Bristol's musical and creative community joins together for Sky Orchestra. The line-up of celebrated and emerging Bristol musicians and artists involved in a massive musical dawn chorus set to take place in the city this month has been announced. Serenading people in their homes with specially commissioned new music, the Sky Orchestra is planned to offer people hope for the future and showcase the creative talent of the city. A flotilla of seven hot air balloons will deliver the instrumental dawn chorus from the sky to create an uplifting visual and musical experience in surround sound.
Outgoing Bristol City Poet Vanessa Kisuule has written a spoken word contribution which she is recording whilst renowned theatre and TV writer, composer and sound designer Elizabeth Purnell has created the string arrangements. Drew Morgan is the cello soloist for the piece. Emerging young Bristol talent performing includes Jo Bacon, Jerome Gamble and Joe Harding on the guitar, with Tom Nosek providing the vocals. Both Stew Jackson and Jerome Gamble will be playing electric guitars in balloons live during the Sky Orchestra performance.
Sky Orchestra - A New Dawn for Bristol is an arts project by renowned international Bristol artist Luke Jerram and Bristol-based BAFTA-winning composer Dan Jones. It features the premiere of a new composition commissioned by Bristol Old Vic.
Planned by Dan and Luke since the beginning of the lockdown, the local ballooning crews are being brought together by lead pilot Peter Dalby. The performance has only just been made possible as social distancing restrictions have been relaxed to allow pilots and crews to work together safely. To avoid public crowds turning up to watch the launch, the dates and times of the performance are a secret. The performance will be announced on the day, just as the balloons take off.
Now, the incredible line-up of Bristol musical and artistic contributors joining forces for the project has been revealed. Grant Marshall, founder member of Massive Attack, Stew Jackson, current writer and producer for Massive Attack, and Adrian Utley, founder member of Portishead, are all involved in either creating or playing on the soundtrack.
People are encouraged to capture the experience on camera and share their photos and video on social media, using the hashtag #skyorchestra. Funds raised from the sale of the EP of the musical composition, which will be available to stream via all mainstream music streaming services, will be donated to support emerging musicians in the city.
•
Hot air balloons perform musical dawn chorus to serenade the public in Luke Jerram/Dan Jones collaboration
•
New music specially commissioned and performed by celebrated and emerging Bristol musicians
•
Members of Massive Attack and Portishead plus Bristol City Poet Vanessa Kisuule are among the contributors
26
