A conversation between similarities & differences: Jonathan Sells on his disc of Bruckner & Gesualdo with the Monteverdi Choir

Jonathan Sells (Photo: Paul Marc Mitchell)

In April, the Monteverdi Choir released a disc of motets by Bruckner and Gesualdo conducted by Jonathan Sells on the Soli Deo Gloria label. Recorded live in concert in October last year, this release marks the Monteverdi Choir’s 60th birthday and the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth and represents Jonathan's first disc with the choir. Jonathan is perhaps best known as the artistic director of Solomon's Knot, the conductor-less ensemble known for singing everything from memory. As a singer, Jonathan was also a member of the Monteverdi Choir, but more recently has been conducting them and has now been appointed Choir Director.

The new disc interweaves sacred motets by Bruckner and Gesualdo in a programme that begins with Palestrina's Stabat Mater and includes Lotti's Crucifixus a 8. Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) whose motets are influenced by the Cecilian movement for church music reform, and Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), whose sacred music is notoriously intense and chromatic, might not seem obvious disc fellows, but Jonathan makes a real case for the pairing.

For him, both composers' music triggers similar things and the programme became a conversation between similarities and differences. Amongst their similarities he includes that both wrote motets for the Catholic Church, using similar texts and the motets on the disc focus on the cross, the Crucifixion and Mary. Jonathan finds that both composers have what he calls an expressionist approach to the harmonic language.

An anti-depressant for all: introducing Soundabout, the UK's Learning Disability Music Charity

Joint Workshop with National Children’s Choir of Great Britain in April 2025

'absolute magic, the only side-effect is joy'

Until Thursday (1 May 2025) I had not really heard about the work of Soundabout the UK's Learning Disability Music Charity but at an event in the City of London, trustees, staff and other personnel from the charity along with parents of children who participate, told us about the charity and its work.

Soundabout is 28 years old, they began with just one musician and one teacher, yet during the 2023/24 year they held nearly 1000 sessions with over 3,300 attendees, over 1,500 learning disabled participants and 750 parents/carers. 

They believe that everyone should be able to access music and they use music, sound and silence to develop communication, increase self-expression, health and well-being. improve connectedness. They offer Soundabout Choirs, a national network bringing Learning Disabled people together to share their voices, along with Sounds Virtual which are online music-making sessions accessible live and on demand. There are other projects such as Sounds Together, face-to-face community music making sessions with small groups of Learning Disabled people where they design the project.

Key to this are the young people on their Graduate Emerging Leaders programme. Emerging Leaders is a one-year programme where Learning Disabled people (aged 14+) enhance their leadership skills and confidence while preparing to become the music practitioners of the future. After completing the one-year Emerging Leaders programme, they become a Graduate Emerging Leader with several pathways to follow, including voluntary and paid Work Experience.

Four of Graduate Emerging Leaders (plus a large soft toy) bravely stood up on Thursday and rather than talking about what they do, they demonstrated it, leading a room full of adults in a sing-along session session that began with the 'Hello song' and included 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' supplemented by an array of noise makers.

Anna, who joined a Soundabout Choir in 2020, described how taking part made her happy to make music with her friends. She takes place online, where they sing along or sign, and described being in Soundabout as fantastic and joyful.

We heard from two parents, a film of George with his mother, Davina, where she found that music had a transformative effect on him, 'music starting is like a magic wand creating a sparkle in him'. Whilst the mother of a girl with a complex brain injury, cerebral palsy and blindness, talked about how transformational discovering Soundabout's online resources was, 'completely and utterly life-changing', 'an anti-depressant for all', with the sessions helping her daughter feel seen, reducing her isolation.

You can find more about Soundabout from their website, and pleas do think about supporting them.

The sheer joy of performing together: Music in Secondary Schools Trust's 12th Annual Concert

MiSST Together Orchestra in rehearsal at the Barbican

The Music in Secondary Schools Trust's 12th Annual Concert; Barbican Centre
Reviewed 23 April 2025

Over 300 students from beginners to Grade 8 come together to celebrate 12 years of MiSST with students from 28 different schools across the country demonstrating the sheer joy of performing together

The Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST) was celebrating last month with its 12th Annual Concert at the Barbican on 23 April 2025. The organisation began 12 years ago with just one school and now 30 schools across the UK take part, with over 22,000 students reached through their Andrew Lloyd Webber programme.  The evening involved students from some 28 different schools across the country, ranging from those who only started playing last September to those who have reached Grade 8.

We began with the MiSST Symphony Orchestra, a large ensemble which rose to the challenge of playing movements five and six from Mahler's Symphony No. 3. The orchestra inevitably reflects the players, with a mass of flutes and a single bassoon, with section leaders from the adult teachers. The results were nonetheless impressive. 

Making connections between styles & eras: violinist Holly Harman & friends launch their album Ground with a mix of 17th century violin virtuosity, folk directness & sheer imagination

Holly Harman

Ground: Nicola Matteis, Heinrich Biber, Turlough O'Carolan/James Oswald, Marco Uccellini, Alice Zawadzki, Sid Goldsmith; Holly Harman, Carina Cosgrave, Oliver John Ruthven, Kristiina Watt, Sid Goldsmith; Stone Nest
Reviewed 30 April 2025

Launching her album, Ground, violinist Holly Harman & friends entrance with their mix of Baroque and folk, virtuosity and directness.

Violinist Holly Harman says of her new album, Ground on Penny Fiddle Records that the name might be seen "...as a reference to ground bass, those beguiling, repeating bass lines, present in so much of the music I love, whether it's baroque or folk music. It's also a reference to feeling, at times, ground down by life and industry. This has made me question head-on the expectations I feel the industry has of me, and the expectations I have of myself.... This album is my response to exploring these ideas, and consequently starting to feel a bit more grounded in myself." 

Harman launched the album with a pair of concerts and we caught the second, at Stone Nest on 30 April 2025. For the recital, Harman was joined by the instrumentalists from the recording, Carina Cosgrave (violone), Oliver John Ruthven (harpsichord), Kristiina Watt (theorbo) and Sid Goldsmith (cittern) for a repertoire that moved from Baroque violin to folk and contemporary, with music by Matteis, Biber, and Uccellini alongside Harman and Goldsmith's arrangement of a tune by Turlough O'Carolan as collected by James Oswald and some of Goldsmith's own folk melodies and a new piece by Alice Zawadzki.

Harman began unaccompanied with the Scots reel Balfour Road, a catchy and engaging way to draw us in. Then she followed this with the Passagio Rotto & Fantasia by the Italian composer Nicola Matteis (c1650-1713) who travelled to London in the 1670s and had success with his published music and this piece comes from a collection published in 1676. Harman explained that it was designed to sound improvised, and is began with rather rhapsodic passagework before becoming more strenuous including plenty of double stopping. 

Opinion: Physical music shops have an instrumental role to play for rising musicians

A Major Music Supplies

In this guest posting, Roger Foxcroft of A Major Music Supplies in Staffordshire talks about the important role that physical music shops have to play for rising musicians.

Roger Foxcroft

It’s no secret that the world is moving increasingly online, and music is no exception to that. From streaming services replacing vinyl and CDs to buying sheet music and instruments online, I’ve witnessed the shift first-hand.

At the same time, music education in schools is in decline. A lack of funding and an ever-increasing focus on STEM subjects over the arts is letting our young musicians down.

What we cannot do is let music shops disappear from our high streets. The next generation of musicians depends on them.

UK schools are playing a bum note

It’s widely recognised that musical education is beneficial for cognitive ability. Learning an instrument comes with an extensive rap sheet of benefits, including improved memory, engaging various brain areas simultaneously, and even improved social connection and healthier mental wellbeing.

Yet, according to Ofsted, the trajectory of music education in recent years has been one in which schools have reduced key stage three (11-14 years) provision, and trainee primary teachers have been offered shrinking amounts of music training. The uptake of music education in key stage five, the final two years of secondary school education where many pupils begin to plan their future careers, has fallen over the last ten years.

At our music shop, 40% of our business used to be with schools – that number has fallen significantly. In fact, a 2025 report by independent think tank Demos identified a £161.4m shortfall in the government’s budget for music education.

In Stoke-on-Trent, where A Major is based and where my children live, we struggled to find many schools which even offer a music GCSE. Feedback from schools in the area shows they’re having to cut entire subjects, including music, due to costs.

So, what does this mean for young musicians? Limited access to instruments and equipment, fewer classes and learning opportunities, and loss of specialised teachers.

Why do we need music shops?

Physical music shops are in no way a replacement for well-funded music education in schools. What they do offer young musicians is the opportunity to talk to experts, since most music shops are owned by musicians themselves.

They can give tailored advice, demos of instruments, and troubleshoot problems on the spot.

Musicians can gain hands-on experience with equipment that they may never have seen before. They can touch, play, and hear instruments. They can feel the weight of a guitar, test the keys of a piano, or hear how a saxophone sounds in real life.

Balancing the scales

For all these reasons, it’s vital that music stores maintain a physical presence on UK high streets. That said, having a solid digital presence isn’t just helpful, it’s a game changer for shop owners trying to fill the gaps and keep their business moving forward.

For example, road works outside the A Major store in 2024 caused a noticeable dip in sales. Without an online presence, events that limit in-person sales can be detrimental to the business.

There are clear benefits of an online touch point for customers. We stock over 10,000 SKUs, and offering these online too means the customer base immediately expands from people in your local area to musicians all over the country. That increase in sales supports the physical business financially.

Another benefit is that customers can more easily compare prices. It’s often presumed that online giants like Amazon sell products cheaper, so people don’t even bother making the trip to the shop. In our case, it’s most often not true. So, by listing our products online, customers can clearly compare our stock and prices with other sellers.

Aligning online and physical presence

Currently, our shop strikes about an 80/20 profit ratio, with 80% being in-person sales. It’s our goal to bring this to 50/50, so we can continue to offer a vital in-person service to customers, supporting young musicians and those seeking expert advice. Meanwhile, we can build an online income stream which maintains financial stability during quieter in-store periods.

Last year, we brought on DMAC Media, a digital marketing agency, to help with the shop’s website. We wanted customers to receive the same level of professionalism and expertise that A Major provides in our physical store and reach a wider audience than we’re able to in person.

In one year, our online sales increased by 17% and the value of each order increased by 12%. Sessions rocketed by 109%, meaning there’s more people browsing our products and aware of the business when they’re ready to make a purchase. When profit margins are minimal, this makes a huge impact on our ability to keep the physical store running.

Physical music shops are vital for the industry and for helping fill the gap left by the decline in music education in schools.

But they must move with the times and recognise the role played by having an online presence.

These are not competing business models; they are complementary approaches to achieving the ultimate goal - better access to musical education and instruments.

Roger Foxcroft