Young musicians visit the London Philharmonic Orchestra
| Type of post: | Orchestra news item |
| Sub-type: | No sub-type |
| Posted By: | Zoe Utley |
| Status: | Current |
| Date Posted: | Sat, 1 Mar 2025 |
Three young musicians, due to perform with Richmondshire Orchestra at the end of March 2025, recently visited the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) for individual lessons with principal musicians.Andrew Lunn (18, trombone), Thomas Pyrah (18, tuba) and Will Hume (17, timpani), all currently studying A-levels at Richmond School, travelled to London during February half term. The visit, funded by Richmondshire Orchestra, included a 1.5-hour individual lesson with LPO principal musicians Simon Carrington (timpani), Mark Templeton (trombone) and Lee Tsarmaklis (tuba).
Thomas and Lee explored the ‘bread and butter’ of playing brass instruments, flexibility and scales, before applying it to key passages in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6. “Using Lee’s advice I created a regular practice routine to develop my technical ability” explained Thomas, “Lee also helped me with breathing properly as this was causing some issues and I am now actively including this in my everyday practice.”“I was excited and a little nervous about my lesson” said Will, “We started by talking about my experience playing percussion to find the right place to begin. Simon explained how to achieve a range of timbres and tones by changing how I hold the sticks and the best way to tune timpani mid-performance – a crucial skill to develop. I cannot wait to perform Tchaikovsky’s 6th symphony next month and put these skills into practice.”
The three young musicians were also given the opportunity to watch the London Philharmonic Orchestra in rehearsal. “We had an incredible time in London, where we watched the inner workings of a top orchestra”, Andrew Lunn tells us after their return to Richmondshire Orchestra the following day. “Listening to the LPO rehearse Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky in the almost empty hall, their attention to detail and observing interactions between conductor and musicians will forever stick with me.”
All three students will be performing as principals with Richmondshire Orchestra at their next concert. “I have been thrilled by the positive impact and relationship we have built with the students we have performing with us” says orchestra conductor, Martin Budgett, “They have brought a new dynamic to the orchestra and it is fantastic to see their enjoyment of the experience.”
Richmondshire Orchestra next performs Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony ‘Pathétique’ and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major with violinist Andrew Long on Sunday 23rd March 2025 at The Garden Rooms Tennants.
Tickets £15 each (16 and under, free). Visit Richmondshire Orchestra Upcoming-Events for more details and to book tickets.
