RICHMOND SIXTH FORM COLLEGE MUSICIANS GAIN EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT FROM LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PRINCIPALS
06 March 2025 | Sven Wardle | Posted in: Academic, News, Performing Arts, Sixth Form
We recently received the following from Mr. Boyd, Lead Teacher of Music at Richmond School and Sixth Form College:
“Three of Richmond’s finest musicians, Thomas Pyrah, Andrew Lunn and Will Hume are all heading to London during half term for lessons with principal musicians of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The boys all play for Richmondshire Orchestra and will be performing Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony in late March. As part of their preparations and ongoing support of young musicians, the orchestra has financed lessons with these top professionals. As part of the visit, the boys will also be able to sit in on an LPO rehearsal in the Royal Festival Hall. I’ll ask them to take some photos for us!”
After this amazing experience, we asked the three students for some details and their thoughts about the trip:
Firstly, Andrew:
“We loved it, it was incredible!
“We watched the inner workings of one of the top orchestras in their last rehearsal before a packed Royal Festival Hall concert later that day. Listening to the LPO play Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky in the almost empty hall and their attention to detail will forever stick with us as well as the interesting interactions between conductor and players.
My trombone lesson with Mark Templeton going over Tchaikovsky’s 6th was truly inspiring. We covered everything from breathing to what Tchaikovsky really meant when he wrote the symphony. Mark’s playing and especially volume are things I aspire to recreate and his knowledgeable insight into the music industry was incredibly helpful.
Thank you so much to Richmondshire Orchestra for funding and creating this memorable opportunity and thank you to the London Philharmonic Orchestra for welcoming us so kindly.”
Secondly, Thomas:
“It was indeed amazing!
“Once we were given the go ahead from Richmondshire Orchestra, who were funding the lessons, we organised the travel as a group and realised that it would be easier to go down to London the night before the rehearsal.
In the morning, we met Simon Carrington (timpani player of the London Philharmonic) outside the Royal Festival Hall, along with our respective principals. For Andrew and me it was the second or third time we had met, due to our recent auditions at the Royal Academy and Guildhall.
We then got to sit in the best seats of the Royal Festival Hall, as it was only open to patrons – see photos and video. We saw the LPO perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. This was a great experience, as it helped me to see a professional orchestra rehearse. After that Will and I travelled to the Royal Academy for our respective lessons.
My Lesson was with Lee Tsarmaklis, principal tuba at the LPO. He helped me with creating a proper practice routine to achieve my goal of playing in a professional orchestra. He also helped with my breathing, making sure I was using enough air for the tuba. We then applied this to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, and I can’t wait to perform it on the 23rd March at Tennant’s, Leyburn! Thanks to Richmondshire Orchestra for this opportunity!”
Finally, Will:
“Watching the LPO rehearse was an amazing experience. We heard both full run-throughs, as well as seeing the process of fine-tuning certain sections in the pieces. This was amazing to see, especially considering the exclusivity of this opportunity. It was truly inspiring to me personally, making me even more excited to expand my knowledge in this area as I go on to study Music next year.
My lesson with Simon Carrington started by talking about my experience playing percussion to find the right place to begin. This led to an overview of the basic setup of the timpani along with how to position myself at the drums, focusing on stick techniques. More specifically, we looked at how to hold the sticks to achieve a range of timbres in different situations. This is especially pertinent in Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony which requires several specific techniques to achieve the right sound. This is something I can work on regularly at home with sticks and a practice pad to build strength and muscle memory as advised by Simon.
All in all, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life. What Simon taught me in this lesson has improved my knowledge, not just as a percussionist but as a musician in general, which is something I am extremely grateful for!”
As you can tell from the students’ accounts, it was a fantastic experience, preparing them brilliantly for their upcoming performance at Tennant’s Garden Rooms, Leyburn. Not only that, but also further into the future as all three embark on high level undergraduate music courses after their A Levels later on this year.
If you’d like to hear these brilliant musicians in action with the Richmondshire Orchestra, go to the link below to buy tickets for their Leyburn performance ‘Pure Passion’ at 3pm on Sunday 23rd March:
https://tinyurl.com/PurePassionConcert
To see a short clip of the LPO rehearsing at the Royal Festival Hall, taken by Thomas, go to this link: