UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 03 MARCH 2023
The coming weeks see a clutch of performances from final year students, many of their Final Projects taking original and innovative approaches. There are evenings dedicated to a musician’s particular interest, group projects and collaborations on a wide range of themes, a brand new contest for the brass band community, a relaxed family concert for children with additional needs, and even a burlesque night at The Old Joint Stock. The result is a series of concerts and events that are appealing and engaging for audiences and personally rewarding for the performers.
The friendship between two great 20th-century composers Delius and Grieg (Mon 13 March, 1.05pm) is explored through lesser-known works for combinations of violin, cello and piano.
Collaborating with past and current RBC students and Birmingham City University’s Burlesque Society has enabled Ruby Thorne to create A Night of Burlesque with Ruby and the Diamonds (Wed 29 & Thu 30 March) featuring singing, comedy and drag and an all-female live band.
Soprano Matilda Wale’s work placement with Ex Cathedra’s Children Academy has resulted in Music & Me (Fri 10 March, 6pm) which brings the generations together in inclusive music and arts activities, from song to poetry.
The inaugural Constest (Saturday 1 Apr, from 10am) is designed to unite and promote all levels of the brass band community. This day-long event will see bands compete for prizes including products and the chance to work with virtuosos, and gala concerts featuring Second City Brass and The Ambrassadors.
Six musicians take on a Concerto challenge with the Final Projects Orchestra (Fri 24 March, 7pm) in a display of talent and virtuosity. Four very different pieces include US wartime bandleader Artie Shaw’s concerto for clarinet and jazz orchestra and John Williams’s jazzy Escapades for saxophone (from the soundtrack to Catch Me If You Can), Richard Strauss’s popular Horn Concerto No.2 and the Concertino for Piano Trio and String Orchestra by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů.
The Mini Messiah has been devised by final year undergraduate soprano, Abigail Baylis, who will feature alongside a talented vocal consort of twelve singers and a Baroque orchestra to create a compelling performance in the Bradshaw Hall (Mon 20 March, 7pm).
Experience the passionate and volatile love story shared by two poets, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud in Vert(laine) Rimbalien (Wed 22 Mar). Mỹ Linh Ton takes us on this journey through the art of French mélodie and chanson inspired by their poetical works including songs by Fauré, Debussy, Hahn, Britten and many other composers.