University News Last updated 04 October 2024
Alumni George Blakesley and Vladyslav Demianov have been welcomed to Sinfonia Smith Square as Fellows for this academic year.
Alumni Vladyslav Demianov and George Blakesley have been invited to join Europe鈥檚 鈥渕ost exciting Fellowship orchestra鈥�, the Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra. The Fellowship programme aims to support the professional development of young musicians and advance their musical careers.
Nestled in the heart of Westminster, Sinfonia Smith Square is a renowned chamber orchestra, which formed when the Southbank Sinfonia and St John鈥檚 Smith Square merged.
Known for its versatile repertoire, the orchestra invites 34 of the world鈥檚 most promising musicians onto its annual Fellowship programme, and this year, alumni Vladyslav and George have earned their places in the orchestra.
Vladyslav will join the orchestra as a bassoonist after graduating from the RBC with a Master鈥檚 in Music, while George, who studied a Master鈥檚 in Instrumental Performance, will play the clarinet.
The programme has been designed to nurture and develop the next generation of orchestral musicians, offering Vladyslav and George the chance to perform with the orchestra and receive mentorship from experienced professionals.
Vladyslav reflects: 鈥淚 was invited to audition for this same Fellowship in 2022. I was living in Ukraine at the time when the war broke out, which meant I couldn鈥檛 travel to London for the audition.
He added: 鈥淭his is such a meaningful step forward in my career, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the orchestra. I must give a lot of credit to my time as a MMus student at RBC, where I had the privilege of studying under my bassoon tutor, Nikolaj Henriques, I couldn鈥檛 have reached this point without the support I received there.鈥�