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een Park, Marble Arch home

Second Movement

photo Sarah Hickson

events

Second Movement

Martinů and Dvorakan evening of Czech music at Queens Gate Terrace with Second Movement and the Chatto Quartet 27th March 2012, 7pm49 Queens Gate Terrace, London SW7 5PNMartinů The Three Wishes Second Movement and its young singers present a concert performance with piano accompaniment of scenes from Bohuslav Martinů's pioneering film-opera The Three Wishes. Second Movement performed Act I of The Three Wishes at the Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival 2010 – the first performance of this opera in the UK (watch the film of the performance here)Dvorak Quartet no. 10 in E flat major, op.51 The Chatto QuartetConcert, wine and canapés £30To reserve a place please rsvp to contact_secondmovement.org.ukPayments to Second Movement. All proceeds from the evening will support Second Movement's work in 2012 which includes performances of Zátopek! by Emily Howard, Second Movement's New Music 20x12 Commission for the London 2012 Cultural OlympiadZátopek! world premiere Liverpool 15th June 2012 7.30pmEmily Howard: MusicSelma Dimitirijevic: LibrettoCommissioned by Second Movement with funds from New Music 20x12Presented by Second Movement in partnership with Liverpool PhilharmonicWith musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras contemporary music group Ensemble 10/10 and members of Liverpool Philharmonic Youth ChoirProgramme on 15th June 2012 also includesBohuslav Martinů Concertino for cello, winds, piano and percussionLeoš Janáček RikadlaGyorgy Ligeti Chamber ConcertoNew Works from Ondrej Kyas and Hui Tak Cheung
about us

Second Movement

Second Movement was founded in 2004 by director Oliver Mears, conductor Nicholas Chalmers and producer Abigail Toland to provide a platform for young artists, musicians, designers, directors and technicians to work together on the professional production of fully staged opera. The company specialises in rarely performed and risk taking modern repertoire. Works produced include the UK stage premiere of Rothschild's Violin, an opera based on Chekhov's short story, composed by Benjamin Fleishmann and completed by Shostakovich, the UK premiere of The Knife's Tears by Bohuslav Martinů, revived in 2010 and toured to Brno and Prague, Czech Republic and the world premiere of Fade by young US composer Stefan Weisman. Second Movement, committed to bringing new audiences to opera and challenging preconceptions about the form, stages its operas in unexpected places which have included an old banana warehouse in Covent Garden and a Victorian music hall in Hoxton. Future plans include a full staging of The Three Wishes (or the Inconstancy of Life) by Martinů and Zátopek! a new opera by Emily Howard, commissioned as part of New Music 20x12.

The Knife's Tears, 2007

Second Movement is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England number 05369515, registered office One Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8HQ

Registered charity: number 1111985

Artistic Directors

Nicholas Chalmers

Simon Holdsworth

Oliver Mears

Producer

Abigail Toland

Trustees

Ashutosh Khandekar

Charlotte Morgan

Pontus Pettersson

Abigail Toland

The Knife's Tears, 2007

Zátopek!

Second Movement

Zátopek!music Emily Howardlibretto Selma Dimitrijevica new opera for New Music 20x12 and the London 2012 Cultural OlympiadIf ever there was an athlete worth making an opera about its Emil ZátopekSir Christopher Chataway, 5000m finalist, 1952 Olympics, 5000m World Record Holder 1954 (December 2011)Second Movement in partnership with Liverpool Philharmonic is delighted to announce the World Premiere of Zátopek! on 15th June 2012 in Liverpool. Commissioned by Second Movement with support from New Music 2012 Zátopek! is a new 12 minute opera inspired by the life and times of legendary Czech Olympian Emil Zátopek.In 1952 Emil Zátopek achieved a remarkable hattrick at the Helsinki Olympics, winning gold at 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon. Zátopek! recreates all the thrilling drama of the 5000m final in a near real time dramatization of this famous race.The premiere on 15th June will be given by Second Movement performing with Liverpool Philharmonics Ensemble 10/10 and members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and members of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir with conductor Clark Rundell. Also being performed on the evening are works by Martinů, Janáček and Ligeti. Full details of the concert on 15th June and tickets are available from Liverpool Philharmonic here.As part of our research for Zátopek! we have been fortunate to meet with a number of those who knew Emil best. We travelled to Prague in Summer 2011 to meet with Emil's widow Dana, herself a gold medallist in 1952 at the javelin, and in December met with Sir Christopher Chataway who raced against Zátopek at 5000m in 1952. Both Dana Zátopková and Sir Christopher Chataway are characters in the opera. From these encounters we learnt that Zátopek was not just a remarkable athlete but a joyful character with an irrepressible energy and indomitable spirit and a consummate Olympian whose achievements captivated generations, a perfect subject for an opera which will be an exciting contribution to the official celebrations around the London 2012 Olympics. Click here to read more about Emily Howard and Selma Dimitrijevic's research for the opera, including their meeting in August 2011 with Dana Zátopková.New Music 20x12 is a UK-wide commissioning programme led by the PRS for Music Foundation consisting of twenty new pieces of music, each of 12 minutes in length, celebrating the talent and imagination of the UKs musical community as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Special thanks to Jerwood Charitable Foundation for making this New Music 20x12 commission possible.

new music 20x12

Zátopek! and New Music 2012

Second Movement is delighted to announce that Zátopek! a new twelve minute opera inspired by the extraordinary life and times of legendary Czech Olympian Emil Zátopek and commissioned from leading young composer Emily Howard has been chosen as part of New Music 20x12 .

Zátopek! World Premiere

15th June 2012

Liverpool

Music Emily Howard

Libretto Selma Dimitrijevic

Presented by Second Movement

in Partnership with Liverpool Philharmonic

Patron Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines

Zátopek! will also be performed at the New Music 20x12 Festival at the South Bank Centre on 14th and 15th July

New Music 20x12New Music 20x12 is a UK-wide commissioning programme initiated by Jillian Barker and David Cohen, and delivered by PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with the BBC, LOCOG, Sound and Music and NMC Recordings.Special thanks to the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for making Emily Howard's Zátopek! New Music 20x12 commission possible.New Music 20x12 is generously supported by the following committed patrons and funders: Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, John S. Cohen Foundation, PRS for Music Foundation, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, Columbia Foundation Fund of the Capital Community Foundation, Incorporated Society of Musicians, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Jerwood Charitable Foundation, RVW Trust, Charlotte and Dennis Stevenson, Tolkien Trust, The Leche Trust, The Bliss Trust, Finzi Trust, The Worshipful Company of Musicians, Lilian Slowe, John and Ann Tusa, John Wates Charitable Trust, Richard Walduck, Honeymead Arts Trust, and Sir Anthony Cleaver.New Music 20x12 is a UK wide programme which consists of twenty outstanding new works, each lasting 12 minutes, commissioned to feature centre stage of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. New Music 20x12 commissions will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and tour the UK, enabling as many people as possible to enjoy excellent new music as part of our celebrations of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.These commissions are full of the energy, hope and excitement that will emanate from across the Cultural Olympiad and the Games themselves. They are inspired by the dynamism of Olympic and Paralympic sports, the passion of human endeavour so central to the Games, and the once in a lifetime opportunity of creating a musical work contributing to a global celebration.

rough for opera

a new opera scratch nightsubmissions for 2012 now openSecond Movement at The Cockpit Theatrerough for opera is a platform for new opera. Original, reconditioned or recently excavated; anything goes in a night of musical test drives, experiments and reboots from some of the most innovative opera creators in the UK.rough for opera is an opportunity for young and emerging opera creators to road test and showcase new ideas and evolving work. At the launch night on the 23rd October three young companies presented original work in development at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone.Midnight Closes Charlotte Bray (www.fuseboxproductions.org)a dramatic setting and staging of a series of Thomas Hardy poems with soprano Rhona McKailUnknown Position Kate Whitleynew chamber opera exploring object-sexualityNarcissus and Echo Tom Coult, Rachel Jackson, Jasmin K Rodgers, Hannah Taylor (www.operaviscera.com)retelling of Ovids story bringing together four composers and a revolving cast of sevenwith music in the Cockpit bar from dj Isambard Khroustaliovwww.thecockpit.org.ukIf you would like to take part in a future rough for opera please send a 200 word outline describing the work you would like to present and a company or individual cv/biog to abigail_secondmovement.org.uk Second Movement will provide the venue, a piano and up to an hour of tech time on the day and a film of your performance by new media company TallWall. We welcome submissions for performances of between 10 and 40 minutes. rough for opera is a scratch night, so anything goes: we're not looking for finished performances, sets or costume (though the odd prop is welcome). The Cockpit stage is 6.65m by 8.6m so there's plenty of room for you to bring a number of musicians and performers.rough for opera is your space and we really look forward to hearing your ideas.

Second Movement

The Medium by Gian Carlo MenottiNorthern Ireland TourNI Opera in association with Second Movement7th February 2011Strule Arts Centre, Omagh9th February 2011The Great Hall, Downpatrick15th February 2011Theatre at the Mill, Newtownabbey16th February 2011The Market Place Theatre, ArmaghThe Medium is a gripping tale of the sinister world of the seance, where Madame Flora's meddling with the supernatural leads to the revelation of a terrible secret - and a horrifying descent into madness. A revival of Second Movement's 2006 London production.Director: Oliver MearsConductor: Nicholas ChalmersSet and Costume Design: Simon HoldsworthCast: Yvette Bonner, David Butt Philip, Doreen Curran, Alison Dunne, Jane Harrington, Will Stokes The Knife's Tears by Bohuslav MartinůůLibretto by Georges Ribemont Dessaignes30th October 2010Reduta, Brno, Czech Republic31st October 2010DISK Theatre, Prague, Czech RepublicIn 2010 Second Movement was invited by Brno based company Ensemble Opera Diversa to perform its 2007 UK premiere production of Martinů's The Knife's Tears in the Czech Republic. We performed this unique jazz inspired surrealist work in our English translation, alongside two operas produced by Ensemble Opera Diversa, Ela, Hela a Stop by Lukáš Sommer based on a text by Václav Havel and Dýnový démon ve vegetariánské restauraci by Ondrej Kyas, libretto by Pavel Drábek. We were delighted to be able to perform Martinů's chamber opera in the composers homeland and would like to extend our thanks to all at Ensemble Opera Diversa and Skutečnost, our hosts in Prague.Director: Oliver Mears Conductor: Nicholas ChalmersSet and Costume Design: Simon HoldsworthCast: Yvette Bonner, Jonathan Brown, Hannah PedleyCzech performances supported by the National Lottery throughArts Council EnglandScenes from The Three Wishes (or The Inconstancy of Life) by Bohuslavů MartinůLibretto by Georges Ribemont - DessaignesAugust 2010Second Movement at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival Studio 2, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, LondonAs a prelude and preview to our forthcoming production, the UK premiere of Bohuslav Martinů The Three Wishes (or the Inconstancy of Life), Second Movement presented scenes from this unseen work at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival, August 2010. The piece, composed in 1929 in Paris in collaboration with leading surrealist, Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes, is a genre-bending experimental work which fuses live opera and film, jazz and modernism, fantasy and social satire.Director: Oliver Mears Conductor: Nicholas ChalmersSet Design: Gina Rose LeeCostume Design: Laura StansfieldCast: Alison Dunne, Lexi Hutton, Paul Carey JonesPiano: Will GardnerVideo: Scenes from The Three Wishes (or The Inconstancy of Life) at Tête á Tête: The Opera Festival 2010 www.tete-a-tete.org.ukAmerican Triple Bill: Barber, Bernstein, WeismanOctober 2008Hoxton Hall, Hoxton, LondonA Hand of Bridge by Samuel BarberA new production of Barber's classic 12 minute opera. Barber's wittily compressed masterpiece unflinchingly dissects sexual repression and desire, in a game of cards which reveals people's darkest and innermost thoughts.Fade (World Premiere) by Stefan Weisman Libretto: David CoteCommissioned by Second MovementAlbert and Getrude arrive at their new eco home filled with hope for the future. But, as the light fails, the house begins to feel more and more isolated. Why are the phones not working? And what exactly is happening 'over there'? Stefan Weisman's gripping brand-new opera conjures an atmosphere of increasing menace in a short, sharp tale of a new home and broken lives. World premiere.Trouble in Tahiti by Leonard BernsteinA revival of our 2005 production. Written by one of the all-time great masters of American music, Trouble in Tahiti is both a searing indictment of apple-pie suburbia and a haunting exploration of marital breakdown. With the jazzy inflections and raw emotionalism of his best work, Bernstein painfully dissects the American Dream - and what happens when it turns into nightmare.Director: Oliver MearsConductor: Graham RossSet and Costume Design: Simon Holdsworth and Aleandra KharibianCast: Jane Harrington, Hannah Pedley, Toby Stafford AllenAn Opera Triple Bill: Fleischmann/Shostakovich, Martinů, OffenbachMay 2007Covent Garden Film Studios, LondonThe Two Blind Men by Offenbach Libretto by Michael FlexerA black comedy containing some of Offenbach's wittiest music, The Two Blindmen is a short satirical opera with a brand new script by Michael Flexer.Rothschild's Violin by Fleischmann/Shostakovich In honour of Shostakovich's centenary year, Second Movement presented the first fully staged production of Rothschild's Violin in Britain. A piece close to the heart of the twentieth century's greatest composer, this powerful and moving opera based on a Chekhov short story was completed by Shostakovich after the death of his student Benjamin Fleischmann in the Siege of Leningrad.The Knife's Tears by Bohuslav MartinůLibretto by Georges Ribemont - DessaignesNever before performed in the UK, The Knife's Tears is an effervescent 1920s jazz opera by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinůů, best known for his operatic fantasy Julietta. Containing influences as far ranging from ragtime, surrealism, pungent modernism and traditional Czech folk music, Second Movement's production of The Knife's Tears was a rare chance to hear a forgotten masterpiece.Director: Oliver Mears Conductor: Nicholas ChalmersSet and Costume Design: Simon HoldsworthCast: Yvette Bonner, Jonathan Brown, Hannah Pedley, Nick SharrattAn Opera Double Bill: Menotti and MozartJanuary 2006Covent Garden Film Studios, LondonThe Impresario by MozartNew Libretto by Michael FlexerWritten at the same time time as The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart's hilarious satire on the foibles of opera singers, producers and the theatre remains as fresh as ever in this newly commissioned adaptation from young playwrights, Michael Flexer.The Medium by Gian Carlo MenottiMenotti's most powerful score, The Medium is a gripping portrayal of the sinister world of the seance: Madam Flora's meddling with the supernatural leads to the revelation of a terrible secret - and a horrifying descent into madness.Director: Oliver Mears Conductor: Nicholas ChalmersSet and Costume Design: Simon HoldsworthCostume Design: Alexandra KharibianCast: Allison Bell, Sean Clayton, Jane Harrington, Daniel Leatherdale, Hannah Pedley, Margaret Rapacioli, Simon ThorpeTrouble in Tahitiby Leonard BernsteinJune 2005Hoxton Hall, LondonWritten by one of the all-time great masters of American music, Trouble in Tahiti is both a searing indictment of apple-pie suburbia and a haunting exploration of marital breakdown. With the jazzy inflections and raw emotionalism of his best work, Bernstein painfully dissects the American Dream - and what happens when it turns into nightmare.Director: Oliver Mears Conductor: Nicholas ChalmersSet and Costume Design: Simon Holdsworth and Alexandra Kharibian Cast: Paul Carey-Jones; Jane Harrington, Alastair Merry; Hannah Pedley; Tom Raskin.Mozart and Salieriby Rimsky-KorsakovOctober 2004The Grosvenor Chapel, London The company's inaugural production was Mozart and Salieri, Rimsky-Korsakovs opera miniature based on Pushkins Little Tragedy of the same name which turns on the fabled murder of Mozart by his jealous and inferior colleague Salieri. This fully staged opera was paired with a first half performance of Rachmaninovs Vespers. Director: Oliver Mears Conductor: Nicholas ChalmersDesigner: Alexandra Kharibian Cast: Tom Raskin, Viktor Rud

press

Second Movement

Second Movement in the PressThe Knife's Tears Reduta, Brno and Divadlo DISK, Prague (CZ) October 2010superb - Josef Herman, Divadlní Novinylively and imaginative - Boris Klepal, Zápisník ZmizeléhoThe performance of the British guests was excellent - Helena Havlíková, Opera PlusScenes from The Three Wishes (or the Inconstancy of Life) Riverside Studios August 2010The brilliant Second Movement - Warwick Thompson, Metro (preview)I can't wait to see more - David Nice, The Arts DeskI look forward to a full production of this opera, a highlight of Second Movement's future plans - Nicola Benson, Opera NowAmerican Triple Bill: A Hand of Bridge/Fade/Trouble in Tahiti Hoxton Hall October 2008I sometimes think of opera in London as a huge ocean liner: the Royal Opera House is like the first-class dining room, luxurious and solid: English National Opera houses the servants quarters, sometimes a fun place to be but more often disagreeable; and Second Movement is the engine room, the place which constantly generates excitement, heat and the roar of creation.Warwick Thompson Metrothe DNA of something special in the making - Michael White, Opera NowAn Opera Triple Bill: Rothschild's Violin/The Knifes Tears/ The Two Blind Men Covent Garden Film Studios May 2007stunning - Michael Tanner, The Spectatorstunning... ingenious programming - Anna Picard, The Independent on Sundayall glory to Second Movement for their thrust and ambition - Geoff Brown, The Timesthis is the sort of semi-guerilla ad-hocism that London opera needs - Nick Kimberley, Evening StandardAn Opera Double Bill: The Medium / The Impresario Covent Garden Film Studios January 2006A cracking show... plucky Second Movement deserve a loud bravo - Warwick Thompson, MetroSecond Movement prove that some of the most interesting opera can be found on the fringe - Anna Picard, The Independent on Sundayexcellent - Michael Tanner, The SpectatorTrouble in Tahiti Hoxton Hall June 2005Second Movement is a group to watch - Anthony Holden, The Observer an accomplished, dazzlingly well-sung production - Peter Reed, The Sunday Telegraph

video

Second Movement

The Knife's Tears, Terra Musica. Ceska Televize, 2011

The Three Wishes, Tete a Tete: The Opera Festival 2010

The Three WIshes (scenes), 2010 photo Sarah Hickson

creative team

Second Movement

Second Movement's Artistic Directors are Nicholas Chalmers, Simon Holdsworth and Oliver Mears. NICHOLAS CHALMERS conductor Nicholas Chalmers is the Assistant Chorus Master of English National Opera and Guest Chorus Master of the Philharmonia Chorus. From 2003 to 2008 Nicholas worked at Westminster Abbey as Assistant Organist and Director of Music of the Choir School. With ENO he has prepared 24 operas for conductors including, Edward Gardner, Mark Wigglesworth, Sir Charles Mackeras, Sir Richard Armstrong. In June 2010 he conducted the ENO Opera Works Showcase at Sadlers Wells. For Second Movement he has conducted Mozart and Salieri (October 2004) and Trouble in Tahiti (June 2005) The Medium and Impresario (January 2006) Les Deux Aveugles, Rothschild's Violin and The Knife's Tears (May 2007) all to wide critical acclaim. With Chelsea Opera Group Nicholas has been chorus master for Beatrice di Tenda (March 2007), Maria Stuarda (November 2007) and Macbeth (March 2008). In April 2010 he was chorus master for James MacMillan's St John Passion with the Philharmonia Chorus. Nicholas has prepared and conducted 10 programmes with the BBC Singers, including the new choral works of James MacMillan for broadcast on Radio 3 in October. Recent conducting engagements include, The Medium (NI Opera in association with Second Movement) The Knife's Tears (Second Movement - Brno and Prague) and Tosca (NI Opera March 2011).SIMON HOLDSWORTH set and costume designer Simon Holdsworth trained at Wimbledon School of Art, London and the Kunstacademie, Maastricht. Designs for Second Movement include a triple bill of The Two Blind Men, Rothschild's Violin and The Knife's Tears; a double bill of The Medium and The Impresario (Covent Garden Film Studios, London) and Trouble in Tahiti (Hoxton Hall), all directed by Oliver Mears and conducted by Nicholas Chalmers. More recently he designed The Merry Widow (Hyogo Performing Arts Centre, Japan) directed by Isao Hirowatari. Working with director Annilese Miskimmon Simon designed Orlando (Opera Theatre Company, Ireland), Bluebeard (Buxton Festival) and Rinaldo (RSAMD, Scotland). Working in theatre Simon designed Screwmachine (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh), directed by John Clancy. With Steven Berkoff directing he designed, Richard II (Ludlow Festival), Messiah (Old Vic, London) and The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (London, Edinburgh and Denmark). Repertory theatre designs include Ritual in Blood (Nottingham Playhouse), directed by Timothy Walker and Dracula (Derby Playhouse). On Londons fringe he designed Tis Pity Shes a Whore (Southwark Playhouse) and The Invisible Monkey (New End Theatre), directed by Linda Marlowe. For dance Simon designed Frigidaire (Place Theatre, London), choreographed by Lea Helmstädter and working in television he designed The Waltz King (BBC), directed by Rupert Edwards. OLIVER MEARS director Oliver Mears is Artistic Director of NI Opera, a new opera company based in Belfast. After reading English and History at Lincoln College, Oxford, Oliver began his career assisting playwright Howard Barker, before going on to work at the Kings Head (directing productions of Judith, Creditors and The Lesson) and in opera, working on productions in London (ENO, ROH), Leeds, Milan, Tokyo, and Basel. He is an artistic director of Second Movement with whom he has directed a number of acclaimed productions. He has also directed a prison project with lifers, Sweeney Todd (HMP Kingston/Pimlico Opera), Calisto (Iford Festival), Hansel and Gretel (Opera North), the National Opera Studio Showcase 2010, and The Bear for the National Reisopera, Holland. Future plans include new productions of Albert Herring (Aldeburgh, 2011) and The Rape of Lucretia (Netherlands Reisopera 2013). Recent credits include The Medium (NI Opera and Second Movement), Tosca (NI Opera) and a new Christmas musical at the Young Vic with music by the Pet Shop Boys.
No Frame

Rothschild's Violin, 2007

trustees

Second Movement

Second Movement's Trustees are Ashutosh Khandekar, Charlotte Morgan, Pontus Petersson and Abigail Toland ASHUTOSH KHANDEKARAshutosh Khandekar is the Editor of Opera Now. He worked in Hong Kong as a broadcaster for the leading classical music channel and as Deputy Arts Editor of the South China Morning Post's Sunday edition. He was Deputy Editor of Rhinegold Publishing's Classical Music Magazine, and was appointed Editor of Opera Now in 1997. He is also a consultant editor for the British Council, and is Chairman of Streetwise Opera. CHARLOTTE MORGAN (chair)Charlotte is a Fellow of the Institute Chartered Accountants and an Associate Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. She is a trustee of the Oxford School of Drama. Her career in the City, which started at Price Waterhouse, encompasses finance, treasury and taxation, including ten years with the Standard Chartered group where she was Head of Corporate Treasury and Tax. She is currently Taxation Director at the ED&F Man Holdings group. She is also Deputy Chair of the International Fiscal Associations British Branch. Charlotte read Classics at Somerville College Oxford, is a member of Somervilles Annual Fund Committee, and co-chair of the Somerville City Group. Charlotte was appointed Chair of the Second Movement trustees in October 2010.PONTUS PETTERSSONPontus Pettersson is an executive at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., the investment firm, in Menlo Park, California. Pontus read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and has a degree in Business Administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Pontus's interest in music and theatre dates back to his time at university where he sang in Lincoln's chapel choir with Nicholas Chalmers and worked as producer on a range of theatre projects with Oliver Mears.ABIGAIL TOLAND Abigail, a co-founder of Second Movement, is the company's producer and a trustee. She studied English at Cambridge and Russian and East European Literature and Culture at UCL- SSEES. Second Movement Advisory CouncilCHARLES CLARK (chair)Charles Clark is a partner at Linklaters, the international law firm, in London , having read law at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is also a member of the London Symphony Orchestras Advisory Council and is chairman of the London Symphony Orchestra Endowment Trust and The National Youth Strings Academy.
SM pic Medium Am I Afraid Baba.jpg

The Medium, 2006

Second Movement

No Frame

for general enquiries and to join Second Movement's mailing list please write to us at

contact_secondmovement.org.uk

to contact Abigail Toland, Second Movement's producer please write to

abigail_secondmovement.org.uk

you can also write to us at

Second Movement

30 Chiddingstone Street

London SW6 3TG

contact us

to join the mailing list please email contact_secondmovement.org.uk

for all other enquiries please email

abigail_secondmovement.org.uk

Second Movement: a company limited by guarantee, registered in England number 05369515, registered office One Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8HQ Registered charity: number 1111985

links

Second Movement

Dvorak Society

Emily Howard

Ensemble Opera Diversa

Liverpool Philharmonic

Martinu Foundation

NI Opera

PRS for Music Foundation

Skutecnost

Tête à Tête

Trouble in Tahiti, 2005

support us

Second Movement

Second Movement is a registered charity. We would like to thank our supporters and Friends, without whom we would not be able to carry out our work providing opportunities to young artists in an innovative programme of new and rarely performed opera.

Second Movement has a thriving Friends organisation and welcomes new members. If you would like to become a Friend of Second Movement, please click on the pdf icon to the right to download an application and gift aid form.

You can also support Second Movement by writing to us at

Second Movement

30 Chiddingstone Street

London SW6 3TG

or by making a donation via My Donate.

For sponsorship enquiries and details of benefits please contact abigail_secondmovment.org.uk.

Thank you for your support of Second Movement. It is very much appreciated.

Friends of Second Movement.pdf

My Donate

performers

Second Movement at the Grosvenor Chapel 27.09.11

Programme and Performers (see artist biographies below)

Janáček String Quartet no. 2 Intimate Letters, Martinů String Quartet no. 3

Geminiani Quartet

Bohuslav Martinů Opening of the Springs

Hywel John (reciter)

Benedict Kearns (piano)

Alastair Merry (baritone)

Chatto Quartet

Second Movement Chorus Eleanor Dann, Elizabeth Desbruslais, Esther Drabkin-Reiter, Susanne Dymott, Rosie Lomas

Nicholas Chalmers (conductor)

Emily Howard Songs from Dickens

Lindsay Bramley (mezzo)

Gerald Davidson (reciter)

The Ristov Trio

SoloistsLindsay BramleyLindsay read Music at The Queen's College, Oxford as an academic scholar. Originally trained as a pianist, she started singing at university and since then has performed in Israel, Ireland, France, Austria and Canada. Lindsay specialises in 20th century music and has sung Miss Donnithornes Maggot, The Medium, Stripsody, Mere dIseut in Le Vin Herbe for Ardente Opera, the title role in The Judgement of Theodora for ENOs Contemporary Music Studio, and Michael Howard/Tony Blair in Newsnight: The Opera at Battersea Arts Centre. Recent roles include Florence Albert Herring, Mrs Grose Turn of the Screw, Countess The Queen of Spades, Fairy Queen Iolanthe, Ulrica Un Ballo in Maschera, Marcellina The Marriage of Figaro, Ragonde Le Comte Ory, Orlofsky Die Fledermaus, Mrs Noye in Noyes Fludde (at the Royal Albert Hall) and Baba The Rakes Progress. She now studies with Alison Wells. Gerald DavidsonGerald Davidson's recent work includes a showcase of Gerhild Steinbuch's Going to Bed, Is it a Tragedy? Is it a comedy? and The President for Thomas Bernhard's eightieth birthday, and, as writer and presenter, Between Concealment and Represnetation (Freud,Schnitzler,Reik) at the Freud Museum. He will present his dramatisation of Thomas Bernhard's Amras for the closing of the exhibition Personal Tempest at the Museum of St. Albans in November. He performed in the premiere of Songs from Dickens by Emily Howard.Hywel JohnHywel trained at LAMDA and has worked nationally, in the West End and on Broadway. Recent theatre credits include: Carrot (Theatre 503), The Rare Theatricals (Aldebrugh Festival), The Glass Menagerie (Theatre Clwyd & tour), A Stab In The Dark (Osip Theatre at Latitude Festival), Severe Weather Warning (Southwark Playhouse), Macbeth (Chichester, West End, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Broadway), Angry Young Man (Trafalgar Studios, Adelaide Festival Best Play & Best Overall Show Awards 2006 BAC, Edinburgh Festival), Twelfth Night (Chichester), Ned & Sharon (Hightide Festival), Mikes Wishes (Arcola), Jesus Christ Its Christmas! (Bristol Old Vic), The Father (Chichester), Guardians (Barbican, Theatre503 & Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award 2005). TV: The I.T. Crowd (Channel 4), Doctors (BBC). Film: Macbeth (BBC Films, PBS America, Illuminations), Running For River (Directional Studios), The Grind (Dangerous Productions). Radio: Doctor Who: The Hollows of Time. Hywel is also a playwright. His first play Pieces premiered at Theatre Clwyd in April 2010, before transferring to Off-Broadway later that year. His second play, Rose, starring Art Malik, premiered this summer at the Edinburgh Festival. Both plays are published by Nick Hern Books.Benedict KearnsBenedict Kearns began his musical career at the age of 7 as a chorister at Westminster Abbey Choir School. In his final year at the Abbey he was appointed Head Chorister and sang in many world-renowned concert venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Washington Cathedral and Royal Festival Hall. He is currently a major music scholar at Mill Hill School and attends the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music (JRAM) where he studies piano with Antonietta Notariello and is currently the orchestral pianist. In December, Benedict took his piano DipABRSM which he passed with distinction. His other passion is conducting and he studies at JRAM under Howard Williams and privately with Peter Stark. Alastair Merry Alastair Merry made his first singing appearance as first boy in Mozarts The Magic Flute whilst living in Germany. Later he studied music at Worcester College, Oxford, became a professional singing lay clerk at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and went on to study voice with Laura Sarti at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has sung a number of solo operatic roles including Masetto in Don Giovanni, Sid in Albert Herring, The Forester in Rusalka and Dancairo in Carmen. As a professional chorister, Alastair has sung with the choruses of Glyndebourne, Welsh National Opera, and English National Opera, as well as on the concert platform with the BBC Singers and Netherlands Radio Choir. Most recently, Alastair sang in the chorus for Terry Gilliams production of The Damnation of Faust at ENO, and is currently singing with the company for their production of Tchaikovskys Eugene Onegin. Alastair is also an active oratorio soloist and recitalist, having recently performed Rossinis Petite Messe Solennelle in concert. He is also one of the twelve professional choirmen of the Temple Church, London.
EnsemblesChatto Quartet Neil Amin-Smith (violin), Rebecca Minio-Paluello (violin), Joe Fisher (viola)The Chatto Quartet (performing as a trio in Martinůs The Opening of the Springs this evening) gave their debut concert in King's College Chapel, Cambridge, in 2007. They have since played at many exciting venues in London, Cambridge and Aldeburgh, and won the chamber music section of the North London Music Competition in 2008. In addition to their love for classical music - specialising in Dvorak, Shostakovich and Taneyev - the quartet form the core of the rising London band Clean BanditNeil Amin-Smith (violin)Neil began playing the violin at the age of three under Sharon Beamer, and won a number of prizes at the North London Music Festival before moving to the Royal Academy at 10. Whilst there he won the Junior Academy violin prize and began to study with Lydia Mordkovitch, also becoming a keen chamber musician through regularly attending Pro Corda. On leaving school Neil performed the Brahms Violin Concerto at St. John's Smith Square with his school orchestra. At university he formed the Chatto Quartet, with which he has performed across the country and received coaching from the Endellion Quartet, the Dante Quartet, Robert Max, and Itzhak Rashkovsky among others. He also played as the principal of the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra. Recently Neil led the ensemble in a two week run of Kate Whitley's operas Bonesong and Unknown Position at the Edinburgh Festival. Rebecca Minio-Paluello (vioin)Born in 1989, Rebecca has just graduated from Clare College,bCambridge, where she read Music. Having started the violin age four in Oxford, she has since studied with teachers from the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik (Berlin) and the RCM, RAM and Guildhall (London).A former leader of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain, Rebecca has also played in the National Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra, at festivals such as the BBC Proms and Glastonbury. As a chamber musician she has been coached by Steven Isserlis and the Chilingirian, Skampa, Enescu and Dante String Quartets at summer academies of festivals in the Lake District and Kuhmo, Finland. In her final year at Cambridge Rebecca performed the Glazunov and Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos with Cambridge symphony orchestras, and was also increasingly engaged in playing new music, subsequently performing Whitley and Snape's operas Bonesong/Unknown Position at the Edinburgh Fringe and Ashton's The Boy, the Forest and the Desert at the Grimeborn Festival in Dalston.Joe Fisher (viola)Somerset born Joseph began playing the violin at the age of six, and later changed to viola as advised by his teacher. He gained a music scholarship to study at the Wells Cathedral School, and has just finished his Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Academy of Music studying with Garfield Jackson. Joseph is a very keen orchestral member; this includes being the principal of the Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Academy Concert Orchestra, the National Youth Chamber Orchestra, University of London Symphony Orchestra, and guest principal for the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. Joseph is also an active chamber musician where he plays regularly with the Toki quartet. He has performed at various venues in the UK, including Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Cadogan Hall. He has also collaborated with the Fournier Trio where he played Schumanns Piano Quartet. Joseph plays on a Paday viola which originates from Somerset.Neil began playing the violin at the age of three under Sharon Beamer, and won a number of prizes at the North London Music Festival before moving to the Royal Academy at 10. Whilst there he won the Junior Academy violin prize and began to study with Lydia Mordkovitch, also becoming a keen chamber musician through regularly attending Pro Corda. On leaving school Neil performed the Brahms Violin Concerto at St. John's Smith Square with his school orchestra. At university he formed the Chatto Quartet, with which he has performed across the country and received coaching from the Endellion Quartet, the Dante Quartet, Robert Max, and Itzhak Rashkovsky among others. He also played as the principal of the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra. Recently Neil led the ensemble in a two week run of Kate Whitley's operas Bonesong and Unknown Position at the Edinburgh Festival. He now studies with Susan Collier, and has just graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge with a BA in History, and a Diploma in Economics. www cleanbandit.comGeminiani QuartetJenna Sherry (violin), Emily Dellit (violin), Stephen Upshaw (viola), William Imbert (cello)The Geminiani Quartet unites accomplished chamber musicians from four varied backgrounds with the common goal of approaching the string quartet repertoire with integrity and passion. In 2010, the Geminiani quartet collaborated with the Austrian Cultural Forum, London, in the creation of a three concert series titled, Transfigured Moments: Snapshots of Vienna at the Birth and Death of Romanticism. The Geminiani Quartet has performed in the United Kingdom, the USA, and Austria, most notably at the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna, and was awarded a prize for their performance of works from the Second Viennese School. The quartet performed recently in Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall, as first prizewinners in the Alexander and Buono International String Competition. As a quartet, these musicians have participated in masterclasses with members of the Takacs, Alban Berg, Endellion, Kuss and Belcea Quartets. Recent projects include appearances in the 2011 City of London Festival and the International Chamber Music Festival Viana, Portugal.Jenna Sherry (violin)From New Orleans, Louisiana, violinist Jenna Sherry was selected as a Marshall Scholar by the British government in 2008 and received a Masters in Performance (Hons) at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama while on the scholarship. She is currently a Fellow at the Guildhall School and a student of David Takeno. Jenna completed her Bachelors of Music as a student of Mark Kaplan at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she was a Herman B. Wells Scholar. An active performer, she has appeared at the Kennedy Center, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Austrian Cultural Forum London, the Schoenberg Centre, Vienna, the Barbican and recently demonstrated for a Study Day on the Brahms violin sonatas at the Wigmore Hall. In 2010 she co-curated a series of three concerts across London in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum entitled, Transfigured Moments: Snapshots of Vienna at the Birth and Death of Romanticism. Also active in contemporary music she recently performed Unsuk Chins Double Bind? for solo violin and electronics in the BBC Symphony Orchestras Total Immersion Series at the Barbican and recorded the piece for broadcast in autumn 2011.Emily Dellitt (violin)Emily Dellit was born in Brisbane, Australia, and began learning the violin at the age of 6. She studied at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University with Michele Walsh, and upon graduating in 2006 was awarded first class honours in Advanced Performance and the University Medal for outstanding academic achievement. Emily has appeared as a soloist with several of the Australian orchestras, and was awarded First Prize in some of Australias most prestigious competitions, including the National Youth Concerto Competition and the North Queensland Concerto and Vocal Competition. Since 2007, Emily has lived in Europe, studying violin and viola in Zürich, Switzerland, with Rudolf Koelman and Wendy Enderle-Champney, and in London, where she is currently undertaking a masters in performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Takeno. Emily has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in Austria, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Israel, the USA and Australia, and has participated in masterclasses with Richard Tognetti, Ilan Gronich, Yair Kless, Olivier Charlier and Ida Haendel. Emilys studies in the UK are generously supported by the Brisbane Lord Mayors Young and Emerging Artist Award and the Dorothy Fraser Scholarship.Stephen Upshaw (viola)After making his solo debut at 17, violist Stephen Upshaw has won several competitions and played in festivals around the world including IMS Prussia Cove, City of London Festival, Muziekzomer Festival (Holland), Viana Chamber Music Festival (Portugal) and Salzburg Chamber Music Festival (Austria). In recent seasons, recital and chamber music engagements have brought him to Bostons Jordan Hall, Londons Barbican and Wigmore Halls, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Viennas Schoenberg Center.A recognized interpreter of contemporary music, Stephen has given numerous national and international premieres and performed with groups such as the Harvard Group for New Music, the Callithumpian Consort (Boston) and the Ubu Ensemble (London), working closely with composers such as Oliver Knussen and Christian Wolff. He holds a BMus(Hon) from the New England Conservatory in Boston where he studied with Martha Strongin-Katz and has appeared in masterclasses with Thomas Riebl, Kim Kashkashian an Pinchas Zukerman, among others. Stephen recently completed his Postgraduate studies in the class of David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with support from the Guildhall School Trust.William Imbert (cello)William Imberts accomplishments before being accepted at the Royal College of Music, London on a full undergraduate scholarship include a diploma from the Aix-en-Provence conservatoire and the Prize from the City of Paris while studying at the 12th District Music School in Paris During spring/summer breaks from the Royal College of Music, William participated in courses given by world-famous cellists such as Franz Henderson, Arto Moras and Natalya Gutmann. At the RCM, he studied with Jeromo Pernoo and Helen Dautry.His interest in contemporary music led to his giving world-premier performances of works composed by Yann Robin and Francoise Rosse.William also performs at major music festivals in France, Austria, Portugal, and UK.A passionate chamber musician, William has worked with the Chillingirian Quartet and was the original cellist with the Zimri Piano Trio. He is an accomplished orchestral player and in the summer of 2008 was invited as principal cellist for the Bordeaux Festival Orchestra led by Maxim Vengerov: he was also principal cellist on several occasions for the RCM orchestra. In October of 2009, following two rounds of auditions, William was chosen to do several concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2011 William engagements as a chamber musician inclueded a Proms composer portrait of Pascal Dusapin with pianist Thomas Besnard and violonist Marko Pop Ristov.William was awarded a Bachelor of Music Degree with First Class Honors from the Royal College of Music and recently graduated from a master of performance in the class of Louise Hopkins at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on a postgraduate course.Ristov TrioThomas Besnard (piano)Marko Pop Ristov (violin)William Imbert (cello)The Ristov Quartet (performing in Emily Howards Songs from Dickens this evening as the Ritov Trio) is a piano quartet created by graduates of the Royal College of Music in London. Although the ensemble is based in the UK, its players hail from France, Macedonia and the Netherlands and the quartet has already established itself across Europe. After an initial concert in the National Gallery in London in 2010, the quartet has given concerts in The Netherlands and France and they have recently been on tour to Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. Future engagements include recitals in St Martin in the Fields, an appearance at the Music en Re Festival on the Ile de Re as well as other recitals in the South of France and The Netherlands.The Quartet has received tuition from such prominent musicians as Caroline Palmer (Guildhall School of Music and Drama) and Jon Thorne (Badke Quartet). In addition they have played in masterclasses from Gary Hoffman, Natalie Clein and Anner Bylsma. They received a scholarship to the West Coast School of Chamber Music in summer 2010, studying with members of the Archduke Trio of London; Simon Lebens, Nicola Thomas and Philippa Ibbotson.Their dedication and passion for chamber music allows them to fully explore the available repertoire, be it celebrated masterpieces or less well-known works. By programming relatively unknown works alongside the canon of the repertoire, the Ristov Quartet offer innovative recitals, giving the audience unfamiliar pieces and new interpretations of major works.The Ristov Quartet would like to thank the Richard Carne Trust for its kind support in various projects.www.ristovquartet.comThomas Besnard (piano)Following his studies at the Bordeaux Conservatoire, Thomas Besnard graduated in 2008 from the Royal College of Music, London, where he studied with Gordon Fergus-Thompson. He is currently continuing his training on the MPerf course with Caroline Palmer at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he is studying on a full GSMD scholarship supported by the Leverhulme Trust. He has played in master classes with Désiré NKaoua, Alain Planès, Roy Howat and Claire Désert, as well as Natalie Clein and Gary Hoffman.Thomas has played a number of times at the Barbican Centre in London; as part of the BBC Total immersion Concert Series and more recently for two pre-LSO performances, playing John Adamss Road Movies and the Ligeti Horn Trio. He participated in the UK premiere of Louiss Andriessens Bells for Haarlem, and has recorded several times for BBC Radio3 and BBC Wales, as well as for the National Radio of Serbia. His commitment to contemporary music had led him to work with many of the worlds greatest composers, including George Crumb, Hugh Wood, Paul Patterson, John Metcalf and Joseph Horovitz. A keen chamber musician, Thomas has given many recitals throughout Europe: in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland, Italy... Appearances in Britain include St Jamess Piccadilly, St Martin in the fields, Cheltenham Town Hall, City of London Festival, the Leeds International Concert Series. Last December he was invited to play at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, where he gave a chamber music recital of the music of Robert and Clara Schumann. Thomas plays regularly with clarinettist Hannah Morgan as the Glendower Duo: together they won First prize in the Duo section in the Krakow international Chamber Music Competition, the Yamaha Music Foundation Award and the Tunbridge Wells Young Concert Artists Competition. Their recital at the Southbank Centres Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Concert series, where they gave the world première of Harris Kittoss Organic Duo, was critically acclaimed and received a four-star rating in The Times. Mr Besnard believes in the importance of breaking the traditional boundaries of classical music; this is why he works for Live Music Now!, the charity founded by Lord Yehudi Menuhin, which brings live performances to handicapped children, people in hospital, in car homes... In order to bring classical music to life outside of the concert hall, he has collaborated with the Courtauld Institute of Art, playing a whole Chabrier programme for the Cézanne exhibition, and further afield the fashion brand ACNE Studios and the world of Interior Design Milan Interior Design Week 2011. Marko Pop Ristov (violin)Marko Pop Ristov was born in 1984 in Skopje, Macedonia. He started playing the violin at the age of 9 with Professor H. Trajanovska and later with Professor S. Badivuku Hoxa with whom he finished education at the State Musical High School in Bitola, Macedonia. In 2001 he was awarded full scholarship for his studies at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in the class of Professor Pavel Vernikov. He graduated in 2009 as a scholar student at Royal College of Music (London) in the class of professor Dona Lee Croft.Marko has won many international prizes: 2nd prize at the International Competition Kornelia Bronzeti , Romania; 1st prize at the International Competition Petar Konjovic , Yugoslavia; Absolute Winner (all age categories and all instruments) at the International Competition Giovanni Batista Pergolesi, Naples, Italy; and most recently, 1st prize (all instruments) at the Performing Australian Music Competition in London, UK.Marko has performed as a soloist with orchestras: The Chamber Orchestra of Bitola and the National Symphony Orchetra of Macedonia; Orchestra dei Ragazzi and Kensington Sinfonia. He has performed with solo recitals in many European countries: Belgium, Greece, France, Italy, Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Serbia and in the UK. Marko is devoting a large proportion of his career to chamber music, he is a member of the Trio dei Mezzo and the Ristov piano quartet.William Imbert (cello) see Geminiani Quartet

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