I won a secret award yesterday. Let me explain below for those who don’t know.
Over a year ago, I decided to do something not done before. I arranged the entire full orchestral score for Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado for the electronic organ. I thought, if I can’t have a full orchestra, why don’t I become one. I never actually believed I’d achieve this, but this went better than I ever thought it would and in October last year, I was quite literally a one man Symphony orchestra. I had taken the full score and transcribed the lot, and performed the score accompanying Hounslow Light Operatic Companies production.
As this was such a success, when I realised we were doing Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury in March, I thought instead of using a piano, I would do it again. Only difference this time is there wasn’t a full score to work from, I had to use 12 different instrument parts and go through each part bar by bar (counting bars) to produce the same standard of arrangement for this show too. I fully intend to do this for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore in October 2018. But for now, I am performing Trial By Jury alongside Savoy Singers Camberley this month and hopefully The Mikado next year with them.
That’s where I’ve got to with this challenge of eventually transcribing the entire works of Gilbert and Sullivan for the organ.
On Sunday 10th September, after I’d finished work, I checked social media to find (to my surprise) that I’d won the Richmond Arts Swan Award – Adjudicators Award 2017. Which is an award that they decide to award to someone for something really outstanding and they chose me because of my arrangement of The Mikado and the performing of it and conducting it at the same time.
This was such a nice surprise and I’m so grateful that my work was recognised. I want to thank everyone who supported me with this project. It really was and still is a pleasure to play the arrangement.
Thank you everyone. 🙂
Lee Dewsnap 