UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 17 JANUARY 2022
Birmingham Royal Ballet has launched a new Student-in-Residence scheme, which runs from January to December 2022. BMus cello student, Lucy Samuels, has been selected to join the scheme and will get the opportunity to play in rehearsals with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet, for one calendar year.
Throughout the scheme, Lucy will be mentored by members of the orchestra and Principal Conductor Paul Murphy.
Following a competitive audition process, Paul Murphy said: “I am delighted to welcome Lucy Samuels as the inaugural Student-in-Residence with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Lucy is an extremely musical cellist with a beautiful sound, and I feel confident that she will benefit hugely from this scheme.
“I am especially grateful to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for its support throughout the audition process and for providing such a high standard of applicants. I look forward to developing our ongoing partnership."
Lucy said: "I'm incredibly excited to have been offered this position and grateful to everyone at the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for both the opportunity and their support throughout the process.
“I'm excited to get started and for the new experiences I'm about to encounter. I've danced for longer than I have played the cello, so ballet has always been a keen interest of mine, and feels like the perfect opportunity for me to merge two of my great passions. Being able to play alongside professional players will allow me to draw on their experience and improve my own playing – and what a pleasure to do it as part of such an incredible institution.”
Lucy’s first London session with the Sinfonia is on 4 February at Henry Wood Hall, London, where she will be involved in rehearsals for Birmingham Royall Ballet's new production of Minkus's 'Don Quixote'.
Photo © Matthew Phillips