News and Press

A few months ago Eriko Nagayama joined the Orchestra's First Violin section. You may have seen her at a recent RPO concert. You may have also seen some of Eriko's quirky Instagram posts from our recent USA tour. Here are the career highlights of the Orchestra's award-winning First Violin:

Japanese born Eriko Nagayama is a highly acclaimed violinist, who graduated with distinction in 2018 from her MA in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of György Pauk. She was also awarded for her DipRAM  Final Recital the Marjorie Bunty Lempfert Award, and the Moir Carnegie Prize.

• Three quarters (73%) of British adults have an active relationship with orchestral music, rising to 83% of those aged under 25.
• Almost half (46%) of under 25s now listen to orchestral music via streaming, compared with 15% of over 65s.
• Live concerts remain the cornerstone of orchestral engagement, with a quarter of young people attending a concert when possible
• Under 25s twice as likely than the national average to be learning a musical instrument, while one in eight would say they have a ‘good knowledge’ of the genre.

Almost three quarters (73%) of British adults have an active relationship with orchestral music – from going to concerts, streaming music online to learning an instrument – according to new research by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). However, amongst those under 25, the proportion rose to 83%, dispelling notions that orchestras are the preserve of older people.

 January 20 was changeover day. After a splendid series of concerts with Mark Wigglesworth on the east coast and down into Florida we said goodbye to several of our colleagues and headed west for the second half of the tour. Pinchas Zukerman was taking over the helm with a new programme, but before we embarked on those final seven concerts in as many days there was the travel day (with a 5 hour+ flight one is reminded just how big the USA is) and the rare luxury of a free day to enjoy; a chance to relax and recharge the batteries a bit.