Vocal Futures shortlisted for Best Classical Music Education Initiative

We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Best Classical Music Education Initiative award at the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence, 2014. Although we did not win the award, we would like to thank everybody who voted and supported us.

http://www.classicfm.com/concerts-events/vote-best-classical-music-education-initiative/

"The Best Classical Music Education Initiative will honour an education project which has used classical music in an innovative way, shown musical excellence and had a positive impact on a significant number of participants.

The six nominees for the Best Classical Music Education Initiative were chosen by a selection panel chaired by Thomas Lydon, editor of Music Teacher magazine. The panel judged potential nominees against the following criteria: musical excellence, impact, innovation.

Any classical music education initiative based in the UK was eligible for this award, but the panel felt strongly that the following six initiatives scored highest against the agreed criteria."

Our latest production: Haydn's Creation

Haydn Creation Poster Flyer

You can now listen to our BBC Radio 3 In Tune interview back in December as presenter Sean Rafferty talks to soprano soloist Mary Bevan (Gabriel) and director Patrick Kinmonth about our Creation production:

Will, one of our Young Ambassadors talks about what the work of Vocal Futures means to him:

"As music students our passion for classical music is incredibly close to our hearts, but it is not a passion that is overly easy to share with our peers. It is certainly no secret that interest in classical music, specifically within my demographic, is at a significant low point right now; a point I know from experience as I myself was completely alone in my love for classical music amongst my friends during school, and it was only once I had arrived at University that I met like-minded people.

I remember when I first met Suzi she used a term that has stuck with me, one I find myself constantly repeating and relating to, and indeed finding relevance to many situations I find myself in. Suzi spoke of our "cultural diet", a term I initially found interesting as I realised we see in the media all too often concerns for our nutritional diet but it seems our cultural diet is been overlooked somewhat. Unlike the young people of yesteryear we cannot simply 'stumble' upon classical music. We cannot flick through television channels or magazines and accidentally come across classical music, therefore rending it a case of unless we ourselves set out to discover it the only hope we stand is if our parents bring us up with classical music firmly within our "cultural diet".

It is because of this that I, and I speak on behalf of all my fellow students involved, believe Vocal Futures is such a fantastic project. It is providing a gateway for new audiences, and is potentially the way to bridge this gap once and for all. Moreover, it seems even more fitting that Haydn's 'The Creation' be chosen as the piece of focus as this project really could be the creation of something very special, and the future of classical concert-goers and the concerts themselves."

– Will, 20

Download the press release for Creation here - Read more on Haydn's Creation