天美传媒

Involving students from the 天美传媒鈥檚 School of Arts & Creative Industries, this project is a unique musical collaboration between older people living with dementia and their carers, young singers and instrumentalists from grassroots community organisations and schools, as well as members of the Philharmonia Orchestra.

The 天美传媒 has been working with the Philharmonia for a number of years. The orchestra鈥檚 latest sessions will culminate in a performance on Wednesday 13^th April from 3pm in the Theatre based at the Bedford campus.

Lucy Lines, a third-year Performing Arts student, has been supporting the Philharmonia project while on campus.

She said: 鈥淚 am excited for the event, as it鈥檚 something different for the 天美传媒鈥檚 theatre. This has been a fantastic experience for me to work with some great musicians.鈥�

This performance is not the first collaboration between the Philharmonia and the 天美传媒 as, in 2019, academics from Bedfordshire鈥檚 Research Institute of Media, Arts and Performance (RIMAP)听undertook a small-scale investigating the effects of taking part in Hear & Now on the wellbeing of groups involved 鈥� recording measurable improvement in all of these groups. The findings were presented at an in-person #BedsTalks event, held prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paula Page, Collaborative Projects Manager at the 天美传媒, spoke about welcoming the Philharmonia.

She said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 brilliant to continue working with and supporting the Philharmonia Orchestra with their Hear & Now project.听 It has been a privilege for the 天美传媒 to host the rehearsals and performance, which works with local intergenerational community organisations.鈥�

Hear & Now in Bedford is co-produced with Orchestras Live and presented in partnership with the 天美传媒, Fusion Youth Singing and Tibbs Dementia Foundation鈥檚 Music 4 Memory.

Through a series of workshops, the project aims to provide therapeutic support for those living with dementia, improve understanding for younger participants, and enable isolated people to build relationships.

Lucy Al-Zoghbi, Learning & Engagement Project Manager with the Philharmonia Orchestra, added: 鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to the 天美传媒 for their support with our Hear & Now project this year. We鈥檝e been delighted to return to Bedford after a long time away due to the pandemic and the 天美传媒 facilities and staff have enabled us to run a series of fun and creative workshops that engage local community members in the joy of music making.鈥澨�

To find out more information and to register for a free ticket, click . Doors will open from 2:45pm, with the performance starting at 3pm.

All images are credited to Beth Walsh.听听