American-born conductor KENNETH WOODS is to be the new principal conductor of the English Symphony/English String Orchestra, a Worcestershire-based ensemble founded as a string orchestra in 1978 by William Boughton. He succeeds Vernon “Tod” Handley, in the post until his death in 2008.
The orchestra has about a 15-concert season in its home base of Malvern, but tours regularly and is active in community outreach and education, providing music classes and playing in hospitals. Its motto is “Music for Everyone.”
“My colleagues in the ESO do the work they do in schools, care homes, hospices, and on youth orchestra courses because they believe in it,” said Woods. “What could be more exciting for a conductor than to work with colleagues who want to be there?”
Woods arrived in 2012 as artistic director. His new post represents a promotion.
His background includes the National Endowment for the Arts Rural Residency Program, in which he was as cellist in the Taliesin Trio in Mississippi County, Arkansas, one of the nation’s poorest. He was also music director of the Oregon East Symphony in Pendleton, Oregon. He has described the group as “the most remotely situated full symphony orchestra on the planet.” The orchestra was particularly notable for its “Redneck” Mahler cycle.
What are the challenges for regional orchestras like the ESO?
In a geographically small country like the UK, “regional” orchestras have to be good enough to compete directly with national orchestras. You forget that at your peril. These days, orchestras from the major metropolitan centres are queuing up to play in small and medium sized venues. This means that any professional orchestra has to play like a national orchestra in order to survive, but that’s one of the reasons that this orchestra is called the English Symphony Orchestra and not the Worcestershire Philharmonic. Artistically, we believe the orchestra has been and must again become an institution of national significance.
However, there are also compelling reasons for orchestras not to forget where we come from. When it comes to doing educational and outreach work that has a meaningful and lasting impact on people in our communities, being a regional orchestra is a strength. The recordings we make and the works we commission should have lasting international impact, but our work with children, the elderly and other under-served groups enriches the communities where we work in a way that a concert from an orchestra bussed in from London, however great the concert, never can.
What’s on the to-do list for the next 12 months, strategically and creatively?
We have a once-in-a-generation chance to put the orchestra back on the national stage as an important artistic force, and we’ve got to deliver on that. That means giving powerful performances of well-rehearsed, thoughtful programmes that show we can engage audiences with unfamiliar repertoire and present core repertoire in thought-provoking contexts. On our next concert, we’re playing two works by Mendelssohn alongside one of Hans Gál. All three works are tuneful and fun to listen to, but there are interesting underlying connections- Mendelssohn was the first Jewish composer to breakthrough into the German mainstream, Gál was one of the last generation of Jews to rise to the top of the musical world in Austria and Germany who were then pushed out or worse by the Nazi’s. There are other, less intense connections, too- both Mendelssohn pieces were inspired by his travels to Scotland, where Gál lived for the last 45 years of his life.
So, first up is doing distinctive programmes really well, but we also have to make sure that the ESO is not just the tree that falls in the forest. You can expect the ESO to start performing again in London and other metropolitan centres. We’re looking to have a media presence that includes traditional radio, audio and video streaming and podcasting. We’ve named a composer-in-association for 2014 and we’ve commissioned a new symphony. We’re also anxious to get a first CD or two under our belts.
Strategically, this means finding new friends, developing partnerships and engaging with a whole new generation of ESO listeners, funders and supporters. We can’t do this alone, and that means we’ve got to make the orchestra a cause that lots of people believe in.
Kenneth Woods, who was appointed Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra‘s new Malvern-based subscription series in December 2012, has been promoted by the Worcestershire-based orchestra to the post of Principal Conductor. The American-born, Cardiff-based Woods becomes the orchestra’s first principal conductor since the passing of Vernon Handley in 2008.
“We started exploring possibilities with Ken towards the end of last year, asking him to curate the Malvern concert series during 2013, at the end of which we planned to take stock,” comments the ESO’s CEO Peter Sheeran. “In the event, his involvement with the different elements that make up the ESO has been a shot in the arm for us and we see every reason to bring forward his appointment. We are announcing our new season next month and want to have Ken at the forefront of it.”
Woods comes to the ESO following a highly successful tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra of the Swan, with whom he has made an acclaimed series of recordings of the symphonies of Hans Gál and Robert Schumann, earning the orchestra its first “Gramophone Editor’s Choice.” Numerous other plaudits have brought OOTS to the attention of a new global audience, with coverage from The New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio in the United States and BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 in the UK, among others.
Ken’s passion for taking music to all kinds of listeners and venues is very much in line with the ESO’s motto of “Music for Everyone.” He embraces the future of both the ESO’s concert and community projects with equal enthusiasm. “My colleagues in the ESO do the work they do in schools, care homes, hospices and on youth orchestra courses because they believe in it. The musicians have stayed loyal to the orchestra through the years because, as many of them have told me, it’s the orchestra they want to play in” said Woods. “What could be more exciting for a conductor than to work with colleagues who want to be there, who believe in everything the orchestra is doing?”
Ken’s admirable work in bringing classical music to rural and under-served communities began in his native America through the National Endowment for the Arts Rural Residency Program, where as cellist of the Taliesin Trio he set up a dynamic chamber music program in Mississippi County, Arkansas, part of the poorest congressional district in the United States. He previously served as Music Director of the Oregon East Symphony in the small rodeo town of Pendleton, Oregon, an orchestra once described as “the most remotely situated full symphony orchestra on the planet.” With the OES, Ken not only developed the orchestra’s concert activities through a highly-praised “Redneck” Mahler cycle, numerous premieres, commissions, regional tours and composer residencies, but also co-founded a multifaceted educational program called “Playing for Keeps,” comprising two training orchestras, a children’s chorus, a summer music camp, regular youth concerts and support for private instrumental lessons and instrument rental.
Ken’s resume includes guest conducting with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, State of Mexico Symphony and National Symphony Orchestra (Washington D.C.), and appearances at the Aspen, Scotia and Round Top music festivals. He has recorded with Northern Sinfonia and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and in August makes his first recording with the English Chamber Orchestra. An eloquent communicator, Ken has been heard frequently on the BBC, most recently taking part in the BBC Proms Literary Festival discussing A Mahler Anthology, a selection of readings about the composer, including letters, reviews and biographies. His widely read and respected blog A View from the Podium, is one of the 25 most read classical music blogs.
Details of the English Symphony Orchestra’s 2013-14 season will be announced in early September, and will include a number of exciting initiatives, including debut performances in new venues and the appointment of a composer-in-association. The English Symphony Orchestra’s autumn season opens on September 27th at Christ Church in Malvern, with Woods conducting a programme featuring the music of Mendelssohn and the Concerto for Cello and Strings by Hans Gál.
* * * * *
All media enquiries, interview and image requests: Melanne Mueller,melanne@musiccointernational.com, +44 (0) 20 8698 6933 or +1 917 907 2785
American-born conductor KENNETH WOODS is to be the new principal conductor of the English Symphony/English String Orchestra, a Worcestershire-based ensemble founded as a string orchestra in 1978 by William Boughton. He succeeds Vernon “Tod” Handley, in the post until his death in 2008.
