Thursday 3rd March, at St Saviour’s & St Olave’s
Organised by Queen’s College London this event was a collaborative experience for Year 7 students who performed with the Orpheus Sinfonia professional orchestra.
Zeb Soanes, Radio 4 newsreader, has written a new book Fred and the Fantastic Tub-Tub which was published on 10th March 2022. James Maragone, EMI composer whose works have been heard on BBC and ITV, has written a score to accompany the narrative.
Both Zeb and James were with our students for a workshop and performance. Over 500 students formed a junk-yard orchestra using their voices, body parts and everyday objects. Thomas Carroll, International Cellist, conducted the orchestra whilst James Maragone worked with the students as composer, and leading them in the interactive elements.
The Year 7 students were introduced to the instruments before practicing some rhythms in their school groups. All the pieces were put together in the afternoon for a performance of Zeb Soanes story which has central themes of environmental awareness, plastic reduction and diversity. The full performance was live-streamed to schools and parents.
An educational pack accompanied the workshop so that schools can continue to explore the themes as part of their key stage 3 learning later in the term.
