2nd September 2021
As a special, unique tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, a brand new Song for the Commonwealth has been commissioned to be sung by choirs in all 54 Commonwealth countries at the same time as the lighting of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons on June 2nd 2022. A call for song lyrics was put out in June and we are now delighted to announce that the three winning song lyrics and writers are: Lucy Kiely – ‘A Life Lived with Grace’ Meenashki Gautam Chaturvedi – ‘A Light in our Hearts’ Rodrica Rudge – ‘Majesty’ Click here for more information and the full song lyrics. Alison Cox, Founder and Director of The Commonwealth Resounds commented “The adjudicators were blown away by the quality and beauty of a very large number of lyrics submitted from around the Commonwealth, and would like to warmly thank everyone who contributed so generously to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Song for the Commonwealth Competition” Commonwealth composers are now invited to begin writing and submitting songs. The deadline for song entries is Tuesday 2 November. Further information and guidelines can be found here. Important dates Thursday September 2, 2021 at 12 noon (UK GMT): The Commonwealth Song Competition opens to composers Tuesday November 2, 2021 at 11.59 p.m. (UK GMT): The Commonwealth Song Competition closes to composers Thursday December 2, 2021 at 12 noon (UK GMT): The WINNING SONG AND COMPOSER will be announced, plus a shortlist of up to 9 other composers. Sunday January 2, 2022 at 12 noon (UK GMT): The WINNING SONG will be made available to all participating choirs (Other shortlisted composers will also be mentioned and celebrated and are likely to receive other opportunities to hear their songs performed)
28th May 2021
As one of the Commonwealth’s only musically accredited organisations, The Commonwealth Resounds facilitates cross-cultural projects, partnerships and performances with a focus on music education. The Third Culture Collective will be joining the Dionysus Ensemble as The Commonwealth Resounds’ second associated ensemble. Ensemble-in Association is a three-year post, during which time the ensemble will receive assistance and support in kind. As well as this, there will be exciting opportunities to network and collaborate with new partners and projects, especially those from other Commonwealth accredited organisations.
The Third Culture Collective is an exciting new ensemble, directed by British Indian music director, composer, singer and keyboardist Kavi Pau. Its aim is to bring together musicians from South Asian and Western cultures to perform new music and share their approach to music-making through performance, collaboration days and workshops. They seek to make western classical music more accessible to the next generation of British Asians, inspiring them to take pride in their mixed musical heritage and to inspire Western musicians to experiment with South Asian sounds.
Alison Cox OBE, Founder of The Commonwealth Resounds says: “We are delighted to welcome the Third Culture Collective to the Commonwealth family! The ensemble’s vision of bringing musicians from different cultural backgrounds together to share new music chimes perfectly with that of The Commonwealth Resounds, and I am absolutely delighted to welcome Kavi and his musicians as our new Ensemble-in-Association. We hope to develop exciting projects together, facilitate collaborations and partnerships, and to help support their work in any way that we can.”
Kavi Pau, Founder and Director of the Third Culture Collective says: “We are honoured to be appointed as Ensemble-in-Association with The Commonwealth Resounds and are excited to form a partnership together. The Commonwealth Resounds is an organisation whose own values resonate strongly with the Third Culture Collective. We both believe that the future of music is collaborative and cross-cultural. As a result of this association, we look forward to connecting with other Commonwealth partners and furthering our music-making in the UK and across the world”
Kavi Pau’s earliest musical experiences were in Indian music, studying the harmonium and Hindustani singing with Pravinaben Patel. Kavi won a choral scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he studied music, graduating in 2018 with a prize-winning double-first class degree. Alongside his work as Director of the Third Culture Collective, he is also Director of Music at St Barnabas Church, Ealing and is the Founder Director of Ensemble 1517, a choir specialising in the music of the Lutheran Reformation. He combines these posts with regular freelance activities and also teaches at the University of Cambridge.
To find out more about the Third Culture Collective, see their website www.thirdculturecollective.co.uk
26th April 2021
The Commonwealth International Composition Award Audience Vote is now live!
Well done to all of our young composers for writing such fantastic pieces! All were inspired by poems written by poets from around the Commonwealth:
Dance Craze by Kendel Hippolyte (St Lucia)
One Step Beyond – by Mr Gee (UK)
I Am a Poem About the Ants by Nicholas Laughlin (Trinidad)
Oceania by Karlo Mila (Tonga/ New Zealand)
Accent – by Mere Taito (Rotoman Island/Fiji)
Find out more about our finalists and vote for your favourite piece by clicking below:
Listen and vote here
