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The outreach programme of the English Chamber Orchestra

Mission Statement
Close Encounters aims to inspire a life-changing enjoyment of the performing arts which transcends boundaries of age, background, ability, culture and geography.



Close Encounters is the English Chamber Orchestra’s outreach programme, which exists to deliver high quality projects in the community. It has been in existence since 1997 running workshops in London, the south of England and in townships in South Africa. The outreach team comprises ECO musicians, an animateur and actors whose fertile imaginations and skills are combined to devise, plan and lead its wide range of music and drama workshops. These take place in many locations including schools, hospitals, clinics and concert halls. Workshop activities include music and drama improvisation; performances; A-level composition workshops; instrumental coaching and training sessions for students and teachers.

Up to 3000 children and 200 adults participate annually in Close Encounters projects.

Funding Newsflash - June 2008
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have received a grant for £40,000 from John Lyon's Charity to fund Inspired by our Fragile Planet:a large scale music, drama, movement and singing project in collaboration with World Wide Fund for Nature, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Albert Hall. The ECO Close Encounters team will now commence detailed planning of a series of creative workshops in schools throughout the Royal Borough. Watch this space!
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One Sun, One World. October 2009

Benjamin Buckon, English Chamber Orchestra violinist and outreach team member, writes about One Sun, One World:



Two years ago, a packed Royal Albert Hall witnessed a remarkable event - the premiere of Ocean World, a collaboration between the English Chamber Orchestra, schools from the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Albert Hall. Jump forward to October 2009 and we were back for an event that was even bigger, with even more children singing to an even more packed RAH. This was the premiere of One Sun One World, in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, featuring once again the ECO and players from The Royal College of Music, a 1500-strong Children's Choir, and a new multi-media presentation. It was the culmination of many months work by countless people throughout the borough, exploring the themes of the piece in music, art and drama as well as learning the whole score.

The strong environmental message of One Sun One World is something that this generation of children feels passionately about (as a father of two lads under 15 I can vouch for that!). What staggered all of us on stage was the sheer amount of music they had memorised - 2 hours non-stop, and all sung with so much energy and commitment. A huge amount of credit must also go to the fantastic music-loving staff who coached the children throughout the project. The thing I found most inspiring was that the main problem during the day was containing the children's incredible levels of excitement at just being at the Royal Albert Hall, something we musicians really do take for granted sometimes. Just looking round from my orchestra chair was an awesome sight! (For some more info on the event, why not visit www.wwf.org.uk and click on What We Do, then Working With Schools). The WWF currently has plans to take this project on a UK Tour for their 50th Anniversary, so watch this space...

Ocean World


Who cares what becomes of the ocean?
Man has always been fascinated by the sea, that mysterious world that he can only visit as a spectator. But today, his desire to exploit the earth's resources for his immediate benefit is leading inexorably to the destruction of all marine life. Ocean World issues a cry for help on behalf of the inhabitants of the sea. A female humpback whale invites us into her underwater home and introduces some of the other creatures with whom she shares the ocean. We observe her joy as her new-born calf arrives and the two begin the journey to northern feeding grounds. Man's threatening presence soon becomes apparent, however. Coral mining, whaling ships, commercial fishing vessels, oil spillages and domestic, industrial and nuclear wastes - under this combined assault, the ocean simply cannot sustain the quantity and variety of life it holds. The message is clear and simple: if man continues to misuse the sea, he will destroy the life in it.

In Spring 2007 Close Encounters entered into its first large scale collaborative project with the Royal Borough, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Albert Hall. Our contribution of creative music projects in schools and choreographed movement to the songs, culminated in an awe inspiring performance of Ocean World at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2007. 2000 young people took part in singing, playing and movement alongside ECO musicians and students from the Royal College of Music.

This was not only a profoundly moving performance but it also raised awareness in the children and the audience of the importance of the ecological issues addressed in the work. The music and words of Ocean World are composed and written by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon respectively.

Ocean World all the performers at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2007



Enigma of the Deep - the whales' difficult journey north



Coral Cacophony - the coral reefs in the southern seas where the life of the baby whale begins

More information
If you are interested in supporting or taking part in future Close Encounters activities, please contact Marilyn Groves, our Outreach Manager on 020 8840 6565 or marilyn.groves@englishchamberorchestra.co.uk

The Snow Queen 2007
In this exciting four week long project in primary schools in Ealing, a devised music and drama piece adapted from The Snow Queenby Hans Christian Andersen was brought to life and performed in Ealing Town Hall in July 2007. All scenes were woven together with music and drama created by children in the workshops as well as music by Grieg, Stravinsky, Vivaldi
and Brahms performed by an ECO ensemble.

The following pictures were taken by Dr Carl Sofield at the dress rehearsal in Ealing Town Hall in July 2007.

ACT I
The Splinters from the Wicked Mirror and Kay and Gerda
In which the wicked mirror is created and shattered and affects the lives of the two little children living side by side in a town. Kay is captured by the Snow Queen





ACT II
The Old Woman’s House and Flower-Garden and the Court of the Prince and Princess
In which Gerda goes in search of her friend and meets the Old Woman who can perform magic, some kindly ravens and arrives at the court of the Prince and Princess





ACT III
The Little Robber Maiden and Robbers’ Castle
In which Gerda meets the little Robber Maiden who lives with her mother and the band of Robbers deep in the forest. The little Robber Maiden sends her own Reindeer to carry Gerda to Lapland in search of the Lands of the Snow Queen





ACT IV
The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman and the Snow Queen’s Palace
In which Gerda finds her way through Lapland, on to Finland and finally to the lands of Snow Queen where she must defeat the Snow Queen’s Regiment and find and free her friend Kay




Concert Satellites 2007/08
The English Chamber Orchestra’s audience development outreach programme Concert Satellites has now been running successfully in state schools throughout the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea since 2005 thanks to generous donations from Charitable Trusts and Foundations.

The programme is delivered by the Close Encounters creative music and drama team to include workshops for Primary aged pupils and composition workshops for A-level students. Projects are linked to the ECO’s London Concert Series at Cadogan Hall 2005/06. Free tickets to concerts are part of the programme and these have been highly valued by the schools in the Royal Borough.

A selection of Concert Satellites 2007/08
The U Factor!
A highly entertaining and informative project inspired by Monteverdi's Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria, designed by ECO first violinist Ben Buckton.

Pictured below with Ben Buckton, the sailors, from St Mary's Primary School North Kensington, onboard Ulysses' ship, stretch out towards the Sirens!


Picutred below, ECO first violinist John Mills leads the band in the search forThe U Factor!


A Christmas with the Bach Family
Including the placing of sweets in shoes, Bach rehearsing his orchestra and reliving the Christmas lunch at the Bach family dinner table. Designed by actor and director Pascale Burgess.

Comments on A Christmas with the Bach Family from children from Barlby Primary School, North Kensington
"Thank you for coming I really like having Christmas Lunch with Mr Bach!"
"I loved the music for hiding the shoes for presents!"
"My favourite bit in the story was the mice!"

Pulcinella, the Princess and the Palace Guard
Featuring music from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite played by the children and bringing to life the story of the ballet through drama. Designed by outreach manager and animateur Marilyn Groves.

Blue
An A-level composition project with the Close Encounters team joined by composer Patrick Hawes.

Comment on Blue from Scott Price, Director of Music, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.
"Just a thanks for all your efforts last week with the pupils' compositions. As always you were wonderfully professional in your approach to the kids' work and I know that has made such a difference to their confidence and general approach to see their work taken so seriously and to hear it played so wonderfully."