Steve Wassell (Musical Director)​

Steven trained as an orchestral musician for six years, including three years at the Royal College of Music where he won the prestigious Brass Prize. He has conducted for forty five years, including Royal College of Music Junior Department (eighteen years) and many youth orchestras and bands at home and abroad. He is also a director and guest conductor of the professional Kent Sinfonia. Steve performed, met and conducted for the late Queen Elizabeth on several occasions and has played and conducted many musical shows in the west end and locally. He has also appeared in several films, TV and radio broadcasts, including  playing the music on the early Wallace and Grommit films.

 

​Lucy Macgregor (Leader)​

Lucy has been a member of the orchestra for over 25 years, starting in the 2nd violins and moving to the first violin section a while later. Lucy lives locally with her husband and little dog, whom they adore! Lucy is proud to lead Canterbury Music Makers along with her long term violin partner Paul Hiller on the front desk of the 1sts,  and enjoys the variety of music that is played for our wonderful concert attendees. Outside of orchestra Lucy works full time, and has made a self promise to master the cello that she has sitting idle one of these day. Lucy is also the Assistant Treasurer for the orchestra, working closely with David  Ovenden to keep the orchestra finances up to date. 

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Beryl Chalk (Chair)

I began, musically, aged 6 on the piano which I loved, and played for many years, adding the recorder family and whistles at 11.  I had always wanted to play the violin and I started in 1980 until our school orchestra (which I ran with a colleague) was missing a double bass. I was presented one by said colleague and told , " It‘s tuned in 4ths and it‘s 1s 1s and 5s. My introduction to CMM came from a chance meeting in the supermarket with a friend who belonged to the orchestra; she asked if I could play in their next concert as their DB player could‘t do it. I played, survived, and joined the orchestra in 2009.

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​David Ovenden (Treasurer)

On my 60th birthday I opened a large oblong box which to my great surprise contained a trombone. This borrowed beast came with  5 lessons. My daughter Sarah, who is a professional musician, thought it would be a good thing if I fully understood the trauma of learning an instrument! The lessons were not very good - the teacher clearly couldn’t see the point of trying to reach a 60 year old who had never read music how to play an instrument. I had other ideas and courtesy of Sarah, I ended up being taught by our very own Steve who after 18 months enrolled me into CMM where I’ve been for the last four and a half years. Playing in an orchestra is similar in so many ways to playing rugby and although that didn’t teach me much about music, the physical training helps when I am carrying the timps in and out of rehearsals.  I’ve been treasurer of CMM for two years now and spend an hour or so each week balancing our accounts with the bank’s statements. Not difficult but weirdly satisfying when everything works out exactly as it should. Seven years into my musical journey now and I wouldn’t change a thing apart from looking for some lighter timps …​J

 

John Pell talks about his time as Composer in Residence for Canterbury Music Makers

​How did your association with CMM start?

In 2007 the orchestra were looking for a new conductor. I slipped in, failed the audition, but gained my real aim which was to have an orchestra to write for! In those days it was the tradition that a composer should rehearse their new work and conduct it at the concert. On this occasion my new work was a suite based on folk songs, A Garland from Wales. However, a fortnight before the event the organisers asked for something suitable to celebrate a royal anniversary which fell on the day of the concert and, with nothing appropriate in the library, I was told to write something and turn up at the next rehearsal with a score and all the parts. The result was Royal Progress and the orchestra had only that one rehearsal to learn it!

 

Do you attend rehearsals?

There is no better way of getting to know an orchestra than to attend rehearsals. In time you discover the individual players' characteristics and who would welcome having a solo passage in a work. You also get to know the kind of music they prefer to play. For ten years I had written for the Invicta Concert Band and they had taught me about brass and woodwind instruments and the orchestra gave me the opportunity to become more familiar with the ins and outs of stringed instruments. Rehearsing often involves a difficult passage being repeated several times and the snags identified and sorted. Careful listening at these moments is a valuable learning opportunity, you learn how to avoid writing difficult passages in the first place and how all the components of the music fit together. I soon learned as well that it was better to avoid long periods where a particular player had nothing to play. Such times can be a worry, there is always the risk of miscounting the empty bars which can lead to wrong or missed entries. I also learned that the overall sound of the orchestra was better when the orchestration was fuller and most people were playing.​

 

You are no longer writing for the orchestra. Why is that?

My deafness, which previously was a matter requiring just amplification, has become distortion meaning that as the notes climb higher they progressively flatten and as they sink lower they degenerate into a rumble. Listening to a concert or a CD is now intolerable and composing out of the question and unfortunately, this also means I can no longer attend rehearsals or concerts. I'm in good company though, Fauré, Smetana...and Dame Ethyl Smyth who, when disaster struck, took to writing novels! We are all grateful for the lovely pieces you have given the orchestra over the past twelve years.

 

We hope very much your association with us isn't going to end completely.

Thank you.The years as Composer-in-Residence with CMM were so enjoyable and I made many friends. Deafness made me wonder if there was still a way I could stay in touch even though I could no longer write music, so nowadays I write words instead. Nearly all our concerts are fund-raising events attended by church congregations and supporters of the charity involved and many in our audiences find themselves at a formal concert for the first time in their lives. With the programme note I try to pass on interesting snippets about the composer (and sometimes some gossip) and how the piece came to be written, any features it may have, and anything in particular to listen out for.​​