The talented Trinity Laban pianist takes 2^nd prize in the chamber music category of the international Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition.

The Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition is an international performance competition open to all ages and nationalities. Its aim is to offer gifted players career development opportunities that help them to progress as musicians. All winners benefit from a professional photoshoot and a diploma. Outstanding candidates are nominated to give concerts at high-profile venues.

Jenna Sung and her duo partner Merel Vercammen (violin) have been selected to perform at the Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition awards ceremony in the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall on 29 March.

Before graduating from Trinity Laban in 2014 with a Postgraduate Advanced Diploma, Jenna Sung studied piano with professors Deniz Gelenbe and Gabriele Baldocci.

To learn more about Trinity Laban’s Postgraduate Artist Diploma programme please visit the Trinity Laban website: https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/study/music/postgraduate-advanced-diploma

For more information and ticket booking for the Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition Awards Ceremony please go to the Royal Albert Hall website: http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2016/grand-prize-virtuoso-awards-ceremony/

A new partnership between Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and The Open University has been launched to provide opportunities for those who love performing music to develop their passion.

‘The Practice of Music Making’ Certificate combines distance learning with face-to-face teaching by experts at a tailored one-week residential course at Trinity Laban in Greenwich. It is designed for musicians wanting to improve their performance skills and enhance their understanding of their artform. The Certificate taps into the huge growth in participatory music-making in recent years, such as seen in the success of the BBC documentary The Choir and its subsequent spin-offs.

The Certificate, which begins in October 2016, brings together the expertise of a two top UK Higher Education Institutions for the first time. The Certificate* can be completed as a stand-alone programme, or can contribute towards degree study at with the OU. As it is mainly delivered via distance learning, the programme is accessible to those who require flexibility in where and when they study.

Director of Music at Trinity Laban, Dr Claire Mera-Nelson, said:

“Trinity Laban is widely acknowledged as a world leader in music education. We have long history of excellence in training performing musicians and of making high quality learning opportunities available to those who might not otherwise be able to access them. This unique collaboration with the OU will allow for a new community of learners, who share our passion for music, to benefit from the teaching skills of the outstanding practising musicians on our staff, as well as accessing the facilities of our World Heritage Site home in Greenwich.”

Head of Department of Music at The Open University, Catherine Tackley, said:

“Whether you’re an enthusiastic amateur, a self-taught creative artist, or someone in the music industry who doesn’t have a recognised qualification at this level, the Certificate offers you the opportunity to reflect on and develop your practice as a performer.

Partnering with Trinity Laban is fantastic for our music students at the OU as it provides the ideal complement to their studies with us and a setting for musicians, whatever their background, to flourish.”

Trinity Laban are collecting the details of those interested in applying to the programme, in advance of opening for applications later in the year. To register your interest please visit our website.

* subject to validation

Trinity Laban is delighted to announce a newly expanded range of music auditions this spring.

Prospective students can audition for Trinity Laban’s world-class programmes in Tokyo and Hong Kong in March 2016. Assistant Director of Music Havilland Willshire will be present at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on Sunday 20 March, while Head of Piano and Keyboard Studies Peter Tuite will greet applicants at the Kunitachi Music Academy in Tokyo on Saturday 26 March.

Applications are for entry into all programmes commencing in September 2016. Students can join Trinity Laban’s inclusive, international community, which includes students from more than 60 countries.

Additionally, Trinity Laban is delighted to offer two scholarships of £3,000 to postgraduate students. One excellence scholarship will be awarded to a successful postgraduate student who auditions in Tokyo, and the other to a successful postgraduate student who auditions in Hong Kong to contribute towards 2016/17 study at Trinity Laban. For more information, please contact: Laura Matthews, Head of Recruitment and International Relations, at l.matthews@trinitylaban.ac.uk

Applicants must register in advance: Monday 7 March is the registration deadline for Hong Kong. There is no specific deadline for the Tokyo auditions however all applicants must register in advance via UCAS Conservatoires.

For registration and audition information for Hong Kong please go to: https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/study/how-to-apply/music-applications/auditions/hong-kong-auditions-2016

For registration and audition information for Tokyo please go to: https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/student-experience/international-students/your-country/japan/auditions-in-japan

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance has been granted indefinite Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP) by HM Privy Council. The powers took effect from 2 February 2016.

Up until now, Trinity Laban’s taught degrees have been validated by City University. However Trinity Laban will now be able to award its own degrees at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. 

Lord Lipsey, Chairman of Trinity Laban, commented:“This is a breakthrough moment for Trinity Laban. The TDAP process is a notoriously difficulty one, but we have come through with flying colours. It is a great day not just for TL as an institution but for the TL community – our wonderful students and teachers led by an outstanding management team and a board to die for.”

Professor Anthony Bowne, Principal of Trinity Laban, commented: I’m absolutely thrilled with this news, which enables us to make exciting plans for the future. It is particularly good news for future generations of Trinity Laban students, as we will be able to create and shape our various degree programmes with greater speed and flexibility, enabling us to respond to – and indeed to lead – the fast-changing worlds of music and dance.”

Lewis Raines, President of the Students Union, commented:“I’m sure that students here will be really delighted by this news. We’re very proud to be able to say that we study at Trinity Laban, and on graduation day, it will mean a great deal to have a degree certificate carrying the name of the institution.” 

As part of the application process, Trinity Laban came under close and lengthy scrutiny from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Their report – which will be published on the QAA website – praised the institution on several levels, recognizing the contribution of both full time and part-time staff to its artistic and educational achievements. The report found that: “(Board) Members demonstrate their commitment to the institution in ways which range from attending concerts to providing networking opportunities for students and graduates… The Conservatoire has a strong senior management team (the Principal’s Management Group), and is well led. Both faculties are characterised by strong leadership and engaged and sometimes forceful staff groups… Its Registry is efficient and well managed; its deliberative structure is sound; its management is firm; there is a unified commitment among staff and students.” 

Trinity Laban will now embark on a major consultation with students and staff, and will announce in due course when the first Trinity Laban degrees will be awarded. 

Pictured: Trinity Laban music and dance students holding the letter from the HM Privy Council awarding taught degree awarding powers. Photo by Lidia Crisafulli.

The UK Government has launched a new loan scheme for masters students starting full-time or part-time study in 2016.

Applicants aged under 60 who have been resident in England or the EU respectively for three years could be eligible for loans of up to £10,000 to undertake an MA, MMus, MFA or MSc programme at Trinity Laban.

The repayment of these government-backed student loans will be linked to earnings, making them more favourable than existing postgraduate loans. Funds will be administered through the Student Loan Company, and will go directly to students. Repayments will be made at 6 per cent of annual income over £21,000, beginning in 2019. 

Students will be available to apply for postgraduate loans from summer 2016. For more information on the loans, please visit the Student Loans Company website or findamasters.com, or email us at admissions@trinitylaban.ac.uk.

For more information on Trinity Laban’s masters programmes in dance or music, please visit the Study section of our website. You can also attend our Dance Postgraduate Open Evenings on 17 March and 5 May, or our Music Open Days on 27 and 28 April.

On Monday 8 February the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir (ORNCTLCC) marked the launch of a new Choral Evensong website with a celebratory concert in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul.

The launch event comprised a performance in the Chapel followed by a reception in the Painted Hall. Directed by esteemed choral conductor Ralph Allwood MBE, the ORNCTLCC performed Choral Evensong for an audience which included the Mayor of Greenwich as well as representatives from local institutions.

The new website ChoralEvensong.org provides a directory of Choral Evensong events throughout the UK, encouraging audiences to enjoy this rich musical tradition which has existed for over 500 years.

Trinity Laban student and mastermind of the project, Dr. Guy Hayward, commented “Choral Evensong is one of the greatest cultural creations of our country. It happens in more than 400 churches and cathedrals on Sundays, and also every weekday in most cathedrals and many college chapels. However, most people simply don’t know about it. In London alone, every day of the week at 5pm, one can enter Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral free of charge and listen to world-class music.”

The Astronomer Royal Lord Rees also commented:

“Every evensong is a chance to be inspired by the liturgy and music of the Anglican Church — and by the choral tradition that should be cherished. And in historic Greenwich we are especially mindful of ‘the spacious firmament on high’ — its wonder and its mystery.”

The ORNCTLCC is an important part of musical life at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the only conservatoire in the world to have its own dedicated chapel choir. Trinity Laban students form the nucleus of the choir, and twelve scholarships are offered per year.

For information about Choral Evensong services in your local area please visit the new website: http://www.choralevensong.org/

For information about future concerts by Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir visit the Trinity Laban website: https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/whats-on/music-events

Photography credit: James Keats

On Monday 11 January, composition student Harry Palmer was announced as the winner of the 2016 Gold Medal Competition – one of the most prestigious awards for music performance offered by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Adjudicators for this year’s competition were Dr Claire Mera-Nelson (Director of Music at Trinity Laban), Gillian Moore MBE (Director of Music at the Southbank Centre) and award-winning violinist Tasmin Little OBE, who praised Palmer for his “gripping and mesmeric” compositions.

Mera-Nelson commented after the event “It was a delight to see six fantastic young artists bearing the Trinity Laban name. It has been a privilege to judge them all alongside two esteemed adjudicators.”

Harry Palmer is currently in his third year at Trinity Laban, having studied with Gwyn Pritchard, Errollyn Wallen and Ed Jessen. He commented “I’m so honoured to have been given this award and opportunity, particularly as everyone involved was truly outstanding. Trinity Laban is such a wonderful place to study and as a composition student I’m so lucky and grateful to have such amazing and talented artists around me to perform my work.”

The 2016 finalists performing alongside Harry Palmer were Becky Brass (Percussion), Ruben Fox (Jazz Saxophone), Emma Lewis (Mezzo-Soprano), Stefan Melovski (Guitar) and Naufal Mukumi (Piano).

Photo credit: James Keates

Soprano Erika Mädi Jones has been selected for a leading role in a production of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Longborough Festival Opera in June 2016.

Longborough Festival Opera (LFO) is a country house opera company located in the Cotswolds and specialising in Wagner’s works. In 2013 the LFO received critical acclaim for its production of Wagner’s epic four-part opera cycle, The Ring of The Nibelung.

For this production Erika takes the role of Elisabeth, the leading female role in Tannhäuser. This marks another success for the Trinity Laban alumnus after she performed as a finalist in the Wagner Society Singing Competition 2015 and became a Les Azuriales Young Artist in the same year.

Graduating with a distinction in her MMus and Postgraduate Artist Diploma, Erika benefited from the world-class musical training Trinity Laban offers all its students, as well as comprehensive financial support in the form of numerous scholarships and bursaries.

For more information about the Longborough Festival Opera please visit the official website here https://lfo.org.uk/

For information about the vocal studies department at Trinity Laban please visit https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/study/music/vocal-studies

To learn more about the financial support available to students at Trinity Laban visit https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/fees-finance/scholarships

The Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund awards ceremony, now known as The Bonnies, took place at Sadler’s Wells on Thursday 3 December with Trinity Laban alumnus Matthew Bourne OBE invited as a special guest.

Trinity Laban alumnus Nicola Conibere was presented with the prestigious Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award, a biennial £10,000 prize which allows recipients to pursue groundbreaking choreographic research with the guidance of other professionals within the industry. Conibere completed her PhD in Creative Practice at Trinity Laban earlier in 2015.

In addition Rosemary Butcher – recently made an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban – was given the Lifetime Contribution to Choreography Award, the first award of its kind in the history of the Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund.

The Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund is an organisation which supports the development of new choreography and recognises outstanding talent within the field. The fund pays homage to Bonnie Bird, one of the most influential figures in modern dance, who helped to establish Britain’s first dance degree courses at the Laban Dance Centre, now Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. For more information see www.bonniebird.org.

For more alumni success stories please visit the Trinity Laban website: https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/alumni/alumni-profiles

Photo: Bonnie Bird in her solo The Judgement, Cornish School, 1938 (Bonnie Bird Collection, Laban Archive)

Students and staff Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance have taken part in BBC documentary Dance Rebels: A Story of Modern Dance, which was broadcast on Sunday 13 December on BBC Four.

The documentary explored the story of modern dance, combining historical footage and interviews with leading practitioners, with footage featuring Trinity Laban students in rehearsal and performance. Modern dance was explored through the students’ eyes as they encountered key works from the genre for the first time. Students demonstrated the ground-breaking techniques that have shaped the genre, and performed the works of choreographers whose work has challenged audiences and revolutionised dance.

Trinity Laban held an exclusive screening of the film earlier in the week. Speaking to the audience, Principal of Trinity Laban, Professor Anthony Bowne, commented “We were particularly thrilled to be invited to take part in this documentary. Here at Trinity Laban we believe that our mission is not just to train dancers and musicians to enter their respective professions, but also to make sure that those professions are thriving.”

Dance Rebels: A Story of Modern Dance forms part of BBC Four’s Year of Song and Dance, a year of programming exploring the extraordinary power of song and dance.

You can watch Dance Rebels: A Story of Modern Dance on BBC iPlayer here for thirty days after broadcast.

Picture Credits: James Keates

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance has presented an Honorary Fellowship to renowned choreographer Rosemary Butcher, in recognition of “her remarkable lifelong contribution to the development of contemporary dance, and her profile as one of our greatest living artists”.

The award was presented by Professor Anthony Bowne, Principal of Trinity Laban, at a private reception attended by Butcher’s friends and colleagues.

Mirella Bartrip, Trinity Laban’s Director of Dance, read the citation, which included the following tribute:

“We are here tonight to honour Rosemary Butcher’s remarkable achievements over nearly four decades, during which time she has become regarded as one of our most innovative choreographers. She has made more than 50 works, many of which have toured internationally performed in over 40 countries, memorably presented in theatres, galleries, museums, art houses and installation environments.

Alongside her profile as dance and visual artist, Rosemary’s contribution as teacher and mentor is also significant. Her work with students, emerging artists and teachers has influenced dance pedagogy and, in turn, developments within dance, its presentation and curation.

She has courageously remained an independent artist. In her use of cross arts collaboration, and in her frequent choice of non-theatrical spaces for presentation, Rosemary’s work has made a unique and significant contribution to contemporary dance as an art form.

Rosemary is driven; she is compelled; she is forensic in her exploration of movement and in pushing dancers to excavate the endless possibilities of the body; she is original; she is special.”

Following the presentation of the Honorary Fellowship, guests were treated to a video tribute, featuring extracts from some of Butcher’s most important works.

Trinity Laban Honorary Fellowships are awarded each year to distinguished artists, practitioners, educators and professionals in the fields of the performing arts and education. Previous recipients have included choreographers such as Matthew Bourne, Merce Cunningham and William Forsythe, and musicians such as Wissam Boustany, Sir Edward Downes, and Ravi Shankar.

Pictured (L to R): Mirella Bartrip, Rosemary Butcher, Anthony Bowne

Photo: JK Photography