Award winning Able Orchestra release footage of performance inspired by Papplewick Pumping Station

The multi award-winning Able Orchestra has released footage of their Papplewick Pumping Station inspired project which was performed at the opening of Portland College’s Newstart Theatre
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The recordings of the pumping station in steam were used as inspiration for a week-long intensive series of workshop, coordinated by digital artist Bec Smith from Urban Projections and Si Tew from Digit Music, to create the music and light installation for the performance.

The performance marked the first part of a longer project that will see a follow up film featuring visuals from the pumping station with the recorded soundtrack.

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The piece also featured guest artists such as virtuoso Control One player Jess Fisher and players from the Sinfonia Viva Orchestra

Bec Smith said: “The idea of the piece was to create an immersive environment for the audience so the piece was performed in the round so they could move 360 degrees around the piece, and be able to look up close at what the performers were controlling, as they control both the audio and the visual.”

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Marshall Fairbrother, an Able Orchestra musician, said: “I really wanted to work on the project as working with musicians with disability and needing to include others is something I’m definitely into.

"I’ve always advocated for wanting to make music as accessible as possible, so I really enjoyed taking part.”

A video of Able Orchestra's performance inspired by Papplewick Pumping Station has been releasedA video of Able Orchestra's performance inspired by Papplewick Pumping Station has been released
A video of Able Orchestra's performance inspired by Papplewick Pumping Station has been released
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Si Tew said: “We wanted to create a performance that was inclusive and accessible and it kind of had that sensory element to it as well.”

The Able Orchestra was created by Inspire Youth Arts and is a unique inclusive ensemble of young disabled musicians who have worked on collaborations with the Hallé Orchestra, and were selected in 2016 to perform as part of the BBC Ten Pieces Proms at the Royal Albert Hall to 12,000 people, as well as performances at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham.

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