BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Welcome to our new series, What the Fact?!
Throughout 2018, we’re teaming up with talent at the Australian National Academy of Music to bring you informed answers to real questions and topics about your music career.
Ever wondered why you feel performance anxiety? What the deal is with tuning to 440Hz – or not? How to lead an orchestra? We’re here to tell you all about it.
Today we chat with Kathryn Stott about why we should even bother to undertake a residency. After all, for a musician or composer, a residency is a huge commitment of time and energy. Does it pay off? Here’s what Kathryn reckons.
Oh, and if you’re not yet familiar with Kathryn’s expertise, she’s a pianist who has performed worldwide since the 1978 when she took out a prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition (and then hit up the BBC Proms, recordings with Yo-Yo Ma, concert performances with the Western Australian and Tasmanian symphony orchestras…). You might have heard that she’s the Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s artistic director this year, having worked in a similar capacity at the Fjord Classics festival in Norway last year.
As Honorary Chair of the Royal Academy of Music in London, and International Chair of Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Kathryn also knows a thing or two about education. So it can only be a good thing that she’s undertaking a residency with ANAM, spending time working with Australian music students in rehearsals and performances. She returns after a similar residency with ANAM in 2015.
Let’s hack residencies! (And why we should consider doing them.)
Kathryn, thanks for taking part in our interview. Your first ANAM residency was in 2015. What has this experience been like for you and what have your residencies involved?
My last residency at ANAM was particularly full on and it was wonderful to be there so many days, working with not only young pianists, but the orchestra as well. The main focus of the visit was to prepare a large amount of repertoire for two pianos, which I coached and performed with the students over a series of concerts.
I was also asked to perform Ravels’ Concerto in G. And over many rehearsals, it was also fascinating to develop a relationship with so many other ANAM musicians. Residencies give us all the opportunity to build trust and relationships from which to springboard artistic ideas.
Residencies are often a big commitment for the artist – you take a large amount of time to dedicate yourself and your practice to one specific organisation or venue. Why should musicians bother to take part in a residency? Why is it worth it?
Personally speaking, it is of course a commitment, but if I feel the organisation is one worth investing my time in, then I’m more than happy to engage with the students for as long as is possible. One looks for an interesting project, something well thought-out, and ultimately, a place one might return over many years and build a relationship with. I’d like to think I will return to ANAM when time permits.
What are the biggest things you’ve learnt from a residency that you haven’t gained from regular single-concert experiences?
If the residency involves working with students, as opposed to musicians already out there in the profession, then what’s exciting is to see development throughout our work together, with the culmination in a performance. It’s about developing trust quickly, and a willingness to try out new ideas in an intense work environment.
ANAM is a vibrant and stimulating academy already – I simply hope to add something that they can work with after I’ve left.
How many residencies do you feel a musician should undertake in their lifetime?
I don’t think its something one can put a number on. Perhaps better to do one and make it brilliant than half-hearted visits.
What should an artist be prepared to give of themselves in a residency?
As with any form of teaching, I expect to impart knowledge, whether it be practical solutions or exploring musical ideas. Through my experience, I like to encourage all students to develop their musicianship to the very highest level they can possibly reach. Maybe that’s not something they can achieve right away, but if any part of my residency leaves a student inspired to go further than they thought possible, or to explore new ideas or simply to think differently for a few minutes, then I’m happy!
Any parting words?
So much looking forward to my visit! I have very happy memories of my previous visits, and now that I’ve established some links between ANAM and AFCM, I very much hope to continue my work here in the future.
See Kathryn perform alongside ANAM musicians and soloists in a program filled with Debussy. Orchestral Transcriptions will take place at 11am May 16 in ANAM, South Melbourne Town Hall.
Check back in soon for our next What the Fact?! with professionals in the music industry.
Images supplied – credit Nikolaj Lund. Emoji via APACHE – License 2.0.
