Orchestral Stage Management with LSO
Coming in February 2024 (London)
February 10th 2024
SMA Orchestral Stage Management – run in partnership with the renowned London Symphony Orchestra at their London rehearsal base and the Barbican concert hall.
RDVZ and AM venue Artist Entrance Barbican Centre Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS
and late AM and PM at LSO St Lukes 161 Old Street London EC1V 9NG BOOK
The Course Offers unique training in setting up, touring and stage managing a major orchestra, previous attendees have been privileged to set up rehearsals for the full London Symphony Orchestra, and invited to be in the room with the late Andre Previn and John Williams conducting rehearsals for major concerts.
This course covers all the considerations crucial when working with musicians, including orchestral layouts, requirements of particular instrumentalists and the logistics of touring an orchestra.
You will learn orchestral terms, about the typical number and type of instruments in various types of orchestra (e.g. chamber, symphony, concert), how to look after, travel and set instruments, how to read and set up the orchestra from an orchestration which details the composition of the orchaestra and musicians who double instruments, plus how to set the orchestra safely using levels and positioning as well as physical barriers to keep sound levels safe and achieve a good balance.
Here is the exciting new Course plan for 2024:
STAGE MANAGEMENT TRAINING DAY
Delivered by:
Jakub Drewa Stage Manager (JD)
Seif O’Reilly Stage Manager (SOR)
Al Goode Operations manager (AG)
AM location: Barbican Concert Hall, EC2Y 8DS
AM & PM Location: LSO St Luke’s, EC1V 9NG
Barbican am.
. 0900 participants arrive @ Barbican, Silk Street artist entrance (EC2Y 8DS), arrival from 0845. AG welcome
. 0900-1000 observe a stage build, Jakub Drewa (LSO Stage Manager) to lead participants, answer any questions.
. 1000-1020 observe rehearsal with JD
. 1020-1045 break & walk to LSO St Luke’s. Access via the artist entrance by St Luke’s Close, EC1V 9NG
LSO St Luke’s
. 1045-1300 – Clore 1 with JD & SOR:
- What is an orchestra?
- Talk through the glossary.
- Teach how to read an orchestration (This is the key learning).
- Learn about the day to day operation & what to expect when working for an orchestra
. 1300-1345 lunch
. 1345-1430 Further work on how to read an orchestration with AG & JD
. 1430-1600/30 Practical stage setting, AG, JD, KG, FW
After the course you will have the knowledge and vocabulary to successfully apply for orchestral stage management jobs (a number of past attendees have successfully done that), and be able to read an orchestration and set up the stage for a concert from that information.
The course takes place at the Barbican Concert Hall London EC2Y 8DS (Silk Street Artists Entrance) and St Luke’s UBS & LSO Music Education Centre, 161 Old Street London EC1V 9NG
All are welcome to join this brilliant one day course:
Course 1 day Members £130 Non Members £180
This is an excerpt from a piece written on what it means to be an orchestral stage manager, written by Zoe Fagg, European Youth Orchestra Stage Manager for Previous SMA Cueline Magazine.
“I’m always being asked “What’s an Orchestra Stage Manager?” or “What do they do?” and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to answer. In fact this is a fantastic time for me to be talking about my role as an Orchestral Stage Manager, when the SMA are introducing an exciting one day course about the job. […]
Other than the obvious differences of managing the players, the soloists and conductors as well as my stage management team; the fundamentals of Stage Management are in place from Health and Safety to Calls on to Stage. I find the job incredibly rewarding and I can’t speak for everyone when I say this. But I find myself receiving so much more respect and thanks from my own management and the players, then I have done in other Stage Management roles and they’re always grateful for the work that I put in.