Gergley Toth Vanja performance in Prague

Updates Spring 2021

Student updates

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We’ve found and highlighted some excellent online activity for and by students during the past few months:

The RCMSU launched a new initiative for the student community:

 

This week the RCM Students’ Union has launched an initiative called Convo Club that allows students who speak English as...

Posted by Royal College of Music on Friday, 22 January 2021

 

We launched Workshop Wednesdays for the Spring Term: 

This term, we've been enjoying a new series of Workshop Wednesdays, with RCM musicians learning from a variety of music...

Posted by Royal College of Music on Wednesday, 27 January 2021

RCM composers’ project Treephonia proved a successful musical venture:

Some solo practice going a long way for current students: 

 
 
 
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A post shared by Phoebe Clarke (@phoebedoesbass)

Great to see RCMJD students showing off their musical skills:

A duet between RCM students makes a lovely video:

 
 
 
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A post shared by Elizaveta Saul (@elizavetasaul)

Senior and Junior students performing together over Zoom:

 
 
 
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A post shared by Phoebe Clarke (@phoebedoesbass)

Mebrakh Houghton-Johnson kicked off the RCM’s top five series on Instagram with his selection of pieces by black composers:

Pianist Oliver Cuttriss performed a 24-hour solo piano recital from his accommodation in Prince Consort Village in January, streaming the event live on Facebook. Oliver has had online success before – last year a mashup video of his went viral, racking up over 153,000 views on YouTube:

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Pianist Kirill Zheleznov has recently had great success in online competitions. He won the Grand Prix at the Crimean Spring International Music Competition, Second Place at Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition and Third Place at the Odin International Music Competition.

Organist Ivan Leung performed some beautiful Dupré:

 

some Dupré to brighten up the weekend ✨ magic happening within the rare, fluid lyricism in his Résurrection — Symphonie Passion, Op. 23 could you catch the subtle chant tune? �� . p.s. �� highly recommended . #organ #orgel #orgue #organo #pipeorgan #organist #music #musique #musician #musicien #classic #classique #practice #repetition #french #romantic #marcel #dupré #symphonie #passion #resurrection #résurrection #rcmcommunity #winter #vibes #hongkong #hk #hkig #管風琴

Posted by Ivan Leung - Organist on Friday, 29 January 2021

 

Pedro Lopez Salas has won the prize for the best Spanish pianist, and the prize for the best performer of Spanish music in the Vigo International Piano Competition online. This competitive event was judged by prestigious figures Martha Argerich, Sergio Tiempo and Pablo Galdo. Pedro also won the Audience Prize and Best Spanish Pianist Prize in the Campillos International Piano Competition, and together with Manuel Cini won joint First Prize in the Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition 2021 online in the highest category, with over 140 pianists competing from around the world.

Soprano Emilia Utter Mangsbo and tenor Theo Uggla both reached the final of the Schymberg Award 2021, one of the major competitions for young Nordic opera singers.

Annabel Kennedy celebrated continuing her studies at the RCM:

Pianist Victor Maslov has won First Prize at the AntwerPiano International Piano Competition 2020, one of the ‘14 Ways to Malta’ competitions. He wins a substantial money prize and the opportunity to take part in the prestigious Malta International Piano Competition in 2021.

The Drapers’ Company streamed a two-handed opera featuring RCM singers Clara Barbier Serrano (soprano) and Michael Bell (tenor) in November. The opera was based on the book Le Petit Prince.

Pianist Laetitia Amodio has won the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition. As part of her prize, she will be performing at the Royal Albert Hall alongside other prizewinners in April 2021.

Soprano Natasha Page shared a beautiful vocal performance:

Peng Lin won Third Prize at the UK Piano Open International Piano Competition for pianists under the age of 35.

Violinist Natasha Sutanto performed in her first online class of 2021:

A sneaky recording of me in our first online studio class of 2021! Congratulations to all who performed today and good luck to those performing tomorrow✨�� -------------------- the bagpipe opening of Paganini's Caprice no.20⛰ . . .// ��: theo (phantom audience: matilda ��) #musikklasikgram #rcmcommunity

Posted by Natasha Sutanto - Violinist on Sunday, 31 January 2021

 

Pianist Helen Cooper has been awarded the Mercers’ Arts Award for Community. This prize is to be awarded to the student who contributes the largest amount to the community, bringing an awareness and appreciation of music to the widest possible audience.

Composition student and SU International Officer Andrew Chen has been appointed to the newly formed Youth Council at The Ivors Academy, the UK's independent association for music creators. The Youth Council is a new cross-genre committee that advises the greater Ivors Academy on youth-centred issues, particularly of access, opportunity and equitability.

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Jorge Pinto Ramos’ composition Hidden Gem for vibraphone received an online premiere in November, in a performance by Sergio Yraita from Ensamble Neo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Another piece by Jorge, Plug In, was premiered in December by Cat’s Cradle Collective, conducted by António Breitenfeld Sá Dantas at Rádio Portuguesa UK in London.

Soprano Grace O’Malley celebrated Christmas with a virtual carol concert:

 

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!�� I thought I’d share just a fraction of a very special ‘virtual’ carol concert I took part in during my first term back at the Royal College of Music for the charity ‘Supporting Wounded Veterans’ at The Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square. I’m an extremely passionate charity fundraiser, and I feel very strongly about using my voice to help as many charities as I can, so it was an honour to get to know this charity so please check out their website ( https://www.supportingwoundedveterans.com ) I like to always say ‘Music is Magic’. This is me performing my absolute favourite, O Holy Night, accompanied by Oliver Lallement✨ I want to wish all my glorious family and friends wherever you are, a very merry, happy, healthy and safe Christmas- as different and difficult as it is this year. As said in the song, ‘the weary world rejoices’ ❤️ #RCMCommunity

Posted by Grace O'Malley on Thursday, 24 December 2020

 

In December fortepiano Masters student Gergely Toth Vajna performed in a concert for international artists in Prague’s historic St Simon and St Jude Church, featuring musicians from the ‘V4’ countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic. Gergely conducted the Czech Philharmonic Choir, solo singers from Slovakia-Czech Republic and Poland, the South Bohemian Symphonic Orchestra and members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in a rendition of Dvorák’s D-major Mass. Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka introduced the event, which was broadcast on television.

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Tenor Sam Harris has won the Wishart Song Prize at the 2020 Maureen Lehane Singing Competition. Bass Jamie Woollard came in second.

Berenice Beverley Zammit, a PhD candidate at the Centre for Performance Science, recently presented her research findings at the SMI/ICTM-IE Postgraduate Conference, and she chaired the BFE/RMA Research Students Conference in January.

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