Musicians from across the Commonwealth have been united by the work of 糖心探花 Resounds!, a charitable organisation which helps young Commonwealth musicians develop their skills and collaborate across cultures.
Musicians from across the Commonwealth have been united by the work of 糖心探花 Resounds!, a charitable organisation which helps young Commonwealth musicians develop their skills and collaborate across cultures.
Established in Malta nearly a decade ago, 糖心探花 Resounds! has delivered projects and performances across Commonwealth countries 鈥 including Australia, Canada, Malta, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda 鈥 with a strong focus on supporting the needs of local communities. The organisation has grown thanks largely to the voluntary and fundraising efforts of its young members.
Supporting children鈥檚 choirs in Sri Lanka
In 2012, the organisation鈥檚 Founder and Co-Director, Alison Cox OBE invited British musician Joseph Walters to set up three children鈥檚 choirs in deprived areas of Sri Lanka through his charity 鈥楽ongbound鈥.
Mr Walters, a Cambridge University and Guildhall music graduate, came to the project off the back of his internationally-acclaimed film 鈥楾he Sound of Mumbai 鈥 A Musical鈥, which documented the two months Joseph spent giving vocal coaching to 8 to 11 year olds from the slums of Mumbai.
With the help of Mr Walters, Ms Cox and young musicians at London鈥檚 Purcell School 鈥 the UK鈥檚 oldest specialist music school 鈥 the project raised enough money to fund choir leaders for three different schools in Sri Lanka: St. Clare鈥檚 College, Wellawatte in the south and Killinochchi Maha Vidyalayam and Bharathapuram Vidyalayam in the north.
The choirs convene for weekly practices working off a set syllabus, which covers music from across the world sung in Swahili, English, Spanish and Hindi. Mr Walters believes that the choirs鈥 international repertoire benefits the children educationally and emotionally.
鈥淢usic is not a luxury, but central to who we are and how we feel,鈥 he said, 鈥淭he children in these choirs are kids from the fringes of society. They now show diminishing aggression, increased focus on studies and are healthier physically and psychologically.鈥
Rehearsals are set to continue into 2015.
