Arts Council England
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Fast Forward to inclusive family festival
A ground-breaking festival celebrating the quality and diversity of disability music making returns to Colston Hall in Bristol on 3 June, this time with a contemporary twist featuring cutting edge music and circus performances from The British Paraorchestra and Extraordinary Bodies.
Fast Forward, now in its second year, features a wide range of activities and events, throughout the day, including music production workshops, Aardman’s 40th Birthday, UWE’s Music Tech final show and more.
In celebration of BBC Music Day and Aardman’s 40th anniversary, there will be an opportunity to join Shaun the Sheep and become part of his Vegetable Orchestra for a live performance hosted by Bristol Plays Music, Bristol’s Music education hub.
The event will be rounded off by The British Paraorchestra, who will perform Terry Riley’s classic minimalist piece In C in conjunction with an eye-catching show by professional integrated circus company Extraordinary Bodies, creating an innovative cross-genre performance.
The Paraorchestra is the world’s first professional ensemble of disabled musicians. Led by Charles Hazlewood and now based in Bristol, this ground-breaking group, perform and excel at the highest level. The British Paraorchestra is shifting perceptions of disability by creating a visible platform for gifted disabled musicians to perform and excel at the highest level.
The Paraorchestra’s mission is to push creative boundaries and seek out more diverse collaborations. In June members of the British Paraorchestra will be heading to this year’s Glastonbury Festival to perform as part of an ensemble celebrating the life of David Bowie.
Charles Hazlewood will conduct Philip Glass’sHeroes Symphony, with a 41 piece classical ensemble combining The Army of Generals and members of the British Paraorchestra.
Extraordinary Bodies will interpret In C through an exhilarating display of aerial flying and physical theatre. A partnership by Diverse City and Cirque Bijou, supported by the Arts Council,Extraordinary Bodies is made up of leading disabled and non-disabled dancers, actors and circus performers aged between 21-50.
Fast Forward is part of National portfolio organisation Colston Hall’s commitment to championing accessibility in the arts for disabled people. In March Bristol Music Trust unveiled exciting plans for the first ever national Centre for Advanced Training for young musicians with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The proposed Centre is part of Bristol Music Trust’s ambitious £45 million transformation of Colston Hall.
Find out more
You can find out more about all the events at Colston Hall on 3 June here and more about our investment in Diversity here.
You can also sign up for our e-newsletter to find out about funding, what we’re up to and how you can get involved in making the case for art and culture.
