Collaboration

A key strand of our residency is engaging young people in new creative work that aspires to the same standards of professional outcome as the Orchestra. Invariably this entails fresh creative thinking with a cross-generic ambition so that different forces can meet as equals.

In October 2020, Adrian Bending (Principal Timpani) and Crispin Woodhead (Chief Executive) approached the Acland Burghley Dance Department with a view to creating a new work.

The students, led by their teacher, Marita Young, were given a playlist of options from which they selected Les Sauvages from Les Indes Galantes by Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Weeks of intensive cooperation followed with Adrian and his player colleagues supporting the students as they developed their choreography. The final piece was then assessed for GCSE with live accompaniment from the OAE (surely a first for a UK orchestra) and was then reset for a filming in the Assembly Hall later in the year with full technical production values.

Behind the Scenes Project Gallery