At Home with the London Mozart Players: Trumpeter and director Peter Wright

In his lockdown letter to the outside world Peter reveals that he's unwittingly taken on a new identify - commercial baker.

I first played with the London Mozart Players when I was still at music college – back in 1979. I studied at the Royal College of Music with David Mason – most famous for playing the trumpet in the Beatles’ ‘Penny Lane’.

When I actually joined LMP as a member, in about 1983, the conductor and musical director was still its founder – Harry Blech. At that time, the orchestra worked on London’s Southbank every month of the year and even the rehearsals usually had an audience of 100’s from the ‘friends’ group. It was a VERY busy orchestra. Obviously, this was long before the internet and so, every month a huge envelope would arrive with all the schedules for the next month's work.

About the same time as I got the position with the LMP I was also invited to join and become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I worked the two jobs concurrently for 20 years. With the RSC we toured the world and a highlight was performing at the Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles in 1984. I was also the original trumpet player in Les Misérables.

After 36 years as Sub Principal trumpet with LMP, in 2015, the players took over running the orchestra and I became a Director as well as continuing playing. Initially I was operations director. Now I work in all areas but with a particular interest in fundraising and development.

The lockdown

The last concert I played before the lockdown was on Friday March 13th – yes Friday the 13th! It was one of a regular concert series we have taken part in at St Andrews Church, Grayshott for many years. The promoters, Peter and Vivien, are a wonderful couple and we always play to a completely sold out hall.

There was a VERY strange atmosphere that evening. You could feel it amongst the players in the orchestra and audience alike. I think we were ALL thinking ‘could this be the last concert for a very long time’? The applause was extraordinary. Standing ovation. We drove back to London and then the next morning as some of us were heading off to Oxford to perform with Oxford Bach Choir – the call came through. ‘Concert cancelled – turn around - go home’.

And that’s where I’ve been for the last six weeks. I live in Hackney with my Japanese wife and our two teenage boys. Kurumi is a TA in a local school so she’s still working, looking after key worker’s children. She is also doing voluntary food deliveries for a local charity. The boys are fed-up in one way but happy in another. Until six weeks ago I was shouting ‘get off your computer and go outside’. Now I’m shouting ‘you are NOT going outside – get on your computer’!

Routine is something I firmly believe in. Unless you get up and get started, the whole day gets wasted. The boys are therefore told, breakfast is at 9am and if you miss it then NO food until lunchtime. At 9.30am James and Oliver start their school work and then Oliver does his flute practise. They are both very keen on Kendo (Japanese martial art that uses a bamboo sword and protective armour). James, the eldest is currently European Silver medallist in his age range. They now regularly do ‘zoom’ practise sessions in the garden with their ‘dojo’ (club).

Catering supplies

We love cooking and with short supplies I’ve been bulk buying and discovering useful tips for the future.

Indian supermarket – you get a sack of spice for the cost of a thimble-ful from a traditional shop.

Baking - we are doing loads and a funny thing happened. Like most people, we can’t get flour or yeast from supermarkets so I ordered some direct from a mill in Yorkshire. But the smallest bag I was able to order was 16kg! So I ordered a 16kg strong white, a 16kg whole-wheat and 15kg of yeast. Two days later - at 3.30am - the doorbell rang! Yes, they delivered it at 3.30am and simply left it on the doorstep.

I realised later in the day that they probably thought I was a bakery and needed to start baking at 4am!!

Routine

My day at home actually starts about the same time as before the lockdown, partly because nearly all my work as a director of the orchestra is from home anyway. I usually start work at 8.30am with my trusty mug of coffee and I often have a catch-up phone call at 9am with Julia, the Executive Director. At some stage during the morning I disappear into my gym (well the static bike in the garage) for a 30 minute workout.

My 2 boys are at state school and like most, there are NO online lessons, so some home schooling is done by my wife. At some point during the day I do music theory with my youngest. But it’s rather like trying to teach a family member to drive or how to play bridge, so one has to tread carefully!

Music practise and Zoom

During the day I try to intermittently do a little bit of practise on the trumpet but it’s hard to be inspired when I know that I won’t be playing in front of an audience for some time.

Zoom. Isn’t it absolutely great? It saves a HUGE amount of time travelling to meetings, it’s also great to keep in touch with friends, I can drink as much alcohol as I don’t have to drive home or stand in the rain waiting for the bus. And so that I don’t have a background of washing – I often use a ‘virtual background’ so can be talking from the beach, the top of the Shard – or even from the Oval office. However, when I use the Oval office, no one believes anything I say!

Essential travel and necessary diversions

I have a motorbike (Yamaha 600) and with the weather so warm I’m donning my leathers and slipping on my PPE (helmet) and doing my essential shopping by bike.

My main hobby is playing bridge. Before lockdown I used to go occasionally to the ACOL club in West Hampstead, and also 2 other groups where dinner and wine was always an attractive part of the evening (especially as I seem never to get good cards), but I am now playing regularly online with one screen to see my fellow players and the other to see the virtual card table.

Like most musicians I can’t wait to get back into concert halls and make fantastic music with my wonderful friends and colleagues.

But in the meantime, the London Mozart Players is a very resilient and agile orchestra. We are full of ideas and always think of ways to ‘move with the times’. We have been around for 71 years, so no surprises there.

Which brings me on to the main reason for writing: our 12-week series ‘At home with LMP’ continues, this weekend with a watch-live-then-its-lost live stream of baritone Roderick Williams. Be sure to watch it. 'At Home with LMP' shows just how we can, and will, adapt and survive.

Discover the London Mozart Players 'At Home with LMP' series.

Baritone Roderick Williams performs a Saturday night concert live on Facebook**, produced by the London Mozart Players for 'At Home with LMP'**

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