Music of Life singing workshops
Music of Life Foundation has developed a new ground-breaking educational scheme to provide regular choral workshops at special schools, in partnerships with disability groups and in hospices in order to develop long-lasting collaborations and enable students to work alongside professional singers with an added agenda of selecting the most keen and talented youngsters to appear in our concerts.
Music of Life workshops are long-term projects aimed at providing substantial positive changes and bringing benefits to a wide range of special needs children especially those who face isolation, social deprivation and have low self-esteem. Each school/disability organisation will be offered at least two years’ programme of workshops in order to cultivate children’s abilities and skills, involve them in continuous work alongside professional singers and encourage them to be ambitious about their future.
In addition, smaller groups of most talented students are offered further training in separate, more frequent sessions; these select groups will be working on specific elements such as breathing and singing techniques, voice range expansion, SATB chorus basics and stage awareness. Depending on individual progress students from these groups could be offered placements in Music of Life concerts within first 6 months to 2 years’ time of training.
FOR A FULL PROJECT DESCRIPTION CLICK HERE
Composers’ workshop with James MacMillan
On Saturday, 16th October 2010 Britten Sinfonia and Music of Life
Foundation jointly present a Composers’ workshop featuring a celebrated composer James MacMillan just before the London premiere of James’ new oboe concerto commissioned by the Britten Sinfonia.
This project is a unique opportunity for the audience to witness the process of creation of music as well as a ground-breaking effort to bring together composers and musicians of very different abilities and backgrounds. A 4-hour workshop followed by performance will take place at one of the most stylish venues - Warehouse Waterloo in London where the new works presented by young composers supported by Music of Life Foundation will be brought to life by two ensemles consisting of members of the Britten Sinfonia and young Music of Life instrumentalists.
Event format and details:
12.00-5.00pm - workshop (audience 12.30-5.00)
5.15-6.00 - concert
Workshop leader: James MacMillan
Composers: Lloyd Coleman, Thomas Blumire, Benjamin Larham
Ensembles: string quartet & brass quintet (both mixture of Britten Sinfonia players and Music of Life instrumentalists)
Venue information: The Warehouse Waterloo, 13 Theed Street, London SE1 8ST. Disabled parking, fully flat access, disabled toilet.
Tickets: £8 full day, £5 concert only, £5 workshop only, under 18s
free. For online bookings please CLICK HERE
Autumn concert with Guildford Choral Society
First year of Music of Life's exclusive collaboration with Guildford Choral Society will be concluded with a beautiful concert comprising two stunning and poignant Requiems by Faure and Durufle. In addition to a number of young singers integrated in the chorus Music of Life is immensely proud of the fact that one of its participants, young soprano Claire Doran, has been asked to perform as a soloist and will sing the famous Pie Jesu in Faure. As always our participants will be attending weekly rehearsals with Guildford Choral Society and enjoying the hospitality and support of it's members. Although most of them have complex disabilities their passion for music made them willing to make this extra effort and become part of an ambitious concert programme. At Music of Life Foundation we take much pride in supporting them throughout their involvement with Guildford Choral Society and look forward to seeing them on stage of Guildford Cathedral alongside other singers and members of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with much anticipation.
Concert date: Saturday 13th November 2010, 7.30pm
For concert details please see GCS concert diary
For tickets please contact The Electric Theatre 01483 444789 (10:30-17:00 M-S)
Recent and ongoing events
Music of Life at Celebrating Surrey Festival
Music of Life Foundation has made its first festival appearance showcasing its work at the Celebrating Surrey Festival at Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey, on Saturday, 26th June 2010. A 40-minute slot at the festival’s main stage included choral pieces, instrumental and vocal solo performances by Music of Life young musicians who appeared alongside professional artists headed by magnificent Denise Leigh. The choir - comprising Music of Life participants, professional singers and members of the Guildford Choral Society - was conducted on this occasion by Lloyd Coleman, a promising young disabled conductor and composer.
Concerts with Guildford Choral Society
One of the leading UK choirs, Guildford Choral Society has become official partner of Music of Life Foundation in the implementation of a ground-breaking education project aimed at children and young people with disabilities and special needs in Surrey and Hampshire.
Best known for its regular concert appearances at spectacular Guildford Cathedral, Guildford Choral Society is the first highly-established performing group to commit to a long-term programme that will enable young singers with disabilities and special needs to gain essential professional experience through specially organised workshops, inclusion in regular choral rehearsals and concert events. Music of Life Foundation facilitates the youngsters’ access to first-class music-making and supports them throughout the project by providing individual lessons with specially appointed highly-skilled teachers, organising workshops, scheduling rehearsals and offering advice on practicalities of being involved in a concert project on professional level.
Educational project with Birmingham Conservatoire
In the Summer term 2010 Birmingham Conservatoire has welcomed the first group of young musicians with disabilities and special needs supported by Music of Life involving them in the Conservatoire's own productions.
The main purpose of the project is to introduce youngsters to the world of first-class music education and give them access to the very high standard of teaching, which is both inspiring and demanding. Projects like this encourage both groups – young musicians with disabilities and the colleges – to explore the opportunities that our initial introduction opens to them.
Following auditions successful candidates receive lessons with teachers appointed by Music of Life to prepare them for taking part in students’ workshops, attendaning specially selected classes and appearing in some of the Conservatoire’s concert productions. |
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