Second Prize, Gaudeamus Comp 2011!

I am thrilled to report that I did myself proud in Amsterdam (April 10-17) at the Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition for contemporary music, winning the Second Prize of 2,250 euros and a lot of prestige, of course!

There is no doubt that without the help and support of musicians Alan Thomas, Di Xiao, Ruth Faber, Erika Waardenburg, Hugh Webb, Thomas Hewitt Jones and others, I would not have made it as far as I did. Everything I achieved during that week was the result of long and arduous preparations, a deep love for the inside of my harp room! and being open to receive criticism, new ideas and any advice that people were willing to offer me.

During the first few days of my 10day stay in Amsterdam I wrote several illuminating postcards to my son, my parents and my boyfriend, mostly expressing a desperate wish to go home! I became ill with sinisitis on day 2 (this is basically a blocked head!) and by the 4th day of me being there, when I finally got to perform my first round programme, I had adjusted to the loneliness, the constant physical and mental practise every day (great for polishing off the memory of a few of my pieces!) and the idea that I WAS good enough and I DID belong.

Competitions are as much about mental stamina, visualisation and endurance as they are about the music - having said that, the music should and must come first, always. I thoroughly enjoyed ditching my princess garb for some trousers and a top in round 1, and a Whistles jump suit that I found in a charity shop for one of my round 2 programmes (the 15 semi-finalists had to play twice on consecutive days) - however, for the Grand Final in the beautiful main hall of the Muziekgebouw Aant Ij, I admit that I donned a dress at last!

So, from performance number 1 on the Wednesday, when the jury chose to hear 'Whizzer' (c.2 mins) from Childsplay by Gareth Glyn and Reminiscences of Tranquillity by Yinam Leef (c.8 mins) I was really living the experience of being there, in the thick of it! I felt a huge weight had lifted after I finally got to perform and from then on, the focus came with purpose and utter determination. The postcards of doom stopped and were replaced by phone calls of positivity after a good day's prep or performing.

The semi-finalists (15 went through from around 100 first round competitors - soloists and ensembles) were in two stages, each 15 minutes of music in a twenty minute time slot. We were allowed to choose the first of our programmes and I selected 'Tratti' by Ig Henneman, 'Water Wheel' from Childsplay by Gareth Glyn as a linking piece then 'Dance of the Night Insects' by Raymond Murray Schafer.
There is a photo of me performing this on flickr but I don't know how to link to that yet!

On the second day of round 2 I had to play some more movements from The Crown of Ariadne by Schafer, in a VERY dry room - that was hard work! Even the crotales (tuned antique brass cymbals), lent to me by renowned percussionist Owen Gunnel didn't resonate much in that room. There's a video on youtube of clips from a few of the performances, including mine, from this day:

For the final in the Muziekgebouw, the five finalists were each allowed twenty minutes. The jury chose our progammes from pieces they had already heard us perform, which was great - we all felt they chose pieces that would give us the best possible chance. I played Tratti again and lots of Schafer. It felt FABULOUS to be up on a raised platform in the Muziekgebouw (all my kit was on a riser that was rolled forward - exciting!) but the riser wobbled and vibrated and I had to use a felt food pad (as my feet were so boomy in the ankle bell dance) that I was literally stitching together in my dressing room (remember the needle and thread I always pack - essential!). So, a mixed experience but in general a great one. Afterwards, I was thrilled to hear the jury telling me that my performance of Tratti was 'electrifying' and held them all the way through!

This was in no small part due to meeting Ig Henneman on the Sunday when I arrived in Amsterdam. That was one of the highlights of the trip for me! What an inspiring session we had on Tratti - it gave me a tremendous boost for the week and completely transformed my playing of her music. Ig was lovely but incredibly focused and knew exactly what she wanted from her music. I loved working with her. I also got to play for Edward Mebius, whose beautiful 'Mirror' I sadly never got to play in the competition! Again, playing for Edward and hearing his reaction to my interpretation was invaluable - so many subtle changes were induced that transformed the piece!! Another highlight for my week and inspiration for months to come, I know.

One more composer that I got to meet during my trip was the capricious Carlos Michans - Argentinean born composer who settled in the Netherlands many years ago. We had such a fun meeting and I didn't have to play a note. It was like Christmas when he opened his bag and presented me with various scores...I shall say no more until performing this music is a reality, but that was a pretty dreamy moment, poring over freshly printed scores of great new music. I left that meeting buzzing and enthused, also!

Well, I cannot linger longer on the computer when I have a harp that is waiting to be plucked - plucked, and struck and maybe scraped! For tonight, Matthew, my harp IS......a flamenco guitar! For those of you who don't get the 'Stars in your Eyes' reference, sorry, but I am excited because this morning I am practising Baroque Flamenco by Deborah Henson-Conant.

Thanks for reading!

Eleanor Turner