Coastal Voices

Coastal Voices is a large scale participatory choral project bringing hundreds of voices together for performances across Dorset and Devon as part of London 2012 led by Musical Director Howard Moody.  If you sing – in school, in a community choir, a choral society or just in the bath - Coastal Voices needs you.

New music, new performance opportunities and new choirs will come together from Exmouth to Bournemouth to perform new arrangements of cult classics by Nick Cave, the geologically-inspired sound world of Marc Yeats, Songs for a Coastal Wind by John Surman and On Golden Cap by John K Miles inspired by work with Billy Bragg, B Sharp and young people of West Dorset & East Devon.

Produced by the Lighthouse, Poole with support from the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and National Lottery funds through the Olympic Lottery Distributor (Nick Cave arrangements), the project gives a new voice to the coastline that forms a stunning backdrop to the sailing events at London 2012.

The four commissions are being rehearsed in the following hub locations along the coast:

POOLE: Commissioned new arrangements of Nick Cave songs (Carry Me, Into My Arms, There She Goes My Beautiful World) by Sonia Slany
Nick Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor. He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and musical styles. Nick Cave currently lives in Brighton. Sonia Slany is an Australian musician, now resident in the UK, who is much sought after as an arranger and instrumentalist in contemporary, jazz and popular music.

A small choir of 50 young singers from Poole will be selected to perform on the Oceania stage at BT River of Music, London on Sunday 22 July 2012.

Performance dates:
Friday 9 March 2012: Opening of the Twin Sails Bridge, Poole
Sunday 8 July 2012: Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts
Sunday 22 July 2012: BT River of Music, London
Friday 27 July 2012: Weymouth Live Site, Maritime Mix 2012

WEYMOUTH: Songs for a Coastal Wind by John Surman
John Surman (born in Tavistock, Devon) is a world-renowned jazz saxophonist and composer who has also composed and performed much music for dance performances, film soundtracks and for vocal ensembles. In 1998, he was commissioned by Helen Marriage at Salisbury Festival to write Proverbs & Songs for choir and orchestra. The piece was subsequently recorded by ECM and nominated for the Mercury Prize. During his tenure as Composer in Association with La Folia Music (then called the Sarum Chamber Orchestra), a professional orchestra based in Salisbury, in 2003,  John wrote In All Weathers for the orchestra and a choir of voices gathered from schools in the Salisbury area. His motet, Under the Shadow commissioned by the vocal quartet Red Byrd received its first performance on BBC Radio 3 in December of 2002.

Performance dates:
Sunday 8 July 2012: Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts
Friday 27 July 2012: Weymouth Live Site, Maritime Mix 2012

LYME REGIS: On Golden Cap by John K Miles in association with Billy Bragg, B Sharp and The Young People of West Dorset & East Devon
John K Miles has composed numerous scores for film and television (BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4, Channel 5 and various independent film production companies), released two solo CD's ('The Enchanter' and 'Trane Ride'), and written prolifically for theatre, jazz groups, world music ensembles, and the classical concert hall. John has also led many creative music workshop projects, facilitating composition and performance for a range of clients. Billy Bragg is an English alternative rock musician and activist whose music career has spanned more than 30 years. B sharp are a highly successful music project in Lyme Regis. Set up and run with young people it provides creative opportunities and raises a positive profile.

Performance dates:
Thursday 3 May 2012: Preview at Earth Festival launch, Lyme Regis
Sunday 8 July 2012: Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts
Friday 27 July 2012: Weymouth Live Site, Maritime Mix 2012

EAST DEVON: Sturzstrom, a landslide event for voices, by Marc Yeats
Marc Yeats is an abstract classical contemporary composer and abstract visual artist. He is Composer-in-Association with Manchester Pride and was a shortlisted composer for the prestigious PRS for Music, Foundation’s £50,000 New Music Award 2010, as part of the collaborative team presenting SATSYMPH, a satellite symphony delivered via an iphone app. SATSYMPH did not win the New Music Award but did win a resounding victory with the public vote. His choral compositions include Funeral Sentences - Falling (2000)  for large SATB choir.

Performance dates:
Friday 1 June 2012 tbc: Beer Quarry Caves, Devon
Sunday 8 July 2012: Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts
Friday 27 July 2012: Weymouth Live Site, Maritime Mix 2012