New Music for the River StourMusic written as part of CONFLUENCE, 1998-2001
New Music for the River Stour
Music written as part of CONFLUENCE, 1998-2001
Contact Common Ground for information on any of the music listed <info [at] commonground.org.uk>
Winter Songs and River Carols, Mere
A project to form a new choir and write and perform
new seasonal songs about the river, based in Mere, Wiltshire.
The performance took place on a walk around the town near Christmas
1998, and the choir has continued as Shreen Harmony.
Song of the Stour by Peter Gillot; Icy Rivers and Playgrounds by Martin Snook; River Carol by Steve Bryan; Waters of Purity by Pip Potter; Rejoice in the River by Hazel Keen; Compositions arranged by Karen Wimhurst.
Parents and Toddlers Group, Mere
Work with an established P & T group,
involving a walk along the river along with songwriting and singing
workshops at the meeting venue.
Scrubbing Song; Christmas Journey; A Fishy Tale; The Duck Jive by group members with Karen Wimhurst and Helen Porter.
Shreen Harmony, Mere
New music written by and for the choir formed as part of 'Winter
Songs and River Carols'
Out and About with a Trout by Jane Flynn; The River of Life by Sue Green; Where the Stour meets the Sea by Paul Stone; Eel ways, Water Gardens and Meeting Places by Karen Wimhurst; The Wessex Carol and Permanence by Mark Pritchard; River Rising by Shreen Harmony; Shreen Water by Helen Porter.
Mere Youth Club
A project working with members of the youth club to write and
record a pop song.
Tears on the Sand by youth club members with Karen Wimhurst and Helen Porter.
Duchy Manor School, Mere
A project to write music to accompany the 'Winter Songs and River
Carols' event in the streets of Mere, December 1998.
Procession music by school pupils and staff with Karen Wimhurst
King Arthur's Community School, Wincanton
GCSE music students worked with instrumental soloists from the
Bournemouth Orchestras to write music inspired by the wells and
springs of Wincanton, Somerset. These were performed in concert
in early 1999, with pieces by school staff, Karen Wimhusrt and
Helen Porter.
Ripples Solo for double bass by Jo Crook; Song of the Seven Sisters Solo for clarinet by Emily Cressey; Dry Well Solo for double bass by Mark Coombes; The Lament of Arabella Agnes Solo for violin by Bryony Biles; The Ghost Well Solo for flute by Louise Cross; Shadows of Past Memories Solo for violin by Holly Axford; The Ins and Outs of the River Solo for flute by Katie Hallet; Powers of the Moon Solo for clarinet by Farah Winning; Cursing Wellby Helen Porter; Whispering inside Wells by Karen Wimhurst; Water Fight by Peter Hoare; Misty Day Break by Steve Ayres.
Parents and Toddlers Group,Wincanton
Work with an established P&T group, involving songwriting
and singing workshops at the meeting venue.
The Swirling Whirling River; Otter Babies; Rain Song; Sailing by group members with Karen Wimhurst and Helen Porter.
Shades of Blue
Jazz a-capella group formed by young women from King Arthur's
Community School under the direction of Helen Porter. Mostly performing
river-infused standards, but two new pieces were written for them.
Shades of Blue by Helen Porter; Stour River Blues by Richard Foley.
Gillingham School Jazz Band
The school band worked with Karen Wimhurst to write and perform
new pieces at the Fish Cabaret, a Confluence event in Gillingham
in April 1999.
A Kipper Comes A Cropper; Dace Chase; The Great Goldfish Bowl in the Sky by members of Gillingham School Jazz band, arranged by Karen Wimhurst.
Fish Cabaret
A selection of pieces written for performance at the Cabaret in
April 1999 by a variety of groups. Grayling, Pike and Trout were
to accompany dancers from the Paris Helen School of Dance.
Grayling Solo for bass clarinet composed by Karen Wimhurst; Pike Duet for cello and clarinet composed by Karen Wimhurst; Trout Solo for violin, music constructed by Les Jenkinson; Gudgeon in Love Song for solo voice by Karen Wimhurst; The Trout Chorus Song composed by residents of the Thorngrove Centre (for people with physical and learning disabilities), Gillingham, with Helen Porter.
Dorset Composers Workshop
An experimental gathering of local composers. Not organised as
part of Confluence, but Karen Wimhurst's contribution emerged
from her work on the project.
Ripples 1 & 2 by Karen Wimhurst.
The Stour Villages
Helen Porter worked with church groups and the local youth club
from the 'Stour' villages in North Dorset (including East and
West Stour, Stour Provost, Buckhorn Weston and Fifehead Magdalen)
to compose a new hymn for Rogationtide.
Calm and Flowing Stream of Love by members of the Stour villages and arranged by Helen Porter.
Talkative River
A concert in two parts at Buckhorn Weston, Dorset in 1999. The
first half featured new folk ballads written by people from the
Stour villages working with Helen Porter and folk musician Tim
Laycock. The second half comprised a new piece by Karen Wimhurst
for a wind ensemble from the Bournemouth Orchestras with recordings
of local people's river memories.
Downstream, that's another story by Karen Wimhurst with oral historian Helen Weinstein, incorporating recordings of Stour villagers; In Memory of a Strangerby Joan Haig; The Rolling Bay by Margaret Elsworth: My Life is like the River by Nancy Harman; Rolling Down the Stour by Len Piper; Rivers of Crystal by Henry Haig; All Used Up by Roger Trevor; The Princess and the Frog by Richard Gallop; Dancing on the Water by Kathryn and Natasha Ridgway; The West Stour Pike by Buckhorn Weston Youth Club.
Watershed
An instrumental trio formed by Karen Wimhurst to play water inspired
music. Featuring Karen on clarinets with Chas Dickie (originally
double bass, then 'cello), Stan Adler (cello, 1999 only), David
V. Miles (double bass, from late 1999). They attend composing
workshops and give concerts featuring a diverse repertoire of
water-related classics, blues and jazz alongside new pieces written
especially for them by local people, and members of the group.
They recorded a CD of self-composed pieces in January 2000
Spring Thaw by Stan Adler ; Water to your Rock and Mill Wheel by Chas Dickie ; Grind and Dissolve by Karen Wimhurst ; Airborne by David V. Miles.
Wincanton Composing Workshop
Karen Wimhurst gave a series of six workshops with a variety of
participants, of all levels of musical experience. For some of
these sessions she was joined by her newly-created trio Watershed,
who demonstrated their instruments and played through participants'
ideas.
Undulating Moods by Sue Green; Invariable Variables by Mike Kynock; Hidden World by Rebecca Langford; Grayling Come Home! by Darren Giddings.
The Cutwater Band at Colber Bridge
An ad hoc 'scratch' ensemble assembled by Helen Porter to write
and play music in celebration of bridges. They played at Colber
Bridge, Sturminster Newton, in September 1999 as part of architectural
heritage week, and the town's first Cheese Festival.
Stour Music 1 & 2, Cowpats at Colber Bridge by Nick Crump, John Holman, Richard Gallop, Tim Laycock, Helen Porter & Heather Ridgway.
Music for Games at Sturminster Cheese
Festival
Helen Porter worked with children and teachers from
the William Barnes Primary School in Sturminster Newton to devise
singalong games to play at the town's first Cheese Festival in
September 1999.
Cheesy Pictures, Hey-ho the Cheese-O, by Helen Porter with children from the William Barnes Primary School
Shaftesbury Composing Workshop & Concert
Karen Wimhurst gave a series of six workshops with a variety of
participants, of all levels of musical experience. For some of
these sessions she was joined by her trio Watershed, who demonstrated
their instruments and played through participants' ideas. A concert
of the resulting works was given by Watershed in Shaftesbury near
to Christmas 1999.
Jumping Inby Lisa South; Run the Full Course by Mike Durkee; At Lordsmead Bridge by Sue Langford; Source to Sea II by Nick Crump; Cut Mill by Eric Young; Floaty... Ill defined by Tristan Lea; Mist on the Stour by Paul Stone; Fifth Element by Hanne Sampson.
Sturminster Newton Youth Club
The youth club worked with Helen Porter to write new songs which
were incorporated into a concert at the town's High School in
November 1999.
Softly, Softly by Becky Matthews, Lauren Ward, Marie Aplin, Vicky Dawson and Lucy Fraser; Eyo, by Alana Brunning; A Beautiful Place, by Natasha Cross; Water Cycle by Louise Addley; The Water's Edge by Becky Matthews; I come to you by Jess Walters and Samantha Royle.
Sturminster Newton High School
GCSE music students from the school worked with Helen Porter and
Karen Wimhurst to write music inspired by Sturminster's water
mill, for soprano Frances Lynch and percussionist Ron Vint. These
pieces were given in concert at the school in November 1999, along
with music written as part of the project with the youth club.
Choreography and settings were also provided by school classes.
Reflections by Cleo Smith and Laura Matthews; Mill Motion by Ed Hunt; Music is the Mill by Kirsten Chubb; The Fisherman's Frolics by Joe Bowler, Tom Peay and Wayne Walker; Emotions by Laura Heslop; Waterby Laura Buxton and Amy Gould; Water Rhythms by Eloisa Colman; Drip Drop Drip by Alexa Guy and Richenda Snook; Death by the Mill by Vicky Sheppee; Waterworks by Gavin Blackhall.
The musical BOX
Music theatre by Karen Wimhurst for soprano, percussion, and the
recorded sounds of the water mill at Sturminster Newton. The piece
received its premiere at the mill in December 1999.
Dressing the Stone by Karen Wimhurst.
Open the Flood-Gates
New folk ballads written by people from the Sturminster Newton
area, with Helen Porter and folk musician Tim Laycock. Performed
in concert in Sturminster in early 2000.
The Stirrers of Stur by Tim Laycock; The Timely River by Leslie Jenkinson and Tim Laycock; Don't You Go Down to the Mill by Gavin Blackhall; Old Cutt Mill by Dave England and Tim Laycock; Ten Thousand Milesby Mark Pritchard; Sturminster Mill Flooded on Christmas Eve by Beth Squire; Reflection by Heather Ridgway; Flood by Mark Pritchard; The Swan by Jack Pritchard; *Glug* by Ian Marshall; A Social Worker's Lament by Martin Brice; Waiting for Spring by Hilary Charlesworth.
Pipeworks
Music for saxophone quartet and new instruments invented and built
by local plumbers and wind players from plumbing fittings in early
2000.
Pipeworks, Gurgle, Tap-estry, All Cisterns Go, and Boghorn Tango by Karen Wimhurst; Burst Pipes by Nick Crump, Andy Bennett and Karen Wimhurst; Aquifer by Karen Wimhurst and Duncan Sears; Draining Away by Nick Crump; Groundwater by Andy Bennett.
Dawn Chorus Music and Birdsong
Music inspired by the dawn chorus songs of riverside birds, first
performed by Watershed after a dawn chorus walk at Springhead,
Fontmell Magna, Dorset, on May Day bank holiday 2000.
Morning, Dabchick, Sedge Warbler and Swan by Karen Wimhurst.
Rain Cabaret
A cabaret of local amateur and professional talent held in Winterborne
Stickland, Dorset, in mid 2000.
Welcome to the Rain Cabaret by Mark Pritchard; Rain Drops, I Saw a Dark Cloud, Creeping Down a Gutter, When I Sing in my House and No More Rain by Kate Pearce; Rain Music by Verina Cutler with Winterborne Stickland Brownie Group; Mayamalavagoula by Chas Dickie; Disappearing Water Blues by Richard Foley.
Blandford Composing Workshop
Karen Wimhurst gave a series of six workshops with a variety of
participants, of all levels of musical experience. For some of
these sessions she was joined by her trio Watershed, who demonstrated
their instruments and played through participants' ideas.
Three Riversby Robin Walter; The Heron by Heather McGregor; Where Two Rivers Meet by Graham Moughton; Egrets and Poplars by Anna Eckford; White Sheet Hill by Steve Brooks; Swan Song by Gavin Blackhall and Karen Wimhurst; Birdsong Lament by Mark Pritchard.
Chard Festival of Women
in Music
Not organised as part of Confluence, but Karen Wimhurst's contribution
emerged from her work on the project.
In Time of Flood by Karen Wimhurst (commissioned by Chard Festival).
Canford School
A school composing project with Helen Porter and Karen Wimhurst.
New pieces by Kelly-Marie Andrews, Sam Major, Alex Mozley, Sophie Owen, Claire Pothecary, Wayne Rumble, Johannes Van Manen and Warren Vickers.
Shaftesbury Pyramid Schools Concert
Karen Wimhurst was commissioned to write a piece of music for
a gathering of school bands, orchestras and other music groups.
It was performed in Shaftesbury towards the end of summer term
2000.
Blue Pearl by Karen Wimhurst.
The Cutwater Band at White Mill Bridge
An ad hoc 'scratch' ensemble assembled by Helen Porter to write
and play music in celebration of bridges. They played at White
Mill, Sturminster Marshall, in September 2000 as part of architectural
heritage week.
Air on White Mill Bridge by Adrian Williams and the Cutwater Band; Mill Stone Swing by Richard Gallop, Mark Pritchard and the Cutwater Band; The Water Mill by Richard Foley; Down Pines by Richard Gallop; Swallows at White Mill Bridge by Heather Ridgway; The Winnowing by Mark Pritchard; A Round and About by Richard Gallop and Kate Seeger; The Legend of Knowlton Bell by Mark Pritchard; Lady of the Stream by Anna Eckford.
Wimborne and East Dorset Festival
Karen Wimhurst was commissioned by the Festival to write a new
song for soprano Sarah Leonard, which was given as part of a recital
in 2000.
The Punt by Karen Wimhurst.
Legends of the Stream
A residential course for young people at Springhead, Fontmell
Magna. Run by Helen Porter with puppeteer Joe Gladwin.
I Want to See the Lake in the Dark by Job Reineke; Siren Song by Emily MacGregor and Jack Pritchard; Journey to the Bottom of the Lake by Emily MacGregor and Freya Watson; To Arms by Emily MacGregor; Deep Sea Tango by Helen Porter.
Well Being
A concert exploring the links between water and health, hosted
by Gaunt's House near Stanbridge, Dorset. Featured the first performance
of a piece by Karen Wimhurst created with help from Dorset Hearing
and Tinnitus Association, designed to help mask the effects of
tinnitus.
If Everby Anna Eckford; Tatton's Well and The Nymph with the Golden Hair by Graham Moughton; Melbury Abbas Spring and Three Songs: Red Sun, First Home, Leaving the Shore by Karen Wimhurst.
Wimborne Composing Workshop & Shapwick
Concert
Karen Wimhurst gave a series of workshops with a variety of participants,
from all levels of musical experience. For some of these sessions
she was joined by her trio Watershed, who demonstrated their instruments
and played through participants' ideas. A concert of the resulting
works was given by Watershed in St Bartholomew's Church, Shapwick
in the winter of 2000.
Une Blague and Dedication by Ros Bennett; Waters Meet by Robin Walter; Water Bells by Anna Eckford; Aquifer by Jackie Trenchard; Hope Springs Eternal by Heather MacGregor.
Confluence Performing Club
Devised by regular Confluence contributor Mark Pritchard, this
informal club, held irregularly in venues in North Dorset, was
set up to give an open platform to performers who had been involved
in the project and wanted to carry on making music beyond its
end, as well as introducing new people to its principles and generating
new works.
New songs by Mark Pritchard, Robin Walter, Karen Wimhurst and others.
Early Years Leaders Workshop, and Performances
A performance devised by Karen Wimhurst working in East Dorset
with early years leaders.
The Frog Who Woke Up Too Soon by Diane Bicker, Lynne Bourne, Ros Chant, Janet Farmer, L. Flynn, Jo Hills, Liz Jeffery, Sue Jones, C. Spreadbury, Marian Smith, Nikki White and Catherine Wood, with Karen and Tamsin Wimhurst.
How The Whale Became
A performance created by Helen Porter, working with children and
teachers from Elmrise Primary School, West Howe, near Bournemouth.
God's Back Garden; Strange Seed; God Only Knows; Night Time; You'll Have to Go; Let Me Sleep by children and teachers from Elmrise Primary School, with Helen Porter.
Otter - Lutra lutra on the Stour
A new choral work, written and performed by a choir assembled
and directed by Helen Porter, with a libretto from members of
Wimborne's community theatre and writer Paul Hyland, and additional
pieces by Mark Pritchard. First performed in Wimborne Minster
in March 2001.
Lutra Lutra by Helen Porter; Otter World and Otter by Paul Hyland; Stour Litany by Adrian Williams, Paul Hyland and Helen Porter; Caesar by Mark Pritchard; Once a Girl Glimpsed and Voice of Woman by Gill Horitz and Raymond Sargent; Dotty and Betty and Hilda and Me by Tony Horitz and Raymond Sargent; The Earl's Ditty by Brian Foulston; First Blood by Mark Pritchard and Helen Porter; The Things My Father Told Me by Mark Pritchard, Barbara Sears and Helen Porter; Letter and Prayer by Adrian Williams; Names I Remember by Gill Horitz, Philippa Forrest and Helen Porter; Cold Comfort Farm, In the Name of Progress and Otter Returns by Paul Hyland and Helen Porter; Mink Gangsters by Tuppy Hill, Della Edwards, Joy Felton, Jeff Hart and Raymond Sargent; Secret Lives by Mark Pritchard and Anna Eckford; No Sighting by Tuppy Hill and Robin Walter; Tarmac and Concrete by Mark Pritchard and Heather MacGregor; On the Water's Edge by Lynne Morley; The Thick End of the Wedge by Mark Pritchard.
Lighthouse Youth Centre, Christchurch
Members of the youth club and the youth worker who runs the centre
created electronic music using water samples. The resulting works
were played at The Confluence, the grand finale of the project
in Christchurch Priory in summer 2001.
Touch Wood by Russ Gannicott, Flood Tide by club members.
Singing across the Run
Helen Porter and local musician Maggie O'Connor worked with a
group of local people on and around the beach-huts and ferries
of Mudeford and The Run, where the Stour reaches the sea. The
songs written were sung on the sandbanks, and call and response
singing took place across The Run in the summer of 2001.
New songs by Helen Porter and Maggie O'Connor, with Tim Baber, Donna Christie, Mike Dawson, Jackie Dempsey, Mavis Hammond-Brake, Barbara Short, Miriam Troth.
The Confluence
The grand finale of the project, this extensive concert at Christchurch
Priory in July 2001 featured many highlights of the music written
over the previous three years, along with Karen Wimhurst's large
scale new work for orchestra and many small ensembles coming together.
The evening ended with a procession to the harbour, and the pouring
of bottles of water collected from each of the Stour's tributaries
into the sea.
Listen to the Leaves and Alpha and Omega by Stella Jackson Smith; River Reaction by Karen Wimhurst and Grange School; Silver Messenger: Sounding the Stour by Karen Wimhurst, words by James Crowden.
