Black Lives Matter Commissioning Project

*Important note for US contributors!

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Thank you so much for your support for this project.

THE PROJECT:

We would like to invite you to support a new song-commissioning project, the idea for which has come out of discussions that are taking place within the singing leading community as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

 

Our plan is to commission 8 black composers, 4 UK-based/4 US-based, to write 1 song each for choirs/singing groups in the NVN. We will work with the composers to ensure that the songs written are learnable by ear, so they will be designed to be perfect for community choirs to sing.

 

So that's the how, but what about the why?

 

As you may well know, so much black music has been appropriated, bought and sold with composers and performing artists not receiving proper remuneration and credit over the centuries. By asking singers and supportive patrons to make a direct contribution to creating these songs our aim to highlight this issue, and do something practical and creative that raises our awareness of these transactions, and that they are long overdue. A big element of this project is that funds come from normal people, like you! You may be a choir singer past or present, or simply someone wanting to support black music and culture creation. It's so important to us that this is a grassroots project with the songs being commissioned from donations from members of the public like yourself. A big part of the focus of this project is economic, acknowledging and attempting to engage in a small but hopefully meaningful way with the economics of racism and inequality in music. Please support this project as generously as you can - and pay both back and forward to support black culture creation through song.

 

Fran André (UK choir leader and project co-ordinator), Kathy Bullock (US African American Music Specialist) and Siân Croose (UK choir leader and project consultant) are the steering group for this and we will update you all regularly on how the project progresses. Currently we have a deadline of end of February for all monies to be received so we can start hiring the composers and commissioning the songs from March onwards.

 

Please do support this project generously, and feel the warm glow of being part of creating beautiful songs, and doing your part to support black artists be fully respected and honoured for their work.

 

All best wishes and thanks in advance for your support!

 

Sian, Fran and Kathy