BBCM

14 June 2014
Suzi Gold Memorial Workshop

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On the 14th June, 2014, BBCM students past, present and future (plus BBCM parents and other family members in their splendid BBCM attire) congregated at the beautiful home of Clair Constable and Mogador Empson to take part in the 7th annual Suzi Gold Memorial Workshop. This wonderful get-together is a celebration of Suzi’s life plus a chance for the whole BBCM student body to spend time together, make music together and feast together.

I’m writing this as a newcomer to the BBCM, having only started the classes with my 4-year old daughter the previous September. What struck me from the very beginning of our time with the BBCM was the way that we immediately felt part of a real community, a special place which once you joined would affect you for life. Seeing everyone together at the workshop served to reinforce this feeling, especially as Agnes started the proceedings by introducing two very special and unexpected guests….

First to be introduced was the lovely, warm and always smiling Amber. A “Spectacular Human Being”, Amber Onat Gregory had been a BBCM student between the ages of 5-18, and joined the workshop with her equally charming husband and lovely baby boy. Also returning from the past, and as a complete surprise, was William Harris from the same class as Amber. Although we are proud of his achievements as a Jazz Musician and a Doctor, William’s real claim to fame is as the person who set up the BBCM website at the age of 15! Agnes was astonished and delighted at his unannounced appearance and he joined Amber and David Franklyn as the group of “old-timers” that really made this workshop so special.

Suzi’s legacy can be seen throughout everything we did and do at the BBCM. Alongside being a wonderful human being, she helped to organize many wonderful trips abroad, she supported Agnes in getting the workshops arranged, and as Agnes keeps saying, without Suzi, she would have never started a Kindergarten class at the BBCM. Suzi, pressed, pushed and nagged her until she started these classes.

Onto the music!

We started with our three-part short song that we had briefly rehearsed from Kindergarten upwards, and then into Haydn's Harmony.

We then moved onto the ‘memories of Hungary’ section (as the first BBCM trip abroad was to Budapest), where we performed the Kindergarten favourite, that is, Mosquito Song (AKA “the song with an assault”). The post kindergarten class then led a lovely two-part rendition of the beautiful and melancholic “Hush Little Baby”.

The workshop touches on all the significant locations and times of Suzi’s life through music. So the young “House Band” consisting of six BBCM children on their respective instruments played a rendition of Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica (as Suzi was born in South-Africa), and we then moved to Russian songs to remember the BBCM visit to St Petersburg.

Suzi spent some of her younger years living in Ediburgh so it seems fitting to add a new song to the workshop in the reflective and powerful composition “Auld Lang Syne”. Sung by Clara Heck and accompanied by Francesca Di Cecio, with Conall O’Neill singing some of the verses at the repeat, this was a fitting tribute to Suzi’s memory.

We then moved onto A Quodlibet in nine parts to remember the wonderful trip to Bayreuth, and then to England - home of the BBCM and Suzi’s later years. Tallis Cannon in eight parts (twice!) was a fitting end to this section of the workshop.

The last section of the workshop is given over to performances, as BBCM’ers young and old show their amazing talents.

This section kicked off with a brand new composition for voice and piano by Francesca, with Juliet Majid on the violin playing the voice part and Francesca accompanying. This was another World Premiere at a BBCM workshop, and a great testament to the wonderful talents and great teaching that make up the BBCM. Clara (flute), Juliet (violin) and Francesca (piano) played a trio by Mozart, two French families (led by mothers Tatiana Andonovski and Jibek Jumagulova) performed Fais Do Do and Claire De Lune, and finally - the Old Timers led the group in a rendition of Suzi’s favorite pop tune - “California Blue”

So with the singing and performing completed, it was time to FEAST. The spread was amazing - it was fantastic to see how much effort everyone made. Delicious Home Made Noodle Salads, Barbecued Chicken Wings, Amazing Dishes of Various Nationalities, Bagels, Dips, fresh cakes, fruits, cheeses, and so on. Everyone left satisfied!

Feasting Summary:

Feast Duration: 125 minutes