Avison Ensemble
Encyclopedia
The Avison Ensemble is one of England's foremost exponents of classical music on period instruments. It is named after Charles Avison
(1709–1770), the Newcastle
-born composer, conductor and organist, ‘the most important English concerto composer of the 18th Century’. Comprising some of Europe's leading musicians and soloists, the Avison Ensemble is directed by the celebrated period instrument violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk. The Ensemble varies in size depending on the repertoire being performed and is typically of chamber ensemble or concerto grosso
size, expanding up to full symphony
scale.
The Ensemble was formed in 1985 by Newcastle-born cellist and musical director Gordon Dixon after discovering a collection of 18th century music at the back of a cupboard which was found to be a number of concertos by the long-neglected Avison.
Avison wrote more than eighty concertos, which drew the great musicians of the day to perform in Newcastle. He worked with figures such as the astronomer William Herschel
who was leader of Avison’s orchestra, the composer William Shield
(his pupil from Whickham
and to whom is owed the memory of Auld Lang Syne
), the Newcastle glass enameller Ralph Beilby
who was a bass player in Avison’s orchestra, and the English wood engraver Thomas Bewick
, who as a young lad engraved the concert tickets.
Despite having written over eighty string concertos, Avison’s music had been rarely performed since his death, either on modern or period instruments. The Ensemble was formed with the aim of performing, recording and publicising Avison’s works and to bring to public attention the many other neglected British composers of the baroque period, such as John Garth
, Thomas Arne, and William Boyce, as well as performing the traditional repertoire.
, and the dominant force in the musical life of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the surrounding area.
Avison’s two Workbooks are important new sources for the interpretation and performance of his works and these have recently been acquired by the Avison Ensemble. In 2001, with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund
, the first Avison workbook was acquired at Sotheby’s, London. Incredibly, less than a year later, a second workbook was discovered and acquired.
Both manuscripts contain many unpublished works by the composer and several of his contemporaries. Avison's second workbook contains autograph concerto transcriptions of Domenico Scarlatti
's sonatas, scribal manuscripts of Avison’s 12 Concerti Grossi Op.2, heavily revised and annotated in the composer’s hand, and transcriptions in full score of Francesco Geminiani
's Concerti Grossi Op.7 as well as his unpublished arrangements of Geminiani’s Violin Sonatas Opp. 1 and 4.
Both workbooks have been fully restored by a team at Northumbria University
and have been placed on loan to the Newcastle City Library
, now named the Charles Avison Building, for safe-keeping and preservation. The workbooks are central to the Newcastle Local Collections http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/newcastlecollection/charles-avison and feature as part of the Library’s recent Turning the Pages project.
Consisting of some of Europe’s leading baroque musicians and soloists the Ensemble is led by Pavlo Beznosiuk, one of the UK’s leading period instrument virtuoso violinist and leader of the Academy of Ancient Music
. Members of the Ensemble appear regularly in principal positions with the Academy of Ancient Music, Fretwork (music group)
, The Gabrielli Consort, Monteverdi Choir
, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
, and the English Baroque Soloists
, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra , English Concert, The King's Consort, and Les Arts Florissants
.
The Ensemble has also performed under the conductors Benjamin Zander
and Nicholas Kraemer
, and with soloists such as the cellists Anner Bylsma
, Jaap ter Linden
, and Pieter Wispelwey
, pianists Ronald Brautigam
and Alexei Lubimov
, and singers James Bowman
, Robin Blaze
and Catherine Bott
.
The Ensemble is committed to North East England
and to bringing Avison’s music to its audiences. The Ensemble plays regularly in Newcastle’s Assembly Rooms, St. Nicholas
Anglican Cathedral, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Brunswick Methodist Church Newcastle, Durham Cathedral
, The Guildhall Berwick-upon-Tweed
, the Bowes Museum
, The Alnwick Playhouse
, St Nicholas’ Church Guisborough
, Morpeth
, and Chillingham Castle
.
In addition to numerous appearances in the other English regions – most recently at St George's Church, Brandon Hill
, Bristol - the Ensemble has also appeared at St John's, Smith Square
, London, the Foundling Museum
, London (in conjunction with the Handel House Museum
), at Trinity College of Music
in the Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College
, Greenwich, as part of the Greenwich Early Music Festival, and at the Handel Festival, Halle
, in Germany. The Ensemble has performed twice at St. James's Palace
, London with the choir of Her Majesty the Queen’s Chapel Royal, and were the largest orchestra in the opening series at the new London concert hall, Kings Place
, performing an all Beethoven programme on period instruments which included the Triple Concerto. In 2010 the Ensemble will be performing at St James's Church, Piccadilly
.
For two years the Ensemble broadcast live concerts on BBC Radio 3
as part of their ‘Live from the 18th century’ series. The Ensemble spearheaded the extensive programme of events in 2009 celebrating the 300th anniversary of Avison’s birth.
and Divine Art labels, and amongst other recordings the six Cello Concertos by John Garth with Divine Art, and Handel
's Concerti Grossi opus 6 with Linn Records
. The Ensemble's recordings feature regularly on BBC Radio 3
and Classic FM (UK)
playlists.
Youth Orchestra and an annual project with North East
schools. An international music partnership has been established with the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, USA.
The Ensemble also develops concerts in partnership with the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
and enjoys a partnership with the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning (delivered by the University of Sunderland
).
The Ensemble also offers a training ground for young professional musicians to gain experience of period performance practice and styles, affording them the opportunity to work with outstanding directors and soloists.
The annual Avison Ensemble Young Musician’s Awards were set up in 2005 to encourage young musical talent across the North East region. The entrants to the Awards receive tuition and guidance, as well as important encouragement to continue their musical education. The winners of the three age groups are presented with engraved glass trophies created by the North East glass artist Dominic Fonde
which are inscribed with music from the Avison workbooks. The winners also receive a cash prize and the awards are displayed in their schools for a year.
Charles Avison
Charles Avison – 10 May 1770) was an English composer during the Baroque and Classical periods. He was a church organist at St John The Baptist Church in Newcastle and at St. Nicholas's Church...
(1709–1770), the Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
-born composer, conductor and organist, ‘the most important English concerto composer of the 18th Century’. Comprising some of Europe's leading musicians and soloists, the Avison Ensemble is directed by the celebrated period instrument violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk. The Ensemble varies in size depending on the repertoire being performed and is typically of chamber ensemble or concerto grosso
Concerto grosso
The concerto grosso is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and full orchestra...
size, expanding up to full symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
scale.
The Ensemble was formed in 1985 by Newcastle-born cellist and musical director Gordon Dixon after discovering a collection of 18th century music at the back of a cupboard which was found to be a number of concertos by the long-neglected Avison.
Avison wrote more than eighty concertos, which drew the great musicians of the day to perform in Newcastle. He worked with figures such as the astronomer William Herschel
William Herschel
Sir Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS, German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel was a German-born British astronomer, technical expert, and composer. Born in Hanover, Wilhelm first followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, but emigrated to Britain at age 19...
who was leader of Avison’s orchestra, the composer William Shield
William Shield
William Shield was an English composer, violinist and violist who was born in Swalwell near Gateshead, the son of William Shield and his wife, Mary, née Cash.-Life and musical career:...
(his pupil from Whickham
Whickham
Whickham is a town in North East England, four miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne and four and a half miles west of Gateshead. Whickham is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Its postal address is Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne. Whickham is situated on high ground overlooking the...
and to whom is owed the memory of Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song . It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight...
), the Newcastle glass enameller Ralph Beilby
Ralph Beilby
Ralph Beilby was an English engraver, working chiefly on silver and copper.He was the son of William Beilby, a jeweller and goldsmith of Durham who later moved to Newcastle upon Tyne to look for better opportunities. Ralph became a silversmith, jeweller, and seal-engraver under his father and...
who was a bass player in Avison’s orchestra, and the English wood engraver Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick was an English wood engraver and ornithologist.- Early life and apprenticeship :Bewick was born at Cherryburn House in the village of Mickley, in the parish of Ovingham, Northumberland, England, near Newcastle upon Tyne on 12 August 1753...
, who as a young lad engraved the concert tickets.
Despite having written over eighty string concertos, Avison’s music had been rarely performed since his death, either on modern or period instruments. The Ensemble was formed with the aim of performing, recording and publicising Avison’s works and to bring to public attention the many other neglected British composers of the baroque period, such as John Garth
John Garth (composer)
John Garth was an English composer, born in Harperley, near Witton-le-Wear, Co. Durham.-Life:On 23 June 1742 Garth became a freemason at the lodge meeting at the The Bird and Bush in Saddler Street, Durham....
, Thomas Arne, and William Boyce, as well as performing the traditional repertoire.
Workbooks and the Avison Archive
As the author of An Essay on Musical Expression (1752), Avison was a pioneer in the field of musical aestheticsAesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, and the dominant force in the musical life of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the surrounding area.
Avison’s two Workbooks are important new sources for the interpretation and performance of his works and these have recently been acquired by the Avison Ensemble. In 2001, with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, the first Avison workbook was acquired at Sotheby’s, London. Incredibly, less than a year later, a second workbook was discovered and acquired.
Both manuscripts contain many unpublished works by the composer and several of his contemporaries. Avison's second workbook contains autograph concerto transcriptions of Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti
Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
's sonatas, scribal manuscripts of Avison’s 12 Concerti Grossi Op.2, heavily revised and annotated in the composer’s hand, and transcriptions in full score of Francesco Geminiani
Francesco Geminiani
thumb|230px|Francesco Geminiani.Francesco Saverio Geminiani was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist.-Biography:...
's Concerti Grossi Op.7 as well as his unpublished arrangements of Geminiani’s Violin Sonatas Opp. 1 and 4.
Both workbooks have been fully restored by a team at Northumbria University
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
and have been placed on loan to the Newcastle City Library
Newcastle City Library
Newcastle City Library is a library in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Completed on 3 March 2009, the building opened on 7 June 2009, and is the city's main public library...
, now named the Charles Avison Building, for safe-keeping and preservation. The workbooks are central to the Newcastle Local Collections http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/newcastlecollection/charles-avison and feature as part of the Library’s recent Turning the Pages project.
Performance activities
The Avison Ensemble performs on period instruments in order to recreate as closely as possible the distinctive sound-world of the late 18th century.Consisting of some of Europe’s leading baroque musicians and soloists the Ensemble is led by Pavlo Beznosiuk, one of the UK’s leading period instrument virtuoso violinist and leader of the Academy of Ancient Music
Academy of Ancient Music
The Academy of Ancient Music is a period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after a previous organisation of the same name of the 18th century. The musicians play on either original instruments or modern copies of...
. Members of the Ensemble appear regularly in principal positions with the Academy of Ancient Music, Fretwork (music group)
Fretwork (music group)
Fretwork is a consort of viols based in England, United Kingdom. Formed in 1986, the group consisted of six players, while it is currently five viols...
, The Gabrielli Consort, Monteverdi Choir
Monteverdi Choir
The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic conviction and extensive repertoire, encompassing music from the early...
, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, founded in 1990 by John Eliot Gardiner, performs Classical and Romantic music, using the principles and original instruments of historically informed performance. The orchestra has recorded symphonies, operas, concertos, and other works of Beethoven,...
, and the English Baroque Soloists
English Baroque Soloists
The English Baroque Soloists is a chamber orchestra playing on period instruments, formed in 1978 by English conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Its repertoire comprises music from the early Baroque period to the Classical period...
, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra , English Concert, The King's Consort, and Les Arts Florissants
Les Arts Florissants (ensemble)
Les Arts Florissants is a Baroque musical ensemble in residence at the Théâtre de Caen in Caen, France. The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979. The ensemble derives its name from the 1685 opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The organization consists of a chamber orchestra...
.
The Ensemble has also performed under the conductors Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander is an American conductor from the United Kingdom.-External links:* *-Interviews:* * * *...
and Nicholas Kraemer
Nicholas Kraemer
Nicholas Kraemer is a British harpsichordist and conductor. Kraemer began his career as a harpsichordist...
, and with soloists such as the cellists Anner Bylsma
Anner Bylsma
Anner Bylsma is a Dutch cellist who plays on both modern, and period instruments in an historically informed baroque style. He took an interest in music from an early age...
, Jaap ter Linden
Jaap ter Linden
Jaap ter Linden is a Dutch cellist, viol player and conductor. He specialises in performance of baroque and classical music on authentic instruments....
, and Pieter Wispelwey
Pieter Wispelwey
Pieter Wispelwey is a Dutch cellist. In 1992 he was the first cellist to receive the Netherlands Music Prize, given to the most promising young musician in the Netherlands. He has come to be regarded as one of the world's leading cello soloists.Pieter Wispelwey was born in Haarlem and grew up in...
, pianists Ronald Brautigam
Ronald Brautigam
Ronald Brautigam is currently one of The Netherlands' most widely respected pianists.Born in Amsterdam, Brautigam studied with Jan Wijn and left to study in London and in the United States...
and Alexei Lubimov
Alexei Lubimov
Alexei Lubimov is a Russian pianist, fortepianist and harpsichordist.Alexei Lubimov studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Heinrich Neuhaus and Lew Naumov...
, and singers James Bowman
James Bowman
James Thomas Bowman CBE is a famous countertenor born in Oxford, England. His career spans opera, oratorio, contemporary music and solo recitals. In 2010 it was announced that he would give his last London concert in 2011 at the Wigmore Hall, although will continue to give recitals outside the...
, Robin Blaze
Robin Blaze
- Childhood and education :The son of a professional golfer Peter, Robin Blaze grew up in Shadwell, near Leeds and was educated at Leeds Grammar School, Uppingham School, and Magdalen College, Oxford....
and Catherine Bott
Catherine Bott
Catherine Bott is a British soprano and a baroque specialist.Following her studies at The King's High School For Girls, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Arthur Reckless, she began her career as a member of the English baroque-jazz crossover group, The Swingle Singers...
.
The Ensemble is committed to North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
and to bringing Avison’s music to its audiences. The Ensemble plays regularly in Newcastle’s Assembly Rooms, St. Nicholas
Newcastle Cathedral
St Nicholas's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne...
Anglican Cathedral, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Brunswick Methodist Church Newcastle, Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
, The Guildhall Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, the Bowes Museum
Bowes Museum
The Bowes Museum has a nationally renowned art collection and is situated in the town of Barnard Castle, Teesdale, County Durham, England.The museum contains an El Greco, paintings by Francisco Goya, Canaletto, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, François Boucher and a sizable collection of decorative art,...
, The Alnwick Playhouse
The Alnwick Playhouse
The Alnwick Playhouse is an arts centre, theatre and cinema in the town of Alnwick in Northumberland, England. It is also the headquarters of the NTC Touring Theatre Company....
, St Nicholas’ Church Guisborough
Guisborough
Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....
, Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
, and Chillingham Castle
Chillingham Castle
Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England. It was the seat of the Grey family and their descendants the Earls of Tankerville from the 13th century until the 1980s. The Chillingham Wild Cattle, formerly associated with the...
.
In addition to numerous appearances in the other English regions – most recently at St George's Church, Brandon Hill
St George's Church, Brandon Hill
St George's is a church in the Clifton area of Bristol, England.It was built between 1821 and 1823 by Sir Robert Smirke in a Greek Revival style...
, Bristol - the Ensemble has also appeared at St John's, Smith Square
St. John's, Smith Square
St John's, Smith Square is a church in the middle of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable Trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored, the internal layout altered somewhat, and is now used as a concert hall....
, London, the Foundling Museum
Foundling Museum
The Foundling Museum in London tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, Britain's first home for abandoned children. The museum houses the nationally important Foundling Hospital Art Collection as well as the Gerald Coke Handel Collection, the world's greatest privately amassed collection of...
, London (in conjunction with the Handel House Museum
Handel House Museum
The Handel House Museum is a museum in Mayfair, London dedicated to the life and works of the German born baroque composer George Frideric Handel, who made his home in London in 1712 and eventually became a British citizen in 1727. Handel was the first occupant of 25 Brook Street, which he rented...
), at Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
in the Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College
Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most...
, Greenwich, as part of the Greenwich Early Music Festival, and at the Handel Festival, Halle
Handel Festival, Halle
The Handel Festival in Halle is an international music festival, concentrating on the music of George Frideric Handel, in the composer's birthplace in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. The festival was founded in 1922 and grew into a center of Handel studies and performance in Europe...
, in Germany. The Ensemble has performed twice at St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
, London with the choir of Her Majesty the Queen’s Chapel Royal, and were the largest orchestra in the opening series at the new London concert hall, Kings Place
Kings Place
Kings Place is a building in London’s Kings Cross area, providing music and visual arts venues combined with seven floors of office space, a home for The Guardian newspaper since December 2008 and the headquarters of Network Rail...
, performing an all Beethoven programme on period instruments which included the Triple Concerto. In 2010 the Ensemble will be performing at St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James’s Church, Piccadilly is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, UK. It was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren....
.
For two years the Ensemble broadcast live concerts on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
as part of their ‘Live from the 18th century’ series. The Ensemble spearheaded the extensive programme of events in 2009 celebrating the 300th anniversary of Avison’s birth.
Recordings
The Avison Ensemble has recorded the complete works of Charles Avison on both the Naxos RecordsNaxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
and Divine Art labels, and amongst other recordings the six Cello Concertos by John Garth with Divine Art, and Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Concerti Grossi opus 6 with Linn Records
Linn Records
Linn Records is a Glasgow-based record label which specialises in classical, jazz and Scottish music. It is part of Linn Products.-History:While Linn engineers were testing their flagship product, the Sondek LP12 turntable, they became frustrated with some of the specialist test LPs they were using...
. The Ensemble's recordings feature regularly on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
and Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
playlists.
Education and outreach activities
At the core of the Avison Ensemble’s activities is the strong programme of educational events including an established partnership developed with GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
Youth Orchestra and an annual project with North East
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
schools. An international music partnership has been established with the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, USA.
The Ensemble also develops concerts in partnership with the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is...
and enjoys a partnership with the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning (delivered by the University of Sunderland
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
).
The Ensemble also offers a training ground for young professional musicians to gain experience of period performance practice and styles, affording them the opportunity to work with outstanding directors and soloists.
The annual Avison Ensemble Young Musician’s Awards were set up in 2005 to encourage young musical talent across the North East region. The entrants to the Awards receive tuition and guidance, as well as important encouragement to continue their musical education. The winners of the three age groups are presented with engraved glass trophies created by the North East glass artist Dominic Fonde
Dominic Fonde
Dominic John Fonde is a British glass artist, working with blown and engraved glass. A typical example of his work is a blown glass plate engraved with an original short story. According to information on his website Fonde uses the drill engraving technique and on rare occasions the sandblasting...
which are inscribed with music from the Avison workbooks. The winners also receive a cash prize and the awards are displayed in their schools for a year.