Carnegie Hall strikes deal with London’s Guildhall
NewsIt’s an odd sort of alliance across the ocean. Don’t understand it. Maybe it will work.
Press release:
Guildhall School is to become the first UK partner of Carnegie Hall’s Link Up music education programme, which introduces primary school age children to the orchestra by immersing them within it. Young participants not only learn about and listen to an orchestra – they become part of one – performing alongside talented instrumentalists to experience the thrill of making live music.
The announced collaboration also includes plans for Guildhall School and Carnegie Hall to co-commission new works by emerging composers from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented within classical music. This provides an exciting opportunity to identify and give a platform to the next generation of promising musical voices across the UK, US and beyond.
The School’s first Link Up project will be delivered in April 2025 with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO), managed by Centre for Young Musicians, part of Guildhall Young Artists. The LSSO will collaborate with the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) and their Music Director Christopher Warren-Green in inspiring local primary school children aged 8 to 10 through the Link Up programme. The programme’s workshops will be led by senior musicians from Guildhall School, who will receive mentoring from LCO members and Guildhall staff to deliver the Link Up activity. Following the initial LSSO project, Guildhall School plans to extend the Link Up programme to other ensembles, including the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra in the 2025/26 Season.
pictured: Sir Clive Gillinson and Jonathan Vaughan in New York
“Backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented…” We can all decode that by now. No Britten or Prokofiev for this lot.
The programme sounds worthy enough, and explains Guildhall’s participation. What is Carnegie providing?
I think and hope that it will be golden opportunity for young musicians.
As a young professional musician, my early musical education in primary school was non existent and not that much better in secondary school! I guess most school students face the same thing so it’s no wonder they don’t have much interest in classical music?
I certainly look back on similar opportunities like NYOGB and Halle workshops that got me hooked on “wanting to play in a big orchestra”. So I hope it’s a success for them
Sir Clive Gillinson ex LSO Managing Director now Carnegie Hall director, with Jonathan Vaughan ex LSO Chairman and double bass, presently Director of Music at the Guildhall School! But very strange to have Warren- Green at the LCO coaching and not the LSO players. Perhaps the LSO Orchestral Artistry course is sufficient, or is politics at play again…?
FYI – JV is now Principal at the GSMD
Someone should explain to Norman that for several years now Guildhall School have held a biannual showcase of student and alumni talent at Carnegie Hall, therefore this alliance is not “odd”, it’s a logical extension and progression…