FUND RAISING CONCERT

Wednesday 22nd October 2014 at 8pm

Anna Sideris Soprano

Ross Scanlon Tenor

Rebecca Taylor Piano & Organ

Choir of Runnymede College, La Moraleja Food supplied with best wishes for a great evening by Butler´s Catering

"Wishing you well on your new endeavour"

Martúe tiene un entorno especial sin el cual no habría podido

nacer. Este entorno es La Guardia de Toledo siendo un Vino de

Pago, V.P. es la máxima calificación que contempla la

legislación española en materia vitivinícola, por encima de la

Denominación de Origen. El concepto de Pago aplicado al vino

se refiere a un viñedo situado en un enclave especial, con suelos

singulares y un clima privilegiado que imprime al vino unas

cualidades únicas.

The British Benevolent Fund thanks

Sponsors and Raffle Prize Donors for

their kind generosity

As patron of the British Benevolent Fund of Madrid it gives me great

pleasure to welcome you all to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes and

the BBF’s annual fundraising event. I would particularly like to thank

the musicians who have given their time to come down from London

to be with us as well as our event sponsors Mahou and Bodegas Matue

for their generosity in supporting this event.

The BBF has been providing relief and assistance for over 90 years to

those British and related citizens in the Madrid area, and

exceptionally elsewhere in Spain, who have found themselves in

difficult circumstances and who have no other recourse. In many

cases the BBF has been able to offer comfort, hope and assistance in

what are frequently trying and difficult times and where a friendly

visit by a BBF volunteer can make all the difference. The BBF

provides the safety net for those individuals who have nowhere else to

turn. It is the charity of last resort.

The present process of establishing the BBF as a legally recognised

entity will allow it to build on its valuable work and further enhance

its role within the British community here.

My best wishes for a most enjoyable evening.

British Ambassador to Spain

Simon Manley CMG

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Rebecca read music as Organ Scholar at Lincoln College, Oxford, studying with David Sanger. After graduating, Rebecca was appointed Head of Choristers and later Director of Music at Hall Grove School in Surrey. During this time she toured to Ireland and Austria, performed in the cathedrals at Liverpool, Guildford, and Manchester and recorded broadcasts for BBC Radio 4 Daily Service.

In the 2012 Rebecca was repetiteur for the Ryedale Festival Opera, also performing as accompanist in the Yorkshire Young Musicians Concert and organist in a performance of Fauré's Requiem with Leeds Festival Chorus. She has also worked as a répétiteur for Eugene Onegin and Ariodante under the direction of Jane Glover and as Musical Director for Silent Opera's production of Holst's Savitri. As a coach her work has included collaborating with the Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus in preparation for Mahler's 8

th symphony and Wagner's Parsifal with Kent Nagano and

the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Rebecca recently completed her studies for an MA in piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Dussek and Carole Presland. She achieved a distinction in her LRAM diploma and was a prize winner in the Rex Stephens Lieder Prize, a finalist in the Richard Lewis Song Competition and was highly commended in both the Major van Someron-Godfrey English Song Prize and the Scott Huxley Piano Accompaniment Competition.

Rebecca has taken part in the Henry Wood Lectures at the Royal Academy of Music, playing both Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings and Strauss's Horn Concerto no.1 using original performance material. Rebecca has been a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra for two Summer Tours, working most recently with Thomas Søndergård. Earlier this year she attended the Solti Accademia in Venice where she worked with Richard Bonynge.

Recently she took part in the Musique Cordiale Festivale in France, projects included Rossini's Barber of Seville, Bach B minor Mass and a recital with Andrew Staples. With soprano, Emily Garland, they will be performing a song recital at next year’s Three Choirs Festival after jointly winning the 2014 Competitive Master class with Felicity Lott.

Born and educated in North Yorkshire, Rebecca Taylor made her concerto debut at the age of 17 performing Shostakovich's 2

nd piano concerto. Under the tuition of

Jeremy Young of the RNCM, she was awarded a performance scholarship to the annual Birmingham International Piano Academy in 2005 and the following year she won the Piano Academy's concerto competition, performing Mozart's A major concerto K488 with the Queen's Park Sinfonia. In 2011 she appeared as a soloist with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, performing in Muscat under the direction of Simon Wright.

While at university Anna worked in masterclasses with eminent singers, such as Renee Fleming, Toby Spence, Ann Murray and Mark Wildman. She was also involved in the performance of new student works with Ensemble ISIS and worked closely with the contemporary composer Rhian Samuels. Anna has completed two seasons with Garsington Opera, covering the role of Anna in Maometto Secondo (Rossini) and Argene in L’Olimpiade (Vivaldi). Other operatic experience includes Tamiri (cover) in Il Re Pastore (Mozart) for New Chamber Opera, Monica in The Medium (Menotti) & Eurydice in Orfeus and Eurydice (Gluck) for New Chamber Opera Studio, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) & Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring (Britten) for Young Opera, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell) & Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) for Oxford Opera Society. Anna has been involved in many education projects for Garsington Opera, bringing opera to new areas of the community. Anna is in much demand as a soloist and recently recorded some Fauré songs for BBC Radio 3 Music Matters; previous oratorio concerts include the soprano soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria performed in the Sheldonian Theatre, soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater performed in Arundel cathedral, soprano soloist in Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with Oxford Harmonic Society in Oxford Town Hall and the title role in Handel’s Esther & Iole in Handel’s Hercules for New Chamber Opera Studio.

Anna Sideris completed her undergraduate degree in music at New College, Oxford University, where she held a music scholarship; she is now studying for her MA in performance at the Royal Academy of music. Anna is supported by the Kohn Foundation and the Josephine Baker Trust and received a Help Musicians UK Postgraduate Award. In 2013 she won third prize in the Maureen Lehane vocal awards and in 2011 was awarded the prestigious Harriet Cohen Memorial Prize.

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

We are honoured to be once more in the superb surrounds of The Real

Academia de Bellas Artes. Since its founding in 1744 the Real Academia has

been one of Madrid's most important fine arts museums.

Picasso and Dali are former students of this arts academy, housed in the

18th century Goyeneche Palace. The academy's gallery (or Fine Arts

Museum) includes works by old masters such as Van Dyck and Rubens, and

drawings by Raphael and Titian. Naturally, Spanish artists are well

represented, with the highlight being magnificent works by El Greco,

Velazquez, Murillo, Ribera, and Zurbaran.

Goya has an entire room devoted to him (he's one of the academy's former

directors), and among several of his noteworthy works are his self-portrait

painted in 1815, and “The Mad House”. In total there are more than 1,500

paintings and almost 600 sculptures, ranging from the 15th century all the

way to the present.

Although not as famous as the Prado, Reina Sofia, or the Museo Thyssen-

Bornemisza, it is considered one of Spain's most important art galleries. One

of Madrid’s hidden gems!

The British Benevolent Fund of Madrid

The BBF has been in existence for over 90 years. Founded in a time when

there was little concept of universal state welfare the Fund´s primary focus

was to supply financial relief for those Britons in Madrid who had no other

means of supporting themselves. Many of the recipients of aid were

teachers and children´s governors who had no family or other support to

help them in their senior years.

Recently the fund has invested in becoming a legally recognized Association

which will allow it a more visible platform on which it can build upon the

work that it is doing in the British community.

If you would be interested in becoming involved; whether as a volunteer,

committee member or as a much valued donor please visit our website

www.britishbenevolent.org or talk to a member of the committee at the

reception after the concert. 9

Opera roles with numerous Opera Companies include; Male Chorus The Rape of Lucretia, Lurcanio Ariodante, Masino La Vera Costanza, Tamino & Monostatos Magic Flute, Remendado Carmen, Lord Lieutenant, Master of the Rolls and Skeffington The Earl of Kildare (Irish Premiere), Pierre The Wandering Scholar (Irish Premiere) and Midas Midas. Opera Scenes at the Royal Academy include Pong Turandot, Eisenstein Die Fledermaus, Aceste Ascanio in Alba, Scaramuccio Ariadne auf Naxos and Tinca Il Tabarro. Ross was a Young Associate Artist for 2009/10 season with the Opera Theatre Company Dublin.

On the oratorio platform, Ross has performed with some of Ireland’s and the UK’s finest Choral Societies. Works include Handel’s Messiah where he performed in the composers home town of Halle, Germany for the Handel Anniversary Festival, Handel’s, Alexander’s Feast and Coronation Anthems, Haydn Die Jahreszeiten, The Creation and Missa in Tempore Belli, Mendelssohn Elijah and St Paul, Stainer Crucifixion, Mozart’s Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore and Coronation Mass Schubert’s Mass in B flat, Jenkins ‘The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace’ and Goodall Eternal Light – A Requiem (Irish Premiere).

His debut Oratorio performance of Haydn’s Creation, at the National Concert Hall with Our Lady’s Choral Society and the RTE Concert Orchestra, received critical acclaim and the Irish Times stated “Tenor Ross Scanlon sang with a commanding lightness and clarity; (the most promising young Irish tenor I’ve heard in years)”.

Ross has won numerous prizes for his singing, most notably the Thomas Moore Cup, the Tenor Solo Cup and Gold Medal and the prestigious Count John McCormack Cup and Silver Medal for overall best male singer at the Feis Ceoil, Ireland. Ross has also been the recipient of the Bray Endeavour awards receiving their Culture and Arts Award as well as the recipient of the John McCormack society young artist Bursary.

Recent engagements saw Ross making his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London singing Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortilèges. He also made his debut with the Welsh National Youth Opera singing the role of Hot Biscuit Slim in Britten’s Paul Bunyan.

Ross gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship and support of the Matthew & Sally Ferrey, Irish Arts Council and Wicklow County Council.

Hailed by The Irish Times as “… most promising young Irish Tenor heard in years…” 27 year old Tenor Ross Scanlon is in constant demand on the Operatic, Oratorio and Concert platform. Originally from County Wicklow, Ireland, Ross is now living in London and recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Music Opera School with singing Professor Philip Doghan and Coach Mary Hill. Ross is an alumni of the D.I.T Conservatory of Music and Drama, with a BMus first class honours degree and the Michael McNamara Gold Medal for excellence in performance.

Musical Programme

Brindisi La Traviata Verdi La donna è mobile Rigoletto Verdi O mio babbino caro Gianna Schicchi Puccini Quando m'en vo La Boheme Puccini Là ci darem la mano Don Giovanni Mozart E lucevan le stelle Tosca Puccini Vainement, ma bien-aimée Le Roi d'Ys Lalo Jewel Song Faust Gounod Poor wand'ring one The Pirates of Penzance Sullivan Go lovely rose Quilter Now sleeps the crimson petal Quilter Summertime Porgy and Bess Gershwin Love unspoken The Merry Widow Lehar Tonight Westside Story Bernstein The Humming Chorus Madame Butterfly Puccini

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Land of Hope and Glory

Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crowned, God make thee mightier yet! On Sov'reign brows, beloved, renowned, Once more thy crown is set. Thine equal laws, by Freedom gained, Have ruled thee well and long; By Freedom gained, by Truth maintained, Thine Empire shall be strong.

Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free, How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee? Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set; God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet, God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.

Thy fame is ancient as the days, As Ocean large and wide: A pride that dares, and heeds not praise, A stern and silent pride; Not that false joy that dreams content With what our sires have won; The blood a hero sire hath spent Still nerves a hero son.

Chorus

Jerusalem And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green: And was the holy Lamb of God, On England's pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine, Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold; Bring me my Arrows of desire: Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight, Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand: Till we have built Jerusalem, In England's green & pleasant Land.

Rule, Britannia! When Britain first, at heaven's command, Arose from out the azure main, This was the charter of the land, And Guardian Angels sang this strain:

Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

The nations not so blest as thee Must, in their turn, to tyrants fall, While thou shalt flourish great and free: The dread and envy of them all.

Chorus

Still more majestic shalt thou rise, More dreadful from each foreign stroke, As the loud blast that tears the skies Serves but to root thy native oak.

Chorus

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame; All their attempts to bend thee down Will but arouse thy generous flame, But work their woe and thy renown.

Chorus

To thee belongs the rural reign; Thy cities shall with commerce shine; All thine shall be the subject main, And every shore it circles, thine.

Chorus

The Muses, still with freedom found, Shall to thy happy coasts repair. Blest isle! with matchless beauty crowned, And manly hearts to guard the fair.

Chorus 7 7