‘Dedicated and damn brilliant’: Joanna MacGregor on transforming Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

In autumn 2019 I got a phone call from Nicolas Chisholm, whom I knew as the very warm headmaster of the Yehudi Menuhin School, where I’d taught a couple of masterclasses. He explained he was the outgoing chair of Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and asked; would I consider being their next music director?

These types of conversations are dangerous for me. I’m always up for a challenge: I’ve curated festivals and summer schools, and all my life I’ve worked with orchestras. I’d had invaluable experiences conducting chamber and symphony orchestras, often – but not always – from the keyboard. I’d conducted in Scandinavia and Europe, and in the US and no one had thrown anything at me yet. But this proposition was slightly more complicated; there was something in the way Nick and other board members spoke. They’d lost their way, there were artistic question marks, audiences were drifting. Brighton had become a tough environment to operate in.

BPO’s musicians carry the original DNA of players who, in 1925, had a day off at the weekends and decided to play in Brighton © Sarah Hickson

What I find interesting is the history of this orchestra, as I believe it reflects the heroic struggle of all regional orchestras: the lack of funding, the perennial fight for audiences, the tension between past glories and media indifference. I’m writing for a professional musicians’ magazine, so almost anything I say won’t be a revelation. I offer no homilies; we’ve all heard them before, mainly from politicians or – sound of grinding teeth – consultants. I’m not even going to mention the word ‘sustainability’.

I was amazed by the legendary names who’d worked with this orchestra, from its inception as the Symphonic String Players in Hove Town Hall in 1925. By 1932 they had Thomas Beecham as their president and had moved to Brighton Dome. Between 1933-1945 their guests included Rachmaninov, Szigeti, Myra Hess, Pablo Casals, Poulenc and Dohnányi; from the 50s to the 70s Malcolm Sargent, Rosalyn Tureck, Menuhin, Ashkenazy, Solti, Janet Baker, Jacqueline Du Pré, Brendel and Rostropovich. How do I know this? They’ve kept all the programmes, which our Treasurer has recently and lovingly digitised. This made me ponder how expectations have changed; who might be today’s equivalent of Artur Schnabel, who played the Emperor concerto at Brighton Dome in November 1931, or Alfred Cortot, who performed Saint-Saens Concerto no.4, in March 1932? I say all this to emphasise the pedigree of such an orchestra, and here I must honour the previous three music directors. Yes, you read that right; three. Herbert Menges, their founder, ran and conducted BPO for 47 years, and he must have had an incredible contact book. Then came John Carewe followed by Barry Wordsworth, who expertly and sensitively nurtured not just players and programming, but also audiences: the people willing to support as a Friend, Patron or sponsor.

Here I edge towards the current landscape. Brighton Philharmonic, like the majority of freelance orchestras, receives no funding; they survive by donations, memberships and legacies. BPO’s musicians carry the original DNA of players who, in 1925, had a day off at the weekends and decided to play in Brighton (back then, the train journey from London was quicker). Today’s BPO principals and players are from the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony and Royal Ballet and Opera orchestras, the Oxford Philharmonic, London Mozart Players and the Irish Chamber Orchestra. They are dedicated and damn brilliant.

MacGregor appointed Ruth Rogers (pictured) and Nicky Sweeney as BPO co-leaders (Image courtesy of BPO) 

What to do, when I accepted the role and in 2020 saw them playing to diminishing audiences in the cavernous Brighton Dome? The first thing that happened: I put together an adventurous, inexpensive season that got cancelled because of Covid. For a year we gave online chamber concerts instead – a great way to get to know the principals – in Purcell and Pärt, Brahms and Piazzolla. We used the time to redesign the orchestra’s branding and website, hire professional social media help, and figure out our priorities.

There was no concert master so I appointed the wonderful Ruth Rogers, and Nicky Sweeney as co-leader. We appointed a front desk of second violins. I held Zoom meetings with each orchestral section to ask their advice: could they suggest young professionals they’d mentored so when we were operating again, they could play alongside? The Friends and Patrons (nobody knew how many there were) needed love and attention; newsletters went out, with explanations of next season’s programming, our hopes for audience-building, and invitations to regular gatherings.

As we were in Brighton, I suggested the audiences might respond to more 20^th century music, necessitating more rehearsal time (a full six hours the day before). I gambled this would sell more tickets; in January 23 our Beautiful World concert of Phillip Glass, John Luther Adams and Rautavaara sold out. We went big, but not recklessly so; a splashy concert of Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky was balanced with lean Bach and Schnittke. We continued chamber concerts and events in small Sussex venues, and started collaborating with local festivals. Household names – this season Evelyn Glennie and Jess Gillam – mix with upcoming young soloists. I persuaded friends like Andy Sheppard, Alistair McGowan and Sian Edwards to come, and planned orchestral nights of Duke Ellington and Gwilym Simcock. Brighton is strong on visual arts, so an evening of Steve Reich showcases his collaboration with Gerhard Richter. ‘Traditional’ audiences love Sibelius and Elgar but are happy to have Gorécki too. I don’t pigeonhole anybody; my only assumption is that audiences, of all ages and backgrounds, are intelligent, lively, curious – and want a good time.

Will this work in the long term? Our audiences have tripled, but we know legacies will run out; we need to keep moving forward. The players are energised (this is very important) and passionate about the orchestra; I’m working on finding a regular London home to rehearse in. Friends and Patrons, some loyal for 50 years, are excited to see young people, sensing a new love for the orchestra. They know we honour the past – but our eyes are on the future.

The Brighton Philharmonic season opens on 22 September; for full details visit the orchestra website.