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| James Chater (left) - Photo: Richard Johnson |
As July draws ever closer and the 2013-14 season reaches its conclusion, so too does my time with Southern Sinfonia. The year has passed in what feels like the blink of an eye and in the Autumn I will take up my place to read music at Oxford University, armed with every musician’s indispensable set of skills, namely; the high speed assembly of music stands and the preparation of an entire orchestra’s worth of tea and coffee using two kettles. A year with Southern Sinfonia has done far more than just further my musical education.
Upon arriving with the orchestra, last July, a fresh-faced school leaver, I was totally unsure of what to expect from the year. One thing I didn’t expect, however, was accusation of neo-Nazism. Arriving home one day near the start of September, I found a rather flustered-looking father briskly come to the door to quiz me about a worrying email he found on my laptop. A quick explanation that the email entitled ‘SS Plan’ pertained to Southern Sinfonia and not a covert cult smoothed things over. Ironically though, I would say that this is one priceless skill that I have picked up over the year; the ability to navigate an awkward conversation. Whether it is a concertgoer, a vicar of a church the orchestra has descended upon for a weekend or the musicians themselves (all well-intentioned, it goes without saying!), more so than ever I feel accustomed to steering through with only minor scratches. This being said, the diversity of people I have met, from world-famous conductors and musicians, to orchestral managers and vergers has been one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of my experience. The insights that these people have to offer in terms of their perception of the music you are listening to have only served to heighten my appreciation.
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| The Romance of Brahms meets Britain's Britten rehearsals |
Perhaps my favourite event over the past year was our first subscription concert of the season, ‘The romance of Brahms meets Britain’s Britten’. Not only was the music absolutely breathtaking (igniting in fact, a year long obsession with Brahms), but this was also my first opportunity to see how the inner cogs of an arts organisation turn slowly but surely to produce a truly memorable event. As a school student, you are blissfully unaware of the innumerable twists and turns that the planning of such a concert entails. Before, I would swan up to the hall on the day and play away, but this time was much different. The wonderful world of posters, tickets, flyering, logistics, photocopies of music, bowings were all thrust upon the team, and suddenly I became all too aware of the technicalities of such a concert. Needless to say, in true Southern Sinfonia style, the concert itself came to pass with minimal difficulty, apart from David Hill’s pesky shoe sole (there’s always one), which conveniently decided to detach itself moments before the evening began, leaving him to conduct shoe-less. Don’t say we don’t like a first here at Southern Sinfonia.
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| The wonderful world of posters! |
On a purely selfish level, what this year has done has really put my (and I am loathed to say this cliché) passion for music into a new and sharper focus. Before, music was something that had a very limited context for me, perhaps to be expected, coming from a boarding-school environment. Yet, when you are able to see first-hand what music can do, in terms of education, in the joy that it brings audiences, and the undying love of music in those audiences, it gives me a great sense of affirmation that what I am going to be studying over the next three years has some real gravitas and longevity.
I could elaborate much further on all the benefits of my internship with the SS Team, but I fear it would be of Wagnerian length (oh, one more thing then – a deft eye for musical puns and analogies!). It just leaves me to thank everyone at SS HQ and all those associated for giving me such a wonderful and rewarding experience. I wait with bated breath until my return as guest blogger…
We are so pleased and fortunate to have had James with us this year. He has been a real asset (not just thanks to his ninja-like stand skills!) and it has been wonderful to get to know him over the season. We are very proud that he achieved his dream of going to Oxford, and are looking forward to hearing about his stories and successes.
We will very much miss his ability to make amazing coffee, though – apparently there’s some secret to do with microwaving milk...
-Julia Hudson, Assistant General Manager
To find out about further Southern Sinfonia concerts click here to visit our website. You can also find out more through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
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