Thousands of choristers to sing eight new Muhly songs for Aldeburgh Music's Friday Afternoons
17th August 2015
The ‘Friday Afternoons’ project was conceived by Aldeburgh Music in 2013 as part of the celebrations of Benjamin Britten’s centenary. Over the past two years the event has grown from a regional activity in the UK to a worldwide phenomenon incorporating around 70,000 young singers from across the globe. In 2013 young groups of singers downloaded for free Britten’s Friday Afternoons songs, learnt them with aids from extensive interactive resources, and then performed them in concerts assemblies and workshops - several live-streamed online via The Guardian website.
In light of the initiative’s fantastic success the organisers have turned their attention to commissioning and developing a new body of repertoire for school children, whilst continuing to encourage practical music education from an early age through their ‘Big Sing’ event on an annual basis. Nico Muhly is the first composer to have been commissioned to compose all the songs for Aldeburgh Music’s ‘Big Sing’.
The Chester Music composer has penned eight new folksong arrangements of:
The Oak and the Ash
From a Railway Carriage
The Bird Song
Young and Old
Rain
In Autumn
Winter-time
Warm Summer Sun
MP3s, sheet music and other learning resources are all available to download from the Aldeburgh Music Friday Afternoons website – it is not too late to take part.
For more information click this link.
