Alumni take Mahler to the Alps

Several NCO alumni will take Mahler’s Symphony No.9 on tour across five locations with the St. Peter's Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). Can you help fundraise?

SPCO is comprised of the University of Oxford’s finest musicians. The chamber orchestra brings together players of an exceptionally high calibre to work on a diverse repertoire. This year their focus is on the music of Mahler and, in particular, his Ninth Symphony.

In July, the musicians embark on an exciting tour to the three composing huts in the Alps where Mahler spent time in the early 1900s, and two other locations. Conducted by John Warner, their unique performances will take place at Toblach in Northern Italy (birthplace of Symphony No. 9) and at the other two huts on the Wörthersee and the Attersee lakes in Austria. SPCO will also perform in the city of Salzburg and at Lake Bled in Slovenia.

Several of the musicians involved in the project are ex-NCO. Ben Cartlidge (NCO 2000), a violinist, is leader of SPCO and a Professor of Classics at St John’s College, Oxford. Dan Mort (NCO 2005-2006) is a clarinetist in the orchestra and has recently fully qualified as a doctor of medicine. Ellie Winter (NCO 2007-2009), a cellist, graduated from Pembroke College last year with a BA in Music. Ellie is now focusing on becoming a professional musician.

Ellie said: “Performing Mahler’s Symphony No.1 when Peter Stark conducted the NCO Main Orchestra in 2009 was the first time I was exposed to his music. It genuinely changed the trajectory of my life – and those moments were a leading factor in my application to study music at Oxford.”

She continues: “I was lucky enough to have some input into the repertoire we perform in SPCO’s, so my experiences of performing Mahler with NCO have had a direct input into this exciting project.”

SPCO are working hard to meet a fundraising target of £6,000 for the Alpine Mahler Tour. Each donation received will go towards the tour’s running costs. It the target is exceeded, additional donations will support members of SPCO who would otherwise struggle to pay for their involvement in the project.

Message from SPCO: “Please help us get Mahler to the Alps! We are so excited to be taking Mahler’s stunning Ninth Symphony back to the Alpine landscapes it was written in. SPCO is the first orchestra to perform it at each of Mahler's composing huts, spanning three countries (Italy, Austria and Slovenia). Any help you can give will go a very long way."

If you would like to support SPCO’s project, please visit their Crowdfunder page. You can also help spread the word by following SPCO on Twitter or connecting with them through Facebook and Instagram.

Above: Ellie rehearses with SPCO © Zak Thomas Johnson