Interview with Ella Taylor

 

Our next soloist is Soprano Ella Taylor (They/Them).

Ella hails from Sheffield.  They joined Sheffield Cathedral Choir aged ten, and went on to study a BMus in Music at The University of Sheffield.  They are now an emerging star, part of the one percent of opera singers who are trans and dedicated to performing work by people underrepresented in classical music.

Winner of Second Prize at the 2020 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Ella Taylor is a soprano with a passion for performing contemporary music and works by women and gender non-conforming artists. They graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, where they gained Distinction in MA Performance, a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital and the Charles Norman Prize and during 2019 / 2020 were a Young Artist at London’s National Opera Studio.

Ella singing Mahler Symphony No. 2 with Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2023

Ella will be singing Clara Schumann’s 6 Lieder Op. 13 (newly arranged for voice and orchestra by George Morton), and rejoining us for the last movement of Mahler Symphony No. 4.  They will also be joining musicologist, blogger, and Sheffield Philharmonic 2nd Trumpet player, Alex Burns for a pre-concert talk at 7pm diving into the unique challenges and inspirations behind this programme.

We caught up with Ella to ask a few questions of our own:

How do you approach interpreting such different musical styles, thinking particularly of balancing Clara Schumann’s romantic Lieder with something more expansive like a Mahler Symphony?

To be honest my approach remains largely the same for both – you start with the translation and meaning of the text and go from there. The most important thing for me in a performance is honesty and emotional connection to what you’re singing.

 

You’ve worked extensively with new music and premiered works with socially relevant themes. How do you prepare differently for premieres compared to performing established classical repertoire like Mahler or Schumann?

Normally the only difference between preparing new repertoire and ‘established’ rep is simply that the music is less idiomatic and therefore take more time to learn. Equally a composer might have very specific performance instructions that are outside the realm of traditional singing technique. Everything else very much remains the same though! Nothing to do but sit down at the piano and get it learnt.

 

You’ve been described as having ‘a voice of tempered steel, wrapped in a warm velvet cloak.’ How does this description resonate with how you feel about your voice and vocal technique?

It feels like everything I strive for in my vocal technique – a core of strength but a beautiful sound that people want to listen to.

 

As a performer with a passion for contemporary music and works by underrepresented artists, how do you see the role of gender and identity shaping the future of opera and classical music?

I think gender has always shaped the history of opera, particularly in the case of baroque operas. It would be nice if in the future we remembered the inherent playfulness of opera, and that all genders and bodies have a right to take part in it. As for classical music, I think that entirely depends on society at large – until we strip ourselves of the burden of gender stereotypes then an industry like classical music will never move forward in that way, as it essentially has an interest in keeping the status quo.

 

As someone originally from Sheffield, how does it feel to return and perform with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra? What role does community and home play in your musical journey?

I adore coming home to sing in Sheffield, having not only grown up here but also attended university here. The city is incredibly important to me and the community of musicians both professional and amateur is an amazing one. Being a travelling musician is often a lonely and solitary life, so being able to come home is a real treat – I always try and then take a week off so I can actually enjoy my time here outside of work!

Ella Taylor is an artist on a remarkable trajectory.  Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience their voice with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets are still available, so be sure to reserve your seat at this special musical homecoming!

A Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra Mystery: Part 1

Earlier this year it was brought to our attention that there was a mystery document we might be interested in the  Special Collections Library at the University of Leeds.  The document was a 4 page concert programme from a Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the ‘Albert Hall’ on Friday 23rd April, and ‘a portion of the programme for the Orchestra’s Senior Concert, April 21, 1903’.

This documents were curious to us because – as far as we understood – the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1945!  So in May we went on a little field trip over to West Yorkshire to see the document for ourselves and here’s what we found out:

As advised on the online catalogue, the clipping (from another SPO concert at the ‘Albert Hall’) had the date 21 April 1903 on it, but the 4 page programme wasn’t dated at all, it only said Friday April 23rd.

Reproduced with the permission of Special Collections, Leeds University Library, Brotherton Collection, H-She-7.5 SHE

The 1903 date was a Tuesday, but it said “In grateful remembrance of… Ebenezer Prout (The late Professor Prout conducted performances by this society of his 3rd Symphony and Triumphal March on the above date)”.  So April 21 1903 was not the date of the programme, but it indicates that Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra existed as early as 1903.

Reproduced with the permission of Special Collections, Leeds University Library, Brotherton Collection, H-She-7.5 SHE

So, how can we date these programmes?  And where was the venue?

A quick Google told us more about the concert venue; The Albert Hall stood in Barker’s Pool on the corner of Burgess Street, Sheffield. It opened as a concert hall on 15th December 1873, but was converted into a cinema after the First World War.  On 14th July 1937, following a showing of “Black Legion” starring Humphrey Bogart, a disastrous fire took hold of the building.  After World War II the land was bought by the Sheffield Corporation as the site for the new law courts but these were never built here, and in 1963 Cole Brothers Department store (a subsidiary of the John Lewis Partnership) was built on the Albert Hall site.  Read more here

As for the date – years when the 23rd April fell on a Friday in the early 20th Century left us with the following possibilities:  1909, 1915, 1920, 1926, 1937, 1943.

The programme also listed the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, and the Master Cutler as Patrons: Henry Kenyon Stephenson, DSO (elected in 1908), and Douglas Vickers (1908-1911).

Sir Henry Kenyon Stephenson, 1st Baronet DSO (1865 – 1947)

Douglas Vickers (1861 – 1937)

So, it seems likely that the concert was on 23 April 1909.  But the clipping concert date was still unknown.

Reproduced with the permission of Special Collections, Leeds University Library, Brotherton Collection, H-She-7.5 SHE

This was all incredibly exciting to learn, but it raised so many more questions than answers.


Keep your eye on our blog for Part 2 when we will take a deeper dive into the history of our orchestra.

Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra’s 79th Annual Concert Season 2024-25

The Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted to announce its 79th Annual Concert Season!  We are thrilled to present an exciting and diverse lineup of performances for the 2024-25 season.  Here’s what we have in store:

Concert 1: Clara, Gustav, and the Chevalier
Venue: Victoria Hall, Sheffield, S1 2JB
Conductor: George Morton
Soprano: Ella Taylor

Join us for a night of exquisite music featuring the works of Clara Schumann, Gustav Mahler, and Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.  The highlights of this concert will be a world premier arrangement of Clara Schuman’s 6 Lieder Op. 13, showcasing the incredible voice of Ella Taylor, who will return to the stage for the second half of the concert as the Mahler 4 Angel.

Concert 2: Christmas with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra
Venue: Victoria Hall, Sheffield, S1 2JB
Guest Conductor: Helen Harrison

We’ll be getting into the festive spirit with our annual family Christmas concert.  This heartwarming event is perfect for all ages and features a variety of seasonal favourites.  This year we will be joined by Guest Conductor, Helen Harrison.

Concert 3: Classical Weekend 2025
Venue: TBC
Conductor: George Morton

2025 marks a significant milestone as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary.  We have lots of exciting special performances planned and this concert promises to be one of the highlights of our season!

Stay tuned for more details about this special performance as part of the Classical Sheffield Festival.

Concert 4: From Acorn to Oak
Venue: Victoria Hall, Sheffield, S1 2JB
Conductor: George Morton
Soprano: Matilda Lloyd

Celebrate 80 years of musical excellence with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra.  This concert features a captivating programme that honors our rich musical heritage and showcases exceptional talent.

Programme:

Daniel Whibley - Birthday Fanfare (Played by the SPO Brass Section)
William Sterndale Bennett - Die Waldnymphe, Op. 20 (Celebrating a Sheffield composer)
Oskar Böhme - Trumpet Concerto, Op. 18 (Featuring soloist Matilda Lloyd)
Amy Beach - Symphony in E Minor, Op. 32 "Gaelic" (The first symphony composed and published by an American woman)

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We are proud to present newly commissioned works and arrangements this season, including Daniel Whibley's Birthday Fanfare and George Morton's orchestration of Clara Schumann's 6 Lieder Op. 13.  Concerts will feature the exceptional talents of top class soloists soprano Ella Taylor and trumpeter Matilda Lloyd.

The Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) has been a pillar of the musical community since its founding in 1945 by Herman Lindars.  Originally known as the 'Sheffield Amateur Symphony Orchestra,' the SPO has a rich history of fostering local talent and providing high-quality musical performances.  Our commitment remains steadfast: to perform a broad repertoire of music and host engaging concerts that delight both regular attendees and the local community.

For ticket information and purchases, please visit Ticket Tailor.

Join us for an unforgettable season of music, celebration, and community!

Welcome to the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra’s first Blog post!

We’ll be using this blog to keep you up to date with news and give you an insight into our activities as we make music in the Steel City.

Thanks for reading!

From the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra