“THE MUSIC industry is completely different because of the internet. It’s a whole new situation, and in some ways, that’s also dangerous. Students’ careers will be made or broken through social media.”
That’s the verdict of Victoria Simonsen, internationally award-winning cellist and professor at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Her chamber music performances have been broadcast in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand, and her performances have taken her across the world – and to Saddleworth, for the final day of the Uppermill Summer Music Festival with pianist Sam Armstrong.
“Sam Armstrong teaches at the Guildhall School of Music now,” she says. “But in his own right, he’s an incredible soloist. We’ve known each other for more than twenty years, so it feels like a celebration to be able to share the stage.”
Hailing from Auckland New Zealand, Victoria has come a long way – both figuratively and literally – from, ‘the little Kiwi girl going across the world.’
Her mother was a concert pianist and though her father had little to do with music, they both agreed an education in music was vital for their daughter.
But growing up, perhaps a young Victoria would have been surprised by her choice of instrument, for it had originally been the violin which caught her eye.
Her glittering future as a world-renowned cellist is something she says she would never change – though it was a future built entirely on one unlikely coincidence.
“There were no violin teachers with spaces where I lived, because there was very little provision,” she says. “But it just so happened that my mum had a friend who had just graduated, and had started off teaching the cello.
“And she said, ‘Well, I’ll teach her the cello while you wait for a violin teacher.’ And that’s how it all began!”
From one chance moment sprung a lifelong career touring the world’s stages. Since leaving New Zealand, Victoria has performed in Europe, Asia, and both North and South America, and worked in the BBC Proms, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the English National Opera, among others.
Her biggest awards include first place in the Royal Over-Seas League Strings Competition, a Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and New Zealand’s Young Musician of the Year.
“It was just accidental. I didn’t choose it myself, but obviously I stuck with it. I think I love the cello because it’s so versatile.
“Most people say it’s very close to the human voice, so it can sing up high, it can be really dramatic down low, and it can play in orchestras as well as being a solo instrument.”
However, of all the places Victoria has travelled throughout her life, there is one in particular that continued to stick as she added: “[Years ago], there were very few places in the world that would rival Manchester as an epicentre for cello.
“The Royal Northern College of Music had Ralph Kirshbaum working there, one of the best cello players in the world, and he had done a lot to build up a huge platform for cellists in Manchester.
“There was the big International Cello Festival, which was one of the biggest in the world. When I was studying there, there was very much an air of excitement and real creativity.”
Such an air of excitement and creativity, in fact, that Victoria has returned time and time again – so much so she has now become a respected Professor of Cello at the very university where she studied.
Her task now is to ensure that same atmosphere is available for the next generation of musicians, something she describes as “completely different, because of the internet”.
“It’s a whole new situation, and in some ways, it’s also dangerous, because I often get annoyed at students because they don’t do their homework,” she says.
“I think having everything at our fingertips makes us a little bit lazy; we’re not as intrigued to go to the library and listen to recordings of a piece to really find the right inspiration of what we want to achieve in a piece of music, because it’s all on YouTube. It brings a slight lethargy among students.”
Challenging too is the uncertain future of musicians and social media, “which I only understand in a very shallow sense”, Victoria admits.
A study from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra showed that Gen Z is nearly twice as likely to listen to classical music than their parents’ generation, and more likely to listen through streaming services like Spotify than any other platform.
Elsewhere, other research suggests that musicians with a strong social media presence earn more money through streaming than musicians who are more offline.
The affect AI will have on the classical music industry is yet to be seen. Even as streaming services report hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs being uploaded each day, Victoria is sceptical of a complete takeover.
She told Saddleworth Independent: “As it stands currently, I don’t think it’s a threat. It can’t replace the soul and the heart and the real natural expression that we as humans have when you’re at the top of your game.
“Because of the world we’re going into with AI and all this technology, I think music-making is even more important, because it’s a deep human expression of who we are on this planet. We need this outlet and this escapism we can give audiences.
“I just can’t imagine replacing that shared experience of being at a concert and feeling it all together – you don’t get that if you’re sitting in front of your computer.”
It’s for this reason, she says, she had been excited to perform for the people of Saddleworth this summer.
This year’s event saw a slew of performances from the Royal Northern College of Music’s top alumni, including award-winning mezzo-soprano Kathryn Rudge.
“It’s so, so incredibly special to have a music festival that attracts such a high calibre of players,” Victoria says. “And to have such a high level of music-making essentially on your doorstep.
“You don’t have to travel to London or New York or Paris – it’s all right here.”
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