Musicians of sinfonia ViVA

Nic Fallowfield
Violin

On what makes sinfonia ViVA special...

Every orchestra has its own character. Freelance groups such as ViVA have, in my experience, a livelier, more mercurial temperament than, say, contract symphony orchestras such as the CBSO and the Hallé. Working daily with the same group of players becomes a 'job' and all too easily settles into a routine for many. Conversely, when ViVA meets we come together having been undertaking a wide range of different musical activities, and friends and colleagues of years standing may be seeing each other and playing together for the first time in weeks. Each date is therefore in some way 'special.

In my twenty-plus years with ViVA I've made firm friends and had many memorable musical experiences, both orchestral and in chamber music. Many in the orchestra have been good enough to come and play concertos with orchestras that I conduct.

The atmosphere is warm, friendly and supportive and the mens' bandroom a wonderfully witty place, at times hilariously coarse and irreverent.

On a typical day with sinfonia ViVA...

I'm happy to say there's really no such thing as a typical day. Living as I do in the West Midlands, working for ViVA involves a fair bit of time in the car. An education project may involve trying to find a school on the outskirts of, say, Lincoln for 9am. Rehearsal days usually start at 2pm. The conductor may be a known quantity, or a newcomer, which is of course interesting. Repertoire is huge, endless: old and familiar, new and challenging, rewarding or...not.

As co-leader I have certain responsibilities, including learning any leader's solos there may be, in case of emergencies. Sometimes, when Benedict Holland is not on, I'll be leading myself. Solos bring an added pressure and excitement. Many players will be familiar but there may well be new faces. I like to think ViVA is a friendly orchestra, welcoming to new players.

I had an embarrassing conversation in the queue for coffee a couple of years ago -

• [self] "Hi, have you been into the Orchestra before?"
• [new player] "Well yes, but you weren't on for that date."
• [self] "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before."
• [new player] "Yes, you used to teach me!"

Concert venues have their own pecularities. Players are much exercised by how easy (and expensive) it is to park, and to eat. Acoustics, temperature - many factors can influence one's experience and some halls are notorious for one thing or another. At the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham there is often a draught from backstage which will unexpectedly turn your music on occasion.

On personal fulfilment through involvement with ViVA outreach and education projects...

Working with James [Redwood] has been stimulating, memorable and immensely enjoyable - particularly the Bess of Hardwick project - but a project from years back sticks in my memory for many reasons.

I was involved in an instrument-building project, led by Duncan Chapman, with a group of young offenders under the auspices of NACRO. We began by scouring Derby for raw materials; carpet tubes, hub-caps, oildrums, anything that could conceivably be beaten into shape, polished, decorated and made to produce music. We worked in a large warehouse and the last part of each day was given over to improvising music with the new instruments. Gradually a large-scale piece emerged which ultimately was performed in the Assembly Rooms.

The opening was magical: everyone on the project had made a rain-stick and with the lights down and the hall silent we made our way from various parts of the auditorium, slowly processing onto the stage, 'playing' the rain-sticks as we went. From there the piece began: I don't recall it now, other than making wonderful sounds hitting the end of a large carpet tube with a padded table-tennis bat.

The young men - and they were all men - rose to the challenge. After an inauspicious start to the project - not one of the group turned up for the initial planning session at 11am, living, as they did, an almost nocturnal existence - they gradually formed into a cohesive, supportive group, showing great enthusiasm and creativity.

Some weeks after that final concert I had a call from one of them: he was ringing to let me know he'd got himself a job, working as a chef in a pub in Derby.

Read full biography (PDF document)