LYRA (amalgam of two words, one Norwegian, one Latvian - Lytte (listen in Norwegian) and Radīt (create in Latvian). Result is then LYRA - referring both to the ancient musical instrument and a small northern hemisphere star constellation.)
Skaņu Mežs Association for Adventurous Music and Film Art ·Latvia
About this project
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif">Aim of the project is to invite children and youth to create adventurous/experimental music and to learn to listen to it and to the world of sounds around us in general. Adventurous music is particularly favourable to creation as it is a field not primarily defined by rules, but by imagination. Project consists of a LISTENING MODULE and CREATION MODULE (as it is also depicted in its name - LYRA). </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt">First element of the listening module will consist of two selected artists creating music based on two tales (Latvian and Norwegian) and then presenting it to audiences of children (and adults) in Latvia and Norway.Audiences will be introduced to the stories and then they will have a chance to hear them through music, thereby generating musical imagination.Second element of the listening module will consist of listening workshops aimed at perfecting children's listening skills both in Latvia and Norway. Third element of the listening module will involve “Skaņu mežs” and “Insomnia” jointly selecting a short musical program from existing experimental works that can be suitable and exciting for youth/teenagers.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif">First element of the creation module will consist of teenage youth being invited to technical workshops for music-making where local and international electronic music instrument-makers will guide them in the music-making process.As part of the second element creative mentors (professional artists) will transfer their student's newly-acquired skills into new musical works.Third element will consist of children/youth being asked to assist in a new arrangement of a classical avant-garde music piece by a known composer–by inviting children/youth choir, or involving young instrumentalists–both trained and unskilled.Works will be presented at Skaņu mežs festival in Riga, Latvia and Insomnia festival in Tromsø, Norway.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt">Project will take place with guidance of educators, musicians and instrument makers.</span></p>
Bilateral cooperation results
The bilateral partnership enriched the project artistically and creatively and brought expertise from partners in Norway in the form of educational events. It must also have happened in the opposite direction by bringing Latvian artists and workshop leaders to Tromso. Artists got introduced to one another, and audiences learned of artists that they wouldn’t have learned of if not for the LYRA project. Latvian artists worked with Norwegian kids and youth and vice versa. And both performed for both audiences. So there was cultural interaction at work. The partnership also facilitated an exchange of knowledge between Latvian and Norwegian experimental music communities, enhancing understanding of different artistic traditions. The project involved not just Norwegian and Latvian, but also other international artists, hence collaboration strengthened cross-border connections within the experimental music scene, opening opportunities for future collaboration. The project also was useful for understanding one another’s work methods and challenges. So it was a mutual learning creatively and practically. Skaņu mežs has worked with Insomnia before and will continue so.
Project partners
- Insomnia Festival Donor project partner· Norway