What is MUSICON?
Being involved in the MUSICON Executive Committee for the past two terms has certainly been one of the highlights of my academic year. As a finalist studying Music, I have received invaluable experience in the music industry, encountering an enormous variety of musicians and venues and learning, from hands-on experience under the supervision of Dr James Weeks, how to navigate a plethora of problems which often occur in the field of arts management. MUSICON are Durham University’s professional concert series and offer a wide variety of events to students, staff and the public, appealing to many sub-disciplines of musicology. The concerts are reasonably priced to encourage students to uptake the opportunity for extracurricular enrichment that our regular events provide.
The performances
The academic year began, in celebration of Byrd’s 400th Anniversary (2023), with a public singing workshop led by MUSICON’s Dr James Weeks. The week continued to celebrate Byrd’s repertoire with a stunning concert by the viol consort Fretwork, in the venue of Elvet Methodist Church. Soloists from Royal Northern Sinfonia also performed in this venue, treating us to a marvellous evening of chamber music. Check out the reviews at the end of this blog!
In this academic year’s concert series, MUSICON also organised several incredible productions in the Cathedral itself. A highlight was Messiaen’s rarely-performed Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, interpreted by pianist Rolf Hind. The choice of space for this performance highlighted the work’s transcendental nature, review by my colleague on the Exec at the end of this blog.
My particular specialism is Early Music, so I especially enjoyed the immersive performance of the Idrîsî Ensemble in the Cathedral Chapter House (and their workshop on Hildegard Von Bingen in the Music Department the following day), and EXAUDI’s ‘In Dew of Roses’ programme, curated in conjunction with Valentines Day and performed in Durham Town Hall.
New experiences
MUSICON celebrates a broad spectrum of genres, and I was interested, albeit a little nervous, when I was assigned as student concerts-manager for the Trio EAPOS East Asian Soundscapes concert, likewise in Durham Town Hall (such a contrast from EXAUDI!). I had never before investigated the type of music that the performers programmed; however, guided by James, the event ran smoothly, and despite my initial doubts I very much enjoyed the music.
One more event to go
We have recently enjoyed presenting the series ‘Indian Spring Colours’, an event which comprised three concerts of Indian traditional music. The final event of the year we have yet to look forward to: young pianist Ben Smith returns to MUSICON on April 24th with a programme investigating ‘dance forms of the French baroque, middle-eastern drum patterns, phasing, and microtimings of rubato and swing’.
A great experience
I have loved participating in cultivating a rich, informative, and thriving concert programme for Durham’s University (and beyond) community as a member of the MUSICON Executive Committee. I had enjoyed interacting with music on both a collegiate and intercollegiate level for the first two years of my degree, but have relished the opportunity to work with professional artists. I have experienced genres of music firsthand that I might otherwise have overlooked, and have become acquainted with many of the protocols of concerts-managing (venue queries, performer enquiries, audience management…) that will be useful to me in a professional setting following university. For music students of all years, the opportunity to work with MUSICON is not one to be missed!
Discover more
Reviews of MUSICON events here and here
Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, interpreted by pianist Rolf Hind. read the review
EXAUDI’s ‘In Dew of Roses’ review
Find out more about Musicon
Get tickets for the final performance of the series Ben Smith’s Piano Grooves
24 April 2024, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, Music Department, Palace Green, Durham
