Sir Tim Rice meets fellow Lancing alumnus to record “memorable broadcast” for BBC Radio 3
Sir Tim Rice OL, one of the foremost lyricists of his generation, will be interviewed for Private Passions on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday 3 May at noon.
The three time Oscar winner will talk about the music that inspired him from such an early age including Music choices include a satirical operetta by Offenbach, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vaughan Williams’s London Symphony, The Swan of Tuonela by Sibelius, Malcolm Arnold’s Peterloo Overture and Britten’s arrangement of the folk song The Plough Boy.
What makes the event special for Sir Tim has been the close connection with his old school, Lancing College. Fellow former pupil of Lancing College (OL), Oliver Soden is a music researcher on Private Passions. Oliver was a Music Scholar while at Lancing. Sir Tim remains a great supporter of the College in his role as Chairman of the Foundation.
Oliver said “I’d never managed to speak to him properly when a pupil at Lancing, but, as you can hear from the programme, he is clearly full of affection for the place and its music… The only problem was that he was too tall to fit in front of the BBC billboard for the photocall!”
Sir Tim said “I don’t often get the chance to participate in an up-market programme like Private Passions, let alone with another OL, so it is a memorable broadcast for me.”
Music has recently been described as the “beating heart” of Lancing. Former students include professional musicians such as Rebecca Knight of the Lawson Trio; Jamie Cameron, a cellist currently appearing in Once at the Phoenix Theatre; and Camilla Harris, soprano, who has just released an album with her group Celeste. Famous alumni include Peter Pears, Steuart and David Bedford. Almost 70% of the pupils take a musical instrument, which feed the schools’ four orchestras. The nationally known choir have performed in concerts and services in major churches and cathedrals throughout the UK, including Westminster Abbey, St George’s Chapel, Tewkesbury Abbey, and the cathedrals in Winchester, Hereford and St Davids and have recorded a number of CDs. They often sing at concerts open to the public throughout the year.
For further information please contact Sarah Linfield, Marketing Officer at Lancing College (sll@lancing.org.uk; 01273 465803) or Lianne Jarrett Associates (info@lja.uk.com; 01273 328683)
For a copy of the Music Calendar and tickets to events please contact Music Secretary, Beverley Allen, baa@lancing.org.uk 01273 465968.