E D U C AT I O N
A Musician’s Journey
DIALOGUE SPEAKS TO ELLA RUNDLE,
ONE OF THIS YEAR’S ESU MUSIC SCHOLARS
WORDS MARY GREER
Since 1975, the ESU has provided
scholarships for young musicians to
attend internationally renowned summer
programmes and master classes in the
UK, France, Italy, USA and Canada.
Mary Greer, Education Team Leader,
caught up with returning scholar and
cellist, Ella Rundle, just back from the
2013 International Musicians Seminar
Prussia Cove in Cornwall. Ella joins a long
list of alumni, including Steven Isserlis,
Vanessa Latarche, Nigel Kennedy, Robert
Cohen, Robert Plane, and Tasmin Little.
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So is IMS all it’s cracked up to be?
My time at IMS Prussia Cove was
everything I had hoped for, and
more: the teaching, the musicians,
the food, the landscape and the
company. From the moment I
arrived I felt an enormous calm
come over me. There was something
about the size of the ocean, the
sheer edged cliffs and the constant
gale that pounded on our windows
and fought us as we walked down
that hill made me feel so alive. The
combination of the vibrant nature
outdoors with the knowledge, and
inspiring ideas that were being
exchanged inside was wonderful.
What classes did you have whilst
you were there?
I really enjoyed lessons with the
piano and chamber music teacher,
Rita Wagner from Budapest. Her
brilliant personality really comes out
through her music and teaching.
She is always laughing and is so full
of energy that it is just infectious.
Her joy of music and the way that
she finds so many characters and
nuances in every composer’s work
made everyone attending really
come alive, both those playing and
those in the audience. If I had the
chance I would like to go back and
play for her with my duo partner.
She was just such an inspiring
musician for me.
I had Master Classes with the
cellist Ralph Kirschbaum, a Texan
who spent many years of his
illustrious career in the UK, and
who now teaches in LA. For the
first lesson I was pretty nervous
playing in this House where so many
great artists and musicians have
performed. However, looking out of
the windows at the sea pounding the
rocks three meters from the walls of
the house put me more at ease.
My time at IMS
Prussia Cove was
everything I had
hoped for, and
more: the teaching,
the musicians, the
food, the landscape
and the company.