Music Nation: The Chalk Legends

Music Nation is a nationwide weekend of live music events held across the UK on 3 & 4 March 2012. Devised and led by the BBC, Music Nation is the first nationwide countdown event to the London 2012 Festival. Music Nation will reach into Sturminster Newton in Dorset through the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s new music ensemble, Kokoro, performing alongside community groups from throughout the county. BSO’s project in line with the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, The Chalk Legends, is to work with community groups throughout the county of Dorset and engage them with workshops and performances directly linked to the county’s rich heritage.

 

Community choir Local Vocals will be performing two new works written by Stephen McNeff from texts of William Barnes, English writer based in Dorset (1801-1886). The songs are called Bob the Fiddler and The Welshnut Tree and will be accompanied by Kokoro. The choir will also collaborate with Dorset based Moonlight Swing Band in a performance of Sway. The Sturminster Newton Orchestra will perform a selection from their own repertoire including Sibelius’ Finlandia and local folk group Bad Penny will culminate the evening with a song written for the Olympics coming to Dorset.

Kokoro will also present music by south west composer Graham Fitkin as well as premiering Hywel Davies’ Quickstep and his arrangement of Satie’s Sport et Divertissement and Stephen McNeff’s Four Van Gogh Chalks.

For tickets to Sturminster Newton please call The Exchange on 7 or tune in to BBC Radio 3 on the morning of Sunday 4^th March to hear highlights of the evening. For more information please visit www.chalklegends.com

 

Post by Nick Thorne, Fundraising and Ensembles Officer, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.