You are involved in the “Move to the Music Project”?
I am the co-ordinator of the project – I am the person in the middle between the Ulster Orchestra Outreach Staff – the Community Groups – the artists and the writers.
How does the project unfold?
It can unfold in a number of different ways which to me is the beauty of this project. You really don’t know what is going to be created.
The community groups have 4 sessions with an artist or a creative writer and perhaps after a couple of sessions a representative from the Ulster Orchestra will come in and the they will share their ideas, so that the musical aspect can be tied in with the themes which have emerged from the group’s work.
And what groups are involved so far?
We have worked with the Citra Foundation in Carrick, and they worked with the artists Anne Marie Taggart. The group created paintings, drawings and beautiful mobiles which created incredible shadows. They have been working with Colin Stark from the Ulster Orchestra and we have also being working with Jonathon Simmance; he has been working with North Down International Women along with the poet Shelley Tracey. There is another group The Focus Club and we have just started working with them.
The process appears incredibly organic and as I said, you really don’t know what people are going to produce when you start out. Even now I’m not sure what form the finished projects will take.
Is there an end point to the project?
Well, this will all depend on Covid in that if there are no or limited restrictions we might have a performance of the merged material, the writing or the paintings and drawings with the music, or it might end up that we will have to produce videos and add the various elements together that way. Whatever process we have to end up using I have to say it is a pretty special project to be part of.