Musicians of sinfonia ViVA
Jeremy Cornes
Timpani / Percussion
On what makes sinfonia ViVA special...
For me being a Core Member of the Orchestra is different. In all my other work I am an extra, which means that I have to wait to be 'invited' to play. With ViVA I get the advanced schedules and know which work I am required for. This makes it easier to plan my movements. Also, I have been playing with the Orchestra for many years and have come to know many of the players and staff very well and consider some of them to be personal friends rather than work colleagues.
On a typical day with sinfonia ViVA...
A typical day working with sinfonia ViVA often starts the day before. I have to supply and transport all the Percussion instruments needed. Once I have the repertoire list from Matthew LAX [Concert Manager], I check with my database to find out what I need to bring. Then, often the night before, I drive to my store to organise and load the required instruments. Very occasionally I'll need to hire something, so that will mean a trip to Bell Percussion in Acton.
I live in London so have to drive to wherever the concert, rehearsal or whatever is taking place. For Derby, depending on the time of day, I will usually leave about 3 to 3.5 hours before I'm due to play. This is to allow time for any hold ups and for setting up the Percussion instruments. So by the time the rehearsal starts I have been 'working' for about 5 to 6 hours already! Then we do the rehearsal which is usually 3 hours long with a 15 minute break. After that I have to reset for the concert. Then I'll go and have something to eat (we usually get between 1.5 to 2 hours between rehearsal and concert), come back to change and then do the concert.
Afterwards I have to pack up the gear, get changed, load the van and then drive home! Quite often I go back via my store to unload everything (and possibly reload for the next day) and eventually (having driven around for a while trying to find somewhere to park) get home, have a cup of tea (well, perhaps something a little stronger) and go to bed.
On personal fulfillment through involvement with ViVA outreach and education projects...
I have enjoyed all the education/outreach work I've done with ViVA. All the projects have been very different and so the rewards vary. With small children it's great to see the amazement on their faces when I get out a pair of Cymbals or a big Gong. With the older ones it's great to see their sense of achievement when they have performed the piece that they have written! And with adults it's nice to meet new people from a different environment and to get feed back from them when they have achieved something they didn't think they were capable of.
Read full biography (PDF document)