BUDI Orchestra Volunteering Opportunity

BUDI-imageBU’s Dementia Institute (BUDI) are teaming up with professional musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to create a music group for people with dementia and their carers.

We are looking for up to 5 students to work alongside the musicians, to plan and run the workshops with people with dementia and their carers. You will support them to learn new instruments, sing and re-learn previous skills.

We’re looking for volunteers with a genuine interest in working with older people, and those who are able to commit to most, if not all, of the 8 weekly sessions. We also ask that individuals have some musical knowledge, either through singing or playing an instrument, as you will be supporting people to maintain rhythms and sing along to the music.

For more information about the project, please see our YouTube Video.

The workshops will run for 8 weeks, from Wednesday 4 February – Wednesday 25 March 2015, in the Student Hall, Talbot Campus. These rehearsals will culminate in a final performance on Friday 27 March, in the Atrium, Talbot Campus, to showcase the group’s efforts.

Previous volunteers have found this to be a fun experience that has helped them to gain confidence and communication skills.

For more information, and to volunteer, please contact Laura Reynolds: 01202 962546, or email lreynolds@bournemouth.ac.uk

Deadline for contact: 6 February 2015.

Britten’s War Requiem performed at Winchester Cathedral

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Over 400 performers from across the South joined forces on Saturday night to perform Benjamin Britten’s ‘War Requiem’ at Winchester Cathedral.

Choirs and orchestras from Bournemouth University, Imperial College London and Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, as well as from schools in Portsmouth and Andover, marked the centenary of the British composer’s birth and the First World War by performing to a packed congregation of music-lovers.

A total of eight ensembles and three soloists took part in the immense piece in Winchester Cathedral, with the cathedral walls transformed into a First World War backdrop through the use of videos and pictures projected onto the grandiose walls.

Ian Davis, Head of Music at Bournemouth University, said: “The performance of the War Requiem, Britten’s great masterpiece, marked the culmination of a project which brought together students and staff from Imperial College, Arts University Bournemouth and Bournemouth University as well as members of the local community and choristers from a number of schools. I am enormously proud of the fantastic contribution made by each and every individual involved in what was such a moving and memorable performance.”

The concert marked the end of a series of performances by Bournemouth University dedicated to Britten, which began in November 2013. As well as taking a leading role in the organisation of the concert, Ian conducted the Bournemouth University chamber orchestra during the performance.

The ‘War Requiem’ is dedicated to four friends of Britten, three of which died during the Second World War and another who committed suicide after retiring from the military.