CUMS I: Who's Who?
Stephen Cleobury
Principal Conductor
Stephen Cleobury has been Conductor of CUMS since 1983, and is a musician of international renown. Stephen is Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music, and is a past President of the Royal College of Organists. In the course of his freelance work, he has conducted many of the leading professional orchestras in the UK and elsewhere. He follows in the distinguished footsteps of Sir Charles Stanford, Boris Ord, Sir David Willcocks and Sir Philip Ledger, but is now the longest serving Conductor in The Society's history.
Under Stephen's direction, the orchestra has recently performed such works as Verdi's Requiem, Rachmaninov's The Bells, Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, Elgar's Violin Concerto, Mahler's Symphony no. 2, Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, Mahler's Symphony no. 8, Berlioz' Grande Messe des Morts, Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony and Beethoven's Egmont overture. Stephen has also led the Chorus through challenging, contemporary works such as Ferguson's The Dream of the Rood, Holloway's The Spacious Firmament, Simon Smith's Still and an "Opera Gala" which was one of a number of very successful concerts recorded live for CD.
Peter Stark
Guest Conductor
Peter Stark is Artistic Director to both the West of England Philharmonic Orchestra and Parnassus and Professor of Conducting at the Royal College of Music. He has recorded many times for BBC Radio 3 and his work has been the subject of a television documentary. Currently he is working as Music Consultant to the BBC television series 'Maestro' which is scheduled for BBC 2 in the early autumn of 2008.
Peter trained in London at the Royal College of Music with Norman Del Mar and in Vienna with Sir Charles Mackerras. He was a finalist in the Vittorio Gui International Competition, a prize winner in the Leeds Conductors' Competition and was awarded the Tagore Gold Medal by the Royal College.
He has worked extensively with many of the UK's finest orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. His work abroad is developing fast; 2007 saw his debut with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and an appearance at the 3rd Festival of Polish Music in Krakow. Future plans include a series of conducting masterclasses in New Zealand. CD recordings of his work include music by Britten, Elgar, Messiaen, Rachmaninov, Roxburgh, Shostakovich and Richard Strauss.
Peter has worked with Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Lord Menuhin, Sir Roger Norrington, Mstislav Rostropovich and Klaus Tennstedt, and has gained an enviable reputation as one who is committed to introducing and inspiring new performers and audiences. He is Leverhulme Professor of Conducting to the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and Principal Conductor of the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra.
In 2000 he was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of the West of England for his "outstanding contribution to music in the West Country".
Carlos del Cueto
Student Conductor
Carlos del Cueto is a Gates Cambridge Scholar, pursuing postgraduate studies at Clare College. He was born and grew up in Mexico City, where he studied the piano with the eminent Carlos Barajas. In 2001 he began his conducting studies under the tutelage of the American choral conductor John Guthmiller. Carlos has been active as a conductor ever since.
Before coming to Cambridge Carlos read music and graduated with First Class Honours from Cardiff University, where he was very active as a conductor and pianist working with the university's chamber orchestra, chamber choir, symphony orchestra, choral society, and contemporary music group. During the course of the past two years he established strong relationships with various ensembles across Cambridge, and was co-principal conductor of the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra (CUSO). Carlos has led performances of numerous works including Beethoven's Fourth Symphony, Franck's Symphony in D minor, Walton's First Symphony, Nielsen's Sinfonia Espansiva, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Holst's Savitri and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and various works by Mexican and Spanish composers. Plans for the forthcoming academic year include concerts with CUMS 1 and CUMS 2, the Cambridge Graduate Orchestra, and the main CUOS Lent Opera in February 2009, Eugene Onegin.
Currently, Carlos studies conducting principally with Peter Stark and Stuart Stratford, whom he assisted during the ETO production of Verdi's Falstaff in 2005. Last year he participated in the RNCM Conducting Weekend with Baldur Brönnimann, and he has also had conducting tuition from Christopher Adey and Alexander Polishchuk. He continues to study the piano with Richard Ormrod, and when in the USA with renowned jazz pianist Kenny Werner. Carlos has also done extensive conducting work with musicians from diverse backgrounds (professional, amateur, jazz, young musicians), as well as creating and teaching workshops on rehearsal technique and general musicianship. These activities have taken him around the world to cities such as San Francisco, Madrid, Lyon, London, and Naples. In addition, Carlos has studied Indian classical music with Samir Chatterjee. Since 2001 he has conducted choral and instrumental ensembles for the SYDA Foundation, for which he has served as guest conductor over the years. In 2005 he traveled to India, where he trained and conducted groups of young Indian musicians in various forms of Indian music, such as Vedic recitation and traditional bhajans.
Mark Austin
Student Conductor & Orchestral Manager
Mark made his conducting debut aged 14. He has conducted all the major ensembles in Cambridge and founded his own group, JAMS, which attracts the best players in the university. In 2007-8 he worked as assistant conductor of CUMS I, performing Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony to great acclaim (November 2007), and assisted Stephen Cleobury, preparing both CUMS I and the CUMS Chorus for their concerts throughout the year. He was conductor of the Cambridge University Opera Society 2008 production, Don Giovanni, described by critics as "astonishing" and "wonderfully imaginative". Mark was recently invited to work with the MDR radio choir in Leipzig, and spent last year abroad in Germany, during which time he also helped prepare several performances for the W¸rzburg ÷kumenischer Hochschulchor, and studied Chinese. He has taken part in several masterclasses, including a choral conducting course held in Uppsala, Sweden for students from all around the world, and has received coaching amongst others from Sir Charles Mackerras, Martyn Brabbins, Peter Stark, Stephen Cleobury, Harry Lyth, Howard Williams, Simon Halsey, and Howard Arman. As a violinist Mark has co-led CUCO, the university chamber orchestra, and led CU3E, the university baroque ensemble, on many occasions. As holder of a university Instrumental Award on the piano, he regularly gives solo and ensemble recitals. Mark has also composed and directed incidental music for the ADC Theatre.
Contact email: Mark Austin (ma371@cam.ac.uk)
Student Committee
Each CUMS ensemble has a student committee to run it. This involves everything from collecting subs to designing programmes, organising post-concert parties to post-rehearsal curries, keeping the register and following up absences, to setting up a tour in the summer. The more members who get involved, the livelier the ensemble will be.
2008/9: Fiona Wilkinson (convenor), Daniel Grace