Orkney Music & Culture
Please find below details of our upcoming Summer Concert on 13th June
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
Harry Josephine Giles author of 2022 Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning verse novel 'Deep Wheel Orcadia' is excited to be bringing this work as a stage performance back home to Orkney this summer! Scissor Kick are supporting her to present this work at Orkney Theatre in June and we are happy to help raise awareness of this event.
The work has been on a bit of a journey since the novel was written and Josie has been collaborating with BAFTA-Winning composer Atzi Muramatsu, they previously showcased some of their performance work on Papa Westry some 8 or 9 years ago.
On Deep Wheel Orcadia, a distant space station struggling for survival against the pace of change, Astrid and Darling meet. Astrid, returning home from art school on Mars, is seeking inspiration. Darling is searching for somewhere to hide, fleeing a life that never quite fit. Harry Josephine Giles, widely known poet and performer, commands a musicality and lightness in her native Orcadian as she weaves together a story about place and belonging, work and economy, generation and gender politics, love and desire.
Now with support from Creative Scotland the stage adaptation of this work takes an excerpt from the novel in a period where Astrid and Darling first meet, which is performed by Josie, accompanied by music written for a string quartet which has been composed by Atzi. The stage show fuses music performed by Atzi Muramatsu (Cello) Catriona Price (Violin 1), Kate Miguda (Violin 2) and Marsailidh Groat (Viola) with Orkney language, image, and performance into an astral spectacle which is directed by Susan Worsfold.
Click on this link to purchase tickets
Sibelius Laptop Loan Scheme
Orkney Music and Culture aims to provide increased opportunities for people to participate in music-making, including through the use of modern technology where appropriate. The Charity identified that providing access to Sibelius software could be a way of promoting composition of tunes, songs or multi-instrumental music through the use of technology.
The project is being supported by generous grants awarded by Voluntary Action Orkney and Orkney Islands Council to facilitate the purchase of the laptops, interfaces and licences for the Sibelius software.
Through the Sibelius Laptop Loan Scheme, we aim to make this expensive specialist music software available to musicians of all ages across Orkney to support musical composition and creativity.
The Sibelius Laptop is supplied to meet a specific need in the local community. The laptop is provided on short-term loan for use in the borrower’s home. Loans can only take place once a Loan Agreement and an Acceptable Use Agreement have been signed. For borrowers under 18, this is supplemented with a Parent/Carer E-Safety Agreement.
Help documents will be available to view from the Desktop. In the event of any technical issues, borrowers can contact David Harvey by sending an email using this link.
Borrowers will be asked for feedback at the end of their loan period in order to enable Orkney Music and Culture to monitor and improve the scheme.
For more information or to discuss arranging a loan, please email using this link.
The Slow Sessions began in 2018 and encourage people to play together in a group, experiencing the complete joy of being a part of a bigger sound than we can ever make on our own!
Slow Sessions
Buying a musical instrument can be an expensive gamble, especially if you have never actually played that type of instrument before. The Bank has over one hundred instruments including keyboards, whistles, guitars, fiddles and ukuleles which can be borrowed, free of charge, for three months.
The Instrument Bank
About Us
Playing music together has been part of Orkney’s culture for centuries. Traditional tunes, old favourites and many recent pieces about the people and places of the Islands, are played and enjoyed by Orkney musicians young and old. Music on the Islands is inclusive and Orkney Music & Culture exists to give everyone a chance, and the confidence, to make music.
Contact
Feel free to contact us using this form. We are keen to get ideas for new activities to further the development of music and culture on Orkney. Also, if you are a music teacher and wish to be added to our register of teachers on Orkney please get in touch. This will be useful for those borrowing instruments and who are looking for some tuition during the loan period.
Email
info@orkneymusicandculture.org