The Romeo & Juliet Project
How fares my Juliet?
At the start of the project, we asked all the participants to send through their thoughts, feelings and experiences to post on this page. Today, we received the following contribution from Matilda, pictured below (far right) with friends from Footscray City College.
I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to perform with so many amazing musicians, what I have learned over the last couple of weeks I will treasure forever. I never used to practice enough, but now all I want to do is play. Yes, the Romeo And Juliet Project has changed my life, I have met great people and have heard great music. We have been given heaps of tickets to awesome concerts, a fantastic gift. I will never forget the moment we were applauded by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, even just singing for the orchestra at Hamer Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Whole thing has been amazing and I can not thank everyone enough for what they have given me.
-Matilda, Footscray City College Student
Posted on 5 November 2012
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Juliet’s theme
Here’s a little video we took at the dress rehearsal – have a listen – you might even recognise the theme!
There are plenty more project “shorts” where these came from, so make sure you have a browse around the MSO’s You Tube Channel and share with your friends!
Posted on 5 November 2012
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My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
A post from Cathy Milliken, The Romeo & Juliet Project Creative Director:
Goodness, yesterday was our first performance – the first world premiere of our Romeo and Juliet Project, as composed by members of the Huntingtower School, Footscray City college and Massive Hip Hop Choir, along with musicians and teaching artists of the MSO. It’s amazing that in such a short space of time all the creative parties involved in this project have so quickly merged to become one cohesive “band”.
In the past week, I have enjoyed so much this process of “coming together”. The anticipation of how it would all end (we still had not decided on the exact ending until the day before yesterday!) was great, but the ideas were strong, and, as often found with the ending of compositions, the end wrote itself really. John Arcaro brought along the most beautiful collection of Federation Bells for the musicians to play – and the effect was just magic.
One of the ideas was that the ending should “start as a sad funeral, then move to reconciliation, and start afresh”, another idea was “to think of a cluster going towards harmony, then back to cluster, and then back to harmony”, as well as to create “a mirror image of both groups, from which the two leaders emerge and shake hands in reconciliation”. Above all the idea of hope and starting afresh, with the memory of before, prevailed. From this point of reconcilliation comes Ileini‘s beautiful and hopeful poem, which a few weeks back, she had shared with us during a rehearsal at Barkly Arts Centre:
Everyone involved in the project has worked so hard towards the performance, especially during this last week when we all took off our “composer hats” and put on our “performer hats”, working tirelessly to perfect the composition.
Yesterday was a particularly long, but special day, starting with a morning visit to the general rehearsal of the MSO’s performance of Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky, Delius and Prokofiev) presented together with actors of the Bell Shakspeare Company. We actually did a surprise perfromance for the orchestra at the start of the rehearsal – singing a small part of our composition for them – I believe theywere very impressed!! And after sitting through their general rehearsal, our awe and admiration for the orchestra was certainly more than mutual. I know for sure that our band were delighted to recognise various themes by Prokofiev that had (sneakily) found their way into our composition as cross-reference points!
Later in the day we had our own dress rehearsal, which included a microphone rehearsal, and a choreography rehearsal for those who were incorporating “battle” movements taught to us by the Massive Choir. The mix of pre-concert excitement and nerves was intense, but when it came to performance time, everyone gave their whole hearts and selves to the music, and afterwards a long applause celebrated our combined achievements. I saw tears in the eyes of some of the public; I think because they witnessed the strength, creativity and the possibility of these young people, and above all, were moved by their beautiful music.
Now that, indeed, is a wonderful ending to our project. And, I hope, the start of many new beginnings!
Posted on 2 November 2012
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Oh blessed night
Here are some photos from our premiere performance!!!! If you missed out, don’t forget to come and join us tomorrow night in the very glamorous Stalls Foyer at Hamer Hall at 7pm for our second and final performance.
Posted on 1 November 2012
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Did my heart love till now?
We have so much to tell you about the last two days, but no time to write as we move full speed-ahead towards our first performance tonight at Hamer Hall!! Part oratorio, part hip hop opera, part music theatre piece – please come and join us in the Stalls Foyer at 7pm to experience the creative outcome of our month-long composition and performance workshops.
Everyone together in Iwaki Auditorium after last night’s tutti rehearsal
Hannah, Gretta, Philly, Reid, Isabella and Leah pose in their “R” & “J” t-shirts!
Dress rehearsal at the Hall (looking good!!!)
We promise to fill you in on the rest of the fun later!
Posted on 1 November 2012
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O, swear not by the moon,
Participant Profile:
Alysha Trainor, Huntingtower School
Alysha Trainor at rehearsal today
What instrument/s do you play and how long have you been playing music?
I’ve been playing the violin for as long as I can remember. I started taking lessons in prep so I guess that’s almost nine years now. At school I enjoy playing in many different orchestras and ensembles and I love singing in choir too. Music is one of the most important things in my life and I can’t imagine living without it!
Have you ever been involved in a collaborative composition project like this before?
I have never been involved in anything like this before but I have loved every minute of it. Being a part of this project has been an experience of a lifetime and I would jump at the chance to be involved in something like this again.
What has been your favourite part of the project?
This whole project has been an incredible experience but the best part has definitely been working with the amazing and extremely talented professional musicians to create a wonderful mosaic of musical masterpieces.
Have you felt challenged?
Yes, I’ve definitely found this program a challenge – it has stretched both my confidence and my musical abilities. It’s also been a huge amount of work but we’ve gotten out what we put in. And it’s been completely worth it, plus a load of fun along the way!
What do you think you will take away?
Thanks to the inspirational and highly experienced musicians which we were lucky to work with I have gained a range of new musical skills, appreciation and advice which I will be able to take away from these workshops and use in the future.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I would just like to add a massive thank you to everyone involved in making this program such a fantastic success and for giving students at Huntingtower the extraordinary opportunity to be involved in this truly magical experience. It’s been an absolute privilege to have been involved and I hope that this program continues in the future to give many more students the rare and precious chance to come together for the art of creating something exceptionally beautiful – music.
Posted on 30 October 2012
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A rhyme I learn’d even now
Participant profile:
Declan Himmelreuch-Beaumont, Footscray City College
Declan (centre) with fellow guitarists, Timothy Hai and James McKenna
What instrument/s do you play and how long have you been playing music?
Guitar for 2 years and piano for 1 year.
Have you ever been involved in a collaborative composition project like this before?
Nothing quite like this.
What has been your favourite part of the project?
Making the music with others.
Have you felt challenged?
It’s been slightly challenging, but worth it.
What do you think you will take away?
How to work with others to compose music.
Is there anything you would like to add?
It’s been a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone involved.
Posted on 30 October 2012
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Yo Romeo
Our project was listed in today’s print edition of The Age!
“Shakespeare and Prokofiev meet Grandmaster Flash in the Hamer Hall foyer this Thursday and Friday at 7pm when the MSO’s Romeo & Juliet Project comes to fruition. Members of the orchestra will perform a suite of six songs composed with the Massive Hip Hop Choir, Huntingtower School and Footscray City College contemporarising the themes of Shakespeare’s great romance. Led by composer Catherine Milliken and German vocalist Michael Schiefel, the ‘‘song cycle with theatrical elements’’ will precede the MSO and Bell Shakespeare’s production inside the hall.” – The Age, page 13
And for those of you who missed Cathy’s interview on The Music Show this weekend, you can still catch it by clicking here.
Big thanks to Philly and Mazna from the Massive Hip Hop Choir for their intros!
Posted on 29 October 2012
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There is no end, no limit, measure, bound,
Player profile:
John Arcaro, MSO Percussionist
Lucky Pereira, Leah Scholes, John Arcaro & Reid Sargent at rehearsal
How long have you been playing in the MSO?
23 years
Have you ever been involved in a collaborative composition project like this before? If yes, how has this one been different?
I’ve been involved in many collaborative composition projects ranging from 1x hour MSO Jams to this large scale Romeo & Juliet project. I really enjoy this type of creative process, some of the most memorable ones have been “No More These Sounds”, Melbourne Remand Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital, and many MSO Artplay projects. This project has had more preparation time than average which mean we all get to know each other better and can workshop many more different ideas. Each project leader brings something quite unique so it’s been great to work with Cathy, Michael and my MSO colleagues.
What has been your favourite part of the project to date?
Discovering Footscray! I have been spending most of my time on the project to date with the students of Footscray City College, and have really enjoyed playing alongside the student percussionists, Lucky and Reid, and watching how the teaching team and students interact.
Have you felt challenged at all?
Not challenged but privileged.
You are playing in the main-stage performance of Romeo & Juliet simultaneously to being involved in this project – do you think your experiences working with the students over the past weeks have enhanced your on-stage experience?
It’s reminded me of just how young Romeo & Juliet were (about the same age as the students we’re working with!). It has also given me an insight into the written text that I didn’t have before, reading Shakespeare has been great.
What are the key things you think you will take away from being involved in this project?
The fun of composing songs and creating music with friends. And the genius of Shakespeare.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I have been primarily working with the Footscray students to date and haven’t yet met the choir or Huntingtower students, so am looking forward hearing everyone together in the same room during our final production period this week!
Posted on 28 October 2012
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‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Participant profile:
Akimera Burckharddt-Bedeau, member of Massive Hip Hop Choir
Akimera (centre) with fellow members of Massive Hip Hop Choir and Cathy and Michael
How long have you been a member of Massive?
I have been a member of Massive since our first meeting two and a half years ago.
Massive is in the process of becoming professional artists and practitioners. How important are projects like these to your development as an ensemble?
Working with Michael and Cathy and musicians from the MSO has been such an interesting and unique experience for us. We have really learnt a different side of music through this project. Also, having the opportunity to interpret such amazing text has been really fun and inspiring as it has pushed us to see the parallels between the period that Romeo and Juliet was set in, and today.
An excerpt of text written and performed by Akimera, Lina Lonia and Mazna Komba from a song the choir has written titled Star Cross’d Lovers:
Lina: Oh Romeo wherefore thou art
It’s neither hand or foot not, or face
A Montague;
It’s just a name
Akimera: Oh no no nooo oh oh
You’ve seen the depths of my heart
And I don’t know if I can trust the enemy
You’ve heard my calls but I am not so easy no I am not easy
Mazna: In truth fair Montague, I am too fond
Dear love, I must confess, I wanna take back my love and give it to you
Over and over again, over and over again, over and over again…
What has been your favourite part of the project?
I’ve particularly enjoyed working with Michael and getting a taste of what music is for him. I am very much looking forward to seeing the project all come together with the schools over the coming week and to our performances on 1 and 2 November.
Posted on 25 October 2012
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Wisely and slow, they stumble who run fast
A post from Cathy Milliken, The Romeo & Juliet Project Creative Director:
This week we are watching the composition grow and “knitting” the creative material from all three participating groups together. It is exciting to start to appreciate all the songs and pieces of music written by the various groups and how they fit together like pieces of a mosaic. Each group has focused on a different theme within Romeo and Juliet, some texts stayed fairly close to the Shakespeare text, others have been transported into our times and taken a fanciful turn. I am thinking of the scene revolving around Juliet’s conflict with her father. One of the songs to this theme imagines a conflict with a father who visits his daughter’s facebook wall and writes on it, thereby violating trust:
“I’ve got that red light fever, I got them facebook blues..
My Dad he saw my wall, man, I felt so bad, so small…
Just let me live my dreams Dad, Just let me stand up tall.”
Needless to say, this song is a Blues!
Footscray City College students rehearse the Facebook Blues
Other wonderful pieces have been written by the students, all in quite varying styles, with the musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra supporting wholeheartedly and bringing their vast experience of all genres. The students realise that they have written in different styles and are looking forward to presenting and performing their pieces together.
One quite amazing coincidence is how the schools complement each other from an instrumental point of view. The Footscray City College brings a wonderful bass sound with its two electric basses as well as guitars, percussionists, and some strings and winds. The Huntingtower School brings a large string section as well as more winds, and both groups bring pianists as well as singers. So the first meet between the two schools last week already showed the promise of a first rate orchestra and band with its own unique sound.
Huntingtower School and Footscray City College meet and rehearse for the first time together at Iwaki Auditorium last Thursday night
The Massive Hip Hop Choir has not yet met the School students but they are already studying some of the lyrics and music of the students to be able to join them in the performance and lend their unique choir sound and vocal power. Their own compositions have resulted in thoughtful texts, close to Shakespeare’s meaning yet with the distinctive style of the Choir. We had a wonderful session last week with the choir choreographing their battle scene by using ferocious and threatening Haka-stype actions. Our vocal leader Michael Schiefel and the rest of the team joined in… We scared ourselves I think!
MASSIVE BATTLE SCENE
Girls:
Montague the last fam we wanted to cross with you
We run our turn the way we planned
We’ll end this war by defeating your fam
YOUR FAM OUR FAM
Girls start body percussion
Boys respond body percussion
Boys:
If you choose not to withdraw your weapon
We shall disarm or kill in a matter of seconds
Watch yourself Capulet
You’re lucky I didn’t stab you yet.
Only one and a half weeks to go and we will hear and see this powerful and personal tribute to the story of Romeo and Juliet realised as a type of oratorio, although perhaps to call it a hip hop opera or music theatre piece is more fitting. I was asked in an interview if it was not a shame to perform our piece in the Foyer of the Hamer Hall. I answered: “Quite the opposite!”. We are the front Band for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet later that night, what an honour! As well, we are performing in a beautiful performance space at Hamer Hall. We are happy, excited and looking forward to the performance very much. Next week all three participating groups will meet up for the very first time, and that in itself will feel like the project has almost reached fruition. To meet, mingle and play each other’s music after each group has shown such hard work and inspiration will be a blessed event and one in which we hold every trust!
To quote another song text by one of the Huntingtower groups:
“Oh blessed, blessed night,
I swear to be more true
I have three words dear Romeo,
Say yes, and I’ll believe you.”
Posted on 24 October 2012
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What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!
The creative team outside Footscray City College yesterday afternoon
L-R: John Arcaro, Roger Young, Lina Andonovska, Cathy Milliken, Damien Eckersley, Geoff Dodd & Michael Schiefel (absent: Leah Scholes)
This week we are pleased to welcome MSO violinist, Roger Young, to the creative team for The Romeo & Juliet Project. Roger joins us as we enter our third week of production with the schools and choir. This week we are rehearsing and refining our songs, developing the over-arching structure of the composition as a whole, and deciding how we want the whole performance to end.
Posted on 23 October 2012
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‘Tis almost morning;
Sweet Juliet, who I have met deep vows from a Montague to a Capulet,
Night dress silky, your arms reach out to me;
Take a leap and I will catch you gently…
(from “Star Crossed Lovers” by Massive Hip Hop Choir)
We had our second session with the Massive Hip Hop Choir last night. Man they are fun to be around. These talented young artists have so much energy for their craft. If you haven’t yet heard of them, you should totally check them out and grab a copy of their recently launched debut album, Neology.
We met at the Barkly Arts Centre in Footscray – the choir’s creative hub – and after some inspired vocal warm-ups led by Michael, started working on some of the material the choir has been developing for the project.
Rehearsals commence
“Star Crossed Lovers” one of the songs the choir has penned for the project
The choir’s creative brief was quite different to that of the students from Huntingtower School and Footscray City College. We have less time with them for starters, and so had provided them with some points for consideration prior to the project beginning. These included the balcony scene (though unlike the Huntingtower students, who are exploring the theme of trust, the choir were asked to explore the love scene between Romeo and Juliet), the Prologue, and the battle scene between Romeo and Tybalt.
After rehearsing “Star Crossed Lovers”, we moved onto rehearsing the fight scene, which included a rap and some choreography around a remix of the tune to Prokofiev’s “Dance of the Knights”, and then finished up with a session on the prologue – which as you can see from the link below, will surely provide a powerful “scene setter” for our performances on 1 and 2 November (see first post for more details!).
Akimera and Philly teach Cathy and Michael one of the movements of the fight scene
Part of the fight scene rap
Taking places for the fight scene
Cathy, Geoff and Lina during the remix session of Prokofiev’s “Dance of the Knights”
Philly and Mazna rehearse their prologue
Posted on 19 October 2012
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Good father, I beseech you on my knees
Today was the third and final morning of workshops at Footscray City College before bringing the two participating high school groups together for the first time tomorrow afternoon at Iwaki Auditorium.
So much had already been achieved in such a short space of time (it hasn’t even been a week since we all first met!) but the pressure is already on to finalise our group compositions.
Lyrics had been written and songs started the day before, but within this final 2.5 hour “song” workshop the students essentially had to shape their compositions and refine their verses, and rehearse to a point where they could then, in turn, teach their newly written songs to their peers in the other groups.
John & Lina’s group get to work on their song
Damien & Geoff’s group composing some blues
Michael’s group rehearsing their chords
Near the end of the session, the three groups reconvened to perform and share their compositions – with each group learning the new words and accompaniments of the others. As we wrapped, the students were told that tomorrow when they came into Iwaki Auditorium, they’d be meeting their co-collaborators from Huntingtower School, and that they would now need to perform and teach their songs and chorus to a group of students who they have not before met…
Dost thou love me?
The lyrics to one of the Huntingtower group compositions
Our afternoon session with Huntingtower School students was not dissimilar – the students were placed under the same pressure to prepare and finalise their compositions (another three songs – so with Footscray City College’s three we now have six songs in total!) so they could undergo the same process of performing, teaching and learning each others in preparation for their meeting with Footscray City College students tomorrow afternoon.
Huntingtower’s “perform – teach – learn” session
It was really amazing to witness each school come up with such an incredible body of work – all highly individualized, yet still bound by our themes of trust and conflict. It’ll be super exciting to have the two groups under one roof tomorrow. Following our rehearsal, the creative team will be hot-footing it (again!)(we’re certainly clocking up the kilometers this week!) to the Barkly Arts Centre for our second session with the Massive Hip Hop Choir, who have been working on some themes and songs of their own. No doubt we’ll have tons to tell them following such successful sessions with the school these past three days!
Posted on 17 October 2012
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Here comes your father. Tell him so yourself, / And see how he will take it at your hands.
Conflict is a powerful word and action, and resonates as a strong theme throughout Romeo & Juliet. This morning at Footscray City College we sought inspiration from Act 3, Scene 5 (the one in which Juliet is told that she must wed Paris and has no choice in the matter) and together explored aspects of intergenerational conflict, specifically those disharmonies born out of our parent’s wishes and concerns verses those of our own.
Collective responses around the topic of intergenerational conflict
Students at Footscray City College composing
A composition by students at Footscray City College
But trust me, gentleman, I’ll prove more true
Meanwhile, over at Huntingtower School, we’ve been exploring trust, seeking inspiration from the Balcony Scene (Act 2, Scene 2), specifically after Juliet, thinking she is alone, ponders her love for Romeo before realising he has overheard her. Students were encouraged to develop their own text in response to this theme, with some beautiful prose being written and put to music:
Students at Huntingtower School discussing the text
A poem by students at Huntingtower School
Posted on 15 October 2012
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But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It has been a big week of “firsts” for Team Romeo & Juliet, commencing with our creative team coming together for the first time on Tuesday. Our Project Director, Cathy Milliken, and Vocalist, Michael Schiefel, were both fresh off the plane from Berlin, and our Project Assistant, Australian flute player, Lina Andonovska, had also recently returned from study in London. Cathy, Michael and Lina were all joined by our other creative team members: Damien Eckersley (Double Bass); John Arcaro and Leah Scholes (Percussion); and Geoff Dodd (Cor Anglais), and together we sat around the table talking through the intricacies of the project, and our aims for the coming weeks.
The following day we visited participating students at Huntingtower School, and the day after, students at Footscray City College, heading over to Barkly Arts Centre for a session with the Massive Hip Hop Choir in the evening. All of our initial sessions focused on a lot of physical work and trust exercises, before moving on to investigating a couple of our selected “themes” for the Project – the famous Balcony Scene and the scene where Juliet’s father insists that she marries Paris.
Massive Hip Hop Choir rehearsing with Cathy & Michael
Each participating group, by the very nature of being another group in place and time, responded in a different way to their session, and this is what makes the process and outcome so very exciting. As we continue to work with these young artists, musicians, composers and performers, we will be asking them to create their own musical responses evoked by working from Shakespeare’s text, and Prokofiev’s powerful score. They will be encouraged to develop their immediate and personal thoughts and ideas, weaving them together as text and music to form their own composition. It promises to be a stimulating few weeks together.
Posted on 12 October 2012
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For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
This week marks the start of The Romeo & Juliet Project – a creative compositional and educational project based on the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s forthcoming concert production of Romeo and Juliet on 1 and 2 November, presented in association with the Bell Shakespeare Company.
The Romeo & Juliet Project will run throughout the month of October, and be led by Berlin-based Australian composer Catherine Milliken, who along with German vocalist Michael Schiefel, and a team of MSO musicians, will work with a diverse group of young artists from the Massive Hip Hop Choir, Huntingtower School and Footscray City College, to develop an original composition which explores the ongoing influence in music, text and theatre of this iconic work of Western culture.
You can join us on our creative journey by following this blog, where we’ll be uploading articles, photos and other interesting posts along the way.
The culmination of this project will be two free public performances in the foyer spaces at Hamer Hall on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 November 2012 at 7pm, prior to the MSO’s concert presentation of Romeo and Juliet with Bell Shakespeare in the Hall.
For more information, please phone MSO Education on 9626 1198 or email education@mso.com.au
Posted on 10 October 2012
