Wessex Concert Orchestra (WCO) wanted to introduce something different to our winter concert to make classical music more accessible, especially for the younger members of our matinee audience. As the theme of the concert was ‘Witches, Wizards and Fairy Tales’, it was perfect for creating visual storyboards to display when playing and show the story each piece of music was telling.
Through this medium, the audience got to experience Gretel pushing the witch into the oven at the gingerbread house, The Three Bears exclaiming ‘who’s been sitting in my chair?’ and The Noon Witch suddenly appearing in the doorway with both their eyes and their ears, for the first time in a WCO performance!
An audience member said:
We were delighted to attend this wonderful performance by the Wessex Concert Orchestra. The audience were treated to the beautiful sounds of a very talented group of musicians, with an accompanying slide show that provided a guide through the various themes. All in all an enjoyable afternoon. Look forward to future performances!
Phil Draisey, the orchestra’s Musical Director said:
Our greatest strength as a “Concert” orchestra is that we are able to transcend the usual model of the symphonic concert and experiment with how to provide new and exciting musical experiences to our loyal audiences. The WCO players are a highly adventurous and adaptive ensemble who are always up for finding fresh ways to entertain our listeners. A multimedia performance is something we were delighted to finally explore, and we’re only just getting started.
Join us at our next concert for more musical magic (but maybe no witches next time!)
Wessex Concert Orchestra is based in Chippenham, Wiltshire and the group puts on a spring, summer and winter concert every year at venues across the county.