At The World’s Edge In Schools
Combining community, creativity and curated compositions, At The World’s Edge (AWE) will once again tour the Central Lakes region, performing for over 2,000 students at multiple early childhood centres, primary schools and high schools. After the official programme ends, artists will head to schools from 12 – 16 October.
Festival Director Justine Cormack always looks forward to witnessing the artists engaging with children around the district. The ensemble for the schools is made up of a few of the artists as well as the emerging artists and emerging composer, who perform for around 2,000 students in total.
“We’ve got these amazing young musicians and this new composition by a young composer, and they’re not that much older than some of the kids they’re playing for, in high schools. There’s a lovely connection that these younger musicians have with these school groups as well,” Cormack says.
Jo Mills at the festival explains that the Schools Programme is an integral part of the overall festival. It serves as a seed for the broader pathways programme, which includes emerging artists.
“It’s a two-way thing – it’s taking these incredible musicians out into the community, because let’s face it, it’s not every day you get these incredible artists who are going to be playing at schools in Central Otago. The artists also love it because for them, they were young artists when it started off, and the world of arts is quite a challenging world at the moment, but it’s also a wonderful world,” Mills says.
The programme aims to create a sense of wonder, generating excitement and curiosity, especially for those that might not otherwise be exposed to classical music. A couple of years ago Ben Goldscheider, a French horn player from the UK toured around and Mills says it was very well received, with many not having heard that before.
“Having those moments, those in-person engagements, rather than seeing it on Youtube, that’s what AWE is all about. It’s understanding the power of music and the arts in person, rather than just looking at it through a screen,” Mills says.
At The World’s Edge Schools Programme will take place at various schools in our region between 12 – 16 October. It’s free to schools and students with the support of many of their generous funders. If you’re interested but not a school pupil, the festival are offering many free performances open to the public including the AWE Scholars Showcase on 5 October, the Emerging Artist Showcase on 9 October, and the Open Rehearsals on Wednesday, 7 October, at Te Atamira. Head to worldsedgefestival.com for more information.
