Hello!
Welcome to the March edition of our Bridgewater For All Playback, where we look back at the highlights of the Learning and Participation programme at The Bridgewater Hall for this month. From following the adventures of a very unlucky duck to delving into the soundscape of colours, we’ve been busy spring-ing into action with lots of varied projects this month.
We hope you have a lovely Easter and enjoy reading what we’ve been up to in March.
The L&P Department
Music Makers – 18 March
Nancy led our Carnival of the Animals themed Music Makers which featured music by Camille Saint-Saens. Families had the chance to have a tinkle on the Steinway piano and hear lots of different animal sounds along the way. This session also featured music by Abbie on violin and Grace on clarinet, allowing little music makers to get up close to different types of sounds and textures. After some sensory free play, Nancy rounded off the session playing some lovely lullabies on her harp and introduced us to Situous the Super Snake! Our next Music Makers sessions will take place on Monday 15 April and will be led by Sarah. Sarah’s planning to take us to a land before time – can you guess what the theme is?
To find out more about Music Makers click here.
Be Hear Now in the Community – 19 March
We were joined by the lovely Festivo Winds at PossAbilities Witley Road, Rochdale for this month’s Be Hear Now in the Community session. Leila, Tom and Adam, all led the interactive concert and workshop, and participants were able to get up close to the groups instruments which included a French horn, flute and cor anglais! The group played some lovely classical music, as well as some highly requested movie theme tunes from Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones. In the workshop we used chime bars and percussion to play along to Leila’s lovely singing. The session was rounded off with a live music sing a long to the group’s favourite, ‘Reach’ by S Club 7.
To find out more about PossAbilities work click here.
Bridgewater Hall Singers – 20 March
Our Singers met for their last rehearsal before the Easter break on 20 March, and it was great to see so many choir members together! We had over 55 people turn up for rehearsal to go through a new repertoire of songs ranging from Cindy Lauper’s ‘True Colours’ to the powerful ‘Something Inside So Strong’ by Labi Siffre. Our Singers have lots of exciting performances lined up for the summer, so keep an eye out for where you’ll be able to hear this amazing group sing!
International Concert Series Education Project – 21 & 22 March
This month we launched the start of our International Concert Series education project! The International Concert Series (ICS) is the Bridgewater Hall’s own flagship classical music series, bringing the best international orchestras, recitalists, and choirs to Manchester. Each year, the L&P Department looks to build an education project around an ICS performance, and this year we’re taking inspiration from the innovative Manchester Collective who will be performing at the Hall on Friday 10 May. Led by composers and multi-instrumentalists Jonathan James and Áine Mallon, music students from Laurus Ryecroft High School, and The Manchester College are working together to create an original piece of music inspired by Morton Feldmen’s Rothko Chapel that will be performed by the Collective in May. In these first of six musical workshops, the students warmed up through body percussion techniques, then went on to create improvised pieces inspired by a specific colour, referencing the work of artist Mark Rothko. Exploring The Rothko Chapel as a site of truth and freedom, Áine then led a discussion around human rights inviting everyone to explore what types of lyrics and themes the students would like to feature in their own song writing. We were truly blown away by the talent and openness of the students in the room and can’t wait to see how the piece grows from here!
To find out more about the International Concert Series click here.
To read about our 2023 International Concert Series Education Project click here.
Opera North Little Listeners – Saturday 23 March
On Saturday 23 March we welcomed the lovely Opera North to the Hall for a family concert in the Barbirolli Room! In this relaxed concert children were entertained to a musical story about Dizzy the Duck with No Luck. The show had plenty of sing-along opportunities for children and parents alike and featured beautiful musical accompaniment from the Orchestra of Opera North, with music composed by Paul Rissman. After the show, families got the chance to meet the members of the orchestra, and have a look at lots of different instruments, ranging from double basses to French horns. We also saw the return of our popular Instrument Petting Zoo with Sarah, Grace, and Jess.
Be Hear Now – Sunday 24 March
Classical guitarist and Live Music Now musician, Sam Rodwell, joined our Be Hear Now session on Sunday. He brought a range of songs from Brazil and Spain which made lots of us get up and dance as the sun lit up the Hall. Beth shared songs all about spring, and scattered lots of blossom petals over the group in the sensory workshop which was very fun. As always, this session was a lovely way to round off the weekend and enjoy high quality music in a relaxed environment. It was great to see so many new families attend as well! Our next Be Hear Now on 21 April features performances from the amazing Meera (flute) and Dominic (piano) who form Maharaj Degavino Duo.
To find out more about Be Hear Now click here.