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What's In A Name?
What's In A Name?
Choosing a name for a music ensemble is always a tricky business, with lots of strong opinions always thrown into the hat. People often ask me how I came up with the name Baroque Band and, to be frank, it just seemed like a good name.
Recently one of Europe's leading period-instrument groups, and a group with whom I used to perform, decided to rebrand itself, including a change of name. The group, "formerly known as" The King's Consort, will now be called...
The Retrospect Ensemble
Yes, that's right - The Retrospect Ensemble. There are several reasons behind the name change but, according to the group itself, the new name reflects its "main raison d'être - namely to bring the music of the past alive on the modern concert platform through extensive survey of the practices, styles and aesthetics of former ages."
Founded in the 1980s by the conductor Robert King, the ensemble has become one of the most successful period performance groups, with many critically acclaimed and high-profile concert performances to its name, along with 95 recordings - and sales of more than one million CDs.
In 2007, however, King was jailed for indecent assault. Matthew Halls, who had been the group's associate director since 2005, was appointed artistic director and he will lead the newly named Retrospect Ensemble.
So, there seems to be more to the name change than just a rebranding exercise. Can the group, with such a drastic shift, still retain the cache that it had built over decades as The King's Consort? Won't it just lose or baffle a lot of its audience, especially those for whom The King's Consort isn't necessarily synonymous with Robert King?
Several years ago the orchestra of the vocal ensemble The Sixteen tried to take on a life of its own and gain a little independence as "The Symphony of Harmony and Invention" - a catchy title! It didn't seem to work and I see from the group's website that it seems to have dropped the name now altogether. Surely the whole point was that the orchestra WAS associated with the choir and it could have put that association to good use.
I'd be interested to know what anyone else thinks about the renaming of TKC. Do you think it is a good idea? Do you like the new name? Do you think it will affect the ensemble's profile? Will the concert-going public still know who the group is or is this really about a brand new ensemble?
Comments
sound music...
Sun, 6/13/2010 - 4:50am — rosty"The Symphony of Harmony and Invention" - Changing name for the band or for the other musical support just there is an resemblance to the performer here. It is a great term to deal with. Music is related with human emotion and need to have correct term for its band so that it can fill the corner of the human heart. I would like to suggest " make your musical term feel my heart". Music is the Art, let other feel your feelings and love your music. Music may be enough for lifetime but lifetime is not enough for the music. I am a lyricist my self and my new song 'i love you like phrases' is made for the listener rather to the musicians. I don't believe in instruments but I prefer to support the sound.
This is the link to the
Tue, 5/5/2009 - 3:59am — AnonymousThis is the link to the 'Retrospect Ensemble' website:
http://www.retrospectensemble.com
website
Tue, 5/5/2009 - 5:36am — AnonymousThis one too:
www.clarasanabras.co.uk/retro.html
whatever
Wed, 4/29/2009 - 8:06am — Anonymousthere is also speculation that Robert King,now that he is on the sex offenders list,may find it difficult or near impossible to carry on with a career involving international travel not to mention his status as a musician.Where does this leave the musicians who have been loyal to him? I had heard that he had treated many of them in a pretty shoddy fashion pre-jail as it is....
You had heard..? (hillarious!)
Wed, 4/29/2009 - 11:36am — AnonymousWow, interesting paragraph... You seem to know a lot about Mr. King's situation, and obviously you don't think twice before openly attacking him. I wonder what makes you write these sordid comments? Any personal interest by any chance? :)
WoW GOLD
Wed, 4/29/2009 - 2:54am — AnonymousI link wow power leveling and wow power leveling
2 Retrospect Ensembles?
Fri, 4/24/2009 - 6:28am — AnonymousThe "real" Retrospect Ensemble has had concerts since at least 2006 (Brighton Festival), so what is the fuss all about?
Why are you guys taking the name of a Medieval ensemble anyway? Couldn't you just invent a new name on your own?
Clara Sanabras, director - it's true!
Fri, 4/24/2009 - 3:25am — Anonymoushttp://www.myspace.com/retrospectensemble
people in glass houses.....
Thu, 4/16/2009 - 5:52pm — AnonymousBaroque Band seems an extremely dull and uninspired name- to me -maybe in retrospect a better one could have been selected!
NB
Wed, 4/15/2009 - 2:10am — AnonymousI have played in The King's Consort for many years and now will also be playing for Retrospect.The politics and difficulties we have all faced in the last few years have been myriad ,let alone how upsetting it has been to see people's lives torn apart by the Press and other unmentionables.Matthew Halls has done an amazing job keeping the group going in the face of adversity and we all feel very torn because none of us would be here if Robert hadn't devoted his life to the group-The King's Consort without him is unthinkable.Whilst I don't particularly like the new name I believe that any group becomes well regarded and recognised for its performance and ensuing reputation rather than for its nomenclature alone.In my experience The King's Consort have performed to packed concert halls despite what has gone on behind the scenes-and I am sure that we will continue to do so as the Retrospect Ensemble.After all it's about the music -any group which puts this first rather than all the other details is doing a good job.The name change was unavoidable for legal reasons due to the fact that the trustees of the King's Consort were not happy to be involved with Robert King as they are a registered charity.When Robert King is released from prison the name of The King's Consort will revert to his jurisdiction-for legal reasons the organisation has to now become Retrospect Ensemble-complicated isn't it?As far as I know Robert King is intending to re-start the King's Consort at a suitable point and I shall support him in this along with many of my colleagues- I'd say watch this space.....
in addition
Fri, 4/17/2009 - 5:45pm — AnonymousThe King's Consort will continue to exist under Robert King-Retrospect Ensemble has been set up by Matthew Halls with the King's Consort Board of Trustees and the money from the registered charity The KIng's Consort which was not able to be made available to Robert King due to his prison sentence.This is a controversial subject because it looks as if Halls has run off with everything-what he has really done is provide work for the musicians of the King's Consort by keeping the organisation going rather than allowing the trustees to distribute the money randomly amongst the Arts World as they might have been forced to do.
Ambition
Sat, 4/25/2009 - 1:56am — AnonymousOr... he run off with everything...
no choice
Wed, 4/15/2009 - 1:42am — AnonymousThe name had to be changed for legal reasons-not out of choice.Get your facts guys!
(confused...)
Fri, 4/24/2009 - 5:02am — AnonymousThe name had to change? But... The King's Consort hasn't dissapeared. TKC has concerts for 2010, with Robert King directing, right?, so I don't understand your point.
You have just created a NEW group, isn't that a fact? It's NOT The King's Consort!
And, by the way, Retrospect Ensemble, is a Medieval ensemble directed by Clara Sanabras; why are you using their name???
Are you anything to do with them?
Think of the Fans
Fri, 3/6/2009 - 5:00pm — AnonymousThink of the fans! You may have close followers (usually with personal relation with the artists) who could make the transition pretty well, but then you have some of those fans that saw them once, bought their album or saw them perform again and never returned. What about them? If you change your name, without some thorough communication with the fans (and make sure the notification of the change sticks around for a good year), you lose those you got from the back row. Now everyone's going to have to adjust their iPods! ;)
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OliviaB.
Portland DUI lawyer
TKC exists!
Fri, 4/24/2009 - 4:04am — AnonymousIn fact, The King's Consort will continue to do concerts under their own name. Robert King, its director, have already concerts for the 2010 season. Retrospect Ensemble is just a new group which uses many of the TKC musicians, but don't all British groups do the same anyway?
And, interestingly, there are 2 Retrospect Ensemble early music groups! The first one was founded years ago by Clara Sanabras.
You're right--marketing is
Thu, 2/12/2009 - 9:15am — AnonymousYou're right--marketing is not what it's about. But good performances require money, and to get money, you have to sell tickets, and to sell tickets.... There were some benefits to the patronage system.
If Robert King had a different surname that was obviously synonymous with him--say, Schnozzbuster--then the name change would make more sense to me. The King's Consort has such a wonderful reputation, however, and the name is so fortunately generic given the unfortunate circumstances, that I wish they had left it alone. The Retrospect Ensemble sounds like it could be a 70s cover band.
Having said that, I assume they had a good reason for making the switch.
You're nobody without a name
Tue, 2/3/2009 - 8:18am — AnonymousWhen I first read of the name change, it struck me as mainly a way to distance the group from a jailbird. I thought about the name change and the
group's awkward new name.
I guess I feel that the new name boxes in the group and ghetto-izes them in a nondescript early music purgatory.
In the end if good music is played I don't think the name matters.
I hate to see performing arts groups concentrate on marketing. That's not what it is about.
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