Chester Urban Symphony Triumph

The idea behind Manchester Camerata’s Urban Symphony project is to encourgage young people to look around them and take inspiration from the buildings that are part of their every day lives. And then go on to create a musical expression based upon them. Architect Andy Foster gave the children taking part a tour of the cathedral.

“Architecture is regarded as background, and people don’t tend to look at it.  It must be quite difficult to relate the abstract of architecture to the abstract of music. It’s not an easy concept for an adult, let alone a young person.”

They worked with a creative team from Manchester Camerata made up on Violinist Becca Thompson, Oboist Rachael Clegg, film maker Will Robinson who created a film that became a backdrop for the final performance, and composer Andy Smith who worked with the children on developing their musical creation.

“Composition at primary school is something that is not a core subject. Music is taught. Singing is taught. But composition can often be put to one side.  So to get children to create new music based on something that they know – Chester Cathedral in the heart of their city for example – has been challenging.”

Becca Thompson believes the experience opens the children’s eyes to their own musical capabilities. 

“The children were very interested in music and wanted to take part in the whole process – which perhaps they wouldn’t have done ordinarily. It’s providing that thing that you can’t do in an individual music lesson. Giving that opportunity for making sound – processing it and putting it together – whetting their appetite for composition later at GCSE level.”