This event is part of Cambridgeshire Music Live, an exciting annual festival of events, offering young people a taste of world-class music up close; players from top orchestras and bands come into schools and venues across the county, giving concerts, running workshops, and playing alongside young musicians.
Norfolk Music Hub is working in partnership with Cambridgeshire Music to host these fantastic opportunities in schools in the Great Yarmouth area.
More information about Cambridgeshire Music Live >>
28 – 29 March: Goldfield Ensemble
Since 2015, Goldfield Productions have created highly acclaimed touring musical storytelling productions for Live Music in Schools aimed at KS1 and KS2 children. The shows last approximately 50 minutes and have been seen and heard by over 7000 children in more than 30 schools. The shows are designed to be inspiring, fun, educational and memorable events which inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity in our youngest audiences.
Goldfield’s children’s productions present a unique blend of the finest chamber music woven into original storytelling and imaginative live imagery in the form of simple shadow images. The 5ft portable projection screen allows for larger numbers to enjoy the shows.
Bogles, Marsh Sprites & Green Mists: Three Fenland Stories
For four years, Goldfield have taken their touring shows to the Fens. Now, for 2019 they bring the Fens to the fore, combining the fascinating folklore of this area with folk music from the British Isles in our new production: Bogles, Marsh Sprites & Green Mists: Three Fenland Stories.
About the show:
Folk stories are all about us. We are the story and in each retelling, we reveal the amazing mixture of what we are really like: kind, brave, scared, lonely, funny, nervous, friendly. Our Three Stories are based on Fenland tales (originally collected by master storyteller Kevin Crossley-Holland) reimagined through the eyes and ears of children by Goldfield Productions. Linking the stories are ancient childhood games, rhymes and rituals – the lore of school children and the playground, a culture forgotten or mostly ignored by adults. Our new show is an inspirational, quirky, mysterious and uplifting rhythmical journey through the ‘black glistening peat-lands, where great black snags work their way up from submerged forests below’, where bogles and marsh sprites play tricks and a North sea wind whistles through stunted willows….
Extracts from vibrant, earthy folk music arranged for string quartet (played by Goldfield musicians) will be integrated into the storytelling (narrated by Kate Romano) illustrated with projected images. Bogles, Marsh Sprites & Green Mists inspires wonder in a show that addresses childhood issues of fear, bravery and friendship, observing the Fenland stories from a safe ‘playground distance’ as the green mists descend and the bogles come out to play….
Notes for schools:
As the show involves shadow-play, the performance space needs to be able to shut out bright direct sunlight. The room does not have to be pitch block, but it must be possible to reduce natural day light by around 75%. Simple blinds 3/4 closed or curtains mostly drawn are adequate.
Staging size: space to seat string quartet with 4 music stands. To SR, space for screen
The production can be seen by up to 150 children at any one time. Smaller numbers are preferable for a more intimate experience. Please note that the experience will be compromised if children are not able to see the screen. ‘Deep’ seating is therefore preferable to ‘wide’ seating. The production is acoustic and performed without microphones.
“Beautiful, thoughtful, mesmeric, funny and what wonderful music…what a terrific and imaginative way to tell stories with music and it appealed to all of our children from year 1 to year 6” (Great Staughton Primary School)
“Astonishingly good – you kept 300 children absolutely captivated from start to finish…” (Foxton Primary School)
“My children couldn’t stop talking about it when we went back to our classroom.. all the children were engaged, interested and enthralled by the stories, puppetry and music…. you grabbed their attention, caught their imaginations and held them with great timing, action and of course the amazing music” (Steeple Morden Primary School)
For more information about Goldfield Productions, the Goldfield musicians and current work, please visit goldfieldensemble.co.uk.