The Oxted Band from Surrey has been announced as one of the musical pairings of the 'Adopt a Music Creator 2022' project support by Making Music, the UK's leading membership organisation for leisure-time music.
The scheme brings together music creators and leisure-time music groups to collaborate on new music for premiere during the year, with the non-competitive band linking up with award winning composer and artist Emily Peasgood
Magical and evocative
The four time Novello Composer's Award nominee creates research-led and site-specific artworks for galleries and outdoor public spaces, ranging from large-scale community events to intimate sound installations.
Her work, which has been described as 'magical', 'evocative' and 'memorable' by critics, invites people to connect with people and places that are forgotten, overlooked or surrounded in histories that can be remembered and celebrated through sound.
Really cool
Speaking to 4BR she said: "I'm delighted to be able to work with a brass band on this project. I have a brass banding family background and I'm not ashamed to say I think they ae really cool!
I will be meeting up with the band at the beginning of February to discuss what we can come up with. It's blank canvas so the possibilities are so exciting. I want o find out what the ban can do and wants to explore but also respect the traditions and roots."
Emily worked with Regent Brass for a work as part of the Cultural Olympics about a decade ago and has been keen to return ever since. "I have. I can't wait to get started and I'll be blogging about the project on my website so I hope people will become involved all the way through to the premiere later in the year."
I can't wait to get started and I'll be blogging about the project on my website so I hope people will become involved all the way through to the premiere later in the yearEmily Peasgood
Thrilled
Speaking about their input, Band Chairman, Ben Hicks added: "We are also looking forward to meeting up with Emily and seeing what we can do together. This was the second time we applied for the scheme and so we were thrilled to find out we were successful."
Adopt a Music Creator is run by Making Music in conjunction with Sound and Music, the national organisation for new music, and funded by the PRS Foundation and Philip and Dorothy Green Trust.
New sound worlds
Barbara Eifler, Chief Executive of Making Music, added: "Adopt a Music Creator is a very special project, pairing professional music creators and leisure-time music groups for an experimental creative process.
It's about groups and music creators being endlessly inventive about how to connect, get to know each other and have fun exploring new sound worlds."
You can also hear a selection of works created from the 2019/20 round of projects on BBC Radio 3 from 17th to 21st January, with one piece played daily following the Radio 3 in Concert broadcasts which begin at 7.30pm.
