Music / festival
Bristol hosts Fast Forward Festival 2015
An inspired accessible music event is taking place in Bristol this month under the banner Fast Forward Music Festival.
The festival, which takes place at Colston Hall from July 2-3, will feature a flagship performance by the British Paraorchestra, the world’s first professional ensemble of disabled musicians led by internationally renowned conductor Charles Hazlewood, alongside the Inner Vision Orchestra, the UK’s only blind ensemble.
There will also be a mixture of seminars, workshops, open rehearsals and more celebrating disabled arts and artists, including work by Drake Music, OpenUp Orchestras, a sonic art piece and the National Inclusive Excellence Conference.
is needed now More than ever
Drake Music holds regular music groups for disabled adults and young people in Bristol and after much composing, jamming and rehearsing they will be playing live at the Fast Forward Music Festival at Colston Hall.
Electric Storm Ensemble, a group of disabled musicians from all over Bristol & Somerset who have been playing together at Colston Hall since 2014, will perform a piece of original material composed by the group, and an electronic re-imagination of John Lennon’s classic ‘Imagine’ using a wide range of accessible musical instruments, tech and electronics.
A spokesman for Drake music said: “We use technology to break down disabling barriers and open up access to music. We believe everyone has the right to make music.”
The conference has been devised to take an honest and much-needed account of the inequity of the music industry and address the many barriers that exist, particularly for young people with disabilities who want to participate in and listen to the best music available.
Siggy Patchitt, Education Manager at Colston Hall for Bristol Plays Music, said: “We are thrilled to be working alongside Youth Music on this vitally important project. Music is a passion for almost every single young person in this country, yet, for an unforgivably large proportion, opportunities to progress as a young musician are completely inaccessible. Together with our regional partners, we are going to change this through ‘A New Ambition for Inclusive Excellence.”
More info at www.colstonhall.org
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