Cello and piano evening at the University of Chichester

An evening of cello and piano sees lecturer and student combine at the University of Chichester.
Laura and SimonLaura and Simon
Laura and Simon

Laura Ritchie, teaching fellow in music and coordinator of instrumental/vocal teaching and MA performance, will be joined on piano by fourth-year BMus student Simon Arthurs on Tuesday, February 7 at 7pm in The Chapel of the Ascension, University of Chichester.

Tickets are £5 with £3 concessions. University of Chichester students and staff go free. Book tickets at www.chi.ac.uk/events or on 0333 666 3366.

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“We had the crazy adventure when our students went to California, and that has now become a module at the university,” Laura said.

Simon said he wanted to do a recital in Los Angeles: Laura said they had better do it in Chichester first. A fortnight later, Laura and Simon will offer the same programme in LA. The night features Bach’s sixth cello suite solo, Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei and Schubert’s arpeggione sonata. Also included will be Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody, based on Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody.

“It doesn’t happen very often that I do a recital with a student,” Laura said. “I always do a recital once a year which is a good thing to do from the educational point of view and also from the professional point of view, but it is a while since I have done one with a student.”

Inevitably the student/tutor relationship has to go: “I think it is OK. It is within the context, just as if you were going into a school to do a workshop. The presentation wouldn’t have a hierarchy. It is just you and your group and you have come before them to make music.

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“But at our first rehearsal, just after Christmas, Simon had brought a friend and asked her to time us. But she said ‘I am going to do what Laura does to us, and I will record this and I will send an audio file to you so that you can reflect on what you have done!’ I think that’s great. I am happy to take it as well as give it!”

It does also mean that Laura is going along to some of Simon’s classes, as preparation: “We will play, and they will tell us what we could do better!”

Laura is also working towards this year’s Cello Weekend at the university, a chance to come together and study at the Chichester campus for a weekend with teachers and students from the university as well as cellists from across the wider professional musical community.

“Cellists of all ages are welcome, and there is something in the programme for everyone – from the orchestral experience of playing the classics of Mozart and Bach in an all-cello orchestra, to exploring aspects of performance, practice and technique, to having a go at experimenting with modern techniques used by folk and jazz players as they go beyond just playing the notes. You can even have a play on a five-string electric cello… or you might stick to the classics and watch others perform.

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“This year we welcome two outstanding professionals: Angela East and Kay Tucker. Angela will lead a musical surgery entitled Any Questions? Your opportunity to find the answers to issues that have puzzled you for years! Angela is inviting every participant to submit a question in advance of the weekend. Kay will be speaking about String Babies! and how our approach to reading and understanding music impacts all of us.”

The weekend is the first weekend in April. For more details, contact Laura on [email protected].

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