We are posting the final section of our blog whilst sitting at Nashville International Airport waiting for our flight home. It should come as no surprise that there is live music in several of the eateries in the departure lounge – you really can’t get away from music here! The conference has been an incredibly thought provoking few days – being in the company of like-minded people devoted to exploring new ideas and ways of working and making so many new connections, always gives you the opportunity to reflect on our own practices. Yesterday’s powerful and frank discussions on the issue of ..read more

So, Day 2 of the conference – and we started with another early morning run – this time to ‘Music Row’ where amongst other things we saw the site of the famous RCA recording studio, which has recorded the likes of Elvis, Dolly Parton and the Everley Brothers – this really is Music City. The conference opened yesterday with a powerful speech by Giancarlo Guerrero, Music Director of the Nashville Symphony. He told the story of his childhood as a refugee from the war in Nicaragua, first in Costa Rica and then the United States. He passionately spoke for the power of music to give people a ..read more

The word, “Tennessee” comes from a Native American word, “Tana-see” which means, “The Meeting Place.” Nashville is also known as ‘Music City’ – so it’s all very appropriate that the League of American Orchestras is holding its 74th National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s Monday and we’ve just arrived at the conference in Nashville, hosted by the Nashville Symphony, slightly sleep deprived with the six hour time-difference kicking in, but so very excited to be here as a double-act from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra invited to share our work and expertise to an audience of ov ..read more

On Saturday 18th May, ‘The Aubergines’ – who are the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Exeter University Family – met. Yesterday the group was 24 strong, consisting of two independent adult women, one adult couple and the rest consisting of family groups of two, three and four of mixed generations. It was led by Emma Welton and me. We met from 10.30am till 4pm, including having an hour for a shared lunch and an informal performance at 3pm for an audience of one. We didn’t advertise the concert. Interesting tactics. Yesterday we had no dogs in attendance, but often we do. What is the ..read more

Why did you decide to become a singer? I never made a singular, clear-cut decision to be a singer. I studied piano as a kid and always loved singing. I started taking voice lessons when I was 15 to prepare musical theater roles I was performing at school but got more interested in Schubert songs than Andrew Lloyd Webber. I kept studying through University and to my surprise was accepted to the Juilliard School for a masters degree. I just kept trying and have been fortunate that it’s still going! What’s the best thing about being a singer? The best part is that I get to spend my time thin ..read more

The latest trend in musicals is to make a virtue of what the audience finds itself doing anyway, despite itself and the disapproving looks of the people in the row in front: to singalong with the characters – on stage or screen.  There have been Sing-a-long Frozen, Grease, The Sound of Music, The Greatest Showman, Moana, Dirty Dancing and, perhaps the ultimate in singalongs, The Rocky Horror Show. Here in Southampton this weekend, the new NST City Theatre has, “two special screenings of The Greatest Showman, complete with lyrics on screen so that you can sing-a-long as you watch – also fanc ..read more

Why did you decide to become a conductor? There were periods where I wanted to be a pianist or a composer, but conducting was what really excited me as a profession and as a role. I was 13 when I started studying conducting and I did my first public concert at 19, it was with a chamber orchestra and the programme was Shoenberg Transfigured Night, Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks, Hindemith Funeral Music for Viola and an orchestrated prelude for string orchestra by my father. I was looking for that feeling of pleasure and communication with musicians and orchestras. It was not so much the conductin ..read more

Lucy Hale was appointed BSO Resound’s Young Composer-in-Association in January 2018. During her time with the ensemble, Lucy has been able to develop her composition skills and gained experience working with world-class musicians. The BSO caught up with Lucy about her time working with BSO Resound: Lucy Hale, BSO Resound Young Composer-in-Association 2018 (Photo Credit: Tad Davidson Photography) I’ve really enjoyed working with BSO Resound, they’re all absolutely superb musicians who were happy to engage with my work and gave really constructive feedback. They were also really friend ..read more

From Sunday 10 February to Sunday 17 February, the BSO was inspiring communities across Cornwall, visiting 46 different locations from the largest urban areas to the most isolated rural hamlets. Day 1- Sunday 10 February The BSO have arrived in Cornwall for its 2019 Residency The first stop was to BBC Radio Cornwall, where Ben Jennings (BSO Participate Programme Manager) spoke about all the events happening throughout the week Ben then went to Truro High School to join Matt Harrison, BSO Associate, and students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for a day of coachi ..read more

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s weekly concerts at the Lighthouse prove to be extremely popular events; with a full audience, the ‘Pastoral Brahms’ concert was no exception. The evening began with the short but dramatic opening to Schumann’s Manfred Overture, demonstrating the power and volume such a large orchestra can achieve. Over in an instant, the woodwind and upper strings continued the melody line above sustained lower strings, creating a full but incredibly light and delicate texture. Throughout this opening piece the orchestra persistently demonstrated their awareness of which parts ..read more