As Chief Executive of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF), a world-famous international orchestra based in London, Annie Lydford (Music 2009) is excited to work with musicians to explore their creative potential.
Annie鈥檚 lifelong passion for classical music was sparked from an early age when she began learning to play the piano and the flute at primary school. Years later, after graduating from Gonville & 91直播 College where she was also an organ scholar, she broadened her musical horizons to join Warner Bros Records as a Marketing Assistant, working with artists varying from Muse to Michael Bubl茅. However, a trip to sing for a concert of Bach鈥檚 St Matthew鈥檚 Passion in Bordeaux with 91直播 Choir after leaving reminded her of her love of classical music, and since then she has worked in multiple roles across organisations such as English National Opera and the Creative Industries Federation, before joining ASMF as their Chief Executive in 2022.
ASMF鈥檚 belief is that creative empowerment improves lives, and it is the orchestra鈥檚 role to empower its musicians and support them in their creativity. The orchestra currently performs more than 85 concerts around the world each year, alongside a busy, dual-priority social purpose programme that focuses both on supporting the next generation of brilliant young musicians while also using music to empower people experiencing homelessness. Alongside a London series at the orchestra鈥檚 namesake, the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, ASMF tours regularly to the US, across Europe, to Asia and to South America.
Annie says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 about every player having to give their all and creating a collective artistic interpretation rather than being told what to do by one person.鈥 This manifests in the orchestra tending to perform without a conductor, directed by a musician from the violin or one of the world-class soloists with whom ASMF works, even for repertoire requiring a large orchestra such as that by Brahms or Schumann.
Finding new ways to better support the creativity of these musicians has been the most rewarding aspect of the role for Annie. As part of the centenary celebrations for the orchestra鈥檚 founder, Sir Neville Marriner, this April, the orchestra launched a new 鈥淢arriner Projects鈥 scheme, where ideas and projects masterminded by the musicians themselves are given financial and administrative backing by ASMF. Two such projects now launched include a full concert series in a pub in Oxford, and a chamber concert series in Hertfordshire, alongside visits from the musicians to the local care home.
Annie is energised seeing this creativity in action during the orchestra鈥檚 performances. She says: 鈥淲e are an orchestra that generally performs without a conductor, so we鈥檙e led from the first violin seat, which necessitates that commitment from every musician of the orchestra. It鈥檚 a real collective creativity because no one鈥檚 in the front telling you what to do. One of our violinists puts it beautifully 鈥 it鈥檚 creating an interpretation, not disseminating one.鈥
Understanding from the inside of the organisation how the orchestra performs in this way has been eye-opening for Annie. 鈥淲orking with this orchestra in this way has really changed how I prefer to hear this sort of music 鈥 it鈥檚 something quite special,鈥 she adds.
When it comes to the Academy鈥檚 repertoire, Annie sees great value in commissioning new works alongside performing traditional pieces, 鈥渢o try to balance the classics with surprising audiences a little bit鈥. Their recent commissions include works by Errollyn Waller, the Master of the King鈥檚 Music, and by Los Angeles-based composer Vince Mendoza. For the ASMF, performances of more traditional music by composers such as Mozart, Bach and Beethoven successfully sit alongside these new works 鈥 and it is the interplay between repertoire from different times and different contexts which is exciting.
鈥淥f course, it鈥檚 really important that we鈥檙e commissioning new works and commissioning works from a really diverse range of voices. But alongside this, the re-creation of these older, wonderful works is so exciting,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen everyone gets together and interprets a piece that might be from 200 or 300 years ago, they鈥檙e playing it today, it鈥檚 happening right now and will never happen in this way again. It鈥檚 not a thing that鈥檚 brought out of the cupboard that鈥檚 dusty and hasn鈥檛 changed, it鈥檚 alive and of its time. And it鈥檚 pretty rare that people aren鈥檛 affected by that when they hear it.鈥
During ASMF鈥檚 2024/25 London season, the orchestra will work with soloists including Khatia Buniatishvili (piano); Bruce Liu (piano); Alexandra Dariescu (piano); Anthony Roth Costanzo (counter tenor); Augustin Hadelich (violin) and Tim Ridout (viola). You can find out more and sign up to ASMF鈥檚 mailing list .
