Stephen Bryant

Welcome to my ‘new look blog’! Not so much ‘new look’,but more that I have decided to turn over a new leaf and update it regularly.

My first blog entry must mention a visit to The Royal Academy of Music this week for the Musicians Benevolent Fund postgraduate performance awards. For the violin auditions I joined Ron Corp (chair) and Levon Chillingirian on the panel. These awards go to the most talented musicians enabling them to continue with their development. Nominations are given from the major performing colleges and conservatoires. When I had a string quartet, Levon and the other members of his quartet used to coach us and sometimes take us on at football. He was great  chamber music coach and we learned a good deal from him. Unfortunately, as far as the football went he used to foul me quite often! (I’m only joking of course! ). Ron reminded me that his orchestra - the New London Orchestra was 25 years old this year and that I led the very first concert the orchestra gave (at St John’s Smith Square, I think.) We have also in the past worked on a number of concertos together - I remember doing the Korngold, Martinu Chamber Concerto, Dvorak Violin Concerto and Szymanowski 1st Concerto with him. It was great to see them both and I hope that I will meet them more often in the future.

The Musicians Benevolent Fund has a great reputation amongst musicians. they support musicians at the start of their careers who need support as they join the profession, musicians who hit a crisis, such as an illness or an accident during their working lives and musicians who are thinking about retirement as well as those later on in their lives. I know of quite a few colleagues it has helped at various points in their careers. One, in particular is a very good friend of mine. the fund helped him through a traumatic time and really made a difference to his situation.