BY BEN NIELSEN
Toby Thatcher is not the sort of person to sit and wait for opportunities to fall into his lap.
He founded his first orchestra while completing his undergraduate degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Then, after moving to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, he revived the group with new players and a new name.
The orchestra is called Ensemble Eroica and it first began, Toby says, for entirely self-serving purposes.
“It was absolutely, unashamedly about me: learning the ropes, getting repertoire under my fingers and making music with people,” he says.
The project paid off. Earlier in 2015, Toby was appointed to the role of assistant conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He was handpicked from a cohort of four other finalists from Australia and abroad, but still insists he has no idea why the orchestra invited him to audition in the first place.
“I can only presume it was word of mouth – I know half the orchestra, I know both the people who were in the position before. Maybe that had something to do with it. But, I knew the tenure was coming up so I tactfully sent an email saying ‘hi’.”
Toby’s modesty does not mask his ambition or his proclivity for pursuing it. While cold-calling was daunting at first, he has come to enjoy asking industry professionals for a coffee and a chat. Toby says he has learned a lot from those “who I first thought would have no interest in even sitting down with me”.
At the time of his appointment to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, chief conductor David Robertson told The Daily Telegraph that Toby displayed “excellent conducting technique, authority and musicality in what can only be described as a highly impressive audition out of a particularly strong field of candidates”. He has garnered similar reviews overseas – Leslie Howard wrote in the Musical Opinion Quarterly that Toby “must be viewed as one of his generation’s most promising artists”.
Toby now commutes between Sydney, where he presides over some of the country’s best musicians, and London, where he performs cor anglais with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. If his plate isn’t full enough already, he has started using Ensemble Eroica as a vehicle to create opportunities for emerging classical musicians.
“As valuable as the orchestra was for me originally, it isn’t about me anymore. I’m just trying to build something that will stay there for other young musicians,” he says. “It’s about giving opportunities to students or recent graduates who are not yet in full-time work. It makes no sense that phenomenal musicians are left twiddling their thumbs or doing church gigs.”
Spurred on by the citywide void between music schools and professional orchestras, Toby is working to build a model that resembles the youth orchestras ‘Down Under’. His Ensemble Eroica comprises some of the region’s best young players who are mentored by Europe’s leading instrumentalists and conductors.
Ensemble Eroica’s artistic vision is also centred on repertoire. The group has performed programs including everything from small chamber pieces to the largest works of the orchestral canon.
“Players who genuinely want to be professional orchestral musicians will get involved with just the prospect of good repertoire – Beethoven, Mahler or Brahms symphonies. There have been people who are more than happy to give up their time to play music because they value that experience,” he says.
It sounds like an unmissable opportunity not just for the musicians but also their audiences. But, there have been times when concerts have been cancelled due to poor ticket sales or musicians who have pulled out at the 11th hour. Each time, Toby swore it would be his last Ensemble Eroica concert, but in reality, it only made him more determined.
Ensemble Eroica’s 2016 season is a season of firsts. Musicians will finally receive remuneration (with thanks to a grant from the Arts Council), there will be a series of concerts at the new London venue Kings Place, as well as the launch of a new music competition. That’s on top of main-stage performances, chamber music concerts and recitals.
So, what’s next for Toby Thatcher?
“I have no idea whatsoever! I continue with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for as long as it takes. I feel so lucky to be there just one year after graduation,” he says. “I’m also doing concerts with the Adelaide and the Basel Symphony Orchestras. Then, I’m just trying to meet people and have opportunities and see what happens.”
Watch Toby Thatcher conduct Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 with Ensemble Eroica.
Learn more about the ensemble in its website here. The next performance will take place in London on February 3.
Image supplied.
