Report on Educational Programmes in Sri Lanka

The Commonwealth Resounds! ran a number of unforgettable, life-changing educational projects in Sri Lanka during CHOGM 2013. The visiting musicians worked in schools, colleges, orphanages and communities sharing their musical skills. This report was written by Co-Directors Sarah Noon and Nicholas Oliver from Chethams School of Music.

The Purcell School’s Commonwealth Trip to Sri Lanka

The Purcell School was one of two specialist music schools in the UK to attend CHOGM 2013 in Sri Lanka as part of The Commonwealth Resounds! Eight young musicians were chosen for the Sri Lanka Team, and they joined eight from Chethams School of Music, chosen in a similar way. The Purcell School musicians created a presentation for the rest ofthe school about their trip giving an outline of their experiences.

Ruth Dingle tells of her experiences

A young musician’s diary and photographs from her trip to Sri Lanka as a member of The Commonwealth Resounds! She took part in concerts, outreach work, projects and Commonwealth events linked to CHOGM 2013.

Music Off Canvas

“Before Language” is a cross-cul tural project which connects people by sharing culturally specific phrases of love through music and movement. Run by pioneering cross-arts specialists Music Off Canvas, three artists will travel to Batticaloa to work with victims of the Tsunami through the Ocean Stars Trust, to Kurunegala to work with El Sistema-inspired “The Music Project” and to Galle and Colombo to work in local schools. The project also sees a collaboration with Sri Lankan peace-building arts companies nATANDA and Arpeggio Dance Company as well as the creation of a new work inspired and affected by the explored material.

See http://www.musicoffcanvas.com/before-language.html for more information.

Just So Opera

Rudyard Kipling wrote the Just So Stories to entertain his Best Beloved infant son and daughter. He created in prose a primitive world of mythical transformations through which a Leopard got his spots, a Rhino his thick skin, a Whale his throat, and dogs, horses, cows and cats became domesticated. Farrukh and Danyal Dhondy’s opera takes the renowned characteristics of these creatures, and retells the stories mostly in verse, exploring them through modern operatic voices and action.

Premiered at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival in 2012, Just So will be developed for a new production, involving current and former pupils from the Purcell School of Music, which will be performed in Colombo Ladies’ College as part of The Commonwealth Resounds in Sri Lanka.

We would like to thank the PRSF and the Bliss Trust for their support in this project.

More information on the opera, and a video of the first performance, is available at www.justsoopera.com.

The Commonwealth Resounds! 2011 took place in Perth at the end of October. You can read all about what we did on our diary Perth2011.

The Commonwealth Resounds! and Trinidad worked hard together to create an exciting programme of workshops, performances, outreach activities and special projects linked to the Commonwealth People’s Forum and CHOGM associated events between November 22nd – 28th 2009.

International musicians from 22 different Commonwealth countries, plus a large number of talented local partners from Trinidad and Tobago, and many enthusiastic schoolchildren all worked in partnership with the Trinidad Government, the Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company, the Classical Music Development Foundation of Trinidad & Tobago, the International Federation of Musicians, Phonographic Performance Ltd, the Royal Over-Seas League, the Royal Commonwealth Society and other distinguished musical partners.

• A Harp for CHOGM
• A Musical learning Journey to Mayaro
• Invitation! Pre CHOGM Celebration
• Music Education Resounds!
• The Commonwealth Resounds!
• THE WORLD’S FIRST COMMONWEALTH PIANORAMA
• Tobago’s Commonwealth Blast!
• Trinidad’s Gala performance

Pre-CHOGM Gala – Royal Commonwealth Club, Monday November 16th 2009

The Royal Commonwealth Society generously enabled The Commonwealth Resounds! to run a spectacular Pre-CHOGM Gala performance featuring some of the key musicians and partners involved in the forthcoming Trinidad project.

Projects and performances in Trinidad and Tobago November 22nd – 29th

There were some remarkable, unforgettable projects, workshops and performances run by brilliant international musicians from The Commonwealth Resounds! and also by the outstandingly talented musicians and dancers in Trinidad.

Partner organisations and musicians who performed

The UK Premiere of the Commonwealth Pianorama – Royal Over-Seas League Sunday January 25th 2010

Roderick Lakin MBE, Director of Arts at the Royal Over-Seas League supported The Commonwealth Resounds! by hosting the UK Premiere of the Commonwealth Pianorama (Programme 1 | Programme 2) at the Royal Over-Seas League. The elegant Princess Alexandra Hall with its beautiful Steinway grand piano made this an ideal venue for the event, and many composers travelled vast distances and even from overseas to hear their pieces.

Many international musicians from The Commonwealth Resounds! travelled to Kampala to take part in some fascinating projects and performances with their Ugandan musical partners. These included:

• A Thanksgiving for Peace
• Instrument Making
• The Tabla project
• The Choral Programme
• The Diversity of the Flute
• Project Poster 1
• Project Poster 2

The whole programme was supported generously by the Commonwealth Foundation. Professional Group Leaders from The Commonwealth Resounds! supported the work of youth choirs and bands in the villages surrounding Kampala, and the Federation of International Musicians launched a highly successful Music Business Seminar. The Commonwealth Resounds! also took part in Commonwealth People’s Forum Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and ran projects in the People’s Space. On the final day, Dr. Peter Cooke gave a fascinating lecture about the Music of Uganda to all musicians involved in The Commonwealth Resounds! at the Ndere Centre, Ntinda.

Commonwealth Resounds! first organised a series of brilliant multicultural performances in collaboration with Maltese musical partners, in events linked to the Commonwealth People’s Forum as part of CHOGM 2005, held in Malta and Gozo. The impact and success of the performances were in no small way due to the support of the Maltese Ministry for Culture, the hotels and other organisations in Malta and Gozo who recognised the value and mutual benefits of this exciting new enterprise. We are grateful to other Commonwealth countries such as Cyprus, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and New Zealand who supported their wonderful musicians in the first-ever performances of The Commonwealth Resounds! The TCR’s Souvenir Programme from CHOGM 2005 (pdf) for this event is available to download.