Jill Kemp
POLL
Jill Kemp
01 June 2008
JILL KEMP HAS NO MEAN TASK RIDDING THE RECORDER OF ITS PRIMARY SCHOOL REPUTATION, BUT, AS SHE TELLS CLAIRE JACKSON, IT’S THE ONLY INSTRUMENT FOR HER
Stuck with an unflattering stereotype, the recorder is often perceived as the instrument of screeching schoolchildren rather than that of the conservatoire.
'The public image of the primary school recorder in a bucket of Dettol is hard to shake off,' admits Jill Kemp.
But shake it off Kemp has. Graduating with a first-class honours degree and the Outstanding Student Award from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2001, Kemp has already made serious headway in improving the recorder's reputation. 'I used to get comments like "when are you going to take up a proper instrument" all the time. Even when I was doing BBC Young Musician of the Year,' says Kemp wryly.
'I have a bit of an uphill struggle as a recorder player due to people's pre-conceptions of the instrument'
Becoming the first ever recorder player to win the Royal Over-Seas League Competition Main Solo Award, the blonde bombshell's unusual choice of instrument has propelled her into the international spotlight.
'I have a bit of an uphill struggle as a recorder player due to people's pre-conceptions of the instrument,' observes Kemp, 'but the Royal Over-Seas competition is so widely known, the respect I got with the prize was absolutely brilliant - I've had quite a few recitals come out of it.'
Among them is Kemp's Enchanted concert series. 'The style of performance is something I've had in the back of my mind to do for ages,' she explains. 'It came out of wanting to engage with all the audience's senses, rather than just their ears. I also wanted to attract young audiences and those that might not necessarily go to a classical music concert.'
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