Recordings have been coming in further still over this week; many thanks to alumnus with Kent Law School and former Music Performance Scholar, Doug Haycock, seen here in festive mood recording the bass part for the project – bonus points for a sparkly tree in the background as well…
You can hear an early (pre-Doug) excerpt from one of the carols, In the bleak midwinter, featuring voices and strings from several University alumni here:
Keep the recordings (and selfies) coming in, everyone…
The Virtual Music Project is in action again this festive season, as University students, staff, alumni and families are invited to contribute towards a series of carols being recorded this term.
Many thanks to Erasmus student and multi-instrumentalist and singer, Laura Osswald, seen here in suitably festive mood recording from her home in Germany;
To alumna from the School of Biosciences, alto Catriona Bradley, whose career in seamstressing has come in handy for her medieval-themed seasonal selfie:
And to Melody Brooks, former Music Performance Scholar and alumna from the School of Psychology, and Jeni Martin, alumna from the School of Economics, seen here recording string-parts from Hertford and Bedfordshire respectively.
The carols are building nicely…
The Virtual Music Project swings into action again this month, as we invite students, staff, alumni, families and friends to participate in creating virtual recordings of some seasonal carols.
Over the lockdown which began in March (Lockdown 1.0, if you will), the project brought musicians from across the University community together in music by Vivaldi, Mozart and some 1940s swing tunes; this month, the first piece is In the bleak midwinter featuring voices, strings and chamber organ.
We’re putting the accompaniment together first, before inviting choral singers to record themselves singing, and this morning is a first bringing-together of recordings from alumni Jeni Martin, Melody Brooks and Laura Osswald, together with a chamber organ part recorded by Your Loyal Correspondent.
Many thanks to former Erasmus student and cellist, Laura Oßwald, seen here recording for the project all the way from Germany!
(Thanks to Jeni (pictured above) who has recorded both a violin AND a viola part – I think we should start a competition to see who can record the most parts for any one piece…
Thanks also to Melody (pictured below) who has similarly recorded not one but TWO string-parts; looks like there’s a theme developing…!
If you’re a university string-player, now’s your time! Follow the Virtual Music Project on Facebook to find out how to get involved – singers, your turn will come shortly.
We’re also hoping to record a second carol featuring a brass ensemble later this month as well.
Selfies featuring Christmas jumpers, festive headgear and / or tinsel and fairy-lights also very welcome…
As part of our occasional guest series, a reflection on the arts in lockdown by Dr Francesca Bernardi, RSA Fellow and independent researcher into children’s rights, dis/abilities and the arts.
Sometimes people like to use the phrase ‘wearing different hats’ as an expression of versatility, in different contexts or in a single space that requires one to assume different guises to get through the day (at the very least). I suppose that might be a good way to start a brief introduction of my own different hats. I would describe my self as a children’s rights and dis/ability activist, but then feel I am neglecting the very medium of such activism: the arts, visual and performing.
In this time of crisis I have worn a new guise which has been with me always (unnoticed) and has positioned me in a place of vulnerability and, consequently, I am shielding. Responding to this heightened vulnerable self, has caused me to look at personal ideas, hopes and ambitions in a very different light. I have also been hit financially by the changing shape of academia and my potential role within that space. An added sense of displacement comes from my inability to return to Italy (my home) where I would like to continue my research with communities that are seldom heard, in research, the media and their own social spheres.
The latest from the stables of the Virtual Music Project is the second of two recordings of the Virtual Dance Orchestra’s version of Duke Ellington’s classic tune, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (most appropriate for the current climate…) featuring current fourth-year baritone, Will Clothier, from the School of Archaeology and Conservation.
When not studying or off working on a rhino conservation site in South Africa, Will sings in the University Chamber Choir, and was recently seen treading the stage as the King of Hearts in the Music Department’s production of Alice in Wonderland: A Musical Dream Play. From his home in Leeds, Will sent in a recording, and this morning we’re very pleased to present a leaner mix of the piece, featuring a stripped-down version of the virtual big band behind Will’s voice.
This version follows hard upon the previous incarnation, featuring alumna Steph Richardson singing with a fuller virtual dance band; the next challenge is to combine the two voices to create a virtual duet – stay tuned…
The latest addition to the burgeoning Virtual Music Project features alumnus and pianist, Jim Reid, trading pianistic tricks and turns with Your Loyal Correspondent in a virtual two-piano rendition of Doxy by jazz giant, Sonny Rollins. Originally written by Rollins in 1954 and recorded alongside Miles Davis, and famously included on Davis’ album as band-leader, Bags Groove, three years later, Doxy has since become a classic of the repertoire.
More from the Virtual Music Project later in the week…
The Virtual Music Project (see previous post here) is in full swing – adjective applicable if you’re thinking about the Duke Ellington, perhaps not quite so if you’re aware of the Vivaldi Gloria performance which we’re building…then again…!
We’re delighted to share the first fruits of the collaboration which brings together University students, staff, alumni and their families in a virtual rendition of the first movement of Vivaldi’s glowing choral work. Each track has been recorded individually by participants during the current lockdown period, ranging right across the country from Canterbury through London to Somerset, Bristol, Northamptonshire and even across Europe to Germany, Luxembourg and reaching even as far as Japan, proving the universality of music as a means of coming together.
The first movement is also available to listen in a project Playlist on SoundCloud, alongside some of the early mixes of instruments and strings only, and a brief excerpt from an early mix of the virtual Dance Orchestra’s building Duke Ellington’s Dont Get Around Much Anymore.
I’m hugely grateful to everyone involved in bringing this project to digital life, for their enthusiasm, commitment and for taking the time to learn and record their individual contributions; it really is a wonderful example of the University community doing what it is good at – coming together, supporting one another, and making remarkable things happen.
Now onto the second movement and a piece by Mozart…!
The Virtual Music Project is in full swing, building virtual music performances together with student, staff and alumni musicians across the University community. So far, people have submitted recordings for the first movement of Vivaldi’s Gloria, and the virtual Dance Orchestra is building a performance of Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (well, with a title like that, it was the obvious piece to do, really, wasn’t it…).
Here are some early extracts; first, from some of the first instrumental tracks to be submitted, featuring strings and oboe:
And here’s an extract from an early voices-only mix, featuring some of the first vocal recordings to arrive:
The next phase has gone live this morning, as we now build the second movement of the Vivaldi, the hugely expressive, richly-dissonant second movement; all the details are on the project’s Facebook Page here for those who want to get involved.
