City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra
Autumn Concert
12th November 2023 at 3.00pm
Conductor: Bjorn Bantock
Piano: Jeremy Young
Queen Katharine Academy
Programme Includes:
Beethoven: Overture 'The Creatures of Prometheus'
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Next Concerts
Spring 2024 - 17th March 2024
Vaughan Williams – Folk Song Suite
Bright – Apkallu Protector
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Summer 2024 - 22nd June 2024
Programme Note
A programme of superb music from two great classical composers.
In the ballet “The Creatures of Prometheus” Prometheus makes a man and a woman from clay and needs both fire and music to bring them to life. Beethoven’s Overture with its emphatic opening chords and vivacious writing for the strings is now a favourite concert piece with echoes of Mozart and looking forward to Schubert.
At the outset of Beethoven’s third piano concerto a mysterious C minor chord theme generates contrast and drama. The slow movement in the daring key of E major transports us to a world of sublime serenity and the following Rondo drives the work to a brilliant conclusion.
Sibelius’ popular second symphony expresses the dark, mist-shrouded forests of his native Finland despite composing the work largely in Italy whilst sampling the good life! Multiple fragments are woven into huge melodic canvasses. In the slow movement experience the brooding tension and ultimate despairing gesture from the whole orchestra. The last movement grows relentlessly until the glorious unveiling of one of music’s finest tunes. The heroic brass-capped final bars bring the symphony to an epic conclusion!
Bjorn has an extensive performance schedule conducting ensembles and orchestras internationally. He is principal conductor of the Irish Memory Orchestra and has been a guest conductor for the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town, the European Bienniale in Naples and the Svanker Music Festival. Bjorn was also principal conductor for the St Albans Symphony Orchestra, the London Medical Orchestra, the Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, the Europa Ensemble and the Film Score Spectacular Orchestra and the International String Orchestra Festival in Malta.
Passionate about teaching, Bjorn runs the Conducting Course for the National Schools Symphony Orchestra course in Malvern College and the Conducting Course for the Open Strings Festival in Denmark. He also founded and is principal conductor for the London Chamber Strings which showcases London’s finest string professionals. Hand-picked specifically for their musical integrity and stunning virtuosity the London Chamber Strings are led by David Juritz.
Bjorn regularly conducts the Hertfordshire Philharmonia and worked as conductor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the London Contemporary Dance School and the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain. He has broadcast live on the SABC, BBC and S4C and has recorded and produced CD’s for the Kingsway Record label. Bjorn studied conducting with Colin Metters, Head of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He has won numerous prizes, bursaries and scholarships including first prize in the Sir John Barbirolli competition, RNCM Contemporary Music Performance Prize and a Full International ABRSM Scholarship.
Equally at home as a performer, composer and educator Jeremy has a unique artistic voice that has adapted to the changing musical landscape and gained him a reputation as one of Europe’s most versatile musicians.
As a collaborative pianist Jeremy has partnered many of the worlds most distinguished musicians including Sasha Sitkovetsky, Olivier Charlier, Mark Padmore, Julian Bliss, Liwei Qin, Peter Cropper, Roderick Williams, and Karine Georgian. He has performed with ensembles including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Psappha and Piano Circus, and alongside world leading string quartets such as the Elias, Talich, Heath, Benyounes and Quatour Voce. He has performed globally appearing in venues such as the Lincoln Center (New York), Herbst Theater (San Fransisco), Esplanade Hall (Singapore), Almaty Concert Hall (Kazakhstan), Shenzhen Concert Hall (China) Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, The Arts House (Singapore), Hsingchu Concert Hall (Taiwan), Bridgewater Hall (Manchester) and London’s Wigmore Hall. He has performed concerti under the baton of Sir Richard Hickox and Marcus Stenz.
Jeremy has broadcast for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, RTÉ Lyric FM, BBCTV, Channel 4 and radio in USA, China, Russia and much of Europe. His critically acclaimed recordings are available on EMI Asia, Decca, Sony, Hyperion, Meridian, Signum, Champs Hill, Somm and Naxos. His playing can also be heard on TV and films including recent releases such as ‘Supernova’ and ‘Munich-The Edge of War’.
An internationally recognised teacher, Jeremy has given performance classes at universities in Texas, Connecticut, Chicago and Lancaster in the USA, Yong-Siew Toh Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, Hsingchu University in Asia, and in Europe at the Sibelius Academy (Finland), Conservatorio di Verona, Yehudi Menuhin School, Purcell School, Royal Academy of Music, Tunnell Trust and the European Chamber Music Academy.
Jeremy has also had a long-standing relationship with theatre. As a young actor he was represented by the Sylvia Young Agency and appeared on stage in the West End in Alan Bennet’s ’40 Years On’ and the BBC drama ‘Bluebells’. He was the Musical Director for the West End production of Howard Blakes ‘The Snowman’ for 10 years and has worked as solo pianist for ‘American in Paris’ at the Dominion Theatre and has played keyboard on a number of West End shows.
Jeremy is a published composer for EMI/KPM with his music being used on TV shows across the globe. Recent sync’s include BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Fox US, HBO and Channel 5 amongst many others. His music is inspired and informed by his eclectic musical tastes and his diverse and varied career.
In 2006 Jeremy co-founded the South Downs Summer Music Festival in Sussex which he directed for 10 years and of which he remains the Chairman. He is the Artistic Director of the RNCM Chamber Music Festival which has received praise for its innovative programming and outreach work.
Jeremy Young was able to study at the Purcell School of Music through the UK government Specialist Music and Dance Scheme that supports young talented musicians, he went on to gain scholarships to study at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music.
He is currently Head of Chamber Music and Senior Tutor in Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester UK.