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Lowri and Fyntan do the Betty rap
Alice, Melissa and Erin have a stretch
premiere time
Lise rehearses
after-concert social
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Odyssey Blog - a journal of events 25 March: by Claire Saturday. Was up all night being violently ill, so am again ordered to stay in bed by Anne. I think it was the fact that I'd lost my grip on vertical hold entirely that convinced me she was right! Reports come back of a terrific workshop in the morning, and frustrated at missing so much I insist on getting up at lunchtime to make the afternoon session. All I'm required to do is offer encouragement and document the proceedings with my camera, which I manage quite well considering. The children are amazing - they have learnt a hand chime sequence based on the letters in Fair Isle School, a refrain from the opera, put together a storm sequence creating noises with found objects, prepared performances of their own poetry and creative writing on what it must have felt like to be Betty Mouat alone on the high seas adrift, and learnt the "Betty Rap" - a modern rendering of the story, Greek chorus style. All of this in just a couple of sessions! This is all added to the artwork and writing they had already prepared prior to our arrival. They rehearse for an hour, and then take a break before the evening gathering. The evening's performance starts at 7pm, in the presence of most of the island's population, and is opened with the world premiere of The Fair Isle School's Telling of the Betty Mouat Story. This goes very well, without a hitch, and is enthusiastically received by all. It is followed by Marcus playing some Bach, Evgeny reprising his performance of Peter Maxwell Davies' Sea Eagle (which he first performed on Fair Isle in front of the composer, which is why, as he said, the piece always reminds him of Fair Isle) and Stuart introducing the islanders to New York Counterpoint by Steve Reich. The children in particular loved this piece, jigging along - see the film clip in the Fair Isle Media pages. The evening's entertainment was rounded off by a fantastic singing performance by Lise Sinclair of her piece Cutting Corn (arranged rapidly the night before for piano, violin and clarinet by Marcus), and a presentation of Fair Isle School tea towels for all the CHROMAties! Naturally food and wine followed this, with much lively chatter, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. Barry ferried me down the road to bed at around 10.30pm leaving the party still in full swing...
Fair Isle, concert - Lowri and Amy rapt - 25.03.06
Claire's Blog (the project in chronological order):
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