by Kenneth Woods | Mar 23, 2024 | A view from the podium
Maybe it’s the curmudgeon in me, but I was never a fan of the all-star charity track. From “We Are the World” to “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” I always found most of the songs saccharine and cloying, and the constant change of superstar vocalists off-putting. Perhaps...
by Kenneth Woods | Oct 25, 2023 | A view from the podium
Thought for the day. A colleague I admire was talking today about how one might make the lists of orchestral audition excerpts more diverse. I take a different view. The professional orchestra audition process, especially in America, has got to be one of the hardest...
by Kenneth Woods | Aug 26, 2023 | News and Reviews
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...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 18, 2023 | A view from the podium
It’s been an amazing weekend seeing Philip Sawyers’ new oratorio Mayflower on the Sea of Time come to life. Huge congrats to Philip S and to librettist Philip Groom for a piece that blew the roof off Worcester Cathedral. The word I keep coming back to is...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 27, 2023 | A view from the podium
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...
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