Following an impromptu recital staged for some of the Royal Northern College of Music’s postgraduate students in the autumn of 1985, there was growing interest from both their peers and the College authorities, continually looking out for appropriate performance opportunities, now afforded by the attractive surroundings of the recently refurbished Emmanuel Church in the heart of Didsbury.
With support from the RNCM and the agreement of the church leadership, Bryan Fox (see profile below) staged the first Coffee Concert in Emmanuel on 31st January 1987.Now in its fourth decade, the Didsbury Coffee Concerts continue to attract the continuous flow of highly talented young musicians and a deeply appreciative audience who provide tremendous support and encouragement for them.
Performance opportunities on Saturday mornings in Emmanuel are increasingly appreciated and sought after by so many students, keen to play in the ‘lovely church with an appreciative audience and a fantastic acoustic’. Some of their predecessors would grace the pages of anyone’s Who’s Who in Music.
While we hear increasingly grim warnings about declining standards and fiscal responsibility, musicians continue to buck the trend. The standard of performance that they nurture and offer so generously is getting better and better and what they create through their music-making is simply priceless. As the RNCM motto so rightly attests: ‘Music enriches all.’ This is also borne out by the steadily growing numbers of music-lovers who appreciate a unique opportunity that has helped to foster a real sense of community over the years.
All concerts include Bryan’s special ‘Coffee Concert blend’ of coffee from Didsbury’s famous Cheese Hamlet.
Profile
Bryan Fox (founder)
Bryan grew up in a music-loving family, first in the West Country and then in Buckinghamshire. He attended RGS High Wycombe, where had the good fortune to enjoy the company of several highly talented musicians, including pianist, Paul Roberts, and, most influentially, Richard Hickox who was to become an internationally renowned chorus director and conductor. Bryan sang regularly in Richard’s choirs – at Wooburn and High Wycombe Parish Churches and at St Margaret’s Westminster, Bryan was delighted to help Richard with several of his initiatives: he was a founder member of the Wooburn Singers and helped to set up the Wooburn Festival, now in its 56th year and the Richard Hickox Orchestra, which became the City of London Sinfonia.
Armed with those experiences, Bryan began a degree in French and Latin at Lancaster University where he carried on singing with ensembles on campus and in the city, not at the same level or frequency as he had been used to, but still with enjoyable conviviality!
On return from his third year abroad, he was surprised and delighted to discover the guidance and opportunities afforded by the new music department, which had opened the year before under the direction of John Manduell, who had recently set up the new BBC music programme on Radio 3.
As Finals approached, Bryan found he was spending a significant amount of time in the music department, continuing the singing lessons he’s begun having before university, rehearsing, and taking part in the performances and recordings set up by the inspiring Director of Music.
Bryan also had the good fortune to assist him in organising some of the projects he was setting up. He was even more amazed when John Manduell invited him to be his personal assistant for six months while he started bringing together Manchester’s two existing music colleges to form the new Northern College of Music, of which he had recently been appointed Principal.
Happily, for Bryan, his temporary contract was extended somewhat! This not only allowed him to witness the opening of the new building on Oxford Road, but also to be closely involved in the inspiring and exciting programme of teaching, rehearsals and public performances which have been characteristic of the RNCM, as it soon became, throughout its existence.
During the ensuing period, Bryan has been involved in a wide range of activities at the College, including managing the College’s facilities, teaching and coaching singers in French, working in student admissions, personnel administration, the Library and Archives. For the last thirty years, he has increasingly been supporting students through the College’s Counselling Service which he helped to set up in 1993.