Llandudno 2005/6/7? a primary school… A group of us went in with Peryn to introduce our instruments and to play some music to some small children from year 2 or year 3 I think. When it was Patrick Broderick’s turn to introduce the french horn, he explained to the children that although the instrument looks very complicated it is in fact just a long tube curled round and round. He then asked the children, “If I were to unwind my horn, how long do you think it would be?” One of the boys’ hands shot up and he suggested, “About 10 minutes.”
…I think about that reply every time I see a french horn.
One of my favourite things about having played for such a long time in Ensemble Cymru is how often I see people I have played with in North Wales when I work in other groups. In the last couple of years I have been on stage with Patrick Broderick in Carnegie Hall, the Harris Theatre in Chicago and the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. I have played many lovely concerts with Florence Cooke in Ensemble Cymru, the last one of which was in St.David’s Hall in Cardiff, but since then we have also played from memory at the Proms (with the Aurora Orchestra), recorded CDs of Bach Cantatas and played Baroque concertos together . I have played some of the great chamber music repertoire with Marcus Barcham Stevens in North Wales but Marcus and I also play chamber music together on period instruments. I have played with Huw Clement Evans so many times in Pwllheli, Colwyn Bay, Bangor and Holyhead but I have also played Les Mis with him in the West End. Anne Denholm and I last played together in Wales in a coffee concert in Llandundno but since then we have played in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonie in Paris and many of the most beautiful halls in Europe as members of the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
Oliver Wilson, viola
It has been a real joy to see the children respond to music in different ways in the Ysgol Tudno project. In one session, I explained to them that being a composer is like being a painter, but instead of colours, we paint pictures with music. We used the stormy movement from Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony as an example. By the following week, they had all expressed through stories, pictures or descriptions, what they had imagined when listening to the music! What a wonderful surprise for us, and what a brilliant response from the children.
One of the many things I’ve enjoyed with the Ysgol Tudno project was helping the children explore the different elements in music. Their responsibility was to commission short compositions inspired by the animals at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. It was great to see them use what they had learnt about dynamics, rhythm, tempo and pitch, and confidently express their ideas when asking me to compose.
Mared Emlyn, composer and harpist.
“The Ysgol Tudno project ‘part 2-virtual’ has been a journey for all involved. Even virtually the children have interacted in so many ways… listening to live music, watching videos, interactive musical education sessions and commissioning compositions. These commissions align with the NHS Five Ways to Well-being and the animals of their local Welsh Mountain Zoo. A couple of my favourite moments are the children of year 5 making their elastic band and reed orchestra whilst learning about the science of how instruments produce sound. Also when I join the whole school community on a Thursday morning and play live folk tunes from around the world and watch them dance, sing, clap and move along…. generally having a very happy start to the day!”
Nicki Pearce, cellist and lead musician for Ensemble Cymru’s project with Ysgol Tudno, Llandudno
“I am so proud of the Ensemble Cymru education team! Our fantastic project in Ysgol Tudno, Llandudno started off so well in early 2020, but came to an abrupt halt in March. We took some time to assess the situation, and restarted virtually in September. The school staff and Ensemble Cymru team have been working together creatively to make the project a success. Team work has made it possible to make meaningful musical connections with the children even through virtual sessions and video resources.”
Lucy Clement-Evans, lead music education practitioner for Ensemble Cymru’s project with Ysgol Tudno, Llandudno.
“What a joy it’s been to make music with engaged and energetic kids again! Lack of contact and varied stimulus has affected us all through the course of this year, projects like this are vital for all of our health and well-being. How simple it is to play a bit of Bach, talk about the double bass and hear killer facts from the class. Was also super fun to teach them the drum beat to Queen’s- Another One Bites The Dust, despite Teams trying to spoil the party and delay the sound, we still managed to make wicked music together.”
Martin Ludenbach, double bass player part of Ensemble Cymru’s project with Ysgol Tudno, Llandudno.
