As a resident of Nottingham and a worker in the arts, I am fortunate to be able to access the rich arts and cultural offer of the city. The number of artists passing through the city, each with their own blend of music, dance, theatre and visual art is notable, when considering concert, theatre, festival and exhibition programmes which run throughout the year. Unfortunately, this offer is not open to many people, and barriers to accessing the arts persist.

Understanding the experiences of others

Consumption of the arts plays a significant part in developing artistic practice, as does spending time with peers and inspirational role models. At Orchestras Live, we wanted to explore the creative journeys of young artists we work with – specifically in this case, working with disabled musicians in Mansfield on a project which could build on their knowledge and experience, and enable them to meet and exchange practice with other musicians.

The opportunity arose to work with young disabled musicians, Marshall Fairbrother and Jess Fisher in collaboration with Inspire Youth Arts, based in Mansfield. Jess is a founding member of Able Orchestra and has developed her practice over a number of years now.

Marshall studied at West Notts College and then joined Inspire Youth Arts on a placement in 2021 working with Inspire artists and producers. Both artists more recently undertook a residency with collaborators Kris Halpin and Sarah Fisher. For these artists to experience music as audience members, however, it has not been so easy, and I discovered that they have had precious few opportunities to attend concerts and meet other artists beyond their immediate sphere.

Building connections and a pilot project in Nottinghamshire

Alongside working with the artists to further support their musical journeys, we also wanted to explore the possibilities of working in partnership across Nottinghamshire so that more people could have access to inspirational orchestral experiences that are a regular feature of the concert programme in the city, from those who experience barriers due to disability, to those who live in rural parts of the county.

We spoke with our partners, Inspire Music, Inspire Youth Arts, Lakeside Arts and Riot Ensemble and a new pilot project was born!

In essence the idea was quite simple: for Jess and Marshall to attend a concert performed by Manchester Collective at Lakeside Arts with two players from Riot Ensemble (Marie Shreer and Gemma Kost). The following day these four musicians would take part in a creative exchange workshop day in Mansfield.

Unfortunately, on the day, Jess Fisher was struck down with the dreaded Covid, and was unable to join us, but Marshall was happy to carry on, so we all came together at Lakeside Arts on 23 March, warmly welcomed by our host, Catherine Hocking.

The conversation pre-show, in the interval and post-performance with players from Manchester Collective was vibrant as we shared preferred pieces and nuances within the music. As an artist with no sight, Marshall’s responses to the performance, in particular the highly visual elements of George Crumb’s Black Angels, gave another perspective on the piece.

The next day, the artists were joined by IYA artist/producer Tom Shawcroft for a fantastic creative exchange, working collectively on some of Jess and Marshall’s existing tracks. It was fantastic to be in the room as the creative conversations started to flow. The benefit of everyone having had the chance to attend the concert the previous evening meant that we’d moved beyond introductions and already established a friendly, open and supportive atmosphere, a perfect starting point for workshopping ideas.

It struck both me and our CEO, Sarah Derbyshire, how bringing these elements together hugely enriched the engagement:

None of this could have happened without the openness and commitment to engagement that our partners offered, and the willingness of the artists to share their immense skills in this informal setting. We did not attempt to reinvent the wheel here, but simply brought a few different elements together: experiencing music as audience, artist and participant. I am left asking, therefore, what are the barriers in real terms, and why do engagements such as these in the sector seem to be so “difficult” to achieve?

As a result of this pilot, we are having conversations to expand this approach so that it can increase access to the myriad of ways that music can inspire and enrich people’s lives and shift the dial of access – brick by brick.