With only just over a month to reach our goal, Team LMM set to work targeting new potential donors via social networking sites such as
Facebook and
Twitter.
By encouraging individuals to contribute in small amounts we not only hit our target, but exceeded it by 87%, raising a total of £7,937.89! The success of our campaign has attracted the attention of the press such as The Guardian and The Independent!
Adopting a ‘virtual crowd-funding’ initiative has helped us develop our supporter base as well as our online community. The 140 sponsors who so generously donated to the campaign have not only contributed financially, but by buying a bar now own a part of a new and important piece of music. By showing a genuine interest in helping to create new works for solo violin they have formed an important collective which supports classical music of our time.
Martin Suckling’s new concerto will be premiered in December by LMM Award Holder Agata and the London Contemporary Orchestra. LMM have also arranged future performances with Southbank Sinfonia for spring 2012 to encourage the continued life of the new work and enable new audiences to discover the music.The extra money raised by the Buy a Bar appeal will fund creative workshops in our Bridge Project schools, giving the students a rare and exciting opportunity to explore the new work with Agata and Martin ahead of its premiere. We look forward to updating you with more news on the premiere and Martin and Agata’s school workshops in our Winter Newsletter.
Bridge Project students trick the miser with chocolate violins!
Jennifer Pike, musicians from the Royal Academy of Music and our creative partner, Wigmore Hall, work with Year 2 children from Ashmole Primary School in a day of music workshops based around Stravinsky's Pulcinella
Our outreach day with Wigmore Hall was an incredible experience for young musicians as well as musicians who felt young at heart! Year 2 Bridge Project students from Ashmole Primary School had an exciting day of music and movement, led by Sam Glazer and Sabine Netherclift and were given the opportunity to explore Stravinsky’s infamous
Pulcinella through an imaginative and creative programme.
The children warmed up with the musicians with games, singing and telling stories to explore the ‘Commedia del’Arte’ storyline of
Pulcinella, and playing tricksters who were trying to capture the violins back from the miser. As tricksters they schemed and plotted, inventing movements with Sabine and creating beautiful songs with cellist and composer Sam. These compositions explained the imaginative ways to retrieve the violins - some of our favourites were pointing out a skilful footballer to distract the miser, sending the miser to Mars in a spaceship and telling the miser (to make him cry!) that the violins were all made of chocolate and were going to melt!
The interaction between the musicians involved in the project young to old was phenomenal; Jennifer Pike and the RAM students became instant role models as they played violin, viola, double bass and piano for the Bridge Project students, who returned the favour with virtuoso renditions of Song of the Wind and Allegro. The children proudly performed all the hard work they had created throughout the day in front of parents, carers and friends as they joined for a small performance at the end of the school day. As the grand finalé, they played an arrangement of
Pulcinella on their violins with Jennifer and the RAM ensemble. The whole day encapsulated the ethos of Bridge Project, Wigmore Hall Learning and RAM bringing together hugely talented young artists with children who have extraordinary futures.
BrightSparks
Tuesday 28 June
Bridge Project students, LMM Award Holder Jennifer Pike and the
London Philharmonic Orchestra premiere RPS Composition Prize-winner Charlotte Bray’s
Scenes from Wonderland at the Royal Festival Hall. Charlotte has embarked on a ground breaking project to write a new piece as part of the
LPO’s BrightSparks series which provides 12,000 pupils the chance to hear a live orchestra, often for the first time, providing them with an intense and inspiring experience. Tailor-made for the unique ensemble, Charlotte’s new work depicts Alice’s adventures in ‘Wonderland’. The children will sing and play their violins, offering them an unforgettable chance to premiere an exciting new composition at a prestigious concert venue with one of the UK’s most talented violinists and one of the world’s leading orchestras.
www.charlottebray.co.uk
Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside!
“I’ve never seen the sea before!” Kojo said as he sat excited on the train bright and early on a Sunday morning at Victoria station, as a group of ten young violinists and their parents began our Bridge to the Community day trip to Eastbourne. The sun came out as we arrived in Eastbourne and we all enjoyed a walk along the beach, dipping our toes in the freezing cold sea before having some proper seaside fish and chips for lunch.
After a quick ice cream break we were back at work rehearsing at the Congress Theatre for our performance. As well as lots of supportive parents in the audience we also had a visit from a group from Eastbourne Mencap (one of whom commenting that the children were “very clever for very young people”) and some keen Eastbourne Concert goers. It was great to hear some new pieces performed including a fantastic rendition of Andantino from Jessop Primary and a lively Gossec Gavotte from Ashmole Primary before they joined together for a duet version of the old favourite Twinkle Twinkle!
Next stop was off to watch Jennifer Pike make her LPO performing playing the Brahms Violin Concerto. She played beautifully and the children were amazed at how fast her fingers moved as they watched closely through their opera glasses! They also enjoyed seeing all the different instruments playing together and trying to name as many as they could. Ten sleepy children arrived back in London that evening after a very busy day at the seaside, but they all had stories to tell. “I enjoyed it when Jennifer Pike played the violin” said Ana, “I enjoyed three things” said Kojo, "in fact, I enjoyed everything!”.
