To mark the 40th anniversary of the government’s Music and Dance Scheme (MDS), young musicians from the UK’s five specialist music schools have today released the results of an unprecedented collaboration, written and performed during lockdown.
Eleven talented young musicians from St Mary’s Music School took part in this pioneering collaboration. Kimberley Archibald, Phoebe Barber, Greta Bommarito, Emma Scott, Audrey Doyle, Momo Ueda, Daisy Richards, Ruari Woodsend, Layla Ballard-Cooper, Cliodhna Scott, Sofia Ros all took their places in a ’first’ virtual orchestra to perform a new work by Gwilym Simcock, which is now live on YouTube: www.youtube.com/StMarysMusicSchoolScotland.
The new virtual orchestra brings together around 80 young musicians – aged 15 to 18 – who currently study at the UK's five specialist music schools: Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, The Purcell School in Hertfordshire, Wells Cathedral Music School in Somerset and the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey.
This is the first time that five separate orchestras, located hundreds of miles apart, have been able to collaborate so successfully, and on such a large scale. Lockdown has not stopped these exceptionally creative young performers from creating something special.
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Paul Stubbings, Director of Music at St Mary’s Music School, said:
“The five MDS Directors of Music got their heads together right at the beginning of Lockdown to plan an unique and ambitious project: a joint venture, something that our component schools were unlikely to achieve on their own, and indeed something that couldn't have been managed together under normal conditions. We were looking for something of a celebration of music education, something for our leavers to take pride in, something that could point to the future.
“I find the result a compelling symbol of the union of our labours as well as of our shared purpose: eight joyous minutes of Specialist Music Students doing what they love most! I am proud of what the schools have achieved and thrilled to be sharing it today with our audiences.”
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About the Music and Dance Scheme
Established in 1981, the UK government's Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) allows talented young performers to fulfil their potential, regardless of their financial background, by funding world-class specialist training at one of the UK's famous five specialist music schools. The scheme (administered in Scotland through Education Scotland) has provided a vital education for many of the country‘s finest classical musicians, such as Martin Bartlett, Nicola Benedetti, Jacob Collier and Steven Osborne.
The Project
The pupils recorded their own individual parts of a new piece called Union Overture and Celebration, specially written for them by Gwilym Simcock, who has been critically acclaimed at home and abroad as one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers working in Europe today. He has toured extensively with the cream of British and international jazz artists; and he has performed with orchestras, choirs, big bands, dancers, and with musicians from diverse backgrounds including the classical, jazz, folk and rock traditions. His debut album “Perception” was nominated for Best Album in the BBC Jazz Awards 2008 and his 2011 album “Good Days At Schloss Elmau” was one of the twelve nominees for the Mercury Music Prize.
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Gwilym is himself one of many acclaimed musical graduates from the MDS funded system, having studied at Chetham’s School of Music. He said
“I’m extremely proud to have been a student at Chetham’s for nine years. Undoubtedly, what I learned there has given me the opportunity to have a very enjoyable and fulfilling career in the music industry. The funding that allows pupils from all backgrounds to attend these wonderful institutions is absolutely crucial, and without it the musical world in general would be a much poorer place - and more importantly so would many, many young lives.”
The piece was broadcast for the first time at 10am on Wednesday 19 August, simultaneously launching on the YouTube channels for all five of the specialist schools.
A spokesperson for the five MDS schools said:
"The UK’s five specialist music schools all have celebrated youth orchestras, but never before have we collaborated together like this. Now is a special moment, as we join forces and begin to mark the 40th anniversary of the UK government’s MDS funding. This support has been vital to so many of our finest classical musicians. We must now do even more to widen this access and we hope new performances like this will start to raise broader awareness of the scheme."