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Good news!

Good news!

I am excited, grateful and relieved to be able to say that the English Symphony Orchestra have received a generous grant in support of our Autumn 2023 season from Arts Council England.Words can’t fully express my gratitude to everyone who wrote in support of our...
RIP Christopher Gunning

RIP Christopher Gunning

It was heartbreaking to learn of the death of Christopher Gunning, although I’d been aware he had been unwell for some time. Chris was the sort of person one felt lucky to know. He could be incredibly funny, even wicked. His vault of amazing and amusing...

Wayne Shorter’s Coltrane Tribute

Among Wayne Shorter’s many huge musical accomplishments, one can’t help but be awed by his ability to establish a completely distinct artistic space for himself as a tenor and soprano saxophonist when the shadow of John Coltrane’s enormous musical...
The Modern Violin Concerto

The Modern Violin Concerto

There’s an interesting piece in The Strad from Peter Quantrill on the state of the violin concerto. Of course, I remember well the lovely cover feature he mentions from 2017 which focused much well-earned attention on Deborah Pritchard’s concerto Wall of...
The NPO Blues

The NPO Blues

I would like to share a few thoughts about yesterday’s Arts Council England announcement of the results of their application process for the new  National Portfolio, speaking purely for myself, and not on behalf of the English Symphony Orchestra or the Elgar Festival....
A true story

A true story

The worst rental materials I’ve ever been sent where those the Krenek Double Concerto for Violin and Piano, part the Krenek Piano Concertos project that the English Symphony Orchestra did for Toccata Classics  with the stupendous Mikhail Korzhev in 2016-17. They...