Music creator Finn McLean talks about their collaboration with the Glasgow Community Concert Band as part of Adopt a Music Creator 2024. ...
Foss Foster of Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra provides an update on her group’s latest rehearsal with Ugie Voices and music creator Ben Lunn as they look ahead to recording their collaboration.
We had a wonderful turnout at the 16 January rehearsal from both the Ugie Voices choir and Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra. There were a couple of Covid-related absences, but we’ve been very lucky (and careful) so far. We had our first chance to hear an excerpt of Ben’s composition, a movement called ‘To My Flute’ which features choir and solo bass sax. One of Ben’s jokes, but very effective.
The full composition, 'Rhymes & Recollections', is based on original poetry by the 19th century local poet, William Thom. We listened to Gordon Hay, a member of Ugie Voices, recite ‘The Mitherless Bairn’. It sounded amazing, but since it was read in the original Doric (the language of this part of Scotland), many of the orchestra who are not Doric speakers were none the wiser as to its content!
Richard conducting the rehearsal
On the Ugie Voices side, Sheila Biegala gives her thoughts:
'Into 2022 we go, and the premiere is only a couple of months away. Ben came to the rehearsal and even took a place in with the choir! This time we were set up as we would be for the recording in February, for the benefit of the sound engineer with the choir arranged behind the saxophones. As a choir we have found that our voices can't quite match the volume of the saxophones, but the engineer has assured us that this can be balanced out during the actual recording, and I have it on good authority that we sounded great!'
Ugie Voices in action
This was our last full rehearsal with Richard before we’re due to record it all on 19 February, and it is coming together very well now. Both groups have found it a bit strange practising individually for something that needs the rest of its parts to create a full effect, but we are getting there...
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The Adopt a Music Creator project matches vocal and instrumental leisure-time music groups with some of the UK’s most promising music creators to collaborate on creating a new piece of music. The project leads to a premiere performance and possible broadcast. If you’re a music group or music creator and you’d like to take part, find out more
