T he Space Ensemble
A group of valiant students were gathered in the
atrium, producing with their own voices an eerie
wall of sounds. What was this occult-like chanting all
about? One passer-by remarked, ‘Are they trying to
wake the dead?’
Although based in The Space, the aim of this newest
of the school’s music groups is to take music
performance to previously unimagined spaces around
the campus. The Space Ensemble focuses exclusively
on cutting-edge contemporary and experimental
music that pushes boundaries.
The launch performance featured a work by the
fervent socialist and experimental composer Cornelius
Cardew, whose work The Great Learning is set to an
ancient Confucian text devoted to the pursuit of
moral authority. The performance, which was directed
by Malek Marar (Year 10), requires the performers
to each sing the text to their own chosen pitch, at
their own chosen pace. Those present were able to
witness the intriguing sound created, in parallel to the
fascinating social interaction between the performers
that this piece creates.
Looking to the future, performances will be taken
to iconic spaces throughout the school, thereby
highlighting the school’s beautiful campus. Performing
one discipline in the space of another is an affirmation
of the school’s interdisciplinary ethos, and opens up
opportunities for arts and sciences to intersect in the
spirit of STEAM.
An experimental music group launched
this year with an eerie performance in the
Science and Technology Centre.
Those entering the Science and Technology Centre on
an afternoon in March were unwittingly witnessing
the inauspicious launch of the Space Ensemble.
As we enter an era in which music consumption is
largely driven by streaming and social media, what is
the role of the musician of the future? The internet
has provided a platform for marginal voices and
alternative narratives. This has allowed left-field artists
with alternative worldviews to flourish as much as
traditional institutionalised music.
Ultimately, the concert hall is a conceptual space in
which music is heard. It is the objective of the Space
Ensemble to be trailblazers in the digital concert hall,
and disseminate its performances exclusively through
social media channels.
Tau Wey
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2018-2019
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