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I managed a Thursday evening concert in PATS studio 1 which involved an ensemble (with mainly students and led by Tom Armstrong).

Before the concert started it was important to know everyone's name who was assisting the concert. That included the duty Tonmeister & assistants, the assistant manager and whoever was in charge of the ensemble. By doing this, it allowed me to confidently communicate directly to them as well as making them aware that I was the one to talk to if there was an issue with the stage setup/logistics.

During setup, I coordinated the players' ideas and plans with the Tonmeister and PA manager so they could place microphones accordingly. I was also giving feedback to the players on the sound as they were looking for specific textural contrasts between instruments. For example, there were moments where the organ entered and they wanted it to be very loud. Through talking to the PA manager, they could adjust levels accordingly.

There was a slight issue with the mic placement for the violins as the recording engineer wanted the microphones closer than what the players felt comfortable with. I had to talk to the engineer and work out a suitable solution so that both parties were happy and comfortable.

When everyone was happy and settled, I invited the audience into the venue and to their seats. During the concert, I was on hand to direct the audience to the exits in case of any emergencies. Thankfully it all went very smoothly.

It was an enjoyable experience and required a level of organisation and patience. I learnt there will almost always be disagreements between players, sound technicians, managers, etc. and to keep everyone happy and for the concert to run as fluently as possible was my goal. I'm pleased to say this was the case, and it gave me invaluable knowledge and experience of concert management.

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Photo from the Big Band Christmas concert 

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Performace Report: The Tales Of Hoffmann, Royal Opera House

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Performace Report: The Tales Of Hoffmann, Royal Opera House

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Credits:

Director: Damiano Michieletto

Music by: Jacques Offenbach

Lighting: Alessandro Carletti

Lead Roles:

- Hoffman:

Juan Diego Flórez

Leonardo Caimi

- Alex Esposito: four villains

- Julie Boulianne: Nicklausse

- Olga Pudova: Olympia (doll)

- Ermonela Jaho: Antonia (ballet dancer)

- Marina Costa-Jackson: Giulietta

- Christine Rice: Stella

Conductor: Antonello Manacorda

The Tales of Hoffmann (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) is an opera by Jacques Offenbach, based on the works of German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. This hugely emotional opera unfolds as a series of stories told by Hoffmann, the protagonist, recounting his past loves, each representing different facets of love and artistic struggle. The opera is structured into a prologue, three acts, and an epilogue, which I'll give a quick outline of.

Prologue:

The opera opens in a tavern, where Hoffmann, a poet, drinks and entertains a crowd with a song. He is haunted by his unrequited love for Stella, a famous opera singer, and battles his muse, who warns him that love distracts him from his art. Hoffmann begins narrating three stories of his failed romances, each revealing aspects of his character and his tragic relationship with love.

Act 1: Olympia:

Hoffmann falls for Olympia, a mechanical doll created by the inventor Spalanzani. Unaware of her artificial nature, Hoffmann is captivated by her beauty and singing. However, Coppélius, an antagonist who provided the doll’s eyes, destroys Olympia when he doesn’t receive his payment, shattering Hoffmann’s illusions.

Act 2: Antonia:

Antonia is a singer with a terminal illness that worsens when she sings. Hoffmann and Antonia share a deep love, but her father, Crespel, forbids their relationship, fearing for her health. The sinister Dr. Miracle persuades Antonia to sing, pushing her beyond her limits. She collapses and dies, leaving Hoffmann devastated.

Act 3: Giulietta:

Hoffmann becomes infatuated with Giulietta, a courtesan in Venice. She is under the control of Dapertutto, a villain who uses her to steal Hoffmann’s reflection (his soul). Giulietta betrays Hoffmann for the promise of riches and power. Heartbroken, Hoffmann realizes her deceit.

Epilogue:

Returning to the tavern, Hoffmann concludes his tales, reflecting on the futility and pain of love. Stella appears but, disillusioned, he rejects her, turning instead to his muse. The muse triumphantly declares that his suffering will fuel his art.

I thought this was a fantastic production and enjoyed so many aspects so I will highlight a few favourite parts. Juan Diego Flórez was amazing as Hoffman; his stage presence really brings the show alive. Whether it's scenes where his alone on stage, or in a crowd of people, he manages to draw the attention of the audience exceptionally well. His singing was of course second to none and he really stood out.

The night's best performance for me was Olga Pudova, who was Olympia (the doll). There is a scene where she is standing up on tables while the cast dances around her, imitating her robotic movements, making the scene comedic as Hoffman is blinded by her beauty and doesn't see her unhuman nature. Olympia sings the famous aria “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” which is an extremely complicated piece to sing. The precision at which Olga nails every note, in particular the sustained high notes and stabs, is extraordinary. I don't think I've ever heard a performance like it.

The show is filled with a mix of comedic moments like this, and deeply sad and emotional moments as it is based around a man who keeps falling in love and then losing his lover. This contrast is portrayed so vividly that it takes the audience on a roller coaster of emotions. As someone who sometimes finds long shows like these quite monotonous, I was totally captivated throughout the show and would have happily watched another act. The pace of the show was perfect, and there was no point where I felt it was dragging. I would thoroughly recommend going to watch it.

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Here is a snippet of audio of the Violin and Tabla playing together

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Setup of concert (violin player sat on the right, table player sat on the left)

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Performance Report: Indian classical concert, Violin & Tabla

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Performance Report: Indian classical concert, Violin & Tabla

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This Semester, one of the concerts I attended involved Sumanth Manjunath on the violin and Pranshu Chatur Lal on the Tabla. They were touring around the UK and teaching people about Indian classical music in workshops and concerts. A few days prior, I had attended a workshop with them where they talked about how Indian classical music is based on improvisation, often on a harmonic minor scale. We took turns to improvise on our given instrument. This opened my eyes to this genre of music, which had been a bit of a mystery to me until now.

The concert was very interesting as they talked about how the genre had formed and gave examples of different periods of its development. The players were both very experienced, and I found it fascinating how they interacted with each other. The collaboration and coherence required to play together is very impressive, and they were both masters of their craft.

As the audio clips will show, there were parts where they each had solo sections, as well as playing together. This highlighted the intricacies of their playing. For the Tabla, there is so much subtle fingerwork that goes on, which 'fills' the sound as well as the pressure difference for each strike. Where on the drum the player strikes also has a large impact on the sound and resonances.

With the violin, there is a lot of phrasing which brings out certain elements of the music. Whether that be a particularly dissonant note or simply a dynamic contrast, these subtleties are what brought the performance alive.

They also talk and shout at times whilst playing. This is not only an emotional response to the music, but it's very dramatic and gives the performance another layer of tension. This combined with the sometimes eery nature of the music due to the use of the minor scale, creates a captivating atmosphere and I found myself being absolutely drawn into the performance.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and learnt a huge amount about the Indian classical genre. They were very clear in their talking and demonstrated their ideas and way of thinking. They were also extremely in tune with other's playing which gave their playing a strong sense of cohesion. I would certainly go and see them play again.

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University of Surrey Big Band after 2024 Christmas Concert

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This Semester I have continued to sing for the university's Big Band which has been very enjoyable. It's an entirely student-led band and we cover all sorts of music including pop, crooner and jazz. We ended 2024 with our traditional Christmas concert in Studio 1.

I was singing:

It Had Better Be Tonight - Michael Bublé

They Can't Take That Away From Me - Frank Sinatra

Things - Robbie Williams

White Christmas - Michael Bublé version

This Christmas - Donny Hathaway

Over the course of this Semester, I have not only developed general musicianship naturally through regular playing with the band, but I've also had specific focus points that have been important for me individually. A key focus has been vocal technique and finding extra range at the top of my voice. A few pieces we have looked at include 'It Had Better Be Tonight' which hits a top G which isn't an easy note to hit as a developing baritone/tenor. I have worked with a singing teacher, Jenny Howe, to work on accessing this range whilst making it comfortable and not damaging my voice. We worked on thinking of the sound being lifted into the cheeks and taking it out of the throat. It's equally important to develop techniques for different vowel sounds; for example, the 'ahh' vowel is much easier to sing high compared to an 'ooh' or an 'eee'. This requires focus on the tongue position and relaxation of the jaw. I have thoroughly enjoyed this detailed work on my voice and will continue to develop and strengthen it.

Being a student-led band, I have also played a part in directing the band at times (although not the main director). This has been one of the most enjoyable parts as I get the opportunity to shape the style of playing to what I want. It's by no means an easy task, and is something which I will continue to develop. I found it important to find a balance between doing focused work and also having fun and keeping it light hearted. The most challenging aspect was listening to everything going on whilst also focusing on my own performance, though this skill certainly benefits me when I'm performing as it adds a layer of awareness of the players around me.

My stage presence and confidence is something I'm constantly working on, not just with this band, but any performance I do. For me, it always requires more preparation than I think. Whether that be rehearsing what I'm going to say, learning song lyrics, or having a plan of stage movements; Proper preparation always leads to my most enjoyable and best performances.

The skills I have been developing are certainly a work in progress and I look forward to fine-tuning them as I continue to sing for the band in the coming Semester.

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Audio of only the Violin playing

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Audio of Tabla playing

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Stage & Microphone layout: Concert Management

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Stage & Microphone layout: Concert Management

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Stage & Microphone layout

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VERY short clip of Big Band practice (allowed a 20MB maximum file upload)