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SUMMARY
The
community of Fair Isle has commissioned a musical work which will celebrate
both the island itself and the lives and work of the community there. Fair Isle
is one of Britain's most remote islands, lying between the island groups of
Shetland and Orkney. The commission is being undertaken by Shetland composer
Alastair Stout, to be scored for professional musicians and singers from
the mainland and local musicians and singers from Fair Isle. The intention is to
bring these two groups together on Fair Isle in the summer of 2002, and to
premiere the work on the island. Further performances will follow in Shetland,
and possibly Orkney and the mainland of Scotland. With very enthusiastic choirs
in both Fair Isle and Shetland generally, the piece will have a strong vocal
element to it, using texts written by the islanders and visitors to the island.
1.
The Aims of the Project
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To celebrate and promote the island of Fair Isle through the
commission of an instrumental/choral work.
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To bring the community together in the creation and performance of
this work.
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To bring together amateur and professional musicians in a work that
combines contemporary and traditional ideas both in the music and the
subject matter of the commission, to share ideas, skills and
experiences.
2.
The Local Context
Fair
Isle is one of Britain's most remote communities. The island, which is
approximately three miles long and a mile wide, is home to a population of
around 65 people. Lying some twenty five miles from the southern tip of the
Shetland mainland, and separated from it by one of the roughest patches of ocean
in the area, access is often difficult and the population has to be hardy,
adaptable and self‑sufficient. Co‑operation and collaboration are
necessities of life. It is served by passenger ferry once weekly in the winter
and twice weekly in the summer, weather permitting. There is a light aircraft
service three times per week, but it is expensive (£75 return from the Shetland
mainland), which adds to the difficulties of living here. Isolation, then, is a
prevailing feature of Fair Isle life, and access to professional art and artists
in particular is very limited. There are compensations, though, in the form of
the island's tremendous natural beauty, its birdlife, flora and fauna, marine
environment and its unique culture. The community has an active artistic life
locally, with painters, poets, writers, musicians and craftspeople all involved
in enriching, enhancing and reflecting our experiences of life on Fair Isle.
However, in a time where traditional industries such as crofting and fishing are
under threat, cultural and artistic activities could become a significant means
of promoting Fair Isle, and attracting artists, tourists and other visitors to
the island.
3.
The Project
The
project is the first of its kind ever to take place in Fair Isle.
3.1
About the composer
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The
composer, Alastair Stout has family links
with
Fair
Isle and knows the culture of the island well. Born in Shetland in 1975,
Alastair began playing the organ at the age of ten, and composing at the age
of twelve. His first work for organ was published in 1990 and was first
performed by the composer in Ely Cathedral. Alastair held the Loretto School
Organ Scholarship from 1991 1993 in Edinburgh. He then studied composition
and organ with Joseph Horovitz and John Birch at the Royal College of Music
(1993 ‑ 1997), followed by a Masters degree in composition at the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama under the guidance of Robert Saxton (1997 ‑ 1998).
He is currently studying at Royal Holloway, University of London with Simon
Holt, and in 2001 is due to complete a PhD in composition. He has
participated in various summer schools including the final Sir Peter Maxwell
Davies Summer School on Hoy, Orkney, the Dartington International Summer
School with Judith Weir and an ECAT workshop with James Macmillan.
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Since 1990 Alastair has had over twenty organ works published
and performed in cathedrals throughout the United Kingdom, most notably, Symphony in 3 Movements (1997) in St Paul's Cathedral, Elegy (1998)
in Westminster Abbey and Pentecostal
Suite (1995) in Westminster Cathedral. His portfolio comprises a range
of works from solo to orchestral including vocal, ensemble and theatrical,
as well as collaborating with choreographers at the London Contemporary
Dance School. His works have been performed in venues such as the Royal
Festival Hall, Sir Henry Wood Hall, Purcell Room, Reid Concert Hall and
Wigmore Hall by performers including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Brunei
and Composers' Ensembles, the Gilde and Belmonte Quartets, the Scottish
Chamber Ensemble, Chroma, Rolf Hind and Sarah Walker. His works have
featured in numerous festivals all over Britain, including the 1999 Gregynog
Festival where he won the Composer of Wales Award for his first string
quartet. His music is strongly influenced by Shetland traditions and by
other composers who use folk music such as Ligeti and Bartok. In 1998, he
was commissioned by the Lerwick Choral Society to write a choral work to
mark the 1999 Tall Ships Visit to Shetland. This was performed in May 1999
to an audience unfamiliar with modern music, to tremendous acclaim.
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3.2 About
the Piece
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The
work will be in three sections based on texts written by the islanders
themselves. The first section will be based on the history of the island,
the second on the folklore and the third on the contemporary daily lives of
the inhabitants. The music will be based on a new hymn tune which will be
introduced into the church services on Fair Isle in the early stages of the
project. This way, when serious rehearsals begin, local people and musicians
will be familiar with the basic material (although it will obviously be much further developed and diversified by then
into an original composition). It will be scored for violin, cello,
clarinet, hom and voice, and it is intended that the Chroma Quartet will be
the visiting professional musicians, along with bass baritone Andy Ross. The
final piece will be performed by the professional musicians and amateur
musicians working together.
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3.3
About the Project
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The
project is due to start in July 2001, when Alastair begins composition, and
the islanders start the written texts. Between December 2001 and July 2002
the work will be rehearsed in London with the professional group, and in
Fair Isle with the local musicians under the guidance of local choir leader
Lise Sinclair. Rehearsals of the choral elements will also be undertaken by
Lerwick Choral Society during this period in preparation for the Shetland
performance. In late August 2002 the composer and the professional musicians
will arrive in Fair Isle for a fortnight's intensive rehearsal with the
amateur musicians, prior to performing the work on Fair Isle in the first
instance, and then on Shetland. If this is successful, the project will then
move into a second phase where application will be made to the St Magnus
Festival for a possible performance in June 2003. What happens after that
will largely depend on the success of that application.
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It
is anticipated that the project will involve, in some way, a large
proportion of the island's population, both children and adults (including
secondary education pupils who have to go to school in Lerwick), and that it
will bring benefits for all. For the local musicians who take part, they
will receive a higher level of instruction than is usually available to them
by working with trained musicians and by performing under professional
conditions. The visiting professional musicians will be exposed to a musical
culture and a community culture outwith their experience. The islanders not
directly playing or singing will be encouraged to develop existing talents
through writing the libretto and painting the art works which will accompany
the new composition. The community will gain an insight into modem music,
its creation and performance, and school pupils may well be influenced in
their musical outlook, perhaps leading to school projects dealing with the
creation of music and its performance. The project will be advertised and
promoted as widely as possible, bringing visitors to the island and
engendering interest from the mainland and from other countries.
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4.
Marketing and Promotion
The
project will be promoted via local media outlets such as BBC Radio Shetland and
the Shetland Times newspaper, as well as being promoted throughout its
preparation on the Shetland Arts Trust's highly successful music website,
www.shetland-music.com
This site receives "hits" and interest from all over the world
from people interested in Shetland music. It will also be promoted through this
website and regionally through Grampian TV and the HI‑Arts MIDAS website.
Efforts will be made to engage national and international media interest,
drawing on the composer's contacts and activities on the mainland. High quality
publicity material will be produced with the help of Shetland Arts Trust.
5.
Organisation and Administration
The
project will be organised and administered by Classic Fair Isle, a constituted
voluntary organisation which was set up in 2000 to promote classical music on
the island. A constitution is also online. Assistance
will be available from Shetland Arts Trust, which has the responsibility for
carrying out Shetland Islands Council's Arts Strategy. The contact there is
Kathy Hubbard, Projects Manager, Shetland Arts Trust, Pitt Lane, Lerwick,
Shetland ZE1 ODW (tel. 01595 694001).
6.
Budget
See Fund Raising
7.
Conclusion
We
believe that involvement in a project such as this will bring a range of
benefits to an island whose remoteness means a fragile economy and real barriers
to involvement in the arts at a professional level. This is a genuine community
project using a young Shetland composer which will bring together professional
and amateur musicians, will focus and inspire the community, and will "put
Fair Isle on the map" musically in a local, regional, and hopefully, a
national and international context.
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