East of Tallinn: Orient music festival

Hakassian folk music and dance ensemble - Ülger

The Orient music festival in Tallinn, Estonia, began its week long activities with an afternoon ethno-musicology conference, a film premiere and ambassador's reception (25 May 2015). After a welcome address by the festival organiser Peeter Vähi and by the former First Lady of Estonia, Estonian folklorist, and patron of the festival, Ingrid Rüütel, the conference began with a demonstration of quanun (a kind of zither) by Samir Ally Salim and went on to cover ancient empires of Africa, the culture and traditions of the Shona people, the Taarab song tradition in Zanzibar, Hakassian throat singing and Buddhist temple music, finishing with Martin Grauds and Ilze Apsina's film, 'The way home'.

The first session 'Ancient Empires of Africa' by Tiina Jokinen, who was just back from a trip to Papua New Guinea, pointed out that, unlike America, Africa has always been a world centre of migration and trade. Much of the known history comes from written accounts by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Arabs, but there was also trade with China. Even before the arrival by the Portuguese in the 15th century there were European fortune hunters in Africa. The Portuguese were followed by the British in the 16th century, and then the rest of Europe from the 17th century onwards. By the 19th century missionaries appeared, the forerunner to colonisation, wars and decolonisation of modern history.

Future Tense - Challenge or Problem?

Yesterday (13 November 2013) the Opera and Music Theatre Forum held its conference at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Administrators from opera companies across the UK plus a selection of other opera professionals met to consider what opera was going to be like in 2030. Under the title Future Tense? the conference considered what 2030 might be like and how opera companies might respond.

After a funny and inspiring speech from Kasper Holten (director of opera at the Royal Opera House), we heard from three people who helped project what 2030 might be like. Holten's speech, though heavily laced with humour, was a distinct call to arms for opera professionals to co-operate more and to talk about opera with confidence, to celebrate opera and the importance of the arts. That we might need to do so was apparent in the talks that followed.

Orchestras Live - 'Taking Music Further' (2)

The theme of the Orchestras Live conference 7 November 2013) at Kings Place, was 'Taking Music Further'. Over 100 people from music eduction hubs, orchestras, festivals and concert halls gather to hear a variety of presentations looking at what Orchestras Live has done in the last year, and considering what could be done and needs to be done in the future. I covered the morning sessions in an earlier post. In the afternoon sessions there was a live-link-up with the Aurora Orchestra, conductor Nicholas Collon and actor Samuel West, giving us a preview of the orchestra's concert that evening in Southampton. This was followed by a panel discussion on what could be done next.

Orchestras Live - 'Taking Music Further' (1)

Orchestras Live is a charity which focuses on providing high quality orchestral experiences for people regardless of who they are or where they live. The charity targets communities where orchestras usually fail to go. The theme of the conference yesterday (7 November 2013) at Kings Place, was 'Taking Music Further'. Over 100 people from music eduction hubs, orchestras, festivals and concert halls gather to hear a variety of presentations looking at what Orchestras Live has done in the last year, and considering what could be done and needs to be done in the future. 

After an introduction from Orchestras Live's chieve executive Henry Little we heard a keynote speech from broadcaster Tom Service entitled Orchestras: more like Mothers of Invention... we saw a film from Scunthorpe about one of Orchestras Live's First Time Live projects (where the young people are involved in the actual organisation of the concert). In the afternoon there was a live link-up with the Aurora Orchestra who were rehearsing for an Orchestras Live concert that evening in Southampton, again followed by a panel discussion. This article, the first of two, covers the activities of the morning session. (the second article can be read here)

Getting it Right 2013 - conference report (part 2)

Guildhall ResearchWorks' Getting it Right 2013: the contemporary composer and the orchestra was a conference organised by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the LSO which looked at the relationship between contemporary composers and the orchestra. Taking place on Wednesday 6 February at LSO St. Lukes. This is the second part of my conference report,  covering the afternoon sessions with panel discussions and presentations including composers Gunther Schuller, George Benjamin, Hans Abrahamsen, Julian Philips, Helen Grimes and Richard Causton. The first part can be found in an earlier posting on this blog. 

Getting it Right 2013 - conference report (part 1)

Guildhall ResearchWorks' Getting it Right 2013: the contemporary composer and the orchestra was a conference organised by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the LSO which looked at the relationship between contemporary composers and the orchestra. Taking place on Wednesday 6 February at LSO St. Lukes, the participants included a number of distinguished composers and orchestra managers led by Julian Anderson, professor of composition at the Guildhall School. Composers Mark Antony Turnage, Colin Matthew, Judith Weir, Paul Newland, Julian Anderson, Julian Philips, Helen Grime, Matthew Kaner, Richard Causton, Kate Romano, Hans Abrahamson and George Benjamin came together with managers and administrators,  Kathryn McDowell, Paul Hughes, Stephen Maddock, Andrew Kurowski and Helen Gaunt, along with violinist David Alberman to talk about what does, and doesn't work in the modern relationship between composer and orchestra. Their was also a Skype video link-up with Gunther Schuller, now 87 he is an important figure in the creation and dissemination of contemporary music in the 20th and 21st centuries.