As the skies begin to clear and summer is at long last on its way, so it is the start of the festival season. And most of the organisers of these events are pressing ISM to include their festival in MJ. If we included everything we received MJ would be as big as the complete works of Shakespeare most months!

Of course our remit is much more selective. MJ is here to provide a stimulating read on music matters, publish news from our own individual and corporate members and provide you with the information you need for your work as a professional musician. To ensure that MJ is as accessible as possible, we have set up an e-mail address just for Music Journal - MJ@ism.org - so please make sure you let us have your news in good time for inclusion in MJ using this e-mail if at all possible.

Music Journal is all about communication. MJ is already a very handsome looking publication. It compares most favourably to my profession’s journal, the Law Society Gazette. Having said that, we are looking at giving you more tailored information on the services we offer members. As society becomes more complex for all of us, whether it is health and safety or fees, it is important that you have up-to-date advice on issues which you may not be able to get access to anywhere else. If you do have any comments on the content, style, layout, or whether we can do more to meet your professional needs in MJ, please write to me or e-mail the MJ team at MJ@ism.org.

And lastly on a very different aspect of communication, I was lucky enough to be invited by the Young Concert Artists Trust to attend the Landor/YCAT Piano Festival Hall in early June at the Wigmore Hall. Many of you will know of the work of YCAT who look for young musicians with talent, potential and individuality and the ability to communicate their music. YCAT then supports those artists as they become fully fledged professional musicians by finding them a wide range of engagements to further their career.

The programme of Haydn, Brahms and Liszt on 4 June was performed by Libor Novacek, a young Czech pianist. While Liszt may not be everyone’s composer of choice, on a warm summer’s evening in London the performance of Années de Pèlerinage, Première Année: Suisse made me believe I was in Switzerland experiencing the changing moods and scenery of that beautiful country. And I was not the only person who felt the power of the artist’s ability to communicate as was evidenced by the prolonged applause at the end of the concert. The art of communication was indeed clearly demonstrated.

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