Summary

Interactive rhythm games and singing for children.

2013 will see the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, and to mark this, Britten Sinfonia will be performing a new interactive children’s concert Songs of No Man’s Land, based on the book War Game by Michael Foreman.

The concert tells the story of four young lads from the East of England who join the army, hoping to experience an adventure and to see the world beyond their rural village. They encounter both the excitement of playing football in No Man’s Land, singing carols, sharing stories and celebrating the 1914 Christmas ceasefire with the opposition, as well as the harsh reality of war and their inevitable end as the young soldiers go over the top.

Exploring friendship, loss, horror and remembrance, presenter Rus Pearson and a clarinet quintet from Britten Sinfonia will guide young listeners with sensitivity through the themes of the Great War and introduce WWI in an age-appropriate way to children aged 7-11. The concert will include classic repertoire, especially commissioned music by Tim Watts and songs to learn and sing along to.

The concert is approximately 60 minutes in duration.