Image: Michael Brennan on guitar at the front with Matthew Nealis on keyboard
The DaDa x Philharmonic project brought ten musicians together to create pieces of music, including five members from the Philharmonic Youth Company and five members from the Young DaDa Ensemble.
The project brought a range of sounds together through a mixture of instruments from string to electronic. The group experimented with sound and musical ideas for ten weeks, which resulted in five pieces of music; The Bees Knees, Summer Love, Wonky Waltz, The Da To The Da and Charlie’s Beat shown to an audience of up to 160 people.
Project Coordinator Phoebe McSweeney said:
“It was really interesting seeing a group of musicians who learn by ear and practise with a lot of improvisation and then a group that go by reading and sheet music brought together and working with everyone's music ability to make something magical”.
The performance attracted audience members from all over Liverpool uniting through music creating a feel of community cohesion.
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s section leader horn player, and established composer,Timothy Jackson along with Young Ensemble workshop leaders Jon Hering and Georgina Aasgaardshared their knowledge and experience within the music industry with the group of young musicians through the whole process so song ideas could be shared, and music composed.
The musicians expressed their need for the project through the feedback and conversations between staff, those involved said, “It was a motivating and innovative experience”, “the whole thing is so inspirational and its’s amazing to see how people made music in their own way” and “I’ve enjoyed working alongside the orchestral instruments as its created different sounds in the room”.
Image: Nieve Mannion (Cello), Esme Lassey (Violin)
Image: Johanna Jacob (Voice)
Image: Charlie Wilson (Octopad) and Aoife Jennions (Clarinet) Image: Jess Hughes (Clarinet) Mollie Parkinson (Bass) Esme Lassey (Violin)
Reflections from our workshop leaders
Image: Timonthy Jackson, Njal (BSL), Nieve Mannion (Cello), Esme Lassey (Violin), Charlie Wilson (Octapad)
Georgina Aasgaard reflected:
“The DadaPhil project brought together two groups of young people from very different musical backgrounds. The ten workshops felt like a journey which had an exciting sense of adventure. Week by week, the young people collaborated with each other to develop and create new musical ideas. It was wonderful to witness how they learnt from each other and inspired each other. As workshop leaders, we just had to listen and cater for their creative outlet. Having a composer like Tim really helped to give a structure to all their ideas. The musical content of the performance showcased a variety of styles and creative outlets inspired by the music making, which felt like a real celebration of our young people’s talents and personalities. The overall experience was so enjoyable and the sense of togetherness, pride, ownership and joy shined through the whole performance”.
“The DaDa x Philharmonic project was so exciting and rewarding. Bringing the two groups together definitely resulted in something greater than the sum of its parts, as all of the young musicians brought something unique, and inspired the others to stretch themselves. The participants also brought other skills to the table - storytelling, poetry, visual arts, beat-making - and collaborated to tie the whole event together into an illustrated narrative journey - something we had absolutely not expected when we started! It's so important to break down the barriers between the different boxes that young musicians can find themselves in. This project definitely did this and the final event was a celebration of exploration, collaboration, and friendship."
“On a musical level, it’s potentially quite intimidating to start a project from absolutely nothing, knowing that at the end of the process something has tobe performed! Our young musicians, though, were so full of ideas, and so willing to share those ideas, that it was never in doubt! I loved how each piece began from one participant’s inspiration, but that this would always prompt a response (and often many responses!) from the others. It’sa real tribute to everyone that they were all prepared to listen so carefully and respectfully to each other, but that they were all prepared to contribute when needed as well.
The friendships that develop through music are very powerful, and my favourite moments were often the ones that the audience don’t get to see - the jam sessions during breaks, with anyone and everyone joining in or dancing, or simply listening and smiling.
The whole project was an absolute joy and I’m definitely feeling withdrawal symptoms on a Tuesday evening now!"
‘What did the ensemble project mean to me?’: Michael’s Story
My name is Michael, and I have been attending the DaDa/Philharmonic sessions in Liverpool.
It had been a great experience working alongside the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (RLP), and I loved and really enjoyed every minute of it.
I had learnt some new and advanced guitar chords on the electric guitar. They were quite tricky to start off with, but I managed to play them in the end. I also wrote the song 'Bees Knees' and wrote a poem all about bees for the show.
When we did the performance, it was really electrifying, and playing alongside the RLP felt absolutely amazing. Playing the electric guitar with stringed instruments like a violin made a powerful combination between the two instruments. The teachers and the students whom I worked with were really nice and calm and helped me to build my confidence and realise my potential. I even got to learn the different structures and musical terms. I am hoping to do a music course in the near future, and this project has helped me build up towards it.
What I enjoyed about the sessions was the company and the support from the students and teachers, writing and singing the song I wrote, 'The Bees Knees', and doing the main performance itself. Writing a song is something I've never done before, and when I got to perform and sing the song, it felt great, and it was something I've achieved. I'm going to carry on with writing more songs in the future. 'The Bees Knees' was inspired by the volunteering work I did at The Atkinson in Southport where I got the chance to get up close to the bees and where I was training to be a beekeeper/apiarist. There was a brilliant atmosphere on the evening of the performance, and playing the electric guitar alongside a variety of instruments was an absolutely enjoyable experience. If I get an opportunity to do something similar to the project I've just done, I would jump in and take it.