Education ViVA

Fusion
Monday 31st January 2005
Assembly Rooms, Derby

ViVA's tenth annual residency saw a real Fusion of musical styles as well as a unique culmination concert comprised entirely of world premieres.

"A once in a lifetime opportunity." - Participant

The evening opened with ViVA's classical musicians joining forces with virtuosic jazz soloists Tim Whitehead on tenor sax and Liam Noble on piano performing two new pieces, written by composer Colin Riley. Tim's solo in Landscapes With Birds was exhilarating with improvisations covering the full range of the saxophone, and in Epiphanies and Meditations Liam played with real sensitivity. Both pieces were written with these great soloists in mind, and this came through in the performance. Workshop Director Tim Steiner presented the concert, and the audience got to know the composer through an on stage interview.

"[The highlight of this project was] creating a masterpiece." - Participant

The title of the saxophone piece was taken as a starting point for musical ideas, which were created, developed and learnt through a series of workshops led by Tim Steiner, with ViVA musicians working alongside him. Four groups participated in this project which involved pupils from Gayton Junior School, GCSE musicians from Derby Moor Community Sports College, music students from Derby College and performers from the Giant Steps Saturday School run by Derby Jazz.

"[Fusion] gave me a chance to interact with other musicians of varying ages and help younger musicians learn what a buzz performing on stage can be." - egg Staff Member

These groups came together with ViVA musicians to form one massed ensemble and performed 'Landscapes (some with Birds)', a 20 minute devised piece, for the second half of the Fusion concert. Tim Steiner and Patrick Bailey co-conducted and the quality of the collaboration that had gone on in preparing for the concert shone through. The young musicians worked together well, and were clearly committed to the performance. The ensemble of over 80, included 2 Indian dohl drums, four drum kits, a rap artists and singers, electric guitars, percussion, trumpets, saxophone and many others!

"I would like to perform it in front of the United Kingdom." - Participant

With the support and encouragement of the ViVA musicians, the devised piece was both entertaining and intriguing. More than one audience member commented it was the best devised work of its kind that they had ever heard. Maybe the variety of the piece played a part in this. The music conjured many different landscapes, and left the audience with a variety of vivid pictures in their mind. On occasions we left Derby, moved to an exotic Arabian landscape, and at one point we went to India. The audience certainly enjoyed their trip around Derby and beyond.

"When listening to music I can hear the different instruments better now." - Participant

Images from the project...