Compositional support!
Author: Stephanie Devlin, Blogger in Residence
These few months are an exciting time for ORA Singers, as they look ahead to hosting their first Composition Competition Final Concert on Saturday 27th July in King’s College Chapel in London. This final concert is the culmination of a competition that has run with two strands, an Open Competition, and a Youth Competition, which was open to secondary state-school pupils.
Competitions are always great, as they celebrate the art of performing new music written for a specific purpose. I’m particularly excited by the Youth side of the competition, for I love the fact that ORA are so invested in the musical education of those who maybe don’t normally have many opportunities like this. This is such a worthwhile experience for these ten young finalists, as they got to hear their music workshopped by ORA singers, and now get to have it performed at this concert.
As someone who came to study in England not having a firm grasp of the local school system, I was surprised at the difference there can often be when it comes to musical education. Sadly, only some schools can afford to invest in music, and therefore it is often the pupils at these schools who end up getting more opportunities. Particularly when it comes to choral music, and composition, state schools just don’t have the resources or opportunities to offer students.
In Northern Ireland, where I grew up, the schooling system is very different to the English system, and music education is particularly strong in primary schools, with a long-standing school choir tradition. However, for me, much of my musical education came from a charitable organisation, a regional children’s choir, called the Belfast Philharmonic Kids Choir, nicknamed ‘Phil Kids’ affectionately. Without the influence of this choir on me I wouldn’t have developed a love for choral music, and without its training in musicianship I doubt I would ever have got into composition. Many others share the same experience as me, indebted to these sorts of charitable organisations that have given them opportunities they otherwise just wouldn’t have had. The wonderful thing about music is that it reaches across social boundaries; it is for everyone. Therefore, I am so passionate that every young person in our country should have the opportunity to be involved in some sort of musical education programme or organisation.
If you feel the same as me, and are passionate about giving young people opportunities to get into music, and particularly composing, then there are a number of things you can do. Firstly, support organisations that are already working towards better music education for young people. This support could take many different forms. For example, maybe you sing in a choir which could find a young and upcoming composer, who may be lacking experience, and commission them to write a piece for your choir to perform. You could go along to a concert that a local charitable organisation is putting on, so that in your support of their ticket sales they will be able to support and reach more and more young people. Or maybe you want to take it a step further, and set up a scheme or programme in your local area to teach musicianship to young people who don’t already have any similar opportunities in their schools or areas.
And if you’re in London at the end of July, why not head to ORA Singers’ Composition Competition Final Concert, to support this young generation of composers, and to support the educational work that ORA are committed to enhancing. I can assure you that the standard will be unbelievably high, and that you will come away feeling confident and excited by the future of English choral music.
Written by Stephanie Devlin