Two youth orchestras to perform a piece by Brighton composer using only their bodies as instruments ….
A unique concert featuring two youth orchestras playing everything from their trumpets to their knees (!) will be held on Sunday 17 May at 5pm at All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove BN3 3QE.
The Brighton Youth Orchestra and the Hackney Borough Youth Orchestra are coming together for the first time ever as part of the BBC’s ‘10 Pieces’ initiative aimed at getting children creative with classical music.
The orchestras will perform the works composed or inspired by 10 classical heavyweights: John Adams, Beethoven, Britten, Grieg, Handel, Holst, Anna Meredith, Mozart, Mussorgsky and Stravinsky.
It will also feature a percussion piece composed in response to Anna Meredith’s work ‘Connect It’ by Mike Johnson, who is the instrumental and vocal programme manager for Brighton & Hove City Council’s music and arts service.
Entitled ‘Bodywork’, Mike’s piece is VERY different from Beethoven – the young musicians will use only their bodies as instruments!
Finger clicks, chest beating, clapping, knee slaps, stamping and voices will be used to create an intricate rhythmic mosaic of sound played by four separate groups of musicians.
Mike said: “I was excited to compose a piece that required performers to dispense with their instruments and instead use only their bodies to create music.
“This provides an opportunity to explore the amazing range of sounds we can create by using our bodies and to focus purely on using rhythm as a way of creating a musical soundscape.”
The concert will be a showcase for the talents of more than 150 young people and is part of the Brighton Festival. For ticket details please contact the Festival’s box office at:
- 29 New Road, Brighton BN1 1UG
- 01273 709709
- http://brightonfestival.org/whats_on/
For more information on the Brighton & Hove Music & Arts Service including opportunities to join bands, ensembles and orchestras visit www.bhma.org.uk