Project Week, Escola Das Artes Residency
March 28th-April 2nd 2011
The term was brought to a close with a wonderful busy week of musical activities centering around the visiting group of young musicians and teachers from the Escola Das Artes, Madeira. The group comprised a brass quintet and string septet, led by violin teacher Vladimir Proudnikov, brass teacher Fabien Filipe and the conservatoire’s director Ines Jardim.
The group’s first day involved a concert at the Town Hall followed by a performance for Portugueuse Mass at St Thomas’s Church (pictured above). The group even got their instruments our for a spot of impromptu ‘busking’ in the church’s Welcome Centre following the service (pictured below).
Following this, the tour was based on two main activities. Firstly, during the mornings they visited various schools, including VCP, D’Auvergne, JCG and Springfield, and by the end of the week they had performed to over one thousand children in total! Their visit also fell during the week of the VCP Music Competition, and so the Madeiran students also had the opportunity to help adjudicate various sections of the competition (pictured below).
Secondly, each evening they were joined by academy students from the Upper Intermediate and Advanced departments to form a chamber orchestra, rehearsing together towards a concert at the end of the week. One of the particularly entertaining highlights was the use of one of the academy’s Harmoniums (pictured below), an antique chamber organ which involved pumping air through the pipes with foot pedals whilst playing!
During the week, students from the Junior and Lower Intermediate departments also had Improvisation and Composition workshops with Russell Abraham, giving some new musical ideas. The term concluded with the End of Term Concert on Saturday 2nd April. Our thanks go once more to the Jersey Arts Trust for their support of the academy’s projects.
International Music Forum and Competition, Madeira
March 5th-12th 2011
Chris George and Emmanuelle Dumas were invited to become members of the international jury brought together in Funchal, Madeira, for this competition (pictured below at the competition’s closing ceremony). The organisation behind the event, entitled ‘Art in the 21st Century’, is a Ukranian non-profit organisation that runs musical forums throughout Europe for various age groups and instruments. This particular forum had children coming with their families from Russia, China, France, Lithuania, and the UK, among many others. In addition to the competition element there was also a whole host of concerts throughout the week. The next forum is due to take place in Finland this summer, and discussions are currently taking place with organisation to see if the forum can visit Jersey in future years too.
JAM Cello Ensemble
January 29th 2011
The Spring Term also saw the launch of a new ensemble, open to all cellists on the island, and combining both adult and junior age groups. The Cello Ensemble is a unique type of instrumental ensemble in which a group of around ten cellos are divided between the high and low parts to create a full string sound. The academy’s cello ensemble will meet for occasional projects during the year, and the next is planned for this term. The ensemble’s launch session took place on Saturday 29th January, preceded by a performance of Bach’s 1st Suite for solo cello given by visiting international cellist Guy Johnson (pictured far left with the cello ensemble).
