New appointments for September 2017
The RNCM has announced a number of new International Chairs and Tutors, commencing in September.
Director and alumnus Graham Vick CBE will join the School of Vocal Studies and Opera as its first International Chair of Opera, while the School of Wind, Brass and Percussion welcomes Alberto Menéndez as International Chair in Horn, Thomas Rüedi as International Tutor in Euphonium, Gabor Varga as International Tutor in Clarinet and alumnus Le Yu as International Visiting Tutor in Marimba. There’s also a new appointment for RNCM Research as Professor Denis Herlin takes up the position of International Chair in Musicology.
Working in opera houses across the globe, Graham Vick (above) has established a career as one of the world’s foremost opera directors since graduating from the Royal Manchester College of Music (now RNCM) in the 1970s. In 1983 his production of Verdi’s Falstaff opened the newly refurbished Royal Opera House, and in 1987 he founded the Birmingham Opera Company (of which he remains Artistic Director), recognised as one of the most pioneering companies for the development of opera as a 21st century art form. He also held the position of Director of Productions at Scottish Opera (1984 – 1987) and Glyndebourne (1994 – 2000).
Thomas Rüedi, Alberto Menéndez and Gabor Varga (below, l-r) all enjoy international careers as performers and educators. As one of the world’s leading euphonium players, Thomas presents masterclasses worldwide while his solo engagements have taken him to Europe, Africa, Asia and the USA, working with renowned symphony orchestras and wind and brass bands. Alberto is Principal Horn with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra after previously holding the same position with the BBC Philharmonic and the Orchestra de la Comunidad de Madrid. He has also performed as Guest Principal Horn with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, LSO, Mahler Chamber and, amongst others, CBSO. Since 1997 Gabor has served as Principal Clarinet of the Hungarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra and was engaged with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra between 2005 and 2007. He regularly gives masterclasses throughout Europe, Asia, North America and South America and is a Professor at the Varga Tibor Faculty of Musical Arts in Győr and the University of Debrecen.
Le Yu, pictured below, graduated from the RNCM in 2012. His list of accolades include the Gold Medal of the China National Youth Percussion Competition, the 7th Italian International Percussion Competition, and First Prize in the Yamaha Foundation of Europe Scholarship Awards. As a concerto soloist, Le Yu has also performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall, Xi’an Concert Hall and Yamaha Hall in Tokyo.
Professor Herlin is Director of Research at the IReMus (Institute of Research and Musicology), a subdivision of the CNRS (National Centre of Scientific Research), based at the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France) in Paris. He is the author of several major catalogues, including the Collection musicale François-Lang and the Catalogue du fonds musical de la bibliothèque de Versailles, and co-editor of the Catalogue thématique des œuvres de Jean-Philippe Rameau. Together with the late François Lesure he also collected and edited the first complete edition of Debussy’s letters – Claude Debussy, Correspondance 1872-1918. Between 2009 and 2011 Professor Herlin was President of the French Society of Musicology (Société française de musicology).
In addition to these International Chairs and Tutors, the RNCM has also appointed contralto Hilary Summers and tenor Toby Spence as Principal Study Vocal Tutor and Visiting Tutor respectively (below); Bing Bing Li and Ashley Wass as Tutors in Piano; Jennifer Langridge as a Tutor in Cello; Janet Richardson and Jenny Hutchinson as Tutors in Piccolo; Stephane Rancourt as a Tutor in Oboe; Gretha Tuls as a Tutor in Bassoon; Katy Jones and Christian Jones as Tutors in Trombone; and Wayne Ellington as a Principal Study Vocal Tutor for the College’s Popular Music degree. The College also recently announced that Nicholas Thompson, Principal Trumpet with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, was joining in September as its new Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion.
17 August 2017
