Resonate: December 2022
Welcome to your December 2022 edition of Resonate.
As 2022 draws to a close, there’s still plenty going on at the RNCM this month. We have performances from two of our Artists-in-Residence, the ever-popular RNCM Big Band and fun for all ages at our Christmas Family Day.
Manchester Camerata join us for a special performance to celebrate our joint 50th anniversaries, and students from across the College join forces for our December opera, Strauss’s Die Fledermaus.
As ever, read on for exciting news from our alumni, and to hear about how our wonderful RNCM family has helped raise over £34,000 towards our Engage Appeal so far.
Wishing all our community the very best for the festive season. We look forward to sharing even more stories, news and events in 2023!
Manchester Collective: Places We Know
Sun 2 Dec // 8pm
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Artists-in-Residence Manchester Collective return with an adventurous programme of the familiar and unfamiliar, led by RNCM alum Rakhi Singh. At the heart of it is a new commission by Oliver Leith – the voice of a new generation of British composers.
Spotlight: From Dream to Flame
Stephen Hough with RNCM Songsters: Love and Loss
Tue 6 Dec // 7.30pm
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We’re thrilled to welcome Stephen back this year as another of our Artists-in-Residence. In this first event of his residency, Stephen joins us for an exciting exploration of his works for voice and piano, with students from our School of Vocal Studies and Opera.
Read on below for more about Stephen and a recent five-star review!
Spotlight: Wynton Marsalis’ Fiddle Dance Suite
Manchester Camerata + RNCM: Beethoven, Elgar and Smickersgill
Fri 9 Dec // 7.30pm
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RNCM students perform side-by side with Manchester Camerata in a special evening marking our shared 50th anniversaries. Together, we’ve co-commissioned a new work by alumna Carmel Smickersgill alongside works by Beethoven and Elgar, featuring Manchester Camerata’s Principal Cellist and RNCM Tutor Hannah Roberts.
Spotlight: KW Percussion Duo – A Rhythmic Exploration
RNCM Opera: Die Fledermaus
Sat 10 and Sat 17 Dec // 3pm / Mon 12, Tue 13 and Thu 15 Dec // 7.30pm
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Oozing wit and bursting with Strauss’ signature waltzes and polkas, Die Fledermaus (The Bat) boasts Viennese operetta at its best. Join us for a night of farce, laughter, and sensational music as students from across the College bring this magical work to life. You never know, you might even spot a special guest or two as past RNCM faces make a welcome return to our stage!
RNCM Big Band with Iain Dixon and Percy Pursglove
Fri 16 Dec // 7.30pm
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RNCM tutor Iain Dixon directs the ever-popular RNCM Big Band, joined by renowned instrumentalist Percy Pursglove. The trumpeter, double bassist, educator, improviser and composer has worked internationally across a spectrum of jazz, contemporary classical and creative musical settings, and is the resident trumpeter with Germany’s NDR Big Band.
Spotlight: Mikis Theodorakis – Music for Peace
RNCM Christmas Family Day: The Gruffalo
Sun 18 Dec // 11am
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Join us for our annual day of festive family fun and musical treats, including a screening of the magical film The Gruffalo with live orchestra. Families will enjoy a casual and relaxed atmosphere with performances and creative activities specially designed to keep everyone entertained.
© Orange Eyes Limited 2009
You can see our full programme of events, including our lunchtime concerts on our What’s On page.
RNCM Engage Appeal
Over Halfway to Our Target!
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We are incredibly grateful to all the members of our community who have already donated towards the RNCM Engage Appeal, helping us to raise over £34,000 so far!
This incredible generosity will support our tailored programme of tuition for under-18s, enabling young people to enjoy the life-long benefits of learning, growing, and exploring through music. Find out more about the transformative projects donations will support here.
Can you help us reach our goal of £60,000 to support this vital work?
To change young lives through music, please donate today.
Thank you.
Stephen Hough
★★★★★ review
Sir Stephen Hough CBE has been hailed as ‘a master pianist who lines up with the greats’ in an outstanding five-star review, following a recent performance at St George’s Hall, Bristol. The RNCM Companion and alumni recently performed works by Debussy, Scriabin, Mompou and Liszt, alongside his own Partita.
We are thrilled that Stephen back to the RNCM as an Artist-in-Residence this year, performing this month with the RNCM Songsters (see above) and in March 2023 to perform an almost identical programme to his recent recital in Bristol – definitely not one to be missed!
Bonnie Kemplay
January Tour with The 1975
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We’re excited that RNCM alumna Bonnie Kemplay is set to support The 1975 on their At Their Very Best tour throughout January 2023. Bonnie said on Instagram ‘it’s always been my dream to go on tour’.
This exciting news follows an incredible string of successes for the artist, having won the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Introducing competition last year, and supporting Adele’s sold-out concerts at Hyde Park this summer.
Bonnie’s EP running out of things to say, running out of things to do is out now – to listen on Spotify click here.
Edane NG
Healing Our Child Within
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Edane Ng recently presented her concert Healing Our Child Within at Manchester’s International Anthony Burgess Foundation. The alumna collaborated with a range of international artists on the project and performed her original live scores alongside her original animation films exploring ‘real, vulnerable childhood stories’ to a full venue.
The second half of the evening featured works by Chopin performed by RNCM students Roksana Dabkowska (piano) and Fangning Dong (cello).
Healing Our Child Within won the 2022 RNCM Creative Innovator Award.
2 December 2022
