The Great War Signal Corps
The Great War Signal Corps is a piece of theatrical music for 4 singers, 5 actors, piano and electric bass, written to commemorate the Irish involvement in World War One. The Great War Signal Corps project is supported by National Museum of Ireland, Poetry Ireland, Contemporary Music Centre and Dublin City Council.
PRESS RELEASE: 23 September 2015
THE GREAT WAR SIGNAL CORPS
#IctusErgoSum
#ITapThereforeIAm
8 – 10 October 2015, 8pm (Saturday matinee 1pm)
The Riding School, National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History,
Collins Barracks, Dublin 7
Tickets cost €15 (€10 students) plus booking fee, and are available from
http://gwsctickets.eventbrite.ie
My grandfathers were both signallers in the First World War. I clearly remember my mother's father in particular demonstrating the semaphore flag positions for us; showing how he would communicate with planes from the ground. It looked so funny, his long arms flailing about; the family all laughed and laughed. It was only later that I came to understand how horrible it had been for him, and why he would never speak to my mother about life in the trenches.
Music is of course signalling; it's about communicating through sound, gesture and vibration. Just as telegraph in wartime, the message often gets lost with music; or we misunderstand it. Simply the fact that we try to send a message, and that someone is willing to listen, is what's truly important.
- George Higgs
Developed by composer George Higgs with Tonnta vocal ensemble directed by Robbie Blake, the Great War Signal Corps is a piece of music theatre exploring the writings and messages of the Irish soldiers of World War One. The work's libretto was created from original source material in the National Library and National Archives, and developed in creative workshops with young students from local schools, with Higgs and poet Dermot Bolger.
Check out this video of the workshops made by the Contemporary Music Centre:
https://youtu.be/WLmxs8yLuA0
The Great War Signal Corps is a piece of theatrical music for 4 singers, 5 actors, piano and electric bass, written to commemorate the Irish involvement in World War One. Performed in a minimalist dramatic setting, this exciting new piece explores the First World War from an Irish perspective using a text sourced from archival material in the National Library and National Museum. Written by composer George Higgs and performed by Tonnta vocal ensemble, members of Dublin Youth Theatre and organist David Bremner at The Riding School, National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7 on 8 – 10 October 2015.
The Great War Signal Corps project is supported by National Museum of Ireland, Poetry Ireland, Contemporary Music Centre and Dublin City Council.
Watch the introduction video, with footage and recordings from Tonnta’s performance of To My Daughter, Betty, a hymn by George Higgs, at the Riding School, December 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLaue4rI2ow
Notes for editors
Performances:
Thurs 8th/Fri 9th/Sat 10th Oct, 8pm
Sat 10th Oct, 1pm (matinee)
Personnel:
Composer/Director: George Higgs
Musical Director: Robbie Blake
Tonnta: Emily Owen, soprano; Michelle O'Rourke, mezzo-soprano; Alan Leech, tenor; Robbie Blake, baritone
Musicians: David Bremner, organ; Noah Higgs, bass
Dublin Youth Theatre: Noah Higgs, Neimhin Robinson, Alice Murphy, Adam Hynes
Contact:
Anna Murray | anna.m.murray@gmail.com | 0860816677
www.facebook.com/thegreatwarsignalcorps
www.twitter.com/GWSignalCorps
Exhibition at The National Museum of Ireland – Recovered Voices; the Stories of the Irish at War, 1914-15
This exhibition explores what happened to thealmost 70,000 Irishmen in theBritish Army during the first years of World War One, by focusing on the stories of 21 Irishmen and women. The exhibition illustrates the human impact of the war on their lives, through original objects and interactive material. Further details can be found here.
George Higgs is a composer whose work comprises opera, chamber work, experimental electronics and music for instruments of his own making, aka Higgstruments. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Trinity College on an approach to music composition for the deaf.
Robbie Blake is a musician and performance maker. His practice explores conceptions of ‘voice’ in society, particularly through forms of vocal performance. His ongoing work The Pink Tank uses discursive one-to-one performance to explore identity, gender and the voice, and was performed at Live Collision Festival 2015. In 2014 Robbie received the Fringe Wildcard Award, and in 2015 was selected for the MAKE residency with mentoring from Mx Justin Vivian Bond. Also in 2015 Robbie was awarded an Arts Council Ireland Music Bursary to support his artistic development with mentorship in live art practice from Victoria Gray (UK) and composition with Linda Buckley (IRE).Robbie is a contributor to the UK artist collective Kiosk Projects.
Tonnta is a contemporary music performance project led by Robbie Blake. Using a combination of exceptional emerging artists and established singers, Tonnta vocal ensemble demonstrates a vibrant, rich and energetic sound. Specialising in collaboration, Tonnta is influenced by contemporary performance practices in dance, theatre and live art. Explorative and interdisciplinary methods are used in the creation of performances, as well as traditional concert models. Committed to music-making that is relevant and dynamic, Tonnta regularly works with Ireland’s foremost composers, artists and festivals. Tonnta is supported by Smock Alley Theatre as company-in-residence.