Colin Riley has created People Need People, an online piece curated with students at Brunel University, ex-students, staff and with some of their professional ‘music mentors’. The words are by Poet and English and Creative Writing professor Benjamin Zephaniah who also performs in the piece.
All aspects of this song are original and developed during lockdown. I conceived the project from scratch by working with tiny fragments people provided as pieces of a ‘jigsaw’. I had fun soliciting responses to different audio-files in order to get new audio-files. I then built the finished piece from the fragments. I guess it really a celebration of the power of working together. It is also a celebration of musical diversity and how this can signpost more far-ranging ideas about us all co-exiting together.
I also think it’s important that composers engage with projects like this. I’m proud that it’s something I’m comfortable doing. The term ‘composer is of course being hotly contested at the moment. I wonder what this contributes to that debate?
Colin Riley
We at Composers Edition feel uplifted with the message of People need People. Thank you Colin for bringing this to us!
And on Saturday 25 July 2pm The Royal Albert Home sessions will broadcast a live concert by the Albert Band’s pianist Dawn Hardwick. This is an exclusive set from her home and feature Colin’s suite of piano lullabies While Stars Light Your Way Across The Night as well as music by Adrian Sutton, John Psathas and Julian Jacobson.
Classical For Kids is a regular series of events from Royal Albert Hall Education & Outreach team and is perfect for children of all ages. This concert is a special at-home edition, which will be available to watch as it goes out and then on demand after broadcast.
Tags: Brunel University, Colin Riley, Dawn Hardwick, lockdown music, Lockdown projects, online project, People need people, Royal Albert Hall, solo piano, While Stars Light Your Way Across the Night