evening the combined local and French students gave their second concert at Georgetown Methodist Church, marking the church’s 171st concert in their series.
The final schools concert took place the following morning at Victoria College Preparatory School, in which all the instruments were showcased with the support of various academy tutors. By the conclusion of the tour, the visiting students had performed to over six hundred schoolchildren. Plans are in place for local academy students to travel to Coutances next year to continue the exciting exchange.
March 2015
The Spring Term concluded with a range of concerts as part of Project Week. On Wednesday 11th March the ‘Brass, Sax, and Piano’ concert took place, followed on Friday 13th March by the ‘Strings and Piano’ concert. In addition to the Dyva Duet project and the Suzuki Cello Day, the final event of term took place on Friday 20th March, the ‘Suzuki End of Term Concert’.
In total, these concerts involved just over one hundred and fifty students, give the opportunity for all to gain further experience performing solos and performing as part of duets and small ensembles. Next term’s Project Week will focus on chamber music, leading towards our End of Year Concert at the Jersey Arts Centre on Sunday 5th July.
14th-15th March 2015
Led by the ‘Dyva Duet’, with academy percussion tutor Eva Hsieh and her visiting duo partner Judy Chen, this project was open to local young flautists and percussionists islandwide.
The weekend focussed on ensemble playing, combining a mixture of flute and percussion coaching. The groups worked on specially arranged repertoire, and the course led towards a concert on the Sunday evening. This concert also provided the platform for the inaugural performance of the newly formed Jersey Sinfonietta, conducted by Russell Abraham, and was enjoyed by a packed recital hall.
