London Symphony Orchestra LSO Discovery
LSO Discovery 1990 to 2015 Celebrating twenty-five years of creative music-making
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LSO Discovery An introduction
LSO Discovery is … … the London Symphony Orchestra’s education and community programme. Founded in 1990, LSO Discovery is recognised as one of the world’s leading music education programmes. LSO Discovery’s home is LSO St Luke’s, a converted 18th-century church on Old Street five minutes from the Orchestra’s home at the Barbican Centre. The breadth and depth of LSO Discovery’s projects are unparalleled in the orchestral world. The programme reaches 60,000 people a year, of varying ages, abilities and backgrounds and in the 2014/15 season sees 946 workshops and 147 concerts take place: an average of three every day of the year. Most projects involve LSO Members (i.e. permanent players in the Orchestra) as mentors, leaders or performers and are often led or presented by a creative individual, such as a composer, conductor or animateur. In 2014/15, the LSO will spend £1.3m on LSO Discovery work. This is funded through a range of sources: £550k from Trusts and Foundations together with some individual and corporate donations; £420k from project partners and participants; £230k from the LSO Endowment Trust; and £100k from the LSO’s wider finances. LSO Discovery projects and performances are offered free or at minimal cost to participants and audiences.
Young people are central to LSO Discovery, while adults and increasingly the elderly are also involved. The bulk of LSO Discovery work is focused on individuals living, studying or working in the areas of East London, Islington and Camden, but LSO Discovery also works across the capital, reaches out to the rest of the UK and has growing international and online presence. In this booklet, you will see examples of how LSO Discovery has had many different positive impacts on many different people’s lives.
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LSO Discovery Why does it matter? LSO Discovery exists to offer inspiring musical experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds who have not necessarily had much contact with classical music and musicians.
It also provides support and training for emerging young instrumentalists, composers and conductors, and gives insight into music for members of the public who would like to learn more. LSO Discovery work is captured and disseminated digitally, for individual enthusiasts, learners and teachers in the UK and worldwide. LSO Discovery brings LSO Members into contact with a wider public, as well as developing their interests and skills.
ROBERT TURNER LSO viola The LSO’s Discovery programme has been a source of great pleasure to me as a player. The pleasure of walking into a school playground and having a child come up to me and say, ‘Do you remember me? I was playing the triangle last year in our piece’, or of playing the Elgar string quartet on an LSO Discovery Day and having some saying that they had never heard a quartet before and didn’t know it could be so emotional, or of collapsing with laughter with a group of adults from LSO Create (the LSO’s regular club for adults with learning difficulties). I have learned so much from working with the Orchestra’s wonderful animateurs. Their expertise turns so many good projects into exceptional ones. The spirit that motivates the Orchestra’s activity is something rare and I hope that it enriches the lives of those with whom we come into contact.
Photos from far left: LSO St Luke’s, Shake, Rattle & Roll workshop, Rachel Leach in an LSO Family Concert, LSO Create performer, Digital Technology Group weekly studio session, Robert Turner, LSO Create rehearsal.
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LSO Discovery A world leader
As well as the volume and scope of LSO Discovery’s activity, the position which education and outreach occupies – at the very heart of the Orchestra – is key to its success. By involving LSO Discovery participants in the Orchestra’s highest profile events, such as international tours, the 2012 Olympic Games and outdoor concerts in Trafalgar Square with Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev, the LSO demonstrates its belief in the value of music education as the foundation of great music-making.
In my view the best education and community [programme] run by any orchestra in the world. Richard Morrison, The Times
June/July 2015
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LSO Discovery In numbers
60,000 16,967 946 £1.3m 2,902
LSO Discovery works with 60,000 people every year, of varying ages, abilities and backgrounds.
PARTICIPANTS
Gained access to music through Key Stage Concerts at the Barbican in the 2014/15 season
STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS
Were provided by LSO Discovery in 2014/15, alongside 147 concerts, an average of three events per day
WORKSHOPS
In the 2014/15 season, the LSO will spend £1.3 million on LSO Discovery projects
COMMITTED TO LSO DISCOVERY
The number of opportunities given to LSO players to work on LSO Discovery projects in 2014/15
LSO MEMBER BOOKINGS
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LSO Discovery Projects Engaging everyone in music-making
The LSO’s mission is to bring great music to the most diverse audiences and access for all sits as an equal priority alongside excellence. Reaching out to those who might otherwise be excluded from the Orchestra is paramount, and shapes many LSO Discovery projects. LSO Discovery’s First Access and Lifelong Learning programmes aim to engage people from all walks of life with musical experiences which are high quality, imaginative and welcoming, thereby unlocking and developing human potential. FIRST ACCESS LSO Discovery offers a series of first access opportunities for all ages and backgrounds, so people can see with their own eyes what makes up the Orchestra and how music works at LSO St Luke’s, the Barbican and in the community. Shake, Rattle & Roll and Musical Storytelling
Digital Technology Group
Interactive early years workshops and musical
Drop-in weekly music technology club for local
storytelling sessions for under-5s and their families.
teens to use LSO St Luke’s digital suite and receive specialist guidance with performance opportunities.
Children’s Hospital Programme Working with infants and children from birth to 18-years-
LSO Discovery Friday Lunchtime Concerts
old with chronic, life-threatening or terminal illness.
Free 45-minute informal recitals guided by a presenter and offering Q&A opportunities, programmed to
Schools and Family Concerts
complement the Orchestra’s main season.
Daytime performances with the full Orchestra for Key Stages 1 to 3 (linked to the curriculum with teacher
LSO Create and Special Schools
support), and for families with 7- to 12-year-olds.
Working with adults and children with learning difficulties, through a weekly club, day centre and
LSO Discovery Choirs
residential care, and frequent school visits, with regular
Weekly choir rehearsals and termly concerts at
performance opportunities.
LSO St Luke’s for local 8- to 18-year-olds. Photos clockwise from above: LSO Discovery Choir rehearsal, LSO Under-5s concert, LSO Animateur Rachel Leach, LSO Singing Day, LSO Community Gamelan Group
Family Arts Festival The LSO is a lead partner in the nationwide Family Arts Campaign and its annual festivals.
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6,000 family members enjoy
music-making with the LSO every year
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Chorus Community Choir
Discovery Choirs
LIFELONG LEARNING Education doesn’t end with school; some of the richest experiences in personal growth occur in adulthood.
LSO Community Choir
Pre-concert talks and LSO Discovery Days
Unauditioned chorus, now in its 12th year, of 100+ local
Free talks to explore LSO concerts and immersion
residents and workers which rehearses weekly and gives
days for those keen to learn more about composers.
termly concerts alongside its sister LSO choral groups. LSO Sing LSO Community Gamelan Group
Launched in 2012 in recognition that singing is the basis
Weekly sessions and performing opportunities for
of all music-making, the programme encompasses the
adults interested in Balinese music.
LSO’s three choirs (Discovery, Community and Chorus), LSO Singing Days for the general public and a new series of children’s operas. LSO Sing is led by Simon Halsey, who received the 2015 Queen’s Medal for Music.
Being part of the LSO Community Gamelan gives me a great deal of pleasure and I’m sure it’s good for my health. We’re always learning, it’s sociable and really encourages you to notice sound. And because we work towards performances it has a great sense of purpose and achievement. Ford Hickson, LSO Community Gamelan Group member
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LSO Discovery Projects The next generation of musicians The LSO seeks to challenge and inspire new generations of extraordinary musicians. A thriving musical landscape requires talented instrumentalists, composers with the imaginative and technical capacities to generate tomorrow’s masterpieces, conductors offering unique interpretations, and educators to train and share ideas. The LSO also aims to support the development of all-round musicianship.
INSTRUMENTALISTS LSO On Track In partnership with the music education hubs of ten East London boroughs, LSO On Track enables young musicians to perform in world-class venues alongside LSO musicians, with musicians regularly visiting schools to foster relationships. It also offers Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for primary school teachers in these areas. LSO Academies (Strings, Wind, Brass, Percussion) Intensive summer training for the most outstanding 14to 24-year-old musicians in the country. A total of 282 young musicians have taken part in Academy since 2004. Prior to the Academy, and beginning in the 1970s, the LSO ran the Shell LSO Competition, which launched the careers of many great orchestral musicians. String Experience String students at London music colleges are selected to take part in LSO rehearsals and concerts. 14 String Experience alumni are currently Members of the LSO with another 19 working as extras. In addition, 22 are currently working with other British orchestras, including the Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and HallĂŠ. LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Twelve times each season musicians from the Guildhall School give recitals on the Barbican stage, prior to an LSO concert. Programmes are linked to the main LSO concert and students are given the chance to perform in a professional setting to a discerning audience, including critics. Orchestral Artistry Masters Delivered in association with the Guildhall School, this postgraduate course seeks to produce expertly rounded musicians with the professional and entrepreneurial skills to become the highest achieving 21st-century orchestral players.
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COMPOSERS Panufnik Composers Scheme Each year, six emerging composers have their music workshopped by the Orchestra; two composers are then commissioned to produce orchestral pieces which are performed in the main LSO Barbican season. All receive guidance on how to sustain a career as a composer.
across a range of genres, with access to the resources at LSO St Luke’s and support from industry professionals and LSO players.
Since 2005 … LSO Discovery has commissioned 167 composers
c pe r f o r m
A laboratory for up-and-coming composers working
ed
LSO Soundhub
very best conductors of our time, including Valery Gergiev, the late Sir Colin Davis and Michael Tilson Thomas. Past participants include Robin Ticciati and Ben Gernon. Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition A biennial competition to support European conductors under 35 and appoint the LSO’s next Assistant Conductor. Past winners include François Xavier Roth and David Afkham.
Photos clockwise from left: LSO Panufnik Composers Workshop, LSO On Track rehearsal, LSO Strings Academy, Soundhub performance, Composer Colin Matthews working with Panufnik participants
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Burgeoning young conductors receive training with the
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Masterclasses
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CONDUCTORS
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LSO Discovery Projects Working in partnership LSO Discovery develops relationships with community and business partners to make its work more effective, widespread and sustainable. Each partner brings a distinct area of expertise and unique way of blending with LSO Discovery’s offer. LSO Discovery work complements existing community activities and the national curriculum so that projects are relevant and appropriate to a particular group’s needs, and more likely to effect long-lasting positive change. Partnerships are both local and international with London-based joint projects and a steadily increasing number of LSO Discovery initiatives as far afield as Japan and Australia. The Orchestra has also firmly grasped the digital age, working with technology partners to deliver content globally. LSO Discovery seeks to capitalise on the extraordinary access and learning opportunities presented by the internet, and pioneer new ways of interacting with the work of an orchestra.
LONDON East London Music Hubs
neighbourhoods. The City Family Arts Network is a
LSO Discovery works with the music educations hubs
local alliance between the LSO, Barbican, Guildhall School,
in Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Greenwich, Hackney,
Museum of London, City of London Libraries and
Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets
BBC Symphony Orchestra designed to join up, improve
and Waltham Forest through its LSO On Track programme.
and raise awareness of the local cultural offer for families.
The Hubs’ on-the-ground knowledge provision for young musicians from different schools around their
Guildhall School
boroughs is crucial, enabling LSO Discovery to design
Since the Barbican Arts Centre opened in 1982 the
and implement needs-based projects with participants
LSO and Guildhall School have been next-door-neighbours,
who reflect the diversity of London. At the same time,
sharing a campus. Now more than ever, the Orchestra
Hubs benefit from association with a world-class
and conservatoire are working together to deliver first-
orchestra and children gain direct access to the world
rate music education not just to Guildhall students, but to
of professional music-making.
curious members of the public who are welcome to observe many of the activities that go on, from masterclasses
The local community
to pre-concert recitals and artist conversations.
LSO Discovery’s partners in the immediate local area (Islington and The City) include St Luke’s Community Centre,
Other London conservatoires
charity North London Cares and Prior Weston Primary School.
As well as the Guildhall School, LSO Discovery works
LSO Discovery also works with Islington Council and the
with the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music
City of London Corporation to identify hard-to-reach local
and Trinity Laban through its String Experience scheme.
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INTERNATIONAL: IN PERSON AND ONLINE LSO Discovery on Tour
Digital learning
The LSO presents around 70 concerts a season at the
LSO Discovery has been streaming masterclasses,
Barbican and 50–70 abroad annually. It has a residency at
seminars and artist conversations since the opening
New York’s Lincoln Center, strong ties to Aix-en-Provence,
of LSO St Luke’s in 2003, offering online viewers the
where it was resident orchestra from 2010–2014, and
chance to pose questions as well as watch from
regularly visits Europe and Asia.
wherever they are in the world. A recent live-streamed Free Friday Lunchtime Concert with Co-Principal
In the last decade, the Orchestra has increasingly been
Trombone Peter Moore had viewers as far away as Brazil.
asked to bring LSO Discovery programmes on tour, resulting in ‘Take A Bow’ performances in Paris, Family
LSO Discovery’s most recent digital project, LSO Play,
Concerts and local musicians’ training in Tokyo, and
makes creative use of high definition video footage and
Musicians on Call (visits to vulnerable people’s homes)
multiple camera angles so that anyone can experience
in New York. In November 2014, the LSO visited Australia
the visceral delight of playing in an orchestra. Additional
for the first time in 30 years undertaking spectacular
content includes online masterclasses with LSO players,
LSO Discovery work with 100+ young musicians from
contextual information on repertoire and resource
New South Wales in addition to the main tour dates.
packs for teachers. LSO Play has won three awards:
In summer 2015 LSO Members will coach the Mediterranean
a Webby, a Lovie and FWA’s Website of the Day, and is
Youth Orchestra, and Jonathan Dove’s children’s opera
sponsored by global Chinese enterprise Reignwood Group.
The Monster in the Maze will be performed in Aix-enProvence and Berlin as well as in London. International broadcasts LSO Live, the Orchestra’s in-house record label now in its 15th year, has branched out into high quality visual capture with the aim of making this as readily accessible as audio. Partnerships with Digital Theatre (UK), Mezzo and Arte (France) are giving the LSO impressive digital presence across European television networks, and the web. A recent partnership with Google has allowed LSO Discovery to professionalise its popular Google Hangout series.
Photos clockwise from left: Local community event – Inside Out at LSO St Luke’s, LSO Discovery project at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, LSO Play Online Platform – screen chooser and Orchestra map.
LSO Discovery has worked with over 12,000 young people from East London since 2009 through LSO On Track projects.
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LSO Discovery Case Studies Engaging everyone in music-making [Our son] was in a lot of pain and doesn’t interact freely. However, he absolutely loved the music sessions. Being so close to the music and gently and gradually encouraged to take part has been the best form of therapy for him [and] has really helped us through some difficult times. Parents of a four-year-old hospital patient
MUSIC AS THERAPY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VISITS LSO Discovery’s Children’s Hospitals programme works with infants and children under 18 in hospitals across London, many of whom suffer from chronic, life-threatening or terminal illness. LSO players and workshop leaders engage in bedside visits and small group sessions, as well as visiting premature babies and their parents to provide comfort at a difficult time.
Photos clockwise above: Vanessa King, Fotini Vergotis (second from left) in LSO Community Choir concert, LSO Community Choir, Paul Milner (LSO Principal Bass Trombone) during a hospitals visit.
from Vanessa King Early Years Specialist Together with LSO players, I make around 15 hospital visits a year – that’s out of a total of over 60 visits to a range of London hospitals, involving approximately 700 children and families. I work with children under five and babies. We currently visit the Royal London Hospital and Whipps Cross with one simple aim: to improve the daily lives of ill children. Hospitals can be extremely stressful environments, especially for young children. Our sessions are gentle, private and spontaneous and we tailor them to each individual. We see so many positive results: an escape from their clinical surrounds; access to important, unrealised emotions; catharsis. It’s about expressing yourself without words, having suffering eased without medicine by the undeniably powerful effects of music, whether it be stimulating or soothing. I believe that music can lead to the kind of mental states that can enable quicker physical recovery. I feel so privileged and enriched to be able to offer such profound, effective and valuable complementary work.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT LSO COMMUNITY CHOIR The LSO Community Choir meets every Monday evening at LSO St Luke’s to rehearse with conductor David Lawrence. The Choir comprises 100 adults living or working in the EC1 area. Some read music, some don’t, some have sung before, some join with no musical experience. All are welcome.
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from Fotini Vergotis LSO Community Choir Member Singing is catching and therapeutic for many of us. I find it challenging, fulfilling and it’s enjoyable. Of course I’ve met lots of interesting people, and I have cultivated my own voice too. What I really like best is impressing the neighbours! The LSO Community Choir plays a pivotal role round here and is a wonderful addition to people’s lives: we sing for elderly people at the Day Centre and in our local church at Christmas. I am also an LSO Community Ambassador. I like to spread the word. I’m passionate about the Community Choir but also about LSO St Luke’s in general. I’ve recruited new singers from my Citizen’s Advice Bureau, my tennis club, my neighbours and people on Whitecross Street. I moved abroad with my family and LSO St Luke’s and the Choir has connected me to my community.
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LSO Discovery Case Studies The next generation of musicians Tourists and natives, young and old, classical music devotees and casual bypassers: all stood or sat silent for two hours – except when the music stopped and a football-style roar erupted. I have been in grand halls where the audience seemed less gripped. Richard Morrison, The Times
TEENAGE INSTRUMENTALISTS LSO ON TRACK: BMW LSO OPEN AIR CLASSICS BMW LSO Open Air Classics is a free concert which takes place annually in Trafalgar Square. Since 2012, the LSO and Valery Gergiev have brought single-composer programmes, including Stravinsky and Shostakovich, to the heart of our capital city, opening up the concert experience for all to see and providing a phenomenal performance opportunity for young musicians from East London. For the 2015 concert, thousands watched as the LSO performed an all-Shostakovich programme. The third item included LSO On Track young musicians playing alongside LSO Members. The young musicians had previously rehearsed at LSO St Luke’s and had sectionals with LSO Members.
from Cian Gough LSO On Track cello I really enjoyed my time with LSO On Track. As the rehearsals progressed, I found myself increasingly looking forward to it. The actual concert with the LSO, playing in the centre of Trafalgar Square with thousands of people watching and listening, was the best concert and one of the best musical experiences I have ever had.
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Photos clockwise from left: Naoko Keatley and Sarah Quinn (LSO players who started via String Experience), Peter Moore, Elim Chan, LSO On Track Young Musicians in BMW LSO Open Air Classics.
SUPPORTING YOUNG CONDUCTORS DONATELLA FLICK LSO CONDUCTING COMPETITION The Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition, established in 1990 and run in partnership with the LSO since 1996, is one of the most important contests of its kind in the world. Open to EU residents under the age of 35 and taking place biennially, emerging conductors are given the chance to become the LSO’s Assistant Conductor for one year, and receive a cash prize to further their careers. The 2014 winner was 28-year-old Elim Chan, who becomes the LSO’s first ever female Assistant Conductor. from Elim Chan Competition Winner The cash prize is wonderful but the position of being the Assistant Conductor of the LSO – that is totally priceless and I can’t wait to really work with them.
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Proof that it’s not just in the Premiership that youth academies work in developing the next generation of talent. Tom Service, The Guardian
ORCHESTRAL STARS OF TOMORROW PETER MOORE Peter Moore attended the LSO Brass Academy in 2012 and was appointed Co-Principal Trombone in 2014, aged just 18. 19 current members of the LSO were talent-spotted through the LSO Academy or String Experience programmes including Principal Trumpet Philip Cobb, Co-Principal Timpani Antoine Bedewi and Sub-Principal Second Violin Sarah Quinn. from Peter Moore LSO Co-Principal Trombone I was surprised to see just what a happy place the LSO is. Everyone is relaxed and seems to love what they do. My section have welcomed me with open arms and treat me exactly as they do each other. It’s exciting to open the schedule and see who’s visiting over the next few months: I’ve been lucky enough to share the stage with people like Kissin and Benedetti, who I spent years listening to as a kid.
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LSO Discovery Case Studies Working in partnership
MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS ADDICTS SYMPHONY
Photos clockwise from above: Addicts Symphony and performance, Oliver Lee, Sydney Opera House, Performance of PLAY at Sydney Conservatorium, LSO On Track in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.
In 2012, LSO Discovery was approached by Big Mountain TV Productions who were developing an idea of working with recovering addicts using music. Big Mountain believed LSO Discovery’s inclusive way of working was the best way to inspire and support participants. Over several months LSO workshop leader Paul Rissmann and LSO Members worked with ten recovering addicts in creative music-making sessions. All participants were musicians of some kind – some had not picked up their instruments for 20 years, others were just beginning. For a number of them, music was directly linked to their addiction, in that it was performance anxiety that had led them to drink or use drugs to excess. The resulting television documentary was aired on Channel 4 in August 2014.
from Matthew Gibson LSO Double Bass Working with the Addicts Symphony was an insight and an inspiration. To be able to assist musicians in pushing their boundaries to the limits and see them overcome their personal demons in performance was one of the most satisfying aspects of this project. from Rachael Lander Addicts Symphony participant It was both heart-breaking and empowering to play a concert with the LSO and admit that I was full of fear. I didn’t have to deny or medicate my feelings. For once I could be honest and, in the process, the shame I’d had about myself began to lift. It hasn’t returned since the night of the concert.
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EAST LONDON LINKS LSO ON TRACK AT THE OLYMPICS 81 young musicians, 19 LSO players, 1 conductor, 1 new arrangement, 101 pairs of bright trainers and an audience of 1 billion. LSO Discovery will not forget the summer of 2012. INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS LSO DISCOVERY IN SYDNEY Each year the Sydney Opera House World Orchestras Programme brings a leading international orchestra to the Concert Hall and into the classroom; in November 2014 it was the turn of the LSO. 130 young musicians from regional New South Wales came together for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rehearse, collaborate and perform with the LSO. The resulting MAKE and PLAY projects were a huge sucess. See for yourself on YouTube (search Sydney LSO Discovery).
from Oliver Lee Violinist from Central Coast The people from the LSO who’ve come, they’re professional at the same time as very fun, very creative in trying to get us to feel the right mood of the piece. Seeing the LSO perform, and to feel part of the Orchestra – like you’re in it – just tops it off. from John Benson The Arts Unit, Australia It will be impossible to measure every single benefit that the students will take from this project, but I am sure that they will still be reflecting on this experience many years from now.
In 2007 LSO On Track was conceived to develop a musical association between the LSO and young musicians in the Olympic host and gateway boroughs. Projects such as ‘Take A Bow’ and ‘Lite of Spring’ provided side-by-side performances opportunities with LSO players, while ‘Next Generation’ enabled talented young musicians to devise their own music. In February 2012 these innovative models were recognised by Danny Boyle and LOCOG, and LSO Discovery was invited to bring together young LSO On Track musicians and LSO professionals to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The resulting performance was Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ from the Enigma Variations. The LSO’s commitment to music education was never as evident as on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012. The Olympics provided the most inspirational of platforms for these young musicians, in the heart of their home and in front of the whole world. from Bethany Grogan LSO On Track viola (aged 15) Working with LSO Members was unbelievable and when we finished the air was buzzing – a special moment I will never forget. I just felt so proud to be part of such a big event in people’s lives.
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LSO Discovery The Future The next chapter of the LSO’s 111-year history is looking extremely bright for LSO Discovery thanks to three significant developments on the Orchestra’s horizon. The first is the arrival of Sir Simon Rattle as Music Director in September 2017. A renowned champion of music education and access initiatives, and for culture’s place in society as a whole, there is no individual better placed to take LSO Discovery to the wider world. Sir Simon will present three new children’s operas between July 2015 and July 2017, by Jonathan Dove, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Andrew Norman. These will be international co-productions; in 2015, the LSO will work with the Aix-en-Provence Festival and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, supported by Creative Europe Funding. The second is £9 million raised through the Orchestra’s recent Endowment Appeal (Moving Music, 2012–15). The drawdown from these additional funds will enable the Orchestra to regularly capture its live performances at the highest audio-visual quality and re-purpose the material for use in schools, cinemas, online and on television. LSO Play is an example of how this kind of footage is already being used to positive effect in classrooms across the UK. Thirdly, a possible new Centre for Music in the City of London is perhaps the ultimate opportunity for the LSO to embody its dedication to music education and accessibility, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to facilitate a quantum leap in the digital dissemination of music.
In early 2015 Chancellor George Osbourne and Mayor of London Boris Johnson supported a feasibility study for such a Centre. The Barbican, LSO and Guildhall School, supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England, have since been working to define what such a Centre could achieve and symbolise, for music and audiences, for London as a city of global standing and for culture in the UK as a whole, as well as for London-based and visiting orchestras who have long looked for a hall with the acoustics to match London’s world-class status. A potential new Centre for Music will be inextricably bound up with City of London Corporation plans to re-develop the north western corner of the Square Mile to improve streetscapes and wayfinding, and create a more welcoming, accessible destination
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SIR SIMON RATTLE LSO MUSIC DIRECTOR FROM SEPTEMBER 2017
befitting of a cultural hub. This project is being driven by the impending arrival of Crossrail, estimated to bring an additional 90,000 visitors per day through the City when it opens in 2018. In the immediate future, LSO Discovery plans to experiment with its popular Family Concert format to incorporate new multimedia and crossarts elements. It is also exploring a more regular programme of music for elderly people in Whipps Cross Hospital, some of whom have dementia. Whatever happens to the LSO’s neighbourhood, LSO Discovery will continue to evolve and develop its ground-breaking programme to best serve its communities.
Despite the Orchestra’s long and illustrious history, they almost never refer to it. Instead, refreshingly, they talk about the future, what can they make anew, what can they improve, how can they reach further into the community. In terms of musical excellence, it is clear that the sky’s the limit, but equally important, in terms of philosophy, they constantly strive to be a twenty-first century orchestra. We share a dream in which performing, teaching and learning are indivisible, with wider dissemination of our art at its centre. I cannot imagine a better or more inspiring way to spend my next years, and feel immensely fortunate to have the LSO as my musical family and co-conspirators.
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LSO Discovery 25 Years of Landmark Moments LATE 1980S
1991
1995
Research undertaken by
Two-day summer music
National Portrait Gallery
LSO cellist Francis Saunders
Make Music Live commences,
James MacMillan Project –
to see how the LSO can
an annual event conducted and
‘As others see us’; first hospital
bring education work into
presented by Richard McNicol
visit to Great Ormond Street
its daily life.
preceded by visits to schools.
Children’s Hospital.
Heritage Lottery about rebuilding
Bass Trombone, starts weekly
St Luke’s Church on Old Street.
LATE 1980S
98
96
94
visits to Wandsworth Prison.
2000
Conversations begin with UBS and
Frank Mathison, LSO Principal
92
1990
1998 1993
1993
1997
Richard McNicol appointed
LSO founds the Edward Heath
LSO Music Animateur and
Assistant Animateur Scheme
the programme establishes
training up Paul Rissman (1996),
a ground-breaking new
Rachel Leach (1998),
creative dimension as well as
Hannah Conway (1999)
a new name: LSO Discovery.
and Gareth Malone (2001).
Exploratory work undertaken to establish need, desire and interest with Helena Gaunt (now Vice
1994
Principal and Director of Academic
First LSO Family Concert
Affairs, Guildhall School). 1992 Key Stage concerts at the Barbican and LSO String Experience Scheme commences; first LSO Discovery Day.
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2003
2008
2014
LSO St Luke’s, the UBS and LSO Music Education
Pilot year of Centre for Orchestra,
LSO Australia tour: LSO Discovery
Centre, is opened with commissions and a
a partnership between the LSO,
runs hugely successful projects
bespoke Balinese Gamelan imported from
Guildhall School and Barbican
with young musicians from
Indonesia; relationships with local schools start;
to create orchestral musicians
New South Wales; adults with
Free Friday Lunchtime Concert series launches;
of the future.
learning difficulties from LSO
Early Years programme starts, LSO Community
Create appear on the Barbican
launches; LSO Discovery
choirs (Discovery, Community
First Take A Bow (mixed ability
works with Channel 4 on
and Chorus) appear in concert
string orchestra) performance
Addicts Orchestra.
together for the first time.
2004
2008
2012
Disability programme extended
Pilot year of LSO On Track,
LSO Sing launches with Simon
into First Monday Club (now
a partnership with ten Olympic
Halsey appointed LSO Choral
LSO Create). ‘Musicians on
boroughs offering music-making
Director; LSO On Track participants
Call’ visits begin; conducting
opportunities to thousands of
play alongside LSO in Opening
masterclasses commence
young people and based on the
Ceremony of 2012 Olympics;
with Sir Colin Davis; UBS Sound
Olympic motto ‘Inspire a Generation’.
LSO On Track participants play
Adventures begins, supporting
in inaugural BMW LSO Open Air
composers on the cusp of
Classics; Soundhub launches.
16
and a Lovie; all of the LSO’s
2006
14
resource LSO Play wins a Webby
Orchestral Artistry MMus
12
Guildhall School/LSO
10
stage for the first time; digital
Tech Group are founded.
08
2013
06
Choir begins; LSO Discovery Choirs and Digital
04
02
W
the profession. 2015
2015
2005
2009
LSO Choral Director Simon Halsey
Sir Simon Rattle
Fusion Orchestra, an
First Take A Bow performance
is awarded the Queen’s Medal for
appointed LSO
ensemble of teenagers of
in Paris; Lang Lang Artist Portrait:
Music; first cohort of Orchestral
Music Director
all abilities, begins; Panufnik
ten-day residency including
Artistry students complete the
from 2017 with a
Young Composers Scheme
workshops, masterclass and
two-year MMus course; Sir Simon
clear commitment
is launched; Hackney CPD
video conferencing.
Rattle conducts Jonathan Dove’s
to LSO Discovery.
programme commences.
children’s opera The Monster in the Maze.
X
LSO Discovery at 25
June/July 2015
LSO Discovery Thank you to our supporters and funders The LSO gratefully acknowledges the support of the following trusts and charitable foundations, companies, statutory funders, community partners and individuals who make LSO Discovery possible Arts Council England
The Derek Hill Foundation
J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust
Rod Stafford
BBC Children in Need
D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
The Lambert Charitable Trust
Rothschild Charities Committee
Belinda McFarlane
David HS Hobbs
The Lefever Award
Sir David Scholey
Britten-Pears Foundation
Ernest Cook Trust
Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust
Sir Siegmund Warburg’s
The Candide Trust
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The Marsh Christian Trust
City Bridge Trust
Finsbury Educational Foundation
Marsh Corporation
Slaughter and May
City of London Corporation
The Hedley Foundation
Mrs Margaret Guido’s Charitable Trust
Sound Connections
The Clore Duffield Foundation
The Helen Hamlyn Trust
The Polonsky Foundation
Susie Thompson
John S Cohen Foundation
Help Musicians UK
PRS for Music Foundation
UBS
Creative Europe
The Hinrichsen Foundation
The Radcliffe Trust
The Worshipful Company of Saddlers
Creativeworks London
Innovate UK
Reignwood
Youth Music
Voluntary Settlement
LSO Discovery was the recipient of two Lord Mayor’s appeals in 2004 and 2010 LSO On Track works with the following London Boroughs
SUPPORT LSO DISCOVERY
The support of trusts and foundations enable LSO Discovery to reach more than 60,000 people a year. In many diverse communities, a wide range of projects are designed to encourage all ages and abilities to engage with and participate in creative music-making. To find out more about the important role support plays for LSO Discovery, please contact: Helen Greer helen.greer@lso.co.uk | 020 7382 2561 lso.co.uk/supportus