More Glass Than Wall

Wednesday 11th June 2008
Assembly Rooms, Derby
Performance 1: 1.15 – 2.30pm. Tickets:£1.50 per child for school groups with accompanying staff free, from sinfonia ViVA 01332 207603
Performance 2: 7.00 - 8.15pm. Tickets:£3.00. £1.50 per child for school groups with accompanying staff free, from the Assembly Rooms box office 01332 255800

More Glass than Wall is a new commission to mark the 400th Anniversary of the death of Bess of Hardwick. sinfonia ViVA is working with Cathy Grindrod (former Derbyshire Poet Laureate), nationally acclaimed composer James Redwood and 180 young people from Derby and Derbyshire for the world premiere of this new Oratorio celebrating the life of one of Derbyshire’s most famous personalities.

Creative writing and music workshops have been taking place in six Derby and Bolsover schools between October 2007 and June 2008 with the young people working with Cathy Grindrod, James Redwood and a team of sinfonia ViVA and Children’s Music Workshop musicians to create words and music inspired by a visit to Hardwick Hall.

The new commission along with the pieces created in the workshops will be performed by the young people, sinfonia ViVA and soloists at the Assembly Rooms, Derby today and also at Hardwick Hall tomorrow evening, 12th June 2008.

More Glass Than Wall will also involve children from four schools in the Buxton area in a separate project which will culminate with More Glass Than Wall being performed as part of the Buxton Festival on 15th July 2008.

The project is organised in conjunction with sinfonia VIVA, Children’s Music Workshop, Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, the National Trust and Orchestras Live.

The project has kindly been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bolsover District Council, Rolls-Royce plc, Derbyshire Community Foundation, Local Network Fund, Bridging the Gap, The Foyle Foundation, The Cumberland Trust, The Gladys Jones Charitable Trust, The Mercers Charitable Foundation, Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Settlement, The John Thaw Foundation, Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation, PRS Foundation for new music, Ernest Cook Foundation, Orchestras Live, Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council.