Painful practice sessions; blue plastic recorder; the infernal eternity of ‘Hot Cross Buns’.
The above situation is one we all know too well. Sadly, it is one we often associate immediately with learning to play an instrument; however, beyond the abject horror of Grade 1 sight-reading, one thing that does prevail later on in our musical careers is the wonder that is making music.
On Saturday 27th January 2018, BYMT held its annual Norman Trotman competition, a dazzling showcase of secondary school musicians going head-to-head for the prestigious Trotman Cup. This year, the mixed-bag of finalists consisted of 2 cellists, one violinist, 2 French-horn players, a trumpeter, a trombonist, and a pianist, all of whom played to an enviable standard. One after the other, each talented performer both seized the stage and our baited breath for a few spectacular minutes with music from a range of countries, cultures and composers.
Before the first performance, I spoke to Sophie Oliver; the second cellist of the Bromley Youth Symphony Orchestra, Bromley Youth Chamber Orchestra, and BYMT’s own Cello Massiff, the gifted sixth-former has been awarded a place at the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and the London Guildhall School of Music. A tough choice! She said her musical inspiration was the cellist Alisa Weilerstein, though if she had to listen to only composer for the rest of her life, it would have to be Brahms. Her advice to aspiring young musicians was to “be resilient!” as she said winning “would be a triumph over a very difficult few months after being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes”: and triumph she did!
Sophie deservedly brought the Trotman Cup home and has definitely inspired me as a cellist.
