07/07/2018 GRAND UNION ORCHESTRA – TRADING ROOTS WORKSHOP

• Uncategorized
• 5 July 2018

SATURDAY 7 JULY
11AM
VORTEX JAZZ CLUB

EAST LONDON’S GRAND UNION ORCHESTRA BLAZE A TRAIL FOR THE NEXT GENERATION THROUGH A SERIES OF SPRING AND SUMMER CONCERTS, WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS.

Grand Union is a unique, multicultural, intergenerational orchestra that also champions the virtues of education and social cohesion besides musical excellence.

Following Friday night’s gig, bring along an instrument and join gu zheng (Chinese harp) virtuoso Zhu Xiao Meng in a practical workshop exploring folk and classical Chinese music in relation to the Western tradition, jazz and improvisation. Here are two Grand Union tracks illustrating unexpected directions the music might take – Picking Betel Palm and Song of Four Seasons.

Most of those involved in the Trading Roots series are first generation migrants with unique skills in music from around the world, sharing their valuable knowledge and experience with all who attend. This is typical of the work that Grand Union does, and an important part of its mission to highlight the contribution that immigrant musicians and communities (particularly in the East End) make to music in London and to British culture in general.

Moreover, Grand Union has established its own Youth Orchestra, an annual residential Summer
School and a ‘Second Generation Orchestra’ for emerging young professionals, some of whom will feature in the Trading Roots series. To learn more about this voyage of discovery and Grand Union’s other pioneering work, please visit: http://grandunion.org.uk/events.php