Education ViVA

The Fragile Shell
Assembly Rooms, Derby
24 June 2009

On Wednesday 24 June 2009, The Fragile Shell, this summer's singing extravaganza in Derby, culminated in two thrilling performances featuring around 1000 young voices at the Assembly Rooms in Derby.

The project this year explored the theme of climate change and was particularly inspired by Creswell Crags - an Ice Age centre based in Bolsover, Derbyshire. Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge honeycombed with caves which provide evidence for a fascinating story of life during the last Ice Age between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago. It was among the most northerly places on earth to have been visited by our ancient ancestors, a story that is unique on a European and World scale and in 2003 Britain's only known Ice Age rock art was discovered there. It was these stories that inspired writer Hazel Gould and composer James Redwood to write a new song cycle considering the impact of climate change whilst on a visit to Creswell Crags in October 2008.

Hazel and James worked together from October 2008 to March 2009 to write five songs which consider the changes in the world starting 4 billion years ago and bring us right up to date by considering what will happen tomorrow. These songs also chart the seasons beginning with Winter and finishing with Winter Comes Again. In March 2009 the participating teachers met James Redwood and conductor David Lawrence who introduced them to the songs and gave them the materials required to learn the songs with their students. The teachers were also given a word writing task from Hazel Gould, with each group being commissioned to write lyrics for their own song.

In early May the children visited Creswell Crags for a series of workshops which saw them working in a marquee with writer Hazel Gould to edit their words, singing the new songs and creating a new song with James Redwood in Robin Hood's Cave, as well as learning Ice Age survival skills with the team from Creswell Crags. Following this, James Redwood worked with each of the schools to create a song using their words, which would later form part of the song cycle. David Lawrence also visited each of the schools to rehearse the songs from The Fragile Shell. Alongside this, James Redwood orchestrated the children's songs so that sinfonia ViVA could accompany the children in the final performance.

The 180 participants from the six participating schools came together for a massed rehearsal on the penultimate day of the project when they began to put the whole piece together. Following this they were joined on the final day by the full orchestra for their final rehearsals. The world premiere performance took place during the afternoon of 24 June and featured not only the 180 singers on stage but also an additional 900 in the audience, who had been sent sections of the piece in advance so that they could join in with the performance. The large scale project culminated in a public evening performance to friends and family as well as the general public.

As an exciting follow up to the project, the two Bolsover schools, Creswell Junior School and Whitwell Primary School were asked to perform their songs at the opening of the new museum and education centre at Creswell Crags, which was attended by David Bellamy as well as other important guests, and this return to Creswell Crags provided a fitting conclusion to the project for them

"Thank you so much for giving my Y3 class the opportunity to be a part of The Fragile Shell. It has been an amazing experience for the children and for me. It is something that we will always remember. The parents and families of the children really enjoyed the concert, even though they had been practicing the words with the children they could not have imagined just how wonderful it would sound when all the schools came together. We have enjoyed every aspect of The Fragile Shell and the children now know so much about the Ice Age and the issues of caring for our planet, they know that each of us can make a difference. It was a real privilege to work with you and Camilla, with James, Hazel, David and with the musicians of sinfonia ViVA." - Ann Thornton, Springfield Primary School

The project has been generously supported by Rolls-Royce plc, Derby LIVE, Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Bolsover District Council, The Ernest Cook Trust, Orchestras Live, John Thaw Trust and Arts Council England.

Read Mike Wheeler's review of the culmination concert in our News and Reviews section.

Images from the project...