New London Orchestra
| New London Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | NLO |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupations | Symphony orchestra |
| Years active | 1988-present |
| Associated acts | New London Children's Choir |
| Website | www.nlo.co.uk |
| Members | |
| Principal Conductor Ronald Corp |
|
| Past members | |
| Founder Ronald Corp OBE |
|
The New London Orchestra, based in London, was founded by Ronald Corp in 1988, to perform rarely heard 20th century works. The Orchestra and Corp pioneered the music of Martinů, now a familiar name with concert-goers, and have helped re-establish the popularity of ‘British Light Music' through a series of recordings on independent label Hyperion Records. In the field of education, the Orchestra have devised projects which use music as a tool to enhance learning in the primary curriculum subjects of Maths, Literacy and Science, and found new ways to engage children in crucial learning and social skills. Based on the success of its 'Newham Welcomes the World' community project, the New London Orchestra is focusing its concert giving and outreach work in the local community in the London Borough of Newham.
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[edit] Concerts
The trademark of the New London Orchestra is its programming of unusual repertoire. Composers who have been particularly featured over the last 20 years include Martinů, of whom a piece of music was featured in every concert from the Orchestra's launch until his centenary in 1990, as well as works by those such as Satie, Ibert, Milhaud, Virgil Thomson, Ravel, Kabalevsky, Honegger, Roussel and Sibelius.
Building on the success of its 'Newham Welcomes the World' community project, from 2009 the New London Orchestra is focusing its concert giving activity in Newham. This started in March 2009, with a concert at the Stratford Rex, a nightclub venue. The programme featured TV star Michelle Collins narrating Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. This concert was followed by a performance at the Stratford Circus in May 2009 of Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals. A concert series for 2009/10 is planned to follow. All of the New London Orchestra's concerts in Newham aim to be affordable and accessible, offering reduced price tickets to schools and local community groups and opening rehearsals up to school groups to experience the orchestra up close.
The New London Orchestra also promotes a Young Performers Concert Series at the Foundling Museum, London. These concerts feature a selection of young award-winning musicians and singers in the UK, giving them a platform on which to perform a recital. Entrance to the concerts is free, with admission to the museum. The series is supported by the Musicians Benevolent Fund
[edit] Recordings
The New London Orchestra has recorded over 20 discs on the independent label Hyperion Records. These fall into three categories:
- British Light Music Classics and other light music, including works from America and Europe
- chamber orchestra repertoire by composers such as Poulenc, Reynaldo Hahn, Milhaud, Satie and Prokofiev
- operettas by composers such as Arthur Sullivan, Sidney Jones, Lionel Monckton and Harold Fraser-Simson
A disc released in November 2009 features works for string orchestra by the composer Grazyna Bacewicz[1] who is celebrated in her home country of Poland, but less well-known abroad.
In late 2010, they issued the first digital recording of Rutland Boughton's opera, The Queen of Cornwall.[2] This garnered considerable critical acclaim, being voted 'Disc of The Month' in Opera magazine, March 2011, and 'Editor's Choice' in Gramophone, September 2011.
[edit] Education and outreach work
The New London Orchestra's curriculum-based education projects have sought to enhance children's learning in the key subjects of Maths, Literacy and Science through music-based activities. The Orchestra have worked in the London boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Camden, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, and Newham.
Other projects have included:
- Residencies in schools for deaf children
- Workshops with adults with learning difficulties from Look Ahead Housing and Care Centres
- Reminiscence projects with the elderly in Camden
- Workshops with adults in homeless hostels in Camden
- Theatre projects with the Bloomsbury Theatre, including a collaboration with City & Islington college called Underground Reflections
[edit] Newham Welcomes the World
In 2007, the Orchestra devised an ongoing series of large-scale projects in the Olympic borough of Newham; working with a huge variety of people from across the borough of all ages, and collaborating with a number of local institutions including the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Each year, the Orchestra work with different groups within the community to create new music and give performances. So far these have included primary and secondary schools, local sports teams, Look Ahead Housing and Care residents and theatre groups, and in the future it aims to incorporate dance groups (including Newham's world ranked cheerleaders, the Ascension Eagles), music groups, local heritage organisations and also cross-Channel groups. Its latest project culminated in a concert at the Stratford Rex in June 2009, featuring local sports teams performing anthems, alongside live orchestra and electronic music.[3]
From the start of the 2011-12 concert season, the New London Orchestra became the first-ever orchestra-in–residence at Stratford Circus in Newham, starting with a concert on 21 October called 'Sounds of London', and featuring a varied collection of shorter pieces by composers with London associations, from Haydn, Ketèlbey and William Alwyn to Stephen Dodgson, Phyllis Tate, Eric Coates and Robert Farnon. The season continues on 2 December with a showing of the film The Snowman accompanied by the New London Orchestra playing Howard Blake’s music live, alongside other Christmas music.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67783&f=New London Orchestra
- ^ http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=2CDLX7256
- ^ http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/content/newham/recorder/news/story.aspx?brand=RECOnline&category=newsNEWHAM&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsnewham&itemid=WeED01%20Jul%202009%2009%3A58%3A02%3A613
