As part of our ongoing community engagement, Cambridge Philharmonic have been excited to work with local young people as part of an initiative developed alongside ‘The Sounds of Shakespeare’ concert on 20th May.
The Garfield Weston Foundation and Pye Foundation have generously supported the project, using workshop sessions to engage young people in our music making. The goal is to generate opportunities for schools who currently have little to no music provision.
Four workshops have been planned, the first two facilitated at Swavesey Village College, with primary school children visiting from Pendragon School. The sessions have already been well received by the young people involved, with just over 20 performers taking part, aged from years 5 to year 8 (ages 10-13).
To support our project Cambridge Philharmonic has engaged the services of the Three Inch Fools to run the workshop sessions. They are a performing arts collective who create innovative and engaging performances of Shakespeare’s material which they tour around the country in unusual outdoor locations. They are known for their use of music and movement so are perfectly placed to run the workshops. In addition, Stephen Hyde (theatre director and composer) and Arne Pohlmeier (actor and practitioner at the Globe Theatre) are supporting the workshops, both of whom are bringing great energy and expertise to the table. The young people have already risen to the challenge and have enjoyed developing a few short scenes for the upcoming showcase, to be presented at the concert.
The groups are specifically looking at the texts of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, which tie in with the themes running through ‘The Sounds of Shakespeare’. The groups have been using the very opening of Hamlet to conjure a soundscape that embodies the atmosphere of the script, putting a percussive accompaniment to one of Hamlet’s soliloquies, working on the Prologue to Romeo & Juliet and also learning one of Shakespeare’s many songs.
If you would like to enjoy the cumulative performance, it will take place in the foyer of West Road Concert Hall from around 6.45pm on the 20th May. We would love to see as much support for the young people as possible!
The main concert will begin at 7.30pm.
For tickets and further information visit: https://cambridgephilharmonic.com/whats-on/sounds-of-shakespeare