We’ll be finding out what makes our up-and-coming conductors tick, what they think makes a great conductor great, what a baton is for and crucially… who they would invite to a fantasy dinner party!
On Saturday 1 November, families arrived at LSO St Luke’s for the LSO Discovery Family Day, LSO in Wartime: Create an Opera in a Day. The Family Day was part of a weekend of events organised by the LSO which commemorated the centenary of World War I. Formed in 1904, the LSO had just celebrated its tenth anniversary when war broke out and 41 musicians who had played with the LSO, or were to play with them in the future, served in the war.
One story that we have uncovered however, is tragic, but in a completely different way. Jo, Libby and I were delighted to meet recently with two of the the grandchildren of horn player and founder member of the LSO, Adolph Borsdorf. Between us we were able to fill in gaps in each others' knowledge to complete a very sad chapter in the history of the Orchestra.
Friday 31 October: Lunchtime Concert
Post-graduate student singers from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama sang songs from the war, including works by George Butterworth and William Denis Browne, both of whom were killed on the battlefield. Rachel Leach tied it all together with stories of LSO musicians who served in the war. We were delighted to see so many people, and particularly younger audience members joining us during half term.
From a musical family, he played in the Hudson family band on the pier in Skegness. They were a well-known act at the time and Eli was presented to the Duke of Edinburgh when he visited the town and played for the German kaiser when he was 12 years old. At the age of 17 he was offered an open scholarship to the Royal College of Music, and on 2 May 1895 he moved from Prospect House in Skegness to 14 Oakley Crescent in Chelsea to begin his studies.
