Young Explorers at the Royal Northern College of Music
Sarah Gaffney-Lang, Families Editor
RNCM Young Explorers concerts are a fantastic way to make classical music accessible to children and young people. They aim to engage the whole family with ‘relaxed’ performances, designed to be fun and exciting.
In this next Young Explorers event in the series they explore how composers have experimented with new sounds, which can be manipulated by a DJ on turntables. You’ll get to witness it all live with world champion DJ, Mr Switch installed behind the decks as a soloist for the concert.
The programme will include:
Don Davis The Matrix: Suite for Orchestra
John Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Gabriel Prokofiev Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra
Tom Newall, CJ Wu conductors
Mr Switch DJ
Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of Sergei…) wrote Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra in 2006, with the aim of bringing classical music to new places and new people. At first challenged by the project, once he understood how a turntablist could manipulate the sounds created by an orchestra, he became inspired. It would be like the battle of sounds. The piece was performed for the first time at the BBC Proms in 2011, with Mr Switch on the decks – the first DJ to ever perform at the Proms.
Mr Switch, aka Anthony Culverwell, is true DJ royalty. He’s won the world’s longest standing DJ competition, the DMC World DJ Championships – four times! He was just 19 the first time, in 2008, defeating contenders from 22 countries. Constantly experimenting with new ways to explore the creativity of scratching, and using turntables, he was the perfect choice to bring the worlds of dance music and classical music together.
The concert will also include Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams and Don Davis’ iconic score from The Matrix.
There will be opportunities for everyone to practice their DJ tricks, making this concert a thrilling way to engage the whole family. The event is recommended for children aged 8 and above, but younger children are permitted if you wish to take them along.
Open up those little ears and minds to the beauty and drama that live classical music can take them in their imaginations and beyond.
