Up Late

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MA students put on a night of entertainment at The Holburne Museum

Friday, 8 September, 2023

Friday 25 August saw the latest addition to the Up Late – Art After Hours series at The Holburne Museum. During the event, two MA Music students from Bath Spa University, Elly Merryman and Violet Wong, took to the stage to perform for the attendees.  

Bath Spa University works regularly with The Holburne Museum. As a cultural partner, they provide Bath Spa students with volunteering opportunities, work experience and performance space.  

Elly played a series of classical saxophone pieces. The audience was particularly moved by their rendition of Romance from The Gladfly. 

Violet had the exciting opportunity to play the piano used by Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninov. 

Rachmaninov is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. He often visited England when touring and always used the same piano, which Violet performed on during the Up Late event. 

Gary Whiteland, who tuned the Rachmaninov piano, commented that: “The Rachmaninov piano is a very interesting instrument. I hope it gets played regularly, just like how it was during tonight’s performance.” 

When asked about playing the Rachmaninov piano, Violet said: 

“It was an amazing experience to play the valuable vintage Rachmaninov piano in the Holborne Museum. Though the piano is over 90 years old, it still sounded bright and beautiful. The richness of timbre and well-tuned piano sound captivated and captured my attention while I played the piano. I enjoyed it a lot, especially when I played Chopin's Polonaise and Beethoven's Sonata.” 

Violet Wong will be performing in late September as part of a series of MA Music recitals. Tickets are free and booking is required.