News

Young Disabled Musicians from Edinburgh take part in 2012 Cultural Olympiad

  • Scottish Music Centre
  • 15 Jun 2012

3 young musicians from schools across Edinburgh are performing tonight as part of the UK’s Cultural Olympiad.

They will perform Technophonia, a special piece written for this unique inclusive ensemble by composer and Scottish Music Centre member and Chair Oliver Searle.vIt features orchestral instruments alongside the state-of-the-art music technology that Drake Music Scotland uses to enable those with limited physical movement to play music.

Technophonia will premiere in Edinburgh at the Queen’s Hall on 15th June, followed by performances in Glasgow one 22nd June and finally in London for the Southbank Centre’s New Music 20x12 weekend, as part of the Cultural Olympiad on the 15th July.

Stephanie Forrest, a pupil at Braidburn School, will be playing the Skoog, a dynamic and wonderfully expressive musical instrument developed by Skoogmusic, a recent spin-out company from the University of Edinburgh. Chris Jacquin is a pupil at George Watson’s School, will be using the innovative Brainfingers system, a sophisticated sensor that picks up electrical activity via a headband and is used to control NOTION 3 software. Antony Swift from the Royal Blind School will play the Soundbeam – an ultrasonic movement sensor that can activate and trigger midi instruments and other musical sounds.

Oliver Searle was commissioned by Drake Music Scotland to write a piece for an ensemble of young musicians including the three soloists with disabilities which would explore the creative potential of the innovative music technology. As well as enabling the young players to display their musical talents to a worldwide audience, Oliver’s piece – subtitled Microscopic Dances - shows how musicians with disabilities can be included in a musical ensemble and perform on an equal footing with their peers. His inspiration for the piece came about as he observed the way musicians actually produce and control musical sounds.

These tiny movements and processes, many of which are only barely noticeable, or often completely invisible to the human eye, are like microscopic dances between our neural processes and motor skills, he says. This gave him the idea for Technophonia which includes a series of movements, each reflecting the almost undetectable movements of the musicians. They are: Invisible Fandango, Secluded Charleston, Atomic Jive, Secret Cakewalk, Portable Polka, Concealed Reel, Veiled Sarabande and Clandestine Waltz.

Pete Sparkes, Artistic Director of Drake Music Scotland adds: Technophonia presents a fantastic opportunity for Drake Music Scotland to bring together young musicians for a series of exciting performances as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Working with talented young musicians, a leading Scottish composer, and brilliant technology, we are creating new repertoire for a unique ensemble.

Performance details:

Premiere - Friday 15th June, 7.30pm, The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, http://www.thequeenshall.net

Glasgow performance - Friday 22nd June, 7.30pm, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, http://www.rcs.ac.uk

London performance - Sunday 15th July, 12 noon, Southbank Centre, http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Supported by:

Scottish Music Centre is supported by Creative Scotland Scottish Music Centre is supported by the IMC Scottish Music Centre is supported by IAMIC

Scottish Music Centre, City Halls, Candleriggs, Glasgow | T: +44 (0)141 552 5222 | E: info@scottishmusiccentre.com
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