Wales Millenium Centre: The Open Fund for Organisations
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Last summer, Wales Millennium Centre created a 70-strong children’s choir from all corners of Wales, in collaboration with conductor Tim Rhys-Evans and The Aloud Charity.
With support from Colwinston Charitable Trust and PRS for Music Foundation, the Centre has commissioned composer Paul Mealor to write an original choral work for the children’s chorus to perform on the main stage at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. ‘Spirit of Hope’ will make its UK debut on Friday 11 July 2014, and will be performed with British Sinfonietta as part of the ‘Spirit of Unity’ concert featuring Cape Town Opera and Gary Griffiths. The commission will also be performed in Artscape Theatre, Cape Town as part of the celebrations marking 20 years of democracy in South Africa in May 2014.
‘Spirit of Hope’ is a 7-minute piece, in three movements, for string orchestra, percussion, amplified piano, and 70 voices. The first movement will be a setting of a specially written poem by Welsh poet Dr Grahame Davies, in English and Welsh. The second movement will set the poem ‘My Song’ by Indian mystic, Tagore, and the final movement will include the first ever setting of Nelson Mandela’s favourite poem, ‘Invictus.’
Paul Mealor says, “My new work, ‘Spirit of Hope’ sets three beautiful poems that are all connected with love, inner strength and the power of hope to give a light even in the darkest of times.”