‘Shush’ – a music and theatre creation. Musicians Lloyd Coleman and Harriet Riley: The Open Fund for Music Creators
‘Shush’ – a piece on hearing loss, sound and identity
Harriet Riley is a Percussionist and Composer. Her work has brought her all over the world playing with chamber ensembles, orchestras, dance projects, theatre work and bands. Harriet studied orchestral percussion after growing up in a household learning jazz and percussion traditions from around the world.
Lloyd Coleman is a composer, clarinettist and the Associate Music Director of Paraorchestra. A dynamic and chameleonic musician, his work spans concert halls, theatres, open-air festivals, street parades, recording studios, broadcast television and radio. He believes the arts has a unique power to transform lives, a belief that underpins much of his creative practice.
Shush will be a new performance combing theatre and music to explore degenerative hearing loss and our relationship to sound.
It highlights cultural boundary and social identity; existing between worlds, and belonging to neither. Highlighting the silent, undefined connections that we all share, where the loudest actions are lost in translation, and the tiniest looks become deafening.
Combing live and digital sounds – inspired by lived experiences of hearing aid users – this music and theatre piece is created with a unique perspective into sound; exploring resonance, dissonance and diminishment of sound.
Led by a team of creatives living with heating loss, Shush draws upon personal accounts and experience. It is being developed with care and thought order to become a thought-provoking, emotionally honest and artistically authentic performance.