Northern Sinfonia
Young Sinfonia
Quay Lasses
Quay Lads
Singers from:
Benton Park Primary School
Bow Durham School
Hotspur Primary School
Ouston Junior School
Alan Fearon: Conductor
Julia Regan: Narrator
A new work for young people by David Bedford.
Festivities prior to the launch of this great ship begin on the Concourse at 6pm.
Booking Information
It is with great sadness that we report David Bedford passed away on 1 October 2011. David's music touched the lives of countless young people, and his work inspired a generation of musical educators. His genius, ability and vision will be greatly missed.
David Ashworth has written the following appreciation of David's life on behalf of Cumbria, Lancashire and Liverpool music services.
David Bedford.doc
Cumbria Music Service are delighted to announce a major performance of The Wreck of the Titanic at the Sands Centre, Carlisle.
The performance will take place one hundred years and a day after the sinking of the Titanic with the loss of over 1500 lives.
It is expected that over 400 children and young people from across Cumbria will be involved in the performance. In addition, eight members of the acclaimed Lancashire Sinfonietta will perform as the Titanic band.
Titanic had its beginnings in Cumbria with Maryport-born T.H. Ismay, first director of the enormously successful White Star Line, and the father of Bruce Ismay, commissioner of the Titanic and her sister ships Olympic and Britannic. Equally important to Titanic's story was the chief engineer, Joseph Bell. Born at Farlem outside Carlisle, Joseph Bell advised Thomas Andrews during the building of the Titanic. During the doomed ship's final hours, he ensured that power was maintained to operate the lights, lifeboat winches and emergency telegraph. Had it not been for his brave devotion to duty, many more lives would have been lost that night.
Further details will be announced on www.thewreckofthetitanic.com
In an exclusive for The Wreck of The Titanic, Clifford Ismay, great grand nephew of Thomas Ismay, father of J Bruce Ismay gives a personal opinion of his famous relative and concludes he was not the coward he was protrayed as being in the press at the time.
Read Clifford's article here.
After Dark's workshop sessions for schools are now available. For details of the session, booking and costs please see below.
Outline of Session
It is the evening of April 18 1912. As survivors of the Titanic leave the Carpathia, they are mobbed by the press, eager for the story of a lifetime.
As time is precious, the journalists must work effectively. Every question asked must be well thought out, clearly articulated and relevant, if they are to write successful accounts for the early editions.
Two members of After Dark appear in role as Titanic survivors. Pupils form teams of journalists to interview them, and work with the information to produce newspaper articles. One actor plays a Titanic survivor, while the other assists the team in articulating their questions.
The activity is introduced by actors playing a journalist interviewing a Titanic survivor. Effective and ineffective interviews are modelled, and pupils identify and discuss differences. Also, the interviews demonstrate how survivors' accounts might vary substantially. .
Opportunities are built in to find out about life on the Titanic, including
• contrasting experiences of first class and steerage passengers
• dining on board the Titanic
• the disaster, and the reactions of passengers and crew
• exploring passenger lists, and creating characters
Booking After Dark
The cost of a half-day session (2 actors) is £180 plus travel.
To book a session with After Dark, or to find out more, please visit www.afterdarkentertainment.co.uk or contact
Helen on 07912410104
email helenrduffy@yahoo.co.uk
The After Dark theatre company are based in Lancaster. Notorious throughout the North West for creating murder, mystery and mayhem, they have not only developed formidable reputations as able and entertaining performers, but also as thoughtful educational practitioners.
After Dark theatre company pride themselves on being an innovative, reliable and professional organisation, and were keen to work with The Wreck of the Titanic team to inspire schools and community groups throughout the North West.
In the CD Rom, the Titanic story is told through the eyes of passengers and crew recreated by members of After Dark. These include Adele, a wealthy American heiress and Jack, an emigrant seeking a new life in the United States. Violinist Wallace Hartley recounts life as a ship's musician, and Second Officer Lightoller, Chief Engineer Bell and White Star director Bruce Ismay all offer different, and sometimes contradictory, accounts of that fateful night.
Members of After Dark have been working extensively in Lancashire schools during preparations for the Lancashire Performance of The Wreck of the Titanic, and we are delighted to announce that there will be opportunities to invite members of After Dark into your school from September 2010, where they are guaranteed to provide your students with a truly unforgettable experience.
The interactive workshops provide an excellent starting point for imaginative exploration of the Titanic. During the sessions the characters, facts and myths of the Titanic story will be brought to life, and skills such as problem solving, flexibility and team work will be developed.
Details and costs will be posted shortly on www.thewreckofthetitanic.com
Meanwhile, why not find out about After Dark's Titanic Murder Mystery for that unforgettable evening?
The Wreck of the Titanic is an innovative new work by composer David Bedford. Commissioned by Cumbria, Lancashire and Liverpool music services, it marks the Titanic's important ties with the North West.
The work will receive its first performances in July 2010 in Liverpool and Lancashire.
Liverpool
Thursday 1 July 2010 at 6:00 pm
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Tickets £4.00 and £6.00
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
BBC Liverpool
Liverpool Daily Post
Preston
Friday 2nd July at 7.30pm
The Guild Hall, Preston
The Wreck of The Titanic By David Bedford
Musical Director: Richard Laing
Lancashire premier of this exciting new composition - a musical portrayal of the legend of
the Titanic. Performed by the Lancashire Youth Symphony Orchestra, Lancashire Sinfonietta,
and 300 singers and instrumentalists from schools and colleges around Lancashire.
Tickets £11.00 / concessions: £9.00 / children under 16: £4.00.
Available from the Guild Hall Box office. Tel. 0845 344 2012.
Or book online at www.prestonguildhall.com
download poster for event
Titanic band leader, Wallace Hartley has been added to the updated Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Wallace Hartley famously played on deck as the Titanic sank in 1912.
The story of Wallace Hartley is more well known in the 21st Century. He and his seven-man orchestra have had 13 memorials worldwide erected to them, double the number erected to the Titanic's captain, the dictionary says.
The band played until the ship sank at 0220 on 15 April 1912, less than three hours after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Their last tune was Nearer, my God, to thee. Mr Hartley was found with his violin strapped to his body.
"As victims who acted courageously and benevolently, and who were in no way responsible for the Titanic's loss, the ship's musicians became emblematic of the dignity and heroism shown by many during the disaster," his entry says.
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David Bedford began composing at the age of seven. Over the years, he has worked with many well known classical, pop and rock musicians, ranging from Mike Oldfield and Madness to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and London Philharmonic choir.
Although David enjoys composing for musicians of all ages and abilities, and has lots of experience of writing for unusual combinations of voices and instruments, he says that The Wreck of the Titanic has been his biggest challenge so far!
Got a question about The Wreck of The Titanic CD-ROM?
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