Cumbria Calling – ‘Tales Of Eden’

Since February of this year, Camerata practitioners have been working on a creative project in association with Orchestras Live, Cumbria Music Education Hub and a group of young people aged 11-16 from across the region. The young people have been composing a new song cycle which will be performed by the Cumbria Youth Orchestra, Cumbria Youth Choir and a cohort of local primary schools at the Sands Centre in Carlisle on Monday 9th July.

The group set about composing this new piece alongside a Camerata composer and musicians from the orchestra by creating their own fable; ‘The Traveller’. Lost and with no place to call home, ‘The Traveller’ embarks on a journey to find his true identity. Although he finds friends along the way, he also encounters foes. Will he find the courage and inner strength to discover who he really is?

Over a series of one day workshops and a residential trip to the Hawes End Centre in Portinscale, the young composers created all lyrics, rhythms, melodies and harmonies in the song cycle. These were then orchestrated for the Cumbria Youth Orchestra and Choir by Camerata composer, Andy Smith.

Throughout June, Camerata practitioners visited Cumbria once again to work with a number of primary schools across the region to teach them this exciting new composition and invite them to perform alongside the other young musicians at the Sands Centre.

We’re really looking forward to hearing all of these talented young people perform this exciting new piece composed by fellow young people from Cumbria – please join us if you can!