Intern Diaries: Michael’s Winter Festival week

And with around 150 participants taking their final bow at Fables – A Film Opera, the first part of the Winter Festival drew to a close. (Well sort of; there were of course lots of things to do such as tidy up, and battle with the weather).

The Festival week has been a whirlwind of an experience, with daily meetings, and mucking in on a mixture of jobs. The past seven days has seen me (and everyone) stewarding, transporting, sitting in a very cold foyer, and fetching forgotten equipment(!), as well as all the usual things which occur week to week.  It has also meant being able to see bits and pieces of the performers both in concert and rehearsal.

Winter Songs Image:Celine Smith

Particular highlights for me have included watching Tower Voices make their debut in Winter Songs, hearing Caius College Choir & Consort’s sensitive performance of sacred madrigals in Madrigals Transformed, catching Carmina rehearsing the stunning music of An Icelandic Songbook, and of course the momentous premiere of Fables – A Film Opera.

Fables Image: Celine Smith

With only a month left to go until the end of my internship, it’s back to the grindstone (well at least for a few pre-Christmas days!) to prepare for the second part of the Winter Festival in January. I’m especially looking forward to Paul Agnew’s concert Monteverdi, Opera & Beyond. But for now, Merry Christmas!

Michael Duffy
Marketing & Communications Intern

Intern Diaries: Caroline’s Festival experience

As Learning & Participation Intern, the first part of the Winter Festival, for me, was focused on the L&P events. The week began with the daily staff briefing and all the abbreviations on the fat schedule suddenly became identifiable people! The mood of the office changed slightly as passing ships ran about their tasks and as the tempo increased, so did the bonhomie.

Winter Songs Image: Celine Smith

On Tuesday, I was dressed in the obligatory thermal layers for Winter Songs in the market. The performance involved more than 150 participants ranging from 6 to 60+ years. A lot of fun and a great sense of pride by everyone.

On Wednesday, the stunning Monteverdi’s Madrigals and Fables based on the story of Orpheus with 60 school children was fantastic. Sam Glazer and his team inspired the children to sing by heart and with heart the pieces they had composed over the course of the term – in unison, in parts and even with some audience participation.

Spitalfields Soundings in the market on Thursday evening attracted a large group despite the freezing temperatures. The two lively bands on stage inspired some energetic bobbing about in the market by audience members. The more intimate venue in Teasmith was perfect for the two solo performers who ended their gig with a fab jamming duet.

Soundings Image: Celine Smith

But for me, the most moving concert was Aspirations on Friday. A group of adult students from Tower Hamlets College performed songs they had composed with an exciting group of incredibly dedicated musicians who demonstrated such sensitivity to the participants as they encouraged and motivated them. Their theme was the Chinese five elements (fire, earth, metal, water and wood) – a wonderful end to my first encounter with the Festival.

Caroline Went
Learning & Participation Intern

Our Winter Festival so far…

Its been an extremely busy week for us all with Week One of our Winter Festival sadly at an end. Its been a huge success, and a highly eventful week. The performances have been so exceptional, that we couldn’t sum up in one sentence all the incredible highlights, so we thought we would share a few of our staff comments.

Carmina Choir Image: Celine Smith

“Despite the cold, a hot Festival!“

“A fantastic cocktail of performances! A particular highlight for me was Carmina’s Icelandic Songbook, a sumptuous hour of pure voices coming together in sparkling harmonies.“

“A week of artistic excellence and a creative buzz!”

“The overall programme has been beautifully unusual and very inspiring. Behind the scenes I think there’s been quite a fun sense of controlled craziness, and I’ve had several good giggle moments that have added nicely to the festive atmosphere.“

”A filetta - stunning“

Winter Songs Image: Celine Smith

“Exhilarating, spine tingling and chocolate fuelled.“

“Inspiring, energetic and intimate….following our choirs from Aspirations, Christ Church and Hague schools and Corsica and Iceland I’m listening to music in an entirely different way”

“Cold, warm, loud, quiet, high, low, fast“

“I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much at a piece of music, than I did when watching Flam by Orlando Gough.“

“Eccentric; enthralling; exciting; engaging and exhausting!“

Fables Image: Celine Smith

“Madrigals and Fables: fabulous to watch 60 primary school children sing some challenging lines of their own making- about Orpheus and Eurydice- with confidence and enjoyment, filling Christ Church Spitalfields with their sound.”

We’ll be back for round two of the Winter Festival on 5 January.

Winter Festival: 13-18 Dec & 5-7 Jan 2011
Box office: 020 7377 1362/ spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk