The second half of the Tait Winter Prom, Tuesday 9th December, starts with Samoan, Marlena Devoe, soprano, winner of the 2014 Bel Canto Awards singing the ‘Pie Jesu‘ from Faure’s ‘Requiem‘
Sophie Moffatt, dancer, will perform Kenneth MacMillan’s choreographic interpretation of this solo. Sophie recently performed for The Trust at The Leanne Benjaimin Awards at The Royal Ballet School. She ended the evening with the solo from Giselle, coached by Leanne Benjamin OBE.
Sophie will be coached by Australian prima ballerina and Tait Patron, Leanne Benjamin OBE. This video recording is of Leanne performing this piece at the Royal Opera House.
Chad Vindin will accompany on the piano. We are thrilled that The MacMillan Estate have kindly allowed us to perform this piece
Following his performance at the Royal Opera House in July, Calvin Richardson was invited to re-choreograph his Dying Swan and perform at the launch of the new Jaguar XE on Monday evening 8th September at Earls Court.
Calvin, who recently joined The Royal Ballet, is to dance his choreography of The Dying Swan at the Tait Winter Prom at St John’s Smith Square on Tuesday 9th December at 7.30pm. Another ballet highlight is a performance of the Pie Jesu solo from Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet, Requiem. Leanne Benjamin OBE is to coach Sophie Moffatt and prepare her for this beautiful piece for our 2014 Winter Prom
Amazing support from @TheRoyalBallet and @RoyalOperaHouse by helping us to promote the @balletawards Leanne Benjamin Awards for young Australian dancers studying in the UK
The Leanne Benjamin Awards are to be launched at The Royal Ballet School on Thursday June 12th with Leanne Benjamin OBE teaching a Royal Ballet School Student one of her famous solos in front of a live audience.
We do hope you will be able to join us for this most special event. The masterclass has been put together for us by The Royal Ballet School to help us launch our new awards for young Australian dancers and we are enormously grateful for its support.
The awards recognise the great Australian, Leanne Benjamin, arguably the most successful Australian ballerina ever to have come from Australia. Leanne danced with four of the world’s leading companies (Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Deutsche Oper Ballet and The Royal Ballet) and worked directly with many of the legends of 20th and 21st century ballet, in a career that spanned 30 years. She is an example to any aspiring Australian professional dancers. The Tait Memorial Trust is delighted to name our new ballet awards The Leanne Benjamin Awards
I hope this event will prove to be a turning point for the Tait Memorial Trust and will see us become more involved with the prestigious Royal Ballet School where so many promising young Australian dancers have completed their training.
We are thrilled that Leanne Benjamin OBE,an alumna of The Royal Ballet School who recently retired as a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet after a 21 year career, will appear on the night. She and Mark Annear, Head of Outreach and Teacher Training with The Royal Ballet School, will work with the students, who will include three TMT awardees.Highlights of the evening will include the Tait Awardees and other Australian students performing a selection of classical solos and pas de deux and Leanne Benjamin coaching a student in one of her favourite solos from the classical repertoire.
This is a unique opportunity, not only to see some fabulous dancing, but also to help promising Australian ballet students who come to London to study at what is widely regarded as one of the world’s top three ballet schools. Don’t miss it.
On Tuesday March 18th the Trust invited our Friends to the home of the Australian High Commissioner, Stoke Lodge. The evening was hosted by Sasha Carruozzo, wife of Mike Rann CNZM the Australian High Commissioner, and by Tait Memorial Trust Chairman, Isla Baring OAM. The Trust are terribly grateful to Mike and Sasha and want to publicly thank them for their generosity in allowing us to use their home to entertain our guests.
We were delighted to welcome many of our most valued and generous supporters, the Deputy Australian High Commissioner, Mr Andrew Todd and his wife, and the Agents’ General of Western Australia, Queensland and Western Australia.
Awardees present included: Greta Bradman, Soprano; Benjamin Mellefont, Clarinet; Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, Violin; Sophie Moffatt, Ballet; Kevin Penkin, Composition (2013/14 Tait Scholar); Calvin Richardson, Ballet and Adam Szabo, Cello.
Joining us was Sam Sakker, a young Australian tenor who is to sing at the Royal Opera House in their Jette Parker Young Artist Programme from September 2014, who sang Lehar’s classic, Dein is mein ganzes Herz and the Australian National Anthem all a capella. He has the most thrilling voice with the richest/warmest tone. Adam Szabo, Tait Awardee 2013, played some selections from JS Bach’s cello suites…incredibly beautifully.
Tait Friends
We launched our new Friends scheme which includes a new initiative called, Adopt a Performer. The scheme would link a donor, or a group of donors, to one awardee for three years ( the length of the typical undergraduate degree or course) For a minimum subscription of £75 Tait Friends receive discounts to Tait events and an invitation to an annual reception. The greatest benefit to all donors is the knowledge that they are making a tangible difference to the life of a young Australian performing artist. More information about our new Friends scheme can be found here
Julian Gavin, new Tait Patron
Our new Patron, Australian international tenor, Julian Gavin was introduced to our Friends and has agreed to join our Music Board (the selection process for the 2014/15 awards begins soon. Applications for music awards close on Monday 31st March. More info here
The Leanne Benjamin Awards
An honoured guest was Australian principal ballerina, Leanne Benjamin OBE. Recently retired from The Royal Ballet after a 21 year first class career with the company, Miss Benjamin has agreed to join us to create a new award(s) in her name which will help fund the studies of young Australian dancers in the UK. Called The Leanne Benjamin Awards the Trust are producing a gala reception with a masterclass taken by Miss Benjamin and Australian senior teacher at the school, Mark Annear, at The Royal Ballet School, Floral Street, Covent Garden. This fundraising event will be held in the Linden Studio at The Royal Ballet School on Thursday 12th June. We are very grateful to the staff and students at the school for allowing us to use this excellent venue for our event.
Tickets to this special Tait event are available here
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