As the daughter of two of the longest serving staff members at the Ulster Orchestra, I feel it is only right that I share my thoughts in this group. My parents are the unseen side of the UO - the wonderful musicians are the face of it, the ones who provide music to thousands, but without the admin staff in the background, nothing could be done. There would be no music, no planning, no concert setup, nothing, and I think people often forget about this, and do not appreciate the work that goes into organising a concert. Both of my parents (and many on this group will know who they are) are musicians themselves - I took after my dad when I picked up the French horn ten years ago. They work with the Ulster Orchestra - and have done so for over twenty years - because of their love of music. The enjoyment and pride they both get when a Friday night concert goes well, when the Orchestra gets good reviews or a packed house - honestly, it is the best thing in the world to see them both so happy. That is what makes their jobs worthwhile, times like that. The concerts and music they see and hear far outweighs the difficult times working with the UO - and believe me, they have experienced many tough times. But music has won at the end of the day, always. I myself have been attending concerts for many, many years - unsurprisingly! From the Snowman concerts through to big, proper Friday night concerts (when Mum and Dad thought I could cope with them and not fall asleep!), Ive experienced pretty much everything the Ulster Orchestra does. It would be an understatement to say that the UO and its musicians and staff have had an impact on me - the world-class musicians Ive got to know, the soloists and conductors Ive met, who have now become close friends of my parents - really, it cannot be put into words. These experiences have influenced me indescribably - so much so that, despite not doing a music degree, the French horn has travelled with me all the way over to Aberdeen University, and has been invaluable for me in making friends and a mark for myself over here. I would just like to make one final point on the subject of the word that some non-supporters are throwing around - elitist. The Ulster Orchestra is as far from an elitist organisation as you can get. The staff come from all backgrounds of life, the musicians come from all backgrounds of life, and the audience comes from all backgrounds of life. The one thing they have in common is a love of music. The Come and Play day organised each year surely demonstrates this. It is not just teenagers with a desire to have music as a career who attend. People from all walks of life, of different ages and abilities, all coming together to learn from professionals, and to create something special - music. Likewise, the evening concerts have a wide range of people attending - truly a cross section of the community. For three or four years I have been with Jim, Nell and Anthony at the programme stand at concerts. It is here that you really see the diversity of the audience. Each week, I sold a programme to someone I had never seen before, someone attending a concert for the first time. Their reason? Purely to see a world-class orchestra play some wonderful live music. What more reason do we need to save this fantastic orchestra? The music does the talking.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 09:29:22 +0000
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