RSNO New Bands: Blog Post One

RSNO New Bands is a new programme of activity designed to get groups of musicians to incorporate orchestral instruments into their own original material. Digital Projects Coordinator at the RSNO, Neil Cullen, explains.

Using a concert last October in Paisley Abbey with The Twilight Sad and Admiral Fallow as a starting point, Royal Scottish National Orchestra musicians are mentoring fledgling artists on how best to orchestrate for a variety of genres. Last year's concert was organised as part of Paisley's Spree Festival and Head of Brass at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, John Logan, was in charge of delivering arrangements of both bands' songs for full symphony orchestra.  

On the morning of the concert, John Logan led an introductory workshop for three young bands from the Glasgow area (Marie Collins, Les Rusty Scruffs and Junkie Romance) along with input from Admiral Fallow's Phil Hague (who also handled some of the night's arrangements), Sarah Hayes and Kevin Brolly. Also in attendance at this first workshop was Ruth Rowlands, Davur Magnussen and John Whitener who play the positions of Cello, Principal Trombone and Principal Tuba with the RSNO, and would go on to lead the individual workshops with each band.

After the seminar on the morning of the concert, each band had individual workshop in December with Ruth, Davur and John at the University of the West of Scotland. These workshops will extend until June of 2014, with a performance planned later in the year where each of the bands will perform with the RSNO the fruits of their labour during the New Bands programme.

The bands that are taking part in the workshops are Marie Collins, Les Rusty Scruffs, and Junkie Romance, who you can find more about in the next episode of the New Bands video blog series.

Share your reviews on any of our concerts on Twitter @RSNO
Under 16? Get Free tickets for Under 16. Find out more here.

Monster Music's Teddy Bears' Picnic

On 17 & 18 Apr 2013, Monster Music hosted a Teddy Bears' Picnic at Henry Wood Hall.  Families and children were invited to join presenter and actor Claire Knight, alongside a special 'guest appearance' from a giant bear (well, it was a Teddy Bears' Picnic), to sing and dance along in an informal setting, with live musical accompaniment of the RSNO. 

The concert proved to be a huge success, and received a 5* review in The Herald Scotland, which you can read here.

Henry Wood Hall

The Orchestra in action

Presenter, Claire Knight, and the RSNO's Burra bear, Yunson

See the rest of the photographs from the concerts on the RSNO Pinterest board, here.

Don't forget to keep up to date with everything that's going on in RSNO Engage section of the website, Liking us on Facebook and Following us on Twitter.

RSNO surprise Glasgow Airport passengers with live orchestral performance

Scotland’s national orchestra gave a rousing performance at Glasgow Airport as thousands of passengers prepared to take to the skies for the September holiday weekend.

Led by Scottish conductor Douglas Boyd, 70 Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) musicians gave two performances in the departures lounge, featuring Felix Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. 

After the airport performance the musicians travelled to London, where they were the host orchestra for a special Classic FM Live gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall, celebrating the radio station’s 20th birthday.

Last year the Orchestra surprised travellers and airport staff in the check-in area with an impromptu rendition of Ravel’s Boléro, an online video of which has been viewed around the world.
The RSNO performance was the culmination of Glasgow Airport’s six week Best of Scotland campaign which has celebrated the best of Scottish food, drink, culture and entertainment.
Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said:

"We are always looking for ways to entertain our passengers but it doesn’t get more exciting than having Scotland’s national orchestra perform live in the terminal building. Joining forces with the RSNO for this unique event was a fantastic way to round off our Best of Scotland campaign which has proved hugely successful. In addition to celebrating everything that is great about Scottish culture, the various events over the last six weeks have created a real buzz and sense of theatre in the airport. The campaign was also an opportunity to highlight the improvements we have been making to the airport over the course of the past 18 months, during which time we have invested millions of pounds in enhancing our facilities to deliver an improved service to our customers."

RSNO chief executive Michael Elliott said:

"In recent years the RSNO has developed a reputation for taking live orchestral music out of the concert venue and into public spaces. It never fails to surprise me how much of an impact our music can have, especially when performed in unexpected surroundings. It’s extremely gratifying to see people new to live orchestral music enjoy the experience with so much enthusiasm. Our thanks go to Glasgow Airport for allowing us to present these performances." 

More than one million passengers passed through the airport during the Best of Scotland campaign, which has showcased some of the country’s most iconic brands and successful exports including Irn Bru, Tunnocks, Mackie’s ice cream and Harris Tweed. 

The RSNO performance was one of a series of musical, theatrical and comedic events which have helped to create a carnival atmosphere in the terminal during one of the busiest periods of the year.
Watch the video from the RSNO YouTube channel, here:

RSNO at St Magnus 2012 -- Ring (of Brodgar) Cycle

RSNO Principal Trombone Dávur Juul Magnussen and Principal Tuba John Whitener explore Orkney’s famous standing stones, perform for unsuspecting visitors and prepare for the evening’s concert.

RSNO at St Magnus 2012 – The Arrival

RSNO Assistant Principal Second Violin Elita Poulter reports from Orkney’s midsummer festival

The Orchestra arrives in Orkney for the 2012 St Magnus Festival. RSNO Assistant Principal Second Violin Elita Poulter gives an insight into the unique atmosphere of Orkney during the festival, established in 1977 by a collective including composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who is an islands resident. Click here to see Saturday’s reportage.

Backstage Pass to 2012:13 Season Launch Subscriber's Event

It's a busy time for the RSNO and, with the joint launch of our new Season and our fantastic new website, we thought: what better for the first blog than a backstage pass into our 2012:13 Season subscriber's event at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

 

As Marketing and Development Assistant, I have watched both of these significant events come to fruition over the past months. Tonight is a really exciting evening as this is the first time many special friends and supporters of the Orchestra will meet Peter Oundjian, the RSNO's new Music Director. He's been with us for a couple of days and has already been recording with the musicians, has met the RSNO board and members of the press, and been on a whirl-wind tour of some of Scotland's most beautiful scenery. Now it's the audience's turn, in what promises to be one of the highlights of our exclusive subscriber calendar – here we go!

A fantastic turn out! The evening begins with a short video of Season highlights before RSNO Chief Executive, Mick Elliott, takes to the stage to share some of the treats we can find in 2012:13 and to introduce the two new members of the RSNO artistic team, Music Director Peter Oundjian and Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Søndergård. From the audience's reaction, Orff's Carmina Burana, one of our Choral Classics in November and, of course, RSNO favourite John Lill who is to perform Grieg's Piano Concerto will really draw a crowd.

RSNO Principal Cello Aleksei Kiseliov is welcomed to the stage to perform the first movement of Dvořák's Cello Concerto. He absolutely wows the crowd and deserves his applause, a truly exceptional musician! In next season's penultimate concert, conducted by Thomas Søndergård, Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk will perform the entire work with the Orchestra.

And now the moment everybody has been waiting for. Peter enters the stage and is joined by Anne-Marie Minhall from Classic FM for an intimate conversation – in front of all the subscribers!

As the conversation gets going it is clear that Peter is a very intelligent and charismatic new addition to the team – no wonder the Orchestra has grown so fond of him during his guest appearances. Although obviously fond of his years as a violinist, it seems that Peter was destined for a career in conducting. From a childhood encounter with Benjamin Britten (who visited his choir and subsequently requested to work with them in a number of projects) to the incredible experience, in Peter's Julliard days, when the late Maestro Herbert von Karajan invited Peter, then the concertmaster of the Julliard Orchestra, to conduct in his place in front of a crowd full of New York's musical elite who were there to watch Karajan! Karajan even covered the music as Peter conducted – showing the faith he had in Peter's knowledge and understanding of the music and his ability as a conductor. A true honour.

As the questioning turns to Peter's plans for the RSNO and his experience so far, he is full of fondness and affection for his new orchestra. He comments that the Orchestra has 'special generosity and warmth' and 'respect for the style and the music they are performing'. He also tells us that he has big plans for developing the important younger audience group. He speaks highly of our Naked Classics series and joins in the audience's laughter at the prospect of dissecting and performing Wagner's Ring in one evening! (We will be turning to the lighter de Vlieger Orchestral Adventure adaptation in our final Naked Classics concert of the 2012:13 Season.) Peter remembers the first time he conducted the RSNO, in Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, and is delighted to announce that he will perform the piece again in his second concert as Music Director. He speaks passionately of the work of his friend John Adams, whose work features in both Peter's American Festival concerts, and also of Shostakovich. The composer is already an RSNO favourite and Peter is keen to continue this relationship. He opens the Season with Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony which he describes as his 'most engaging work' and 'one of the most powerful experiences in music'. There is no doubt that Peter has put plently of consideration into his opening Season and that audiences are definitely in for a treat!

Following tremendous applause for Peter and Anne-Marie, we are lead down to the Exhibition Hall for a glass of wine and so everyone can get their coveted Season Brochure. This is the first glimpse that anyone has had at the brochure and that's really important to many people here. There's no messing about – people are requesting extra brochures for friends and family and huddling in corners to plot and plan their concerts!

Following a quick chat with tonight's guests I have received a really positive response to the event and to Peter particularly. One subscriber mentioned her apprehension as someone replacing the beloved Stéphane but thought Peter was fantastic and said she was very impressed by him. Another commented on Peter's ability to continue Stéphane's rapport and relationship with the audiences. Many more commented on their favourites of next Season, with Shostakovich's Symphony No11 and Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez both highly anticipated. Our New Home project is also a talking point as never-before-seen images have been placed in the centre of the room. As the crowds move out I catch some final thoughts for the night. All our guests seem to have really valued the event and I'm looking forward to seeing many of them again next Season. Some I've spoken to tonight have been subscribers for years and were ready to tick every concert when they arrived; others were newer to the game and plan to book their tickets early to get a discount. 

It's events like this when I really love working for an orchestra – seeing many people brought together by an appreciation of music. And how lucky we are to have access to the talent and repertoire that I had the chance to explore tonight. Here's to another successful year for the RSNO!

Posted by Clare Campbell - Marketing and Development Assistant