The Kaleidoscope Big Band is the latest in a series of Musician In Residence programmes to be rolled out by Music Generation Mayo and will begin in January 2014. The residency programme will be faciliated by saxophonist and composer Dennis Wyers with the Rhombus Quintet, an ensemble with a simple manifesto: 'music should feel honest, responsive and organic.'
Over the course of this residency participants will learn about composition, improvisation and performance and will have the opportunity to work together closely with a professional ensemble while hearing their own music come to life.
The group of twenty young musicians will work in teams of 3-4 and, over a series of workshops will create the outline of a new composition of about five minutes each to be handed in for development and orchestration. Participants will learn to work as part of a team, present their progress to the group and independently research their favourite music to work towards a composition. Following weekly rehearsals, the group will form the Kaleidoscope Big Band under the guidance of the Rhombus ensemble to perform their own music in front of an appreciative audience.
The purpose of the Kaleidoscope Big Band music project is to be as inclusive as possible, to bring together a diverse range of young musicians who are of the standard needed to perform a concert of newly composed music. This is an amazing opportunity for young musicians to take to the spotlight and develop their skills while showcasing their unique abilities in composition, improvisation and performance.
Participants involved range from a variety of musical genres including classical, jazz, and traditional, rock and indie backgrounds, and with all these creative minds, bubbling over with the best of all genres..... well, who knows where it'll lead! One thing's for sure though - under the watchful eyes of the Rhombus ensemble, it's bound to be fantastic!
Click on the image below to hear Dennis describe the project when we were recruiting members in Nov 2013
The Rhombus Quintet is comprised of Dennis Wyers: saxophones/composition, Georgia Cusack: voice. Bill Blackmore: trumpet, Cormac O'Brien: double bass, and Matthew Jacobson: drums. Each of its members, are soloists in their own right and Rhombus' shows are no-holds-barred performances of musical exploration. Nordic jazz, classical minimalism, blues, drum-and-bass... every style is fair-game so long as it lets the players use their own musicality to create sensitive dialogue.
Please note that entry to this programme has now closed following an extensive call for participation throughout October/November 2013. Compositional workshops will begin in January 2014, followed by rehearsals and and end concert of the newly composed work circa April 2014 - this will be advertised in advance and open to the public - we hope you'll come along to hear the results!
