Saint-Saëns Across Borders (3 – 5 February 2022)
The RNCM, in collaboration with the Royal Musical Association, Cardiff University, the British Library and the Royal Philharmonic Society, is organising the conference, Saint-Saëns Across Borders, on 3-5 February 2022 to mark the centenary of the death of the composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
Working in partnership with the Société Camille Saint-Saëns in Paris, it is one of three conferences in Europe to explore aspects of Saint-Saëns’s musical legacy. The programme committee consists of prominent French music experts based in the UK, France and the USA: Barbara Kelly (RNCM), Clair Rowden (Cardiff University), Denis Herlin (IReMus, RNCM), Marie-Gabrielle Soret (BnF), Jann Pasler (UCSD) and William Gibbons (Texas Christian University).
The focus of the Manchester conference is on the composer’s activities and connections outside France. Saint-Saëns regularly went on tour and spent a lot of time in North Africa, where he died. He was also a regular visitor to Britain, receiving notable commissions (including for the famous Organ Symphony from the Royal Philharmonic Society), performances and publications. His British network included royalty, politicians as well as leading musicians. Drawing on new archival materials from the Saint-Saëns archive in Dieppe and other locations around Britain, the conference will enable us to make a valuable contribution to research on this understudied aspect of Saint-Saëns’s career.
We have had a had a fantastic response to an open call for papers from colleagues from across the world. The conference will address the following themes: Saint-Saëns’ career, tours and the reception of his music in Britain, North America, South America, in colonial Algeria and in other parts of Europe and a consideration of the composer across disciplinary borders. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Michael Stegemann (Technische Universität Dortmund).
Presentations will take the form of papers, lecture recitals, concerts and masterclasses. We are delighted to be joined by eminent performer-scholars, including Geoffrey Burleson (Princeton, CUNY, Hunter, NY), Roy Howat (Royal Academy of Music and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and Peter Sheppard-Skaerved (Royal Academy of Music and RNCM). There will be an orchestral concert, vocal and piano recitals by students of the RNCM.
We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Royal Musical Association, Music and Letters Trust and the Royal Northern College of Music.
Schedule
Thursday 3 February 2022
| 8.50 – 10.50 |
Watch papers for Sessions 1 and 2(or watch in own time if more convenient) |
|---|---|
| 10.50 – 11.45 |
WelcomeBarbara Kelly (RNCM), Denis Herlin (CNRS, RNCM) and Clair Rowden (Cardiff University) Paper Session 1: La Princesse jauneChair: Clair Rowden (Cardiff University) Mitsaya Nakanishi (Japan) Giuseppe Montemagno (Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania) Zélie Jouenne (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin Institut für Musik und Musikwissenschaft TU Dortmund) |
| 12.00 – 12.30 |
Paper session 2: Saint-Saëns SourcesChair: Denis Herlin (RNCM) Marie-Gabrielle Soret (BnF, Paris) Pierre Ickowicz (Musée de Dieppe) |
| 13.15 – 14.00 |
RNCM Lunchtime Concert (livestreamed) |
| 14.10 – 15.40 |
Lecture Recitals 1 and 2Chair: Adam Swayne (RNCM) 14.10 – 14.55: Geoffrey Burleson (Princeton, Hunter College, CUNY) 14.55 – 15.40: Roy Howat (RAM, RCS) and Peter Skærved Sheppard (RAM) |
| 15.40 – 16.00 |
Afternoon tea/coffee |
| 16.00 – 16.45 |
Watch papers for Session 3(or watch in own time if more convenient) |
| 16.45 – 17 .15 |
Paper Session 3: EthologyChair: Caroline Rae Damjan Rakonjac (UCLA) Jann Pasler (University of California, San Diego) |
| 17.30 – 18.30 |
Roundtable: Saint-Saëns in BritainBarbara Kelly (Chair, RNCM), Clair Rowden (University of Cardiff), Geoff Thomason (RNCM), David Horne (RNCM) |
| Evening |
Watch papers for Session 4(or watch in own time if more convenient) |
Friday 4 February 2022
| 9.00 – 11.00 |
Watch papers for Sessions 5 and 6(or watch in own time if more convenient) |
|---|---|
| 11.00 – 11.15 |
Morning tea/coffee |
| 11.15 – 12.00 |
Lecture Recital 3Chair: Maria Stratigou (RNCM) Kelsey K Rogers and Brent Rogers |
| 13.00 – 13.45 |
Paper Session 4: ReceptionChair: Emma Kavanagh Nicholas Attfield (University of Birmingham) Thomas Schmidt (University of Manchester) Megan Sarno (University of Texas at Arlington) |
| 13.45 – 14.15 |
Paper Session 5: Texts and GenresChair: Claire Rowden Brent Rogers (Dickinson State University) Peter Lamothe (Belmont University, USA) Christina M Stahl (Technische Universität Dortmund) |
| 14.15 – 15.00 |
Afternoon tea/coffee |
| 15.00 – 16.00 |
Session 6: The AmericasChair: Sylvia Kahan Marcelo Campos Hazan (University of South Carolina) Saint-Saëns in Rio de Janeiro, 1899 Fernanda Munoz-Salazar (University of Southampton) David Cranmer (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) Sabina Teller Ratner (Université de Montréal) |
| 16.05 – 17.30 |
Live Keynote16.05: Linda Merrick (Principal, RNCM) 16.15 – 17.30: Michael Stegemann (Technische Universität Dortmund) |
| 18.00 – 18.50 |
Live Pre-concert Panel: Saint-Saëns today (Royal Philharmonic Society)James Murphy (RPS), Anna Lapwood, David Horne (RNCM) and Leanne Langley (RPS) |
| 19.30 – 20.30 |
RNCM Concert |
Saturday 5 February 2022
| 10.30 – 12.30 |
Piano Masterclass with Geoffrey Burleson (Princeton, Hunter College, CUNY)With students from the RNCM and Junior RNCM |
|---|
