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Perform at the Southbank Centre
3 June 2009
Now's your chance to get involved!
Making Music and the Southbank Centre are partnering up to celebrate the life of one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century: Leonard Bernstein. We would now like to hear from Making Music members keen to get involved in celebrating Bernstein.
There is a variety of ways in which you can do this but crucially you do not necessarily have to perform Bernstein's music. The ideas, projects and programmes that best reflect the aims of the Festival and of Bernstein himself will be selected by the Southbank Centre, resulting in performances and support for the voluntary groups selected.
Marin Alsop, Artistic Director of The Bernstein Project, would like to propose the following challenge: “I look forward to hearing from members of Making Music about the creative ways in which your groups could be inspired by this Festival of Bernstein and get involved with our celebration."
Read on for more details...
What's the Bernstein Festival about?
Composer, conductor and educator, Lenny (as he became affectionately known) inspired musicians and audiences around the world through his performing, writing and presenting. If you don't know much about Bernstein apart from West Side Story, you might wish to visit this website: www.leonardbernstein.com.
Maestro Marin Alsop (a pupil of Bernstein) is to curate this programme of events, which will begin in September 2009 and run all the way through the season, ending in July 2010. The Festival will encompass concerts, films, lectures and participation events - culminating in a performance of Bernstein’s Mass, a monumental work for orchestra, choruses (including children), a Broadway-sized cast with dancers, a marching band and a rock band.
The Festival will also include a large scale performance of Mahler's Second Symphony, to which choirs can sign up, with the added benefits of specialist vocal coaching and further performance opportunities as part of the SBC's programming.
So what can we do?
It really is a call to your creativity, but project examples might include:
- a programme of music by composers that Bernstein championed, such as Barber, Mahler, Shostakovich, etc.
- a programme of some of Bernstein's lesser known pieces
- an educational project designed to enthuse and inspire younger people
Successful applicants could benefit in a variety of ways, including:
- opportunities to perform at the Southbank Centre
- advice from the Southbank Centre's professional music team
- publicity for groups / concerts
This is just a handful of ideas, and you can contact Making Music (London) to discuss your plans in advance of making an application, and/or you can simply sign up to be involved in the Mahler performance.
How do we get involved?
Contact the RDO team in London to discuss your initial idea if you wish, by e-mailing rdolondon@makingmusic.org.uk or calling 020 7422 8294.
Then, submit a short proposal (around 500 words) to RDO London, who will pass it on to the Southbank Centre team.
When is the deadline?
Written / e-mail applications must be received no later than 6pm on Friday 3 July 2009.
Decisions will be made by the end of July and all groups notified no later than 1st August.
Visit the Southbank Centre’s website for details of all concerts
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/festivals-series/the-bernstein-project
