On 4 November at 6pm you’ll be able to catch the opening performance of DaDaFest Scratch 21 featuring the DaDa Ensemble!
Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company and DaDa Ensemble will present the premiere of a brand new work, written in collaboration with Liverpool Philharmonic musicians: Tim Jackson, Georgina Aasgaard and Jon Hering.
Book to attend in person here, or you will also be able to access the livestream of the event on our YouTube channel here:
Read on for a blog on the Ensemble’s history by Assistant Producer, David, and don't forget to tune in at 6pm for the the livestream
The History of the DaDa Ensemble
The DaDa Ensemble is a group of disabled musicians aged 12 – 25. They include songwriters, drummers, guitarists, pianists and much more. With their incredibly wide range of skills and influences, they can rock any stage!
Back in 2015, the Ensemble began as regular workshops led by musicians Georgina Aasgaard and Jon Herring. It started as an expansion of a successful pilot project to deliver accessible music-based activities to young people in Liverpool over a period of two years.
Since then the group have performed at the Philharmonic Music Rooms, at the Bluecoat and recorded in some amazing recordings studios. In 2016 the group performed at the Liverpool Philharmonic, supporting Grammy nominated duo, Amadou & Mariam.
In 2019 the Ensemble collaborated with experimental composer, Ben Lunn, on a piece called ‘Music For Friends’. It premiered at the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Rooms to a sold out crowd and many more watched the streamed performance online, which you can watch back yourself here:
In 2020 and 2021, in spite of the challenges of the pandemic on making music, the group managed to write and record an album of new music in online sessions and COVID safe recording sessions, which you can find out more about here.
With an incredibly wide range of influences, from Hardcore Punk to Hip Hop to Folk to Japanese Pop, the Ensemble musicians create original music they create is eclectic and captivating. As many young musicians have come through the Ensemble throughout the years, we have seen lots of them go on to develop their music even further.
In 2019 Ensemble member, Matthew Nealis, released his debut album ‘In the World’ with the song ‘Bells Gone for The Bell’, which was nominated for Best Song category in the Youth Music Awards. Nealis went on to record and release his second album Be My Lover in 2020. Ex-Ensemble member Eleanor Cheetham aka Ey5z was also nominated for Best Producer awards at the 2019 Youth Music Awards.
Experience the latest chapter in the DaDa Ensemble’s journey by joining us in person or online as they premiere a brand new piece at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Thursday 4 November at 6pm!