LEND YOUR VOICE
VOICES IN HARMONY LEGACY WORKSHOPS & WOODLAND CONCERT
Andover Trees United (ATU) would like to announce a highly anticipated event: The Voices in Harmony Legacy Concert. A testament to the enduring power of music to connect generations and an echoing of how nature connects us all, the concert is an event not to be missed.
Voices in Harmony was one of four, large, funded projects we ran in the summer of 2022 to celebrate the end of a decade of tree planting and the involvement of 10,000 children in planting ‘Harmony Woods’. Consisting of a series of musical workshops held over the spring and summer, the project culminated in two special performances in Harmony Woods and included new Tree Shanty compositions by the late Paul Sartin and Jackie Oates, words written by members of the local community who attended ‘tree music’ events with sound artist Justin Wiggan. We are calling on all past participants, volunteers, supporters, and anyone who believes in the power of music and community to come together once again. By joining forces, we can ensure that Voices in Harmony leaves a lasting impact on our community and continues to inspire future generations. Together, we can create something truly special that will be remembered for years to come. Let's raise our voices in harmony and make a difference together.
About Voices in Harmony 2022
‘Voices in Harmony’ was planned jointly by contributing artists Justin Wiggan, late Paul Sartin and Jackie Oates and Andover Trees United. Through a series of workshops and performances the project led children and adults on a musical journey in celebration of woodlands, including the Ash Trees from which Andover partly derives its name*. Collected stories and memories gathered in response to meetings with trees were combined into new Tree Shanties, which were performed alongside traditional folk songs by an intergenerational choir in Harmony Woods, accompanied by the made-audible responses of the surrounding trees.
*Andover: A crossroads for millennia, small groups settled here, creating homesteads and fortifying areas on the hilltops but all that really survives of those pre-Saxon times is the town's name: from 'Onna-dwfr', 'Anna-dwfr', or 'Andefera', 'the river of the ash trees’ or ‘place by the Ash-tree waters’.
Workshops & Rehearsal
Help us create a legacy for the Voices in Harmony Project. This year the performance will be in Harmony Woods on the 15th June, but we need your voices to help make it happen. Acclaimed folk musician Jackie Oates will be holding a workshop, rehearsal and performing with you at the concert!
The community workshop is open to all ages and abilities. The workshop will be held at The Bridge, 31-33 Bridge Street, Andover, SP10 1BE on Saturday June 1st 10am - 1pm. The performance rehearsal will be held at The Cabin, Harmony Woods, Andover on Friday June 14th 6pm-7pm for Young Voices and 7pm-8:30pm for Adult Voices (although all ages are welcome at both). You do not have to perform in the woods on the 15th to attend the June 1st workshop, though we hope many will be able to.
We are asking for a small fee to take part in this legacy event to cover costs. £5 per person, Under 16s £2 (this cost includes the workshop, rehearsal and performance). To enquire or book your spot please contact terri.forbes@andovertrees.org.uk.
Legacy Concert
Join us for our Voices in Harmony legacy concert. In celebration of our woodland ecology and cultural heritage, the concert will have a range of voices from the local community that will have worked with acclaimed folk musician Jackie Oates.
A nature trail will be open from 1:30pm till 4:30pm (except during the performance) and will showcase the beautiful wild spaces within Harmony Woods. There will be time for a picnic in the woods between 1:30pm and 2:30pm (please bring your own), with the woodland concert to follow (2:30pm till 3:30pm). A ‘pop-up’ intergenerational community choir will perform traditional folk songs and the newly-composed (2022) Memory Tree Shanties, inspired by the trees in Harmony Woods. This will be followed by Afternoon Tea, included in the ticket price, from 3:30pm till 4:30pm.
Tickets cost £10 per person, under 12s free (£3 if staying for afternoon tea). Please contact terri.forbes@andovertrees.org.uk to book. This promises to be a magical midsummer event!
Look out for more information on all of this in the local press and on our website, where you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter - ideal for keeping fully up-to-date.
