![]() They are all active musicians and represent a diverse spread of the local band scene in Edinburgh with players from the Hidden Orchestra, Black Diamond Express, Southern Tenant Folk Union, Orchestra del Sol, the Horndog Brass Band, Digital Jones, Lipsync for a Lullaby, Black Cat and others. The tutors come from a wide range of musical backgrounds, including jazz, rock, classical, folk and electronic music. These include full orchestral practices, sectional practices and a series of educational workshops in aspects of contemporary music. We have also just set up a team of young musicians to take on some of the organisational roles involved, and I get the feeling that before long they'll be running the show themselves! We run 10 week courses during termtimes with weekly rehearsals on Sunday afternoons. ![]() Ultimately, we want the young musicians who make up this orchestra to guide it wherever it goes, and already they are putting forward many of the ideas for the project and the pieces we play, and they have also been involved in the writing of much of the music.įor Sunday's gig, two of the young musicians composed and arranged pieces, and we wrote a group composition altogether (all 35 of us!). ![]() The dream vision is a full on, standing, dancing 100 (or more!) piece orchestra performing awe-inspiringly brilliant original music to a young crowd at venues and festivals that young people would love to play at! We are only just in our second term, but the first concert was definitely on the right lines (see video below) and we're playing our first music festival this July at the Garden Party at Kelburn Castle, so who knows, we might just get there!Įducationally, the overall aim is to get young people more actively involved in the music they play. The Tinderbox Orchestra currently stands at a 35 piece band, involving young musicians aged between 13 and 21, plus the tutors who also play in the band. We are also keen to collaborate across the arts to bring performances and events to life, and hopefully this will also lead to some imaginative and interesting future projects too. Bjork, Jimmi Hendrix, Radiohead), and collaborate with local bands, orchestrating their songs and performing alongside them. We write original compositions, arrange and perform the music of contemporary artists (e.g. Young musicians and tutors come from all backgrounds, including rock, classical, jazz, folk and electronic music. The Tinderbox Orchestra uses a mix of traditional orchestral instruments (strings, woodwind, brass, percussion) and modern instruments such as drumkits, saxophones, guitars and electronic instruments. ![]() In a way, to treat an orchestra more like a band (a really good one hopefully!). The idea is to take it out of its conventionally classical shell and use the astonishing depth, variety and power that an orchestra offers to play alternative styles of music that are meaningful and inspiring to this generation of young people. So what is the Tinderbox Orchestra? Well the overall goal is to do something new, creative and exciting with an orchestra. And they are doing so with an eagerness and enthusiasm that makes me feel that this little idea we decided to pursue just under a year ago is actually working, and that it might really have the potential to do something worthwhile, novel and exciting with youth music. It is something of a big moment in this project, and for me personally, as the young musicians who the project was designed for are now starting to take real ownership of it, taking on the jobs and responsibilities required to make it happen and putting forward the ideas that are going to make it grow. I have been asked by one of the young musicians from the Tinderbox Orchestra to write an introduction for a new blog that we are starting.
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