Music to my ears

In The Times today there is a review of a BBC lunchtime recital by acclaimed violinist Chloe Hanslip at the Wigmore Hall in London.

According to The Times, it is almost 22 years since Hanslip made her Wigmore debut at the age of 14.

The reason I mention it is that, 30 years ago, I organised a concert at the Royal Academy of Music and one of the featured musicians was a six-year-old violinist by the name of … Chloe Hanslip.

I’m no expert, but I could tell she was pretty good, even then.

The concert was one of a series of events I produced at venues including the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, and the BBC Concert Hall between 1993 and 1998.

The concert featuring Chloe Hanslip took place on Sunday June 26, 1994. We chose the date because it was also National Music Day and we wanted to be part of it.

Launched in 1992, National Music Day was an annual event that ran for several years before fizzling out having failed to achieve ‘cultural significance’ (ie it was said to be too middle-aged and middle class).

In 1994 however it was celebrated with a day of broadcasts on Radio 2. The combination of Chloe’s age and ability inevitably attracted interest, and on the day the BBC’s Ken Bruce came and interviewed her live on Radio 2 during rehearsals.

For a multitude of reasons, child prodigies often fail to live up to their early promise, but Chloe Hanslip has carved out a substantial career - and she’s still only 36.