Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason are launching a music education initiative, in collaboration with through the noise.
through the noise is a company founded by Jack Bazalgette and Jack Crozier just over three years ago with the aims of making its shows accessible and vibrant, and fostering local relationships with venues that are not traditionally associated with classical music.
The cellist and pianist siblings are putting this into effect by a seven-day UK tour, which launches today; concert venues will include a London nightclub, and Nottingham’s famous 2000-capacity stadium, Rock City – the first time classical music will have been performed there.
Works in the programme include Saint-Saëns’s ‘The Swan’ from Carnival of the Animals, Dvořák’s ‘Song to the Moon’ from Rusalka and Rachmaninov’s The Muse , as well as cello sonatas by Mendelssohn and Shostakovich.
In addition to the performances, the Kanneh-Masons will be engaging with local communities, schools and music hubs throughout the tour through workshops and Q&A sessions.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason commented: ‘Isata and I are really looking forward to the through the noise tour, not just because we will be performing in so many venues around the UK where you might not expect to hear classical music, but – even more importantly – because we will be running music education workshops with children in every one of the cities we visit on the tour. It’s a brilliant opportunity for us to engage and share the music about which we feel so passionately with as many young people as possible. We will be engaging with school groups in the venues themselves, going into some special needs schools, and there will be some A Level Music students visiting for some more detailed work on the performance and programme as well as learning about the technical side of putting this sort of concert on the stage. We want to show the breadth of what’s possible within the wonderful world of classical music.’
The project includes collaborations with Leeds Music Education Partnership, Bristol Beacon, Liverpool Philharmonic, Sheffield’s Leadmill, and Pupil Referral Unit, Stone Soup Academy in Nottingham.
Tour venues include Stylus, Leeds (26 November); The Marble Factory, Bristol (27 November); Hangar 34, Liverpool (28 November); Peddler Warehouse, Sheffield (29 November); KOKO, London (1 December); Boiler Shop, Newcastle (2 December); and Rock City, Nottingham (3 December).
Full details are at throughthenoise.co.uk.
