CTV Mozart Manuscript Recording
October 31st 2011
Channel Television got in touch with the academy in relation to the sale of a rare Mozart manuscript through Stanley Gibbons.
The 238-year-old score was part of the ‘Serenade in D major’, believed to have been composed in 1773 for the graduation of a family friend. The seven-movement work was most likely written by Mozart between July and August 1773 whilst visiting Vienna with his father. It was originally bound with another piece of music but when they were sold in 1975 they were separated and the other has not been seen since.
Students from the academy had the opportunity to go and see the manuscript at the Stanley Gibbons offices, a remarkable opportunity to actually hold something which came from Mozart’s own pen.
That evening an ensemble of academy students gathered together to rehearse and perform the extract itself. Channel Television attended to film the performance, and a great experience was had by all.
Jersey Eisteddfod Preparation Concert
October 23rd 2011
In preparation for the Eisteddfod, seventeen students of various ages performed in front of an audience of family and friends to give their pieces a ‘dry-run’ before the start of the festival. For the Eisteddfod itself, in addition to all the solo entries various academy ensembles participated in the Langley Trophy class, two of them pictured here:
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Masterclass Week
August 15th-21st 2011
The academy hosted an incredible week of opera with students on the brink of international careers receiving tuition from soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, tenor Dennis O’Neill, and pianist Michael Pollock. An incredible busy, productive and fruitful time was had by all:
Masterclasses
Each morning masterclasses took place in which each of the visiting students had the opportunity to receive on-stage tuition from the masters. This was open to the public, and attracted a healthy audience of young vocal students, local teachers, and adult amateur singers. Three of the participating vocal students, and one of the young pianists, were local students who are currently studying at music colleges in the UK.
Lunchtime Concerts
Each lunchtime the students and stars took to the stage at the Jersey Arts Centre. The first concert featured Dame Kiri and Michael Pollock performing an intimate selection of songs and arias for voice and piano, and launched the whole week off with the kind of superb quality the students would all aspire towards. The following lunchtime concerts gave each of the students the opportunity to perform, putting into practice the lessons learnt through the morning masterclasses.
Finale Masterclass Performance
The culmination of the educational side of the week saw each of the students take to the Arts Centre platform in front of a packed auditorium, for a mixture of on-stage tuition and performances. It was a fascinating evening combining elements of expert vocal tuition with some beautiful performances. All of the Arts Centre concerts and the morning masterclasses were sponsored by RBS Coutts.
Opera Gala Night
The ‘grand finale’ of the week was held at the Jersey Opera House, handing over the stage to Dame Kiri and Dennis O’Neill, singing various solos and duets and joining side by side with many of the visiting students. This remarkable evening brought a remarkable week to a fitting close, and the event was sponsored by Rawlinson and Hunter, raising funds for the Kanawa Foundation and the Jersey Opera House’s new studio workshop facilities.
(all photographs courtesy of Stuart McAllister)