Thursday 25 July 2013

PAUL PRAISES LIPA GRADUATES


 
Paul McCartney (centre) with Lipa's founding principal and chief executive Mark Featherstone-Witty (right) and the six luminaries (left To Right) Zenon Schoepe, Andy Hayles, Seymour Stein, Mark Ronson, Stephen Mear and Rowena Morgan who were installed at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts ceremony at The Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.
Paul praised  the spirit and family atmosphere of the performing arts college he co-founded.
Speaking at LIPA’s  graduation ceremony, the  ex-Beatle said: “What I find  really nice is that you come  from your own family to here,  and this becomes another  kind of family – your LIPA  family.
“Then as you progress into  the professional world, if  you’re very lucky and you  cherish that idea, you get your  professional family.”
Around 260 students from  the UK and more than 15  countries including India,  Mexico, Venezuela and South  Africa, graduated at the  ceremony at the  Philharmonic Hall yesterday.
Meanwhile six leading  figures from the  entertainment industry –  including DJ and producer  Mark Ronson and veteran US  record label boss Seymour Stein – were made  Companions of LIPA, an  accolade given for outstanding achievement and  practical contribution to  students’ learning.
The other 2013 Companions  were theatre design  consultant Andy Hayles,  improv master and director  Keith Johnstone, dancer and  Olivier award-winning  choreographer Stephen  Mears and industry magazine  editorial director Zenon  Schoepe, while Rowena  Morgan was named an Honoured  Friend.
Mark Ronson, whose  Southport-born, New  York-based mum was in the hall,  urged the students to persevere,  revealing it has taken him 10  years to break into the big time.
He said: “What kept me doing  this wasn’t so much a maniacal  idea to be massively famous, but  more the fact that I loved doing  what I did so much I couldn’t  imagine doing anything else.”
Seymour Stein’s signings over  the years include Madonna,  Talking Heads, Depeche Mode,  The Smiths, The Cure, Madness,  Erasure, The Ramones and  Liverpool’s own Echo and the  Bunnymen.
Receiving his Companionship,  he said: “It’s a great honour to be  here. I spent my life in music and  I know how much the UK and the  world owes to Liverpool.”

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