London Music Masters

London Music Masters
Abbreviation LMM
Formation 2007
Headquarters London
Website www.londonmusicmasters.org

London Music Masters (LMM) is a UK-based, privately funded charity that supports the involvement of young musicians in classical music. It is focused on both community development activities and supporting exceptional individual talent.

Founded in 2007, LMM provides teaching, mentoring, financial support and performance opportunities to musicians between the ages of 4 and 25.

LMM’s creative partners include the London venues Southbank Centre and Wigmore Hall, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal College of Music as well as London Contemporary Orchestra and the Young Classical Artist Trust - YCAT. It also partners periodically with the US-based Sphinx Organization, a similar non-profit arts and youth development organisation.

Internationally renowned musicians such as percussionist Colin Currie, pianist Benjamin Grosvenor,[1] British lyric soprano Nadine Benjamin and violinists Anthony Marwood and Tai Murray support this charity’s work as LMM Ambassadors. During the last year of his life American composer Elliott Carter was also an LMM Ambassador.[2] Other recognised musicians, such as violinists Midori Gotō and Nicola Benedetti have collaborated with LMM in specific projects.[3]

History London Music Masters (LMM) was founded in 2007 by Victoria Sharp (now Robey OBE) and Professor Itzhak Rashkovsky with the dual aim of introducing classical music to primary school children from financially disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds and supporting some of the best of the next generation of young professional musicians. It has two main focus areas: LMM Learning (incorporating LMM Learning, teacher training and community performance)and LMM Artists (Awards programme and Ambassador Scheme. The organisation has worked with over 670 children in inner city schools and helped develop the careers of six of the finest young musicians of their generation. London Music Masters aims to invest in future generations in order to help them reach their full potential as both musicians and contributors to society.

Governance

Chairman Victoria Robey OBE 2007 - 2010, Julian Simmonds 2010 - 2012, Simon Freakley 2012 - current.

Former Trustees Nicholas Berwin 2008 - 2010, John Gilhooly 2008 - 2010, Richard Sharp 2008 - 2011, Julian Simmonds 2008 - 2010.

Current Trustees Simon Freakley (Chairman), John Antoniazzi, Shaun Bailey, Mo Carrington, Sir Vernon Ellis, Philip Keller, Professor Colin Lawson, John Nickson, Professor Itzhak Rashkovsky (Artistic Director), Victoria Robey OBE, Dennis, Lord Stevenson of Coddenham CBE, Timothy Walker.

Chief Executive/Executive Director Robert Adediran 2013–present, Victoria Robey OBE 2009 - 2013, Mary Deissler 2008 - 2009.

Chief Operating Officer/Finance Director Claire Samson 2011 - 2013.

Company Secretary Simon Banks 2008 - 2011.

Initiatives

LMM currently operates the following programmes to satisfy its aims:

LMM Learning

LMM Learning (previously Bridge Project) is a community development programme that targets socio-economically disadvantaged areas in order to increase the ethnic, cultural and socio-economic diversity within the classical music industry.[4] The project currently operates in six primary schools, three in the London Borough of Lambeth and two in the London Borough of Westminster, providing free musicianship and violin, cello, flute, clarinet or trumpet lessons for children aged 4+. LMM Learning was one of the three finalists for the ‘Everyday Impact Award – New Enterprises’ category of the 2012 Social Change Awards organised by the Directory of Social Change.[5] In 2015 London Music Masters was awarded the Excellence in Early Years and Primary Music Award in the third annual Music Teacher Awards at a ceremony held in London.

LMM Awards

The LMM Awards support exceptional violinists in entering the professional classical music industry. LMM provides financial support, career guidance and performance opportunities including a Wigmore Hall recital and a concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. LMM also regularly commissions new works of music to be premièred by the Award Holders. The Awards are overseen by renowned violinist Itzhak Rashkovsky and are granted every three years to three violinists aged 16–25. Violinists Benjamin Beilman (USA), Hyeyoon Park (South Korea) and Alexandra Soumm (Russia/France) are the current LMM Award Holders (2012-2015).[6] The first LMM Awards were granted from 2009 to 2012 to Jennifer Pike (UK), Agata Szymczewska (Poland) and Elena Urioste (USA).[7]

Bridge to the Community

Bridge to the Community (B2C) combines performance opportunities and community outreach by offering the children on the Bridge Project and LMM Award Holders the chance to take part in performances in UK hospitals, nursery schools, community groups and care homes.[8]

Other Campaigns

London Music Masters has developed several campaigns to raise funds and resources to support their work. Some of these campaigns are:

Lost & Sound

Lost & Sound was an instrument recycling campaign launched in 2012 and that encouraged the donation of old or used musical instruments.[9] The musical instruments donated are allocated to Bridge Project Students.

Buy a Bar

Buy a Bar was a crowd-funding campaign launched in February 2011 to raise funds to commission the RPS Award-winning composer Martin Suckling to write a new violin concerto for LMM Award Holder Agata Szymczewska.[10]

Grade 1 Challenge

The Grade 1 Challenge is a campaign that invites member of the public to raise money for London Music Masters by learning a new instrument to Grade 1 level.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ The Independent, article about Benjamin Grosvenor and the Bridge Project
  2. ↑ LMM's Ambassadors
  3. ↑ Midori’s News Bulletin - See November 2012 for workshops with the Bridge Project Students
  4. ↑ Libretto article - ‘Music Medals in action’
  5. ↑ DSC Social Change Awards Winners 2012
  6. ↑ MUSO article
  7. ↑ Sciolino Artist Management News
  8. ↑ Bridge to the Community programme
  9. ↑ Nicky Thomas Media News
  10. ↑ Classicalsource.com article - About Buy a Bar campaign
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