By Hyo Yoon Kang (mother of Julian Herbst, age 9)

Our annual BBCM workshop took place on 1 July in Clair Constable and Mogador Empson’s beautiful and sunlit home. We were happy and grateful to be in their white, light-filled living space again. Clair and Mogador have gracefully and generously provided us year after year with the perfect setting for celebrating music, Agnes Kory (the BBCM founder and director), and the BBCM community.

As in the previous five years that I have had the privilege of experiencing, this year’s workshop was a marvellous culmination of a year of music-making and learning from Agnes. All BBCM pupils, their families, as well as BBCM alumni and friends came together to make beautiful music and share a nourishing communal meal. No written description will do full justice in describing the special atmosphere of these annual workshops as the words on screen or paper do not sing. On 1 July things fell into place, as if by magic. But the magic is nothing but Agnes’ tireless direction and dedication to music, which brings together children as young as two, with highly accomplished professional musicians, such as Hester Goodsell and Michael Young, both BBCM alumni, as well as a world-renowned opera singer from the Royal Opera House, Gyula Nagy, to create sublime music. Little and big people in white and maroon BBCM attire, their dedicated parents and friends, musical novices and experts, from all different parts of the world, cultures and languages - all gathered with their voices and instruments on this sunny warm summer morning to celebrate together. And what did we celebrate? Agnes. Music. And the joy and peace which music conjures, transcending and celebrating cultural and national differences. The annual workshops open up and give an insight into what is possible when people with love and dedication to music unite to practice it as a highest art form.

The workshop started with a polyphonic introductory tune in major in three parts, to which even the smallest kindergarten children contributed. Then switching to minor scale, we sang the all-time children’s favourite Hungarian ‘Mosquito’ song. The Kindergarten children impressively led the Kis Kacsa (Hush Little Baby) song, accompanied with a second melody (composed by Lajos Bárdos) by the rest of the BBCM children.

In her classes, Agnes has always insisted on cultivating the polyphonic and polyrhythmic ear, brain and hands - and feet, too! That the children had learned and embodied polyphony was amply demonstrated in their singing of the Haydn’s Harmony, the child Mozart’s delightful little composition, Oragna, culminating in the five-part ABC song from Háry János by Kodály and a nine-part rendering of the Quadlibet. The BBCM children also performed an eight-part version of Tallis’ Canon, reappearing in the finale of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde. The older children miraculously managed to lead the younger ones until the end!

This year’s special guest of honour, Gyula Nagy, uniquely brought Don Giovanni to Compayne Gardens: accompanied on the piano with brio by Michael Young, Gyula brought Don Giovanni to life with the aria ‘Fin ch’han dal vino’. Children and adults - we were all enthralled, listening with open mouths as if a force of nature was revealing itself in front of our eyes. Another unforgettable highlight was Clara Heck’s and Juliette Majid’s singing of Schubert’s The Death and the Maiden, together with Gyula. The girls’ beautiful singing of the vocal line of the Maiden together with Gyula’s expressive performance of the Death, sensitively accompanied by Michael on the piano (and combined with Agnes's choral arrangement of the introduction as well as the concluding section), brought to life the fate of the girl not wanting to die.

A mystery surprise programme number embodied the exceptional quality and highest standard of musicianship – both as a dedication to the art and as a practical way of living – that Agnes has sought to convey to the BBCM children and families. Francesca de Cecio, a former BBCM pupil, age 12, composed a trio for her BBCM friends, Clara Heck (flute), Juliette Majid (piano) and Scipio Zamparo (violin), which they had rehearsed together in secret to surprise us with at the workshop. Their dedication to creating and making music was exemplary and inspiring to us all! We were all in awe of these highly accomplished children (of ages 11, 12 and 13), human beings and musicians.

For me, personally, the workshop reached a different, special realm with the two Bartók choruses, Senkim a Világon and Leánynézö, sung with great devotion and love by children ages 10 to 13. They breathed Bartók’s rhythm and melody to such an effect that the songs floated in a purity, rarely encountered in performance, not even in a great world city like London.

The special morning concluded with Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, performed by our “house band”, sung by all children in all classes and their parents, as we had always done in the past years. This year, however, we were especially privileged to have the special treat of Gyula and Michael, singing and playing the recitative and tune before we all joined in. We carried the uplifting finale in our hearts.

Continuing our beautiful tradition, the ensuing communal meal was a feast: families brought wholesome, home-cooked dishes, as well as national specialties (for example, Brazilian passion fruit pudding). And of course, huge thanks were due: summer flower bouquet for our gracious hostess, Clair, and the biggest thanks and a group present from us all to the person who brings music and people together like no other: Agnes Kory.