With the clubhouse closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have all been finding ways to stay connected and engaged with the outside world. For the young musicians, artists and writers we have the privilege of supporting, it is also their aim to stay creative. Take a look at some of the ways in which ROSL alumni are making sure their artistic output isn’t diminished by the isolation we all find ourselves currently in
MUSIC AT HOME
Saxophonist Jonathan Radford, winner of the Gold Medal at the 2018 Annual Music Competition, performs his own arrangement of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. He writes:
“I’ve always been enchanted by Barber’s Adagio for strings/Agnus Dei for choir and have often thought how great it might sound for saxophones. The lockdown period has been an opportunity for me to try new ideas, one of which being making my first multitrack video. When ROSL Arts invited us to make short films for the ROSL at Home series I though it was the perfect opportunity to combine these two ideas. The project took on an extra dimension when during a walk I noticed the way the sun was shinning through some trees next to where I am spending lockdown in Suffolk, I was mesmerised by the beauty of the light and thought it would be great to include in my short film.”
Pianist Ashley Fripp, winner of ROSL Keyboard Prize at the 2011 Annual Music Competition, plays Chopin’s Impromptu No 1 in A flat major, Op 29 from home. Of the video, Ashley said:
“I am so grateful to ROSL for this wonderful initiative to keep the creation of music and audience’s engagement with it alive during these uncertain times. It is amazing to feel so supported by a family at the moment who are doing everything possible to keep the arts and creativity alive using all the media possible. It is simply amazing! For my home recording, I wanted to play Chopin’s first impromptu principally for its ineffably carefree nature. It bubbles with unshadowed joy in its outer sections and even the central section, in the minor key, has a radiance and charm to it. The piece simply offers such happiness and positivity at this time that, for four minutes, it is so easy to lose oneself and just adore life again.”
Violinist Eleanor Corr, winner of the ROSL Strings Prize at this year’s Annual Music Competition plays Joc from Baladă și joc for Two Violins by Ligeti, quite a feat when in isolation! Watch her perform alongside herself and we look forward to her returning to compete for the Gold Medal at the AMC later in the year.
Missing attending the Annual Music Competition? Worry not, we’re bringing the best of our musical alumni to you! Enjoy this specially curated Spotify playlist, which features prizewinners from the past decade of the AMC, from 2010 Gold Medal winner Jonathan McGovern baritone, all the way up to last year’s winner of the Keyboard Prize Joseph Havlat piano.
ART AT HOME
Looking to improve your drawing skills? Then why not join artist Francis Martin, who will take you through the steps of how to draw a spherical object in our first Draw at Home video. All you need is a pencil, paper and a spherical household object! Francis will be back with more videos before joining us at the clubhouse later in the year for a class. He is a widely exhibited, award winning artist; experienced teacher; and graduate of The Royal Drawing School and Winchester School of Art.
Learn the secrets of portraiture from Josie Deighton. The Royal Drawing School graduate, artist and teacher, who you may remember from life drawing classes at the clubhouse last year, shares her knowledge of drawing portraits in this easy-to-follow video.
Submit your own anonymous postcard artwork and help to raise money for the arts and education programmes ROSL supports around the Commonwealth and beyond
At the beginning of 2020, ROSL launched the call for entries to be displayed at our Ingcognito charity exhibition in December 2020. We are inviting artists to create and donate ‘postcard’ artworks to be exhibited anonymously, and in this callout we asked artists to send their postal information to receive a pack later this year. Considering many of us are currently in isolation, we would like to share the artwork requirements with the hope that this charity project can give a creative focus to some of our time indoors.
- Each artwork is to be on A6 card or paper (105 x 148 mm, 4.1 x 5.8 in)
- Please do not sign the front of the work, the sale is anonymous.
- On the reverse, please write your name and sign the work here, also include artwork title, media used and if you are able, please include any contact information (website, social media, email address) so the buyer may find out more about you.
- There is no limit to the number of artworks that can be submitted.
Please post submissions to ROSL ARTS, Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1LR. If the work meets the above requirements the artwork will be offered for sale on a first-come, first-served basis for £50, with the artist’s name only revealed after the artwork is purchased.
Taking place in December 2020, this is the third edition of our Incognito charity art exhibition and sale. Following the success of the 2016 and 2018 editions, which presented over 307 submissions and raised over £6,000, we are looking forward to 2020 and seeing what is created and donated. All the money raised from each sale will go to support the work of the ROSL Trust (Charity No.306095), focusing on our work encouraging and enabling arts education around the globe.
Sale Launch Tuesday 15 December, exhibition open until 2021.
For further information please contact Eilidh McCormick, ROSL Visual Arts Curator
0207 408 0214 x213
Why not take part in ROSL's biennial charity exhibition
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