Sir John Barbirolli, was born in Holborn, London in 1899, a stone’s throw away from the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) where he studied as a cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 1943 and conducted for the rest of his life.
This sculpture resides in one of the classrooms at the Royal Academy of Music and yesterday we were here on a fact-finding mission.
In collaboration with Dr. David Baker and Prof. Lucy Green of the UCL Institute of Education, we are investigating the “mechanics” of conducting for a pilot project we are working on.
We had the pleasure of watching a lesson facilitated by Sian Edwards – renowned conductor and Head of Conducting at RAM.
Sian has conducted most of the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies, and is responsible for how the Conducting Course at RAM is designed and developed; as well as working with the students as the main teacher of the course.
We would like to thank Sian and her students for allowing us to watch their lesson; and for their pateince – responding to the many questions we asked!
