Southbank Sinfonia and St John’s Smith Square have announced the members of its 2023/24 Fellowship. Each year, Southbank Sinfonia welcomes 33 of the world’s most promising emerging musicians to form an orchestra. This prestigious annual Fellowship provides unparalleled opportunities to gain crucial orchestral experience and the skills that 21st century musicians need to thrive.
By their very nature, no two Fellowships are the same. Each new cohort casts its own distinct personality on the music, and each new year brings fresh opportunities and collaborations. A small selection of this year’s cohort are profiled below.
Viola player Maggie Lamelas is originally from Portugal. She trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and performing with Mahler Youth Orchestra has allowed her to perform throughout Europe. One of her goals is to return to the community she grew up in and make music more accessible to the population. For the past five years, she has been involved in projects with the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra to promote music in this district, creating concert opportunities and workshops for the local community.
Charlie Hodge, a Cornish musician playing Timpani and Percussion, also becomes a Fellowship member this year. After discovering a love for percussion at school, Charlie’s passion was cemented with an opportunity to perform at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra. He studied orchestral percussion at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and his personal career highlights so far include a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in the Barbican under Takuo Yuasa and performing as a timpanist alongside the Academy of Ancient Music.
Trumpeter Lucas Houldcroft began playing aged 7 and credits subsidised instrumental lessons from the Birmingham Music Service for introducing him to his passion. He quickly joined the Birmingham Schools’ Training Brass Band and was soon playing in different ensembles five nights a week! After being accepted into the National Youth Orchestra, Lucas went on to study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he played first trumpet in Pictures at an Exhibition in the Barbican, soloed alongside Tim Garland with the Jazz Orchestra and played in the Bauhaus Band with John Harle and Marc Almond.
Melissa Doody is a Viola player from Derbyshire. Her musical upbringing was mainly around her local music centre, the North East Derbyshire Music Centre, and playing for her local youth orchestra, the City of Derbyshire Youth Orchestra. From there, she went on to attend the Sheffield Music Academy every Saturday and play for the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and now performs with also a part of a harp, flute and viola trio called the Asteria Trio. Melissa is also a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Air Cadets and has worked with the National Concert Band.
Originally from Taiwan, Viola player Melody Cheng has trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the New England Conservatory in Boston. She is deeply committed to the idea of using music as a means to connect people and make a positive impact in communities. She has performed in Music for Food – a musician-led initiative in fighting hunger throughout the United States founded by violist Kim Kashkashian – as well as Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind project designed for people living with dementia.
Violinist Tayfun Bomboz is from London and attended the Tower Hamlets music service every Saturday growing up. Tayfun was involved in playing at the London Olympic opening ceremony with other east London borough children alongside LSO members and had the chance to record Elgar at Abbey Road. During his studies at the Purcell School for Young Musicians, he performed recitals at Wigmore Hall and Milton Court, as well as taking part in London Schools Symphony Orchestra and doing several concerts at the Barbican. He went on to study at the Royal College of Music where he discovered his passion for performing Opera Music.
Enabling players to devote themselves fully to the experience of being in the orchestra, every Fellowship place is free and every player receives a bursary. More than just an orchestra, it is a community where promising young talents can find their own voice and creative strengths, fulfil personal goals, make lasting contacts, and take their musicianship to new frontiers.
