Bridges Project


The Bridges is an international project inititated in 2003 by Muzyka Centrum Art Society from Krakow, London Sinfonietta, Association Musik fuer Heute from Hannover and Centre Grame from Lyon. The project brings together presentation of outstanding new music works with education activities with youth and children. The workshops led by artists from the project partners organisations are based on composition rules derived from modern music works. These rules serve the young people to create their own music. The famous new music virtuoso orchestra, The London Sinfonietta has been the pioneer and leading authority in new music education for many years. Their achievements are documented on their website: www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk. The French and German project partners: Grame from Lyon (www.grame.fr) and Musik fuer heute from Hannover (www.DasNeueEnsemble.de) have also gained much experience in similar activities. The results of their work prove that often people who have never been to a new music concert can learn to appreciate even very complex music, which is far from what is offered to them by popular culture and traditional music education. The project partners aim at creating an international forum for new music artists involved in education activities and their intention is to continue the project by organizing concerts, workshops, seminars and conferences.
The project is addressed to many peolpe: amateurs, music lovers and wide public but also to teachers, music institutions, to educators, culture managers and authorities as well. They are taking part in concerts, lectures and discussions on the project partners education activities. The meetings and discussion should help people and organizations involved in the promotion of modern music.
In the 2003/2004 concert season the following Bridges events took place:
  • workshop led by Das Neue Ensemble (Musik f. heute) with children from Krakow in June, September and November, 2003.
  • the Bridges Festival in Krakow in November, 2003 with performances by musicians from the project partners organisations, conferences and presentations.
  • London Sinfonietta concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London with the first performance of Harrison Birtwistle's Theseus Game. The event is a part of Londons Sinfonietta education project birtwistle-online.
  • Concerts, workshops and conferences in January, 2004 in Hannover with all the project partners.
  • First Polish performance of Pierre Boulez Sur Incises by Das Neue Ensemble in Krakow, in February, 2004.
  • Concerts and workshops with young people from Krakow and Lyon led by Grame musicians from November, 2003 to March, 2004.
  • Documentation of the Bridges education activities.
The documentation includes the composition games used in the Bridges workshops with music examples and works created by young people. It helps everyone interested in such activities and encourage international co-operation. The Muzyka Centrum Art Society invites to the participation in the project. Information:
[email protected] ; tel/fax (+4812) 507667684 (Krzysztof Kwiatkowski - the Bridges project manager).

Presentations and discussions at the "Bridges" Festival on 12 and 13 November in Krakow:

  • two sessions with London Sinfonietta education officers: presentation of education projects, films (documenting, among other, the realisation by children of the Oliver Knussen opera Where the Wild Things are), recorded and live music examples, information for people willing to take part in education projects, workshop for music teachers.
  • conferences and presentations by Julie Robert (Grame), Stephan Meier (Musik f. heute), Lidia Zielinska (composer associated with Children Art Centre in Poznan), Bryan Wolf (Stockhausen assistant, who also teaches electronic music to non-musicians)
  • Discussion about the presentations. Suggestions concerning the further "Bridges" activities and the possible forms of co-operation between musicians, composers, students, schools, scholars, artists involved in other than music art forms, journalists and organizations.
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