Walton, Dvořák, Rachmaninov and Richard Strauss are on the programme as Sussex Symphony Orchestra offer the final concert in their 2024-25 season at All Saints, Hove on Saturday, May 17 at 19:30.
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00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely to speak to Mia Clift, who is the principal oboist with Sussex Symphony Orchestra.
00:12And Mia, you just love being part of this orchestra. It sounds like it's got a very special character, a very special flavour. What makes it so enjoyable to be part of?
00:21Yeah, it is like a big family. It's incredibly special. All the people are just so lovely, supportive. The programming is amazing.
00:34The amount of music I performed that I would never thought I would get a chance to play or even be able to play has been incredible.
00:44So, yeah, it's, yeah, it's. So for you, it feels very stretching and challenging, yet still retains the fun aspect. That's quite something, isn't it?
00:53Indeed it is. Yeah. I mean, every concert is preceded by a one rehearsal. So that's quite unique.
01:01But that does obviously require a lot of personal practice, which everyone is willing to do because we all want to do well.
01:09We all see this, these pieces as amazing challenges. We all want to perform well.
01:14We want the audience to go way happier having listened to something that maybe they wouldn't have got the chance to hear elsewhere.
01:20And yeah, it's, yeah, fantastic and a lovely group of people.
01:26Absolutely. And you're saying for you, the big buzz is to be sitting there in the middle of it.
01:31And you're saying it's very difficult to describe what that feeling is like, but I'm going to be very mean and ask you, describe.
01:36Like, you know, sitting in the middle of an orchestra. What does it do to you?
01:42Yeah, I mean, it is, it is so immense. It's, as an oboist, I'm right in the middle.
01:48So I've got behind me, I've got wind players, brass, percussion, wind players to the sides, strings all in the front.
01:55And the man with the stick, Mark at the front, making sure we're all in time and playing well together.
02:03But it is, it's the feeling of being part of that team.
02:08It's all the sounds, you're playing your own individual part, but you're listening to everyone else.
02:16You're trying to make that whole piece gel together.
02:20And it's, yeah, everyone should have to sit in my seat, I think, and have a see what it's like.
02:25And at the risk of exposing my ignorance, you're saying that musicians in an orchestra have a very special way of showing their approval of each other.
02:36Yes. When we've done a solo, well, you'll often see the feet of the players surrounding us shuffle on the floor in a code to say, well done, that was brilliant.
02:47We'll be watching out for them. Anyway, lovely to see you. And congratulations on all the orchestra achieves. Thank you.
02:55Thank you so much. Thank you.