‘Very often I’ve seen classical music get it wrong.” The author of these words, American violist and former BBC Young Generation Artist Jennifer Stumm, makes no apology for this candid critique of her own profession. She’s referring to that well-intentioned approach to trendy classical music evangelism in which gimmicks can so often take precedence over quality.
“If you want people to believe you, give them the best thing they’ve ever experienced in their life.” Which is what Stumm set out to do in 2015 when founding her groundbreaking São Paulo-based ensemble Ilumina. It’s a unique collective designed to unite leading international soloists with emerging talent from Latin America, youngsters whose ability to realise their potential was severely limited by lack of opportunity, never mind in some cases the basic absence of running water in their homes.
Advertisement Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. So what brought about this remarkable project, and why Brazil? I grew up in Atlanta in the American South, but my mum was a Cherokee Indian from Southern Appalachia,” Stumm explains. “That’s where all the music in my family comes from.
They’re all great singe.