Playing in Harmony

Players from our orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and Constant Lambert Fellow Yi Wei visited Royal Birmingham Conservertoire in February for a side-by-side rehearsal with 60 students.

As our Music Director, Paul Murphy, explains: ‘BRB's partnership with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is something that is vitally important for us. It breaks down into three sections - our Student-in-Residence scheme which has proved to be hugely successful, a side-by-side Training Scheme programme with the Sinfonia, and my own work as visiting examiner/teacher to the conducting department.’

The February rehearsal developed from this ongoing partnership; essential skills such as ensemble awareness, stylistic interpretation and adaptability were taken on board by the students throughout the day.

António Novais, Royal Ballet Sinfonia Principal Cello, is one of the mentors on the partnership’s training scheme and had a session with student cellist Gen Li preparing him for the rehearsal.

António said, ‘It is wonderful to meet such committed and talented students who are so eager to learn and make music in an orchestral setting’.

Gen Li added, ‘Rehearsing with Royal Ballet Sinfonia was a fantastic experience, opportunities like this are invaluable in preparing for a professional career’.

Principal Cello António Novais and Principal Flute Anna Wolstenholme are among the Sinfonia players who have been mentoring students this year. We asked them both to share their thoughts on the scheme:

António Novais, Principal Cello

Can you tell us a little about your experience of mentoring RBC students?
It’s been really enlightening to share ideas with RBC students and tell them a bit more about the fantastic ballet repertoire that doesn’t get played very often during college time and all the peculiarities that come with playing ballet music.

Did you receive any form of mentoring whilst developing your musical talent? If so, how do you feel opportunities like this are advantageous for students?
I was part of a similar mentoring scheme during my time at the Royal Academy of Music, where I received mentoring from principals from two London orchestras. I felt I had the opportunity to learn very specific and invaluable skills directly from them that have been incredibly helping me along the way.

How does it feel to be mentoring the next generation of talent?
It’s very interesting being on the other side of it now. I find it that each student is looking for a slightly different thing from us and it’s a matter of figuring out how to guide and support them in the best way possible. I find myself looking back and remembering how much I didn’t know, not only about music, but also about how the whole system works. It feels nice to be able to mentor the students and pass on skills and insights in the same way I got help a few years ago.

Anna Wolstenholme, Principal Flute

Can you tell us a little about your experience of mentoring RBC students?
It’s always a privilege to work with young players who are keen to get to know more about how the orchestral world works. This scheme in particular is special as it unfolds over a long period of time giving the opportunity for developmental learning with plenty of time for chats in between! It’s also great for us to get to know individual students and make sure we really offer personalised help.

Did you receive any form of mentoring whilst developing your musical talent? If so, how do you feel opportunities like this are advantageous for students?
Yes absolutely although it wasn’t through formal schemes which are much more available now. Learning to play well is only a part of what it takes to have professional success so I feel everyone needs mentoring at some stage. It often works well if it isn’t a principal study teacher too. It’s a real opportunity to find out what makes you tick artistically and to ask questions - any student who gets access to this is definitely at an advantage.

How does it feel to be mentoring the next generation of talent?
In short - critical! We need the next generation of professionals to feel empowered and understand what their options are as graduates. We also need them to advocate for our art form in society so anything we can do to prepare them for that is a joy and an honour.