Classical Music Now No Dice Collective

Jo Cheung is director and founder of Olympias Music Foundation, a Manchester charity championing diversity in music – from violin lessons for children on free-school meals, to community choirs for vulnerable BAME women and school children. Since 2015, they have delivered over 2000 free music lessons to 250 children in Manchester, and engaged with many more through workshops and performances.
We chat how Olympias got here, where it’s going and stop off along the way at:


The completely unregulated nature of teaching music
Taking music education from school to the community and what that really means in practise
Olympias’s huge Making Manchester project and their plans for the next year

https://www.joyeecheung.com/
https://www.olympiasmusicfoundation.com/


This episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg.


Educational & crossgrade versions available at significantly discounted prices.
Get your 30-day free trial version of Dorico that will allow you to try out all of the features Dorico has to offer with no restrictions.


Links and Show Notes


Slung Low Theatre Company
Making Manchester
Community Integration Awards
Emma Doherty
Hayley Suviste
Cookbook!

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Raymond Yiu is a Hong-Kong born, London-based composer, jazz pianist, conductor and writer on music. Originally trained as an engineer, Yiu was self-taught as a composer until he undertook his DMus under the auspice of Julian Anderson at Guildhall in 2009. His debut album The World Was Once All Miracle showcases his talent with three identity-exploring works informed by his time at Guildhall.


How to get your foot on the ladder as a self-trained composer
Why he won’t be getting a publisher any time soon
Why Raymond never wrote the Cantonese pop songs that inspired him so much

https://raymondyiu.com/

This episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg.


Educational & crossgrade versions available at significantly discounted prices.
Get your 30-day free trial version of Dorico that will allow you to try out all of the features Dorico has to offer with no restrictions.

Links and Show Notes



Raymond Yiu: The World Was Once All Miracle out now on CD (with great liner notes)



Lontano ensemble directed by Odaline de la Martinez


North West Wind recording
Raymond with Odaline de la Martinez’
Raymond with Lukas Foss
No Dice’s latest spoken word gig
Joe Hisaishi of Studio Ghibli scoring fame (I said his name wrong)
Benetton’s ad with an image of David _Kirkby_

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Lara Agar is a composer, violinist, and collaborator who recently caught my eye with a credit on Shades of Blue, a dance piece performed at Sadler’s Wells and broadcast on the BBC. We talk about how the piece came about, curating nights, and the different relationship musicians, dancers, and actors have with their art. Also in the episode:


The benefits of long-term creative partnerships
Lara’s accidental rock opera
Lara’s love of chaos
Music’s uniquely non-visual role in today’s world

https://www.laraagar.com/


This episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg.


Educational & crossgrade versions available at significantly discounted prices.
Get your 30-day free trial version of Dorico that will allow you to try out all of the features Dorico has to offer with no restrictions.


Links and Show Notes
Joe and Lara’s pretty faces
Rosalie Warner
Kantos – In The Field
EXAUDI vocal ensemble
SET


Music played in this episode
Shades of Blue (intro bed and breakbeat example)
Anima Rose
JABBERWOCKY - performed by EXAUDI (excerpt and in full at the end)
Accidental Rock Opera


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Aubrey and I geek out about marketing in the classical realm.


Why classical’s core product will always be live music
Why we shouldn’t be streaming whole concerts for free
Plus Aubrey gives her advice on how new groups should approach finding and keeping new listeners, and how to get around the fear of the unknown with newly written music.

If you’re a musician or arts administrator of any kind, this is an essential listen. If you fall outside of that, enjoy looking behind the curtain at what an orchestra exec spends her time thinking about.

Some Aubrey bio fun facts: she grew Seattle Opera’s BRAVO! Club to the largest group for young patrons in the US, led the Bumbershoot Festival to achieve an unprecedented 43% increase in revenue, and propelled the California Symphony to double the size of its audience and nearly quadruple the donor base. 

https://www.aubreybergauer.com/ 


This episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg.


Educational & crossgrade versions available at significantly discounted prices.
Get your 30-day free trial version of Dorico that will allow you to try out all of the features Dorico has to offer with no restrictions.


Links and Show Notes
💿 Get our CD Stillness with 25% off when you order before Christmas 💿

It’s a CELLO-BRATION! - California Symphony (Available till Dec 11 2020. Emphasis mine.)

The referenced LSO video. Click ‘show chat replay’ to see Maxine Kwok in action.

Jill Robinson at TRG

Aubrey’s excellent blog. This post is California Symphony’s ‘Public Commitment to Diversity’, which I love.

Geffen Playhouse’s Zoom play: The Present

San Francisco Symphony: Throughline (free!)

Live with Carnegie Hall: Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg (also free!)


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Ellie and I have a really open chat about our experiences with choral conducting and running a music group. Plenty of golden advice from Ellie, plus she explains why conductors shouldn’t silo into orchestral or choral, the weirdness of masterclasses, and creative administration.

Ellie is a conductor, and founder of Kantos Chamber Choir (who I sing with). She recently debuted with the Hallé and toured with Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet production as the Young Associate Conductor. She is musical director with the Hallé Youth Orchestra, Radius Opera, Stafford Choral Society; and associate conductor with Manchester Chamber Choir and Huddersfield Choral Society.

Ellie Slorach https://www.ellieslorach.co.uk/



This episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg.


Educational & crossgrade versions available at significantly discounted prices.
Get your 30-day free trial version of Dorico that will allow you to try out all of the features Dorico has to offer with no restrictions.



Links and Show Notes
In The Field - Kantos Chamber Choir

Royal Opera House - Opportunities for Women Conductors

Jamulus

Ellie’s Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme masterclass with Marin Alsop

Ellie conducting the Hallé Youth Orchestra

National Theatre Live (online screenings have now finished)

Piece of the Month blog series - No Dice Collective


Music played in this episode
Robert Nathaniel Dett – O Holy Lord
Rory Wainwright Johnston – Ave Maria

Available to hear as part of Kantos’s In The Field project

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Shruthi Rajasekar is a composer from Minnesota USA who straddles the worlds of Western contemporary music and south Indian Carnatic music from a truly unique position. Having grown up in the US with prominent Carnatic musician Nirmala Rajasekar as a mother, Shruthi is a joy to talk with as we cover:


Choral culture and education in the US vs UK
How the pandemic is actually improving conversations around pieces in the rehearsal process
Shruthi’s experience at SOAS and RNCM
We also get super into the weeds discussing how despite its insane cross-rhythms, Carnatic music never changes time signature – plus how Shruthi breaks those rules in her piece, Numbers.

Shruthi Rajasekar https://www.shruthirajasekar.com/


This episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg.


Educational & crossgrade versions available at significantly discounted prices.
Get your 30-day free trial version of Dorico that will allow you to try out all of the features Dorico has to offer with no restrictions.


Links and Show Notes
Many thanks to NMC for allowing Shruthi’s piece Numbers to be played in this podcast. Find out more about their great Young Composers Scheme album on their website or stream the piece.

Shruthi’s ‘German and Sanskrit’ piece, Devotee (played throughout)

Shruthi’s mum, Nirmala Rajasekar

Out of Context #1: Diversifying Programming with Integrity – Shruthi’s article for I Care If You Listen

B C Manjunath's Instagram:
“My mood for few days has simply been in Triplets, Sextuplets and Duodeciplets” 😅
Transcribed madness. 42:28s anyone?


Music played in this episode
Devotee
Numbers

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