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| Domingo Hindoyan and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in 2022 |
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has welcomed six new musicians into its ranks, whilst the Brighton Early Music Festival has announced the appointment of new co-artistic directors, and the young British conductor, George Jackson has had his contract renewed as music director of Amarillo Symphony Orchestra for a further three years.
On 17 October 2024 Domingo Hindoyan conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Mahler’s First Symphony, Juan Bautista Plaza’s Vigilia and Strauss’ Four Last Songs with soprano Sarah Wegener. The opening concert in the orchestra’s 2024/25 season, it also represented the first concert with the orchestra for six musicians being welcomed into the ranks – Fábio Brum, who joins as section leader trumpet, Miquel Ramos Salvadó as section leader clarinet, Nadia Debono as associate principal viola, Peter Liang as No.4 1st violin and Anna Crawford and Angus McCall joining the cello section.
Brazilian trumpeter Fábio Brum is a former member of the Canadian Brass and Principal Trumpet for both the Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. Miquel Ramos Salvadó has regularly performed in orchestras such the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Zürich, Liceu Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Basel, and Festival Strings Luzern. Maltese viola player Nadia Debono’s experience spans multiple genres and styles, including baroque and non-classical. She was co-leader of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and Solo Principal Viola with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, in Norway.
Full details from the orchestra’s website.
As many people will know, Deborah Roberts the co-founder and artistic director of Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) sadly passed away earlier this year. BREMF has announced the appointment of two new co-artistic directors, soprano Hannah Ely and recorder-player Olwen Foulkes. Both were previously part of the BREMF Live young artists scheme,they have both performed at the Festival in musical ensembles and opera productions, and have mentored other artists.;
Hannah Ely is a soprano specialising in Renaissance and Baroque music. In 2012 she founded the Fieri Consort, where she explores innovative performances of Italian madrigals, which has led her to her current venture on ornamentation in madrigals in the duo Accenti, as well as with the Monteverdi String Band, and she was recently appointed music director of Purbeck Arts Week Festival. Olwen Foulkes is a recorder player, curator and educator with a love of eighteenth-century chamber music, and a research focus of the early eighteenth-century London music scene. In 2019 she founded her chamber music group Ensemble Augelletti who are current BBC New Generation Baroque Ensemble and City Music Foundation Artists. She is Assistant Curator at Handel Hendrix House where she curates exhibition content, and she is an academic lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music.
Full details from the BREMF website.
Over in the USA, in Amarillo, Texas, George Jackson began his tenure as music director of the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra in September 2022, leading the orchestra into its centenary season of 2023/24. He has now had his tenure renewed for a further three years. Under Jackson’s artistic direction, the Symphony has experienced a surge in audience engagement, thanks to captivating programs that showcase the diverse cultural landscape of the Texas Panhandle. The orchestra has developed from relatively humble beginnings in 1924 to become a vital cultural force in the Texas Panhandle, serving a vast region spanning 25,000 square miles and beyond.
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| George Jackson leads the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra’s 100th season opener at Hodgetown in Amarillo, August 2023 (Photo: Michael Cuviello/Amarillo Globe-News from Amarillo Globe-News) |
George Jackson’s performances in the UK that we have caught include La Boheme at Opera Holland Park [see my review], celebrating the 85th anniversary of The Beano with the BBC Concert Orchestra including the premiere of Gavin Higgins’ new percussion concerto [see my review], Janacek’s The Excursions of Mr Broucek at Grange Park Opera [see my review], Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Opera Holland Park [see my review]. In 2021, I sat down for a chat with George Jackson, read more in my interview, ‘The balance between a perfect art form & giving people what they want’.
Full details from the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra’s website.
