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Creative producer Holly Hunter and composer Michael Betteridge present their co-creation project Voices Weaving, and invite members to get involved in new music making.
In 2022, a pilot phase of the co-creation project, Covid Song Cycle (working title) took place across North England with four very different and distinct community choirs: Sheffield Community Gospel Choir, Salt & Honey (Manchester), Chapter House Youth Choir (York) and N-Choir (Stockport). Each choir collaborated with Michael and a young writer – selected by Contact, the co-producer – to create their own song and music video.
Still from Covid Song Cycle Documentary created by filmmaker Luca Rudlin, charting the pilot phase of a new choral co-creation project.
Following on from the pilot phase, Holly and Michael then designed Voices Weaving, an ongoing co-creation project. It celebrates and represents the broad spectrum of singing communities in the UK, and engages with community choirs and writers to create new music for vocal ensembles.
From 2024 onwards, Voices Weaving will provide more singers with the opportunity to participate in a high-quality co-creation project and will provide more young writers with the opportunity to write for choral music, as well as develop skills in co-creation facilitation.
Holly and Michael will be creating the Voices Weaving digital songbook, which they hope will represent and reflect the range and breadth of what community singing is in the UK today. The aim of this is to put more emphasis on the value of creativity and process in choral settings, and also to have an impact on the choral canon more broadly, to create a body of music which reflects the identities and experiences of the people who sing it. The project also offers an online platform for community choirs globally so that they can access learning resources, sheet music, films and recordings.
To register your interest in the Voices Weaving project, please contact creative producer Holly Hunter at hollyannhunter@gmail.com
They especially encourage interest from choirs who have a unique perspective and identity, especially groups who feel underrepresented or marginalised
The pilot phase of the project involves contributions from the following individuals/organisations:
- Composer: Michael Betteridge
- Poet: Ella Otomewo
- Poet: Saf
- Poet: Princess Arinola
- Poet: Mandla
- Choir: Sheffield Community Choir
- Choir: N-Choir
- Choir: Salt & Honey
- Choir: York Chapter House Youth Choir
- Filmmaker: Luca Rudlin
- Producer: Holly Hunter
- Co-producer: Contact
- Supported by: Arts Council England
