A Song, A Life: making music out of memories in a cross-border creative project
Organisations
Den Jyske Opera, Denmark
Den Jyske Opera is a state-funded national touring opera company based in Aarhus, the second largest town in Denmark. The company aims to produce high quality operas for audiences aged six and up and is active in the Danish arts scene and several national and international networks. Every two years, DJO produces the GrowOP! Festival, an international festival of opera for young audiences.
Manchester Jewish Museum, United Kingdom
The Manchester Jewish Museum is based in Cheetham Hill, one of the most diverse areas in Manchester. The museum aims to connect Jewish stories to the world and to society to explore both differences and similarities through educational, cultural and artistic experiences and a collection of 31,000 items documenting the story of Jewish migration and settlement in Manchester.
Aalborg Opera Festival
Aalborg Opera Festival takes place every year in August. Opera newcomers and opera fans meet with tourists and students to enjoy indoor, outdoor or site specific performances, opera movies, singing together or listening to some of the biggest stars of the time.
Project
The aim of A Song, A Life was to foster meaningful connections and cross-border collaborations in a challenging post-Brexit and ongoing pandemic context. The project involved people from Manchester (UK) and Aarhus and Aalborg (Denmark) of all ages and social backgrounds to share their life stories, which were then transformed into a professional musical piece with the aid of an international creative team.
https://jyske-opera.dk/opera-i-alle-h%C3%B8jder/en-tone-i-livet
Participants
The project involved several non-professional singing and songwriting groups from Manchester, Aarhus and Aalborg, recruited with the collaboration of global community and volunteer organisations.
Key persons
Søren Møller, Composer, Denmark
Michael Betteridge, Composer, UK
Cecilie Eken, Librettist, Denmark
Project outcomes
Three musical pieces: One for choir, actors and jazz trio in Aarhus, one for community voices, three professional soloists, jazz trio and string quartet in Aalborg and one for community voices and piano in Manchester
Performances in local versions at festivals in the three cities in August and September 2021
A nomination for the 2021 FEDORA Education Prize
Approach
A Song, A Life was led by Den Jyske Opera. Librettist Cecilie Eken created text in English and Danish and Søren Møller composed music for choir and jazz trio, based on stories from a wide range of inhabitants in and around Aarhus. The resulting musical pieces, consisting of complex movements composed for young voices (youth choirs and young music dramatic talents) and more simple unison parts for singing groups, were performed by participants from local singing groups at festivals in the summer of 2021.
A different version of A Song, A Life inspired by Eken and Moller's work involved several groups of participants, including an existing songwriting group from the Manchester Jewish Museum, a community involved in the Danish Cultural Vitamins scheme for people living with mental health issues, students of music therapy from the University of Aalborg, a group of persons living with dementia and participants in a music lab run by Station 10, an Aalborg-based youth culture centre for people aged 13 to 25. This was led by composer Michael Betteridge who used techniques and material from Eken and Moller's work.
The project ran in several phases over the space of a year, with the groups co-devising using different processes. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, most of the Manchester workshops were run via Zoom by composer Michael Betteridge, who also worked online with participants from the Danish Cultural Vitamins group.
Results
The co-devising process followed an informal, organic format that enabled participants to commit to the project according to their level of availability, while allowing facilitators to adapt to their needs and change plans when required. The project furthermore enabled an in-depth exploration of the co-devising process with people living with dementia.
The project was nominated for the 2021 FEDORA Education Prize, which seeks to reward education projects involving new and wider audiences through social inclusion and intercultural dialogue.
Lessons learned:
Clarity is key, especially when working in an international context. Even when working in a shared language, some cultural aspects can be “lost in translation”, and even more so when working online.
Work in short, sharp bursts to avoid Zoom fatigue. Michael Betteridge recommends using screen time to share information, stimulate people and provide ideas and then inviting people to go outside and create in their own time.