Rosemary Wright
by Jimmy Clinkscale
The British College of Accordionists has as its Vice-Principal Rosemary Wright, a woman who has made the accordion her life’s work. And life is the operative word, for Rosemary, still the right side of 30, cannot remember a time when she could not play or read music.
The daughter of music publisher, arranger, teacher and composer Francis Wright, himself Chairman of thje Board of Administration of the British College of Accordionists, that examining body covering the whole of the UK as well as Malta, Rosemary has, for as long as she can recall, been steeped in the music of the accordion.
By the time she was three she had started to play and by the time she was three-and-a-half she was reading music, before, in fact, she could even read the alphabet.
“I don’t remember learning how to play” laughs Rosemary, a Leicester lass through and through “it was just something I was always able to do.”
Solo Concert
At five years old, the stage when most children are just graduating to Primary School to learn the three ‘r’s’ Rosemary had given her first solo concert in Leicester’s Edward Wood Hall. One of her major influences, the great Charles Camilleri, was present to watch the youngster going through her paces.
As 14 she achieved her Licenciate of the British College of Accordionists (LBCA) and the following year started to teach after winning the British Junior Championship, playing her father’s composition ’Extravaganza’ without the benefit of sheet music and before an audience of over 3,000 at the Evening Gala concert.
At that time Rosemary only taught children; adults, no doubt, would have felt intimidated by this perky youngster telling them how it should be done! Passing her ABCA Teacher Diploma at the age of 17 and becoming the first accordionist to be awarded the arduous LBCA (TD) Diploma, Rosemary became an examiner with the College in 1975, since then travelling to most parts of the UK and also to Malta, teaching and conduction examinations.
“I enjoy teaching” she says. “I will instruct anyone who is willing to learn.” Rosemary says she finds girls easier to teach than boys, but as they grow older the male of the species become more persistent as girls find other things to distract them.
Teaching, she says, gives her job satisfaction.
“I enjoy imparting knowledge and I enjoy seeing the results coming from my efforts. What really frustrates me, however, is when someone has the talent but they do nothing about it, or are too lazy to want to do anything about it.”
Rosemary enjoys teaching as much as playing. She herself has given many splendid concert performances over the years, both solo and as leader of the BCA Orchestra, a position she has held since turning 20.
Incidentally, she was the first accordionist to perform with the free-bass at junior level and also the first to perform on the BBC’s local radio network, broadcasting on Radio Leicester only a few weeks after it took to the air as the Beeb’s first local radio station in 1967.
Area Champion
She was 15 at the time and can’t remember what she played, but was asked on to the programme as the East Midlands Area Champion.
During 1981, Rosemary was appointed Vice-Principal by the Governing Council of the College, joining her father Francis (who also by the way edits the revitalized ‘Accordion Times’) on the Board of Administration.
Since then she has added the A.Mus. TCL and the A.Mus. LCM to her extensive list of qualifications and continues to travel throughout the country as an examiner and adjudicator.
Standards of playing, she says, are definitely improving, but like many people who take their accordion seriously, she would like to see it treated with more respect, particularly by the universities.
Rosemary has examined in Scotland five times, and Malta twice. “People take it very seriously over there” she points out, “and standards are improving all the time.” Due, in part, no doubt, to Rosemary’s interest and commitment, although she is too modest to admit it.
She enjoys the accordion for its completeness within itself, for its variety and for its tone. But Rosemary has other strings to her bow. She also enjoys guitar and teaches acoustic guitar. Clarinet and piano are her other talents and Rosemary also used to teach these, but, understandably, finds little time to do so now.
She would like more time for writing, but this is something that will have to be put off for a rainy day – again because of time.
Teaching takes it all, but Rosemary doesn’t mind.
She is impressed by the number of candidates in Scotland eager to sit exams, but even more impressed by the number of people who play the instrument.
“The standards are very high” she explains. “even among people who just play it for entertainment, in folk clubs for example. They obviously simply enjoy playing the instrument and don’t see the need to sit exams in it. Exams are not the be all and end all of tuition. They just provide a useful yardstick for progress.”
And Rosemary is no stranger to Scotland or the Scots. As already pointed out, she is a frequent visitor north of the Border and is also in fact half-Scottish, her mother hailing from Glasgow before she met husband Francis after the last war.
High Standards
Rosemary hesitated to predict what she would be doing in the next 10 or twenty years. There are plenty of options open to her and many things she would like to do. But at the moment she is happy in her work. As long as she stays there and maintains the high standards she has set the future of accordion music, in Britain and Malta, at least is assured.
Box and Fiddle
January 1983
The daughter of music publisher, arranger, teacher and composer Francis Wright, himself Chairman of thje Board of Administration of the British College of Accordionists, that examining body covering the whole of the UK as well as Malta, Rosemary has, for as long as she can recall, been steeped in the music of the accordion.
By the time she was three she had started to play and by the time she was three-and-a-half she was reading music, before, in fact, she could even read the alphabet.
“I don’t remember learning how to play” laughs Rosemary, a Leicester lass through and through “it was just something I was always able to do.”
Solo Concert
At five years old, the stage when most children are just graduating to Primary School to learn the three ‘r’s’ Rosemary had given her first solo concert in Leicester’s Edward Wood Hall. One of her major influences, the great Charles Camilleri, was present to watch the youngster going through her paces.
As 14 she achieved her Licenciate of the British College of Accordionists (LBCA) and the following year started to teach after winning the British Junior Championship, playing her father’s composition ’Extravaganza’ without the benefit of sheet music and before an audience of over 3,000 at the Evening Gala concert.
At that time Rosemary only taught children; adults, no doubt, would have felt intimidated by this perky youngster telling them how it should be done! Passing her ABCA Teacher Diploma at the age of 17 and becoming the first accordionist to be awarded the arduous LBCA (TD) Diploma, Rosemary became an examiner with the College in 1975, since then travelling to most parts of the UK and also to Malta, teaching and conduction examinations.
“I enjoy teaching” she says. “I will instruct anyone who is willing to learn.” Rosemary says she finds girls easier to teach than boys, but as they grow older the male of the species become more persistent as girls find other things to distract them.
Teaching, she says, gives her job satisfaction.
“I enjoy imparting knowledge and I enjoy seeing the results coming from my efforts. What really frustrates me, however, is when someone has the talent but they do nothing about it, or are too lazy to want to do anything about it.”
Rosemary enjoys teaching as much as playing. She herself has given many splendid concert performances over the years, both solo and as leader of the BCA Orchestra, a position she has held since turning 20.
Incidentally, she was the first accordionist to perform with the free-bass at junior level and also the first to perform on the BBC’s local radio network, broadcasting on Radio Leicester only a few weeks after it took to the air as the Beeb’s first local radio station in 1967.
Area Champion
She was 15 at the time and can’t remember what she played, but was asked on to the programme as the East Midlands Area Champion.
During 1981, Rosemary was appointed Vice-Principal by the Governing Council of the College, joining her father Francis (who also by the way edits the revitalized ‘Accordion Times’) on the Board of Administration.
Since then she has added the A.Mus. TCL and the A.Mus. LCM to her extensive list of qualifications and continues to travel throughout the country as an examiner and adjudicator.
Standards of playing, she says, are definitely improving, but like many people who take their accordion seriously, she would like to see it treated with more respect, particularly by the universities.
Rosemary has examined in Scotland five times, and Malta twice. “People take it very seriously over there” she points out, “and standards are improving all the time.” Due, in part, no doubt, to Rosemary’s interest and commitment, although she is too modest to admit it.
She enjoys the accordion for its completeness within itself, for its variety and for its tone. But Rosemary has other strings to her bow. She also enjoys guitar and teaches acoustic guitar. Clarinet and piano are her other talents and Rosemary also used to teach these, but, understandably, finds little time to do so now.
She would like more time for writing, but this is something that will have to be put off for a rainy day – again because of time.
Teaching takes it all, but Rosemary doesn’t mind.
She is impressed by the number of candidates in Scotland eager to sit exams, but even more impressed by the number of people who play the instrument.
“The standards are very high” she explains. “even among people who just play it for entertainment, in folk clubs for example. They obviously simply enjoy playing the instrument and don’t see the need to sit exams in it. Exams are not the be all and end all of tuition. They just provide a useful yardstick for progress.”
And Rosemary is no stranger to Scotland or the Scots. As already pointed out, she is a frequent visitor north of the Border and is also in fact half-Scottish, her mother hailing from Glasgow before she met husband Francis after the last war.
High Standards
Rosemary hesitated to predict what she would be doing in the next 10 or twenty years. There are plenty of options open to her and many things she would like to do. But at the moment she is happy in her work. As long as she stays there and maintains the high standards she has set the future of accordion music, in Britain and Malta, at least is assured.
Box and Fiddle
January 1983