Titanic centenary gets schoolchildren musically inspired

This year marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic and more than 400 children in Cumbria are using the disaster as musical inspiration.
They will lend their talents for a new commission by Composer David Bedford, to be premiered at a concert in Carlisle on April 16th.
Called The Wreck of the Titanic, the work is a choral and instrumental interpretation of the disaster which killed 1,503 people on April 15th 1912.
Children from the Cumbria Youth Orchestra will perform at the concert, as well as primary school children starting out in their musical instrument tuition, the News and Star reported.
Other performers include established youth choruses from across Cumbria, children’s choirs, a music technology group from Whitehaven and Sing Up! platinum award winners. They will perform alongside professional musicians as part of Cumbria council’s learning support services.
Cumbria’s talented young musicians will then take their talents across the country to perform the piece.
More than 100 schools in the county are set to get involved in the project, which also includes a silent film, inspired by lost footage from the liner, made by children and families from Maryport.
Maryport was the home of the Ismay family who owned the White Star Line, the Titanic’s operators. The ship’s chief engineer and chief steward also hailed from the area, giving Cumbria close ties to the vessel.
One of the famous stories of the Titanic was that of the ship’s band who reportedly continued to perform on deck to entertain first class passengers waiting to climb into lifeboats. A band will be recreated by eight members of the Lancashire Sinfonietta orchestra to recognise the story.
David Bedford was commissioned to write the work in 2010 and it reflects the north-west’s Titanic heritage. His inspiration also came from newspaper reports and music from the era.