Held throughout ten warm July evenings, with a range of events at multiple Islington venues, the Islington Festival is a celebration of chamber music, photography, painting and everything that makes up a tightly knit community. In the runup to the second festival, The Islington Storyteller had a sit-down with the founders, Joana Ly and Martin André, one of the performers, Leon Bosch, and one of the festival’s frequent guests, Anna Rose. The story of the inception of the festival truly is as captivating as it gets.
Meet the founders – Joana Ly and Martin André
A beam of light, full of curiosity, explored the insides of the room. At first timidly gleaming through the leaves of the oak tree outside, throwing faint shadows on the violin stand, then running in a silent harmony through the piano keys, lingering slightly around the bookshelves overfull with music notes and travel memorabilia. Having gained full confidence, the light then rushed through the wooden floors, inundating the whole room with the blissful warmth of the sunset. Right there, in the middle of the room, at the dinner table closer to the window, Martin and Joana were sharing the story of how it all started.
Over dinner, we discussed a multitude of things from travelling and love for dogs to sources of fulfilment and the challenges of the hectic lifestyle of a musician. What drew my attention, however, was the spark in Joana’s eyes followed by a slight change in her mimic, whenever we would turn our discussion back to music. Although she grew up in a musicians’ family in Portugal and was trained as a violinist from childhood, Joana has long considered undertaking a career in journalism. That was until she started putting together an orchestra in Lisbon with Martin André.
‘Then I knew that music was my thing and from that point onwards I never looked back’ said Joana. She has studied in the ANSO in Lisbon, the Royal College of Music in London, was mentored by Gordan Nikolic in Amsterdam and has been member and guest of various world-class orchestras.
Martin, remarkably charismatic and a rather welcoming host, started his career as a pianist and later found his passion in conducting, performing opera and orchestra repertoire in over 30 countries, including Thailand, New Zealand, Germany and the USA. Martin also was the Intendant of the National Opera Company and National Symphony Orchestra for 3 years in Lisbon before returning to London. Having had the pleasure of meeting this charming couple, both musicians of spectacular talent, and both with inspiring personal stories, I can say with certainty that the people who run the Islington Festival are what makes this event so special.
How it all came about
‘Lockdowns hit the artistic circles very hard. Especially in music where without the audience, performing becomes much less rewarding. Conducting orchestras, performing at galas and concerts, recording music… this was all reduced to Zoom lessons for some of our students’ reminisced Martin.
As with most things, however, it is the lack of possibility to do things the old way that uncovers new outlets for creativity. In summer 2020, as restrictions eased slightly, allowing for socially distanced outdoor gatherings, Martin and Joana received an unexpected visit from their neighbours.
‘They asked if we could perform some classical music in their garden for a few friends’ Joana recalls. This was the start of a series of plein air performances that would go on throughout summer.
‘One day, we had planned yet another concert. The guests would sit on chairs outside in the backyard of our neighbours and the musicians would stand on the terrace. This time, we were performing Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartet No. 1. Suddenly, right in the middle of the second movement, a wall of rainfall started showering the audience. We had to stop, there was nothing we could do… We told the guests, that we would understand if they would just get up and go! And then, something magical happened. Some of the guests took out umbrellas, some just stayed as they were and not one person moved from their seats until we finished the piece. It was such an unforgettable experience!’
joana ly
This story felt particularly special because it showed how the fear of the unknown, longing for human connection and passion for one’s craft all came together in a small backyard under pouring rain, accompanied by the sounds of a string quartet.
After these small lockdown concerts, Martin and Joana, helped by local volunteers, decided to use their connections with local communities and the musical world to run an annual series of concerts and art workshops, now known as the Islington Festival of Music and Arts.
Meet the performers – Leon Bosch
For a better idea of what to expect at the upcoming Festival, The Islington Storyteller interviewed one of the performers, Leon Bosch, a world-class double bass player and man of many other talents. Leon and I met at the busy café of the Southbank Music Centre, overlooking the Thames through full-length glass windows. The energetic Southbank atmosphere proved to be a great catalyst for an invigorating discussion about Leon’s life journey and connection to the Islington Festival.
‘I started a musical career by accident! I never wanted to be a musician’, said Leon when asked about his background. ‘I grew up in South Africa during apartheid. My parents and I lived in the townships, some of the poorest parts of the world. Where people get stabbed and robbed and raped. That’s how we grew up as kids. My father was part of the liberation movement in South Africa. And my parents, both teachers, believed that education was the way to liberation. So they ensured that their children got decent schooling. At 15 I became a political prisoner for fighting the battle for freedom and was put on trial. I was lucky to be defended by a talented lawyer and they found me not guilty. Inspired by him, I decided to become a lawyer as well. At that time, though, you had to get a permit to go to university in South Africa. I applied for a permit to study law and was refused. After this, I took a chance and applied to study music after which I got permission to study cello. This was when I realized that everybody who went to that university had special musical education since young childhood. Compared to them, I knew nothing, I was just a poor kid from the township. I knew that I could either give up or stand up and fight and I decided to fight, which meant practising 8 hours or more every day, reading every book I could get a hold of and listening to every record I could find…’
In just four years, Leon reached such a level of proficiency that he received an invitation to complete his postgraduate studies in the UK.
‘In 1982 I arrived in London with one suitcase and a raincoat (because I heard it rained a lot). I studied and then played competitions to feed myself. I spoke to my parents once a month and occasionally sent them photographs.’
Leon bosch
Gradually Leon’s career started to take off leading him to become a member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Manchester Camerata, the World Orchestra for Peace, conduct orchestras across the UK, Europe, India, South Africa and Mozambique, record over 15 thousand soundtracks and become a published author.
At the upcoming Islington Festival, Leon will be performing with his ensemble, I Musicanti.
‘A lot of people play stuff because it is fashionable. When I do stuff, I do it because I believe in it. This is exactly what I like about the Islington Festival. It is two people who care about the community and they decided to share what they love with the community. It’s not easy to put on concerts. I understand the amount of effort it takes to do what they do, and I value their commitment. Joana and Martin have a unique musical vision. They pick composers they care about and play music they care about. When Martin and I first played, I immediately understood he has a real depth of experience, he is the kind of performer where they don’t have to tell you how good they are because they just are. He is a musician of real distinction. And so, for me to come to Islington is a pleasure rather than just an engagement. The pleasure of being with people who share the same vision of the world’ concluded Leon.
Meet the audience – Anna Rose
While having tea in her inviting sitting room, filled with exuberant reminders of countless travels, Anna Rose and I had a heartwarming conversation about the world, psychology and, of course, her profound love for music.
Anna became a committed guest of the first Islington Festival after attending the garden concerts organized by Joana and Martin back in 2020. Anna shared the story with true excitement: ‘How I met Joana? Oh, it’s one of those many very fortunate things in my life! My neighbours heard about the small garden concerts Joana and her quartet were putting up. They asked me if I would like to join this little concert at Islington Square. And of course, I said yes (because I was so starved for music)! So, we went to this square in Islington, and it was like a light of revelation, because, you know, you were starving and suddenly you have this wonderful ‘meal’! The music was amazing. But it was way more than that. And that is how I always thought about Joana. The reason why this Islington Festival is so amazing is the atmosphere the organisers manage to create. Friendly, involving. They were a beacon of light in what was quite a tough time during lockdowns.’
The reason why this Islington Festival is so amazing is the atmosphere the organisers manage to create. Friendly, involving. They were a beacon of light in what was quite a tough time during lockdowns.’
anna rose
In 2021, Anna attended the first Islington Festival: ‘I did not book a ticket for the whole festival. I thought that would be too much music for me to take in. But I ended up going to virtually all of them!’. I then thought: ‘There are so many young talented musicians. But of course, they need an audience.’ That was when I began to feel valuable! I thought: ‘Oh gosh, I am important. They can’t do it without me. They need the audience’. It is all about communication. You can play in an empty hall but it’s not the same. And I am so thrilled about the upcoming festival as well!’
Final thoughts and useful links
Both Anna and Leon mentioned how important it is for music to be accessible and for barriers to be broken so that more young people can develop an interest in and understanding of classical music. Martin and Joana took this one step further and brought chamber music to our doorsteps, the squares of our local neighbourhood, our local churches and community halls.
Check the official festival Instagram and website for updates and concert programmes.
Festival Dates: July 15-24
Tickets (free for under 25s).
About the author: Ana runs the @islington_london Instagram page and is editor of The Islington Storyteller. In addition to my day job, my love for North London has taken over my free time and is the reason The Islington Storyteller came to life. The blog is lucky to have many wonderful contributors but it feels very special for me whenever I get the opportunity to sit down and write one of the stories myself.
