Tait Winter Prom 2014 at St John's Smith Square

The 2014 Tait Winter Prom was a landmark event for the Tait Memorial Trust at St John’s Smith Square, proudly supported by Australia’s largest bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. To see and hear our talented Awardees performing at one of London’s most prestigious concert platforms was thrilling…truly a great night for the Trust and for our young Australians we support.

Now in our 23rd year Awards have increased by 30% from 2013 largely due to the more than three fold rise in Tait Friends subscriptions in 2014 and our loyal audience who come to our events and generously give towards our scholarship fund.

Thank you.

We are very grateful for the
support that we receive
from the following organisations:

Principal Partner:
Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Partners:
Australian Business
The Australia Day Foundation
Bailey Nelson UK
The Britain-Australia Society
Cubitt House
Minter Ellison
Oliveto & Olivo Ltd
Qantas
Royal Over-Seas League
The Thornton Foundation
Treasury Wine Estates

2014 Tait Winter Prom at St John’s Smith Square
London Tuesday 9th December 2014
St John’s Smith Square,
Showcasing Australian Talent — An evening of Music and Ballet
Supported by Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Conducted by Kelly Lovelady
Tait Chamber Orchestra
Presented by former Miss Australia, Kimberley Busteed
Directed by Greg Eldridge

Jayson Gillham, Piano
Elena Xanthoudakis, Soprano
Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, Violin
Sophie Moffatt, Dancer
Calvin Richardson, Choreographer
Matthew Ball, Dancer
Marlena Devoe, Soprano
Chad Vindin, Piano
Adam Szabo, Cello
Yelian He, Cello
Nicola Crowe, Flute
Gerard Schneider, Tenor

Concert Programme

Percy Grainger (1882-1961)
Handel in the Strand
Jayson Gillham, Piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto: No. 14 in E flat , K. 449
Jayson Gillham, Piano

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
The Lark Ascending
Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, Violin

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Ch’io mi scordi di te? Non temer, amato bene. K.505
Elena Xanthoudakis, Soprano
Jayson Gillham, Piano

Interval 20mins

Gabriel Faure
Kenneth MacMillan 1 – choreography
Requiem, Pie Jesu solo
Sophie Moffatt, dancer 2
Coached by Leanne Benjamin OBE
Marlena Devoe, Soprano
Chad Vindin, Piano

Saint-Saëns
The Swan
The Carnival of the Animals
Calvin Richardson – choreography
The Dying Swan
Calvin Richardson, Dancer 3
Adam Szabo, Cello
Chad Vindin, Piano

Giovanni Sollima (1962- )
Violoncelles Vibrez!
Yelian He & Adam Szabo, Cellos

Kevin Penkin (1992- )
Changing Feet
Nicola Crowe, Flute

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
La Boheme, Act 1
Che gelida manina
Si, mi chiamano Mimi
O soave fanciulla

Marlena Devoe, Soprano
Gerard Schneider, Tenor 4

1 Performed with the kind permission from The MacMillan Estate
2 Appears with kind permission from The Royal Ballet School
3 Appears with kind permission from The Royal Ballet
4 Appears with kind permission from The National Opera Studio

Winter Prom highlights

Jayson Gillham playing Grainger’s, Handel in the Strand

Xenia Deviatkina-Loh playing Vaughan William’s, The Lark Ascending

Elena Xanthoudakis singing Mozart’s, Ch’io mi scordi di te? K 505 with Jayson Gillham, piano

Adam Szabo & Yelian He playing Sollima’s, Violoncelles Vibrez!

Marlena Devoe & Gerard Schneider sing the Final scene from Act 1, La boheme, Puccini

Review in Limelight Magazine

Review in Seen and Head

Jayson Gillham prepares for Le Louvre

Jayson Gillham played magnificently last night at 49 Queen’s Gate Terrace, London. The home of Sir Vernon and Lady Ellis it has become one of London’s most prestigious boutique chamber venues.

He played a program of Debussy, Chabrier & Ducas. He is such a wonderful artist and speaks and introduces each piece with humour.

We are thrilled that Jayson Gillham is playing for us at the Tait Winter Prom The concert will be at St John’s Smith

He will play this program at Le Louvre next week:

Auditorium du Louvre
12.30
Programme:
Chabrier Pièces pittoresques
Tourbillon; Mauresque; Idylle; Danse villageoise, Dukas Variations, Interlude and Finale on a theme by Rameau
Debussy Etudes, Book Two

He is a truly talented young man

The concert is at St John’s Smith Square on Tuesday 9th December at 7.30pm

Changing Feet – A musical exploration of changing pace

TAIT WINTER PROM

SUPPORTED BY THE COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE

TUESDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2014

FLUTE: Nicola Crowe

CONDUCTOR: Kelly Lovelady

ORCHESTRA: Tait Chamber Orchestra

Changing Feet is a commission from the Tait Memorial Trust, and is receiving its premiere on 9th December 2014.

For solo flute and chamber orchestra, Penkin describes it as:

“Changing Feet is about changing pace. Leaving the world’s most isolated city to live in one of the most industrious and compact environments requires a huge mental change. This piece tries to reflect not only the mentality of someone who grew up in Perth, but the experience of moving to London and ultimately returning home back to Australia. This work explores what one could miss of Perth, be it the silence, the space or the natural beauty…”

Premiere of a new composition that was commissioned by the Tait Trust, by Australian composer, Kevin Penkin (Tait Scholar 2013/14). Performed by the Tait Chamber Orchestra, Nicola Crowe, Flute (Tait Awardee 2013), plays Kevin Penkin’s latest work entitled, ‘Changing Feet’ with The Tait Chamber Orchestra at St John’s Smith Square, London. Tait Winter Prom supported by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Live performance Tuesday 9th December 2014.

Kevin Penkin (b. 1996)

Perth-born composer Kevin Penkin is truly an up-and-coming star in the contemporary music scene. Currently studying at the Royal College of Music, London, he is a current Tait Awardee, and his work has been featured in everything from video games to concert halls.
His entrepreneurial approach to composition is both refreshing and exciting, with his work commissioned by the Perth Symphony Orchestra and the Perth Chamber Orchestra. His UK Concert Debut was by the RCM Student Film Orchestra earlier this year.

Commonwealth Bank announced as new Principal Partner of the Tait Memorial Trust

The Tait Memorial Trust is delighted to announce its new partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Commonwealth Bank is a long-standing and passionate supporter and corporate partner of some of Australia’s leading arts organisations.

Their partnerships with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Bangarra Dance Theatre and Opera Australia aim to make the arts more accessible to all Australians. This partnership with the Tait Memorial Trust is a further demonstration of the Bank’s commitment to enabling the progress of talented Australian artists, by supporting them as they pursue their careers in the United Kingdom.

Melinda Walker_CBA_Exec_Manager_International_Premier_Banking_with_Isla_Baring_OAM_TMT_Chairman

The Bank has a dedicated team in the United Kingdom whose focus is to support people who are relocating to Australia or to New Zealand. If you, or any of your network, are planning a move in the foreseeable future, please let us know and we would be pleased to put you in touch.

On Tuesday, October 14th Tait Friends met at Australia House in the Downer Room. The evening was joint hosted by the Tait Trust and the office of the Victorian Agent General. Sadly the night before Mary, Lady Downer, the mother of the Australian High Commissioner, passed away. The Downer family were to have been our guests of honour. Lady Downer, the wife of Australia’s longest serving High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, was greatly loved and had very recently enjoyed a special lunch with many of her friends at Stoke Lodge. All of us at the Trust are deeply saddened at the loss of this great lady.

The evening, with the blessing and support of the High Commissioner, went ahead with Geoffrey Conaghan, Victorian Agent General stepping in for The Hon Alexander Downer AC. Geoffrey gave an impassioned speech where he warmly acknowledged our new Principal Partner, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and then congratulated our sponsors and applauded our Friends for being so vital to the Trust’s success. We also wish to thank him for providing the delicious wines from the State of Victoria.For the Tait Memorial Trust this was already a significant evening. We had invited our Friends to join us as we welcomed our two new Patrons, John Frost AM and Leanne Benjamin OBE. The agreement with the Commonwealth Bank came about a few weeks before the event plus the selection of Josephine Frick, to be the inaugural recipient of The Leanne Benjamin Awards, had only recently been decided. Josephine was presented with a cheque for £8,000 being given to her to contribute towards her fees at The Royal Ballet School .We were entertained by three outstanding young Australian artists, Lauren Zolezzi, Gerard Schneider and Chad Vindin. Their performances truly were world class and gave us all further proof in the value of our support and the need to help these talented artists.

Message from Sky Ingram, Soprano

Dear Friends,

I hope you’ve all had a lovely start to your autumn/spring (depending on hemisphere!) – I certainly have! Most especially the start of rehearsals for my debut with the Royal Opera House world premiere of Glare in the role of Lea. Very exciting!! Helping develop a new opera and new story line has been such a creative and different rehearsal experience. I hope that if you’re in London you might be able to come!

Am I am robot?… am I a woman?… am I ‘perfect’?… ’imperfect’?… who knows?! – Come and find out!

Please see the trailer attached and performance dates below…

There’s also lots of exciting stuff in the pipeline for 2015. In particular, (and what I’m currently allowed to reveal), is that I have accepted a La Bohème contract for my debut with English Touring Opera. We will be travelling all around the UK. I can’t wait to visit all the towns that I haven’t had the opportunity to go to yet. I am also excited to be performing in this opera with two fellow Adelaidians; Grant Doyle and Nicholas Lester.

http://englishtouringopera.org.uk/productions/la-boheme-2015

2015 also marks my debut in the beautiful Royal Albert Hall with Raymond Gubbay in their Grand Organ Gala as their guest soloist.

http://www.raymondgubbay.co.uk/whatson/grand-organ-gala-2015/

Well, that’s just a little info for now. As always, please let me know what you’ve been up to – I always love to hear!

Lots of love,

Sky

Upcoming performance dates:

Glare, Royal Opera House

14, 15. 18, 18, 19, 21 November 2014 at 7.45pm  & Saturday 22 November 2014 at 6.00pm

Lea, Glare, Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.

Danish-German composer Søren Nils Eichberg presents a taut operatic thriller about trust and reality.

Haydn Nelson Mass

Friday 5 December 2014 at 7:30pm, Guest Soprano, Victoria Law Courts

Corporation Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 6QA, United Kingdom

La Bohème, Musetta, English Touring Opera

Friday 13 March & Saturday 14 March 2015 at 7.30pm

Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1EJ

Tuesday 17 March 2015 at 7.30pm

Hall for Cornwall, Back Quay, Truro, TR1 2LL

Friday 20 March 2015 at 7.30pm

Lighthouse, Kingland Road, Poole, BH15 1UG

Monday 23 March 2015 at 7.30pm

Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL

Tuesday 24 March 2015 at 7.30pm

Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL

Monday 30 March 2015 at 7.45pm

Lyceum Theatre, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA

Friday 10 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

Saturday 11 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

Monday 13 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DE

Friday 17 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Aldeburgh Music, Snape Suffolk, IP17 1SP

Monday 20 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Curve, Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB

Friday 24 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL

Saturday 25 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL

Tuesday 28 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Exeter Northcott Theatre, Exeter Northcott, Stocker Road Exeter, EX4 4QB

Thursday 30 April 2015 at 7.30pm

Exeter Northcott Theatre, Exeter Northcott, Stocker Road Exeter, EX4 4QB

Wednesday 6 May 2015 at 7.30pm

The Hawth, Crawley, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6YZ

Friday 8 May 2015 at 7.30pm

The Marlowe Theatre, The Friars, Canterbury, CT1 2AS

Monday 11 May 2015 at 7.30pm

Grand Theatre Blackpool, 33 Church Street, Blackpool, FY1 1HT

Thursday 14 May 2015 at 7.30pm

Buxton Opera House, Water Street, SK17 6XN

Saturday 16 May 2015 at 7.30pm

Buxton Opera House, Water Street, SK17 6XN

Monday 18 May 2015 at 7.30pm

Gala Theatre, Durham, 1 Millennium Place, Town Centre Durham, DH1 1WA

Thursday 21 May 2015 at 7.30pm Musetta, La Bohème English Touring Opera

Perth Festival, Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5HZ

** 3 more possible dates in May yet to be confirmed… J

Grand Organ Gala, Raymond Gubbay

Sunday 4 October 2015 at 3pm, Guest Soprano, Raymond Gubbay

Royal Albert Hall, London

Kind regards,

Sky Ingram

www.skyingram.com

https://twitter.com/Sky_Ingram

http://www.facebook.com/sopranoskyingram

Anna O'Brien, Violinist – The Tait Chamber Orchestra

Canberra-born Australian violinist, Anna O’Brien, is a recent Masters graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and is now pursuing a diverse career as a freelance orchestral and chamber musician. She has completed young artist professional development programs with the Manchester Camerata, the Britten-Pears Foundation and the Sydney Symphony, and performs regularly with her piano trio throughout the UK.

Anna will join the Tait Chamber Orchestra at our first concert at St John’s Smith Squate, Tuesday 9th December at 7.30pm

Book here

Ian Wildsmith, Horn – Tait Chamber Orchestra

Young Australian horn player, Ian Wildsmith will be playing 1st Horn in the Tait Chamber Orchestra. We are delighted to welcome this young Melbournian to our newly founded ensemble at our first concert at St John!s Smith Square, Tuesday 9th December 2014 at 7.30pm.

Questions and Answers with Australian Horn player, Ian Wildsmith
(From the RNCM website)

What were you doing before you came here, and why did you decide to apply to the RNCM?

Before I came to the RNCM, I was studying in Melbourne at the Victorian College of the Arts in Australia. I had always wanted to study on this side of the world and did a whirlwind tour of English and German conservatoires with one of my high school friends in 2010, before settling on the RNCM.

What were your first impressions of the RNCM?

My first impressions were incredibly welcoming. I was able to sit down in the refectory and met a few then current French Horn students, who were very helpful in describing College life to me. I was also very impressed with the modern facilities and the wealth of programmes that were going on.

What’s a ‘typical’ day like?

It’s generally pretty full-on. In winter you often go into College before the sun rises and after the sun sets, it seems! You’re thrown into a myriad of musical ensembles in innumerable styles and situations. This is not to say that it’s all work and no play however. The College is very social and you can always find a friendly face for a coffee or a drink.

What’s your favourite aspect of being a student here?

I would probably say the depth and breadth of programmes I have participated in. From Symphony Orchestra to learning historically-informed performance practice on the hand horn, to intensive weekends featuring some of the most prominent composers of our time, the College provides you with training in all aspects of performance.

What are your main personal achievements since being at the RNCM?

Internally, I have been lucky enough to play principal horn with the Symphony Orchestra, performing ‘The Planets’ with Yan Pascal Tortelier and ‘Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ with Sir Mark Elder.

Externally, I recently have been asked to play with the European Union Youth Orchestra. In the last year I was lucky enough to have participated in the London Sinfonietta Academy, the Deutsch-Skandinavische Jugend-Philharmonie and performed Mozart’s Horn Quintet on a Vacation Chamber Orchestra tour.

What do you plan to do after your studies here?

Ideally, I’d love to work in an orchestra, whilst hopefully having an active solo and chamber career. We will have to wait and see what happens though, I’ve still got a lot of time to spend in a practice room first!

Changing Feet – A musical exploration of changing pace

Kevin Penkin, Tait Scholar @KevinPenkin at the Royal College of Music 2013 & 2014 @RCMLatest has been commissioned by the Tait Memorial Trust to write an orchestral work for our Winter Prom @StJohnsSmithSq. He has decided to write a piece for flute and orchestra which he has entitled, Changing Feet. Conducted by Kelly Lovelady with Nicola Crowe, flute and The Tait Chamber Orchestra this will be one of the highlights of our showcase of Australian talent in the United Kingdom.

Changing Feet is about changing pace. Leaving the world’s most isolated city to live in one of the most industrious and compact environments requires a huge mental change. This piece tries to reflect not only the mentality of someone who grew up in Perth, but the experience of moving to London and ultimately returning home back to Australia. This work explores what one could miss of Perth, be it the silence, the space or the natural beauty.

Kevin Penkin composer. 29th September 2014

Listen to a sample of Kevin’s work on Soundcloud

We are delighted that Kevin has decided to write about a subject which is so close to many of us. The change of pace…the separation from friends and family is one of the most difficult things to adjust to when you make that leap over the pond. For our young artists who travel here on their own to unfamiliar surroundings without the comfort of their usual support networks this ‘change of feet’ has a real and tangible effect on the London experience.

Over the years the Trust have assisted over 250 young Australian performing artists who have made the leap of faith to study and work here in the UK. Part of of our role is to provide financial support but also to connect them with the network of Australian’s here in London who made a similar trip many years ago. Hopefully we ease the mental change which Kevin refers to. I think we can all remember the feelings we experienced when we first arrived. We are all very keen to hear how Kevin Penkin has

Nicola Crowe - Sir Charles Mackerras Chair — Nicola Crowe, flute – Sir Charles Mackerras Chair

Tait Awardee 2014, Nicola Crowe, flute and current holder of the Southbank Sinfonia, Sir Charles Mackerras Chair, will play the flute solo in Kevin’s new work.

Ádám Szabó , cello soloist – Tait Winter Prom

Ádám Szabó is playing with us in our Winter Prom @StJohnsSmithSq on Tuesday 9th December at 7.30pm. Adam and Yelian He will be centre stage in the second half when they play Giovanni Sollima’s, Violoncelles Vibrez! with the Tait Chamber Orchestra conducted by Kelly Lovelady

Book tickets here

Ádám was a Tait Awardee last year when he completed his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music and this year is being supported again as he continues his studies with his teacher.

Listen to Ádám Szabó on Soundcloud

Biography – Ádám Szabó

Ádám Szabó enjoys a busy and varied career as a freelance orchestral player, chamber musician (as a member of the Darlinghurst Duo), and teacher. From December, Ádám will commence work on contract with Opera North as No. 2 Principal Cello; he is also currently on trial as a tutti member of the Hallé Orchestra. Appearances in 2014 include concerts at the Canberra International Music Festival with ACO2 and the Wallfisch Band, duo recitals in Manchester and London, and a full cycle of the Bach Cello Suites presented in association with the Swiss Church in London, to be performed early next year. In December, Ádám will perform Giovanni Sollima’s double cello concerto, Violincelles Vibrez, together with cellist Yelian He and the Tait Chamber Orchestra.

Currently based in Manchester, Ádám works regularly with Opera North, chamber orchestra Ruthless Jabiru (as principal cello), as well as with the Hallé Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO2. Other orchestras he has performed with include the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Chamber Opera, Australian World Orchestra, and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ádám was born in Sydney, and completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2010, under the guidance of Zoltán Szabó and Daniel Yeadon. Upon graduating from the Conservatorium, he was awarded a Sydney Symphony Orchestral Fellowship, after which he was engaged as a contract member of the orchestra. He continued his studies in the United Kingdom, moving to Manchester to study with internationally renowned cellist and pedagogue Hannah Roberts at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating in 2014 with a Masters in Musi

Winter Prom 2014 at St John's Smith Square

Tuesday, 9 December, 2014 – 19:30 at St John’s Smith Square

Book here

Join us as we showcase young Australian performing artists. The Tait Chamber Orchestra comprising Australian musicians in the UK, conducted by Kelly Lovelady, and Jayson Gillham, winner of the 2014 Montreal International Piano Competition will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat and Grainger’s Handel in the Strand.

Highlights also include soprano, Elena Xanthoudakis, singing Mozart’s concert aria Ch’io mi scordi di te? with Jayson Gillham and orchestra; Xenia Deviatkina-Loh will play Vaughan Williams’ beautiful The Lark Ascending; Yelian He and Adam Szabo will play Sollima’s exciting ‘duel’ for two cellos and string orchestra Violoncelles Vibrez!; and Australian composer and inaugural Tait Scholar, Kevin Penkin, premieres a piece for flute and orchestra entitled Changing Feet played by flautist, Nicola Crowe.

In honour of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1, we are grateful that The MacMillan Estate has kindly allowed us to give a special performance of the Pie Jesu solo from Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet Requiem. Australian ballerina and new Tait Patron, Leanne Benjamin OBE, will teach the role to Sophie Moffatt, a student at The Royal Ballet School, accompanied by soprano, Marlena Devoe and pianist, Chad Vindin. Royal Ballet dancer, Calvin Richardson, will perform his own choreographic interpretation of The Dying Swan which he recently danced at the Royal Opera House accompanied by cellist, Adam Szabo and pianist, Chad Vindin.

The evening ends with the famous final scene from Act 1 of La Bohème sung by Jette Parker Young Artist soprano, Lauren Fagan, and tenor, Gerard Schneider, from the National Opera Studio.

www.taitmemorialtrust.org

ARTISTS
Kelly Lovelady conductor
Jayson Gillham piano
Elena Xanthoudakis soprano
Marlena Devoe soprano
Lauren Fagan soprano
Gerard Schneider tenor
Xenia Deviatkina-Loh violin
Adam Szabo cello
Yelian He cello
Nicola Crowe flute
Sophie Moffat dance
Calvin Richardson dance

PROGRAMME
Grainger. Handel in the Strand
Mozart. Piano Concerto No.14 in E flat, K 449
Vaughan Williams. The Lark Ascending
Mozart. Ch’io mi scordi di te? Non temer, amato bene. K 505
Kenneth MacMillan. Pie Jesu from his ballet Requiem
Saint-Saëns. The Dying Swan from Carnival of the Animals
Giovanni Sollima. Violoncelles Vibrez!
Penkin. Changing Feet (premiere)
Puccini. Che gelida manina…Si mi chiamano Mimi’ & ‘O soave fanciulla’ from La Boheme

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Kevin Penkin (b. 1996)

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