Academy of St Martin in the Fields launches new education project

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) has today launched the Beacon Project, a selection of digital educational resources and performance films showcasing ASMF’s musicians.

The Academy has expanded their educational offering with a series of resources centred around three world-leading female composers: Eleanor Alberga, Errollyn Wallen, and first-ever ASMF composer in residence Sally Beamish. Short videos exploring Eleanor Alberga’s Nightscape, Sally Beamish’s Partita and Errollyn Wallen’s Concerto Grosso through interactive activities for the 5-7 year age range are accompanied by written resources created by Lucy Drever, a presenter, workshop leader and narrator who is also Head of Musicianship at the Benedetti Foundation.

Sally Beamish’s Partita, commissioned by the Academy during her residency, takes fragments from the work of Mendelssohn, Bach and Handel to reimagine the idea of a partita for string octet. Eleanor Alberga conducts her own work, Nightscape, which evokes an evening in Jamaica.  Errollyn Wallen’s Concerto Grosso features a combination of dance elements, baroque rhythms and popular music influence.

Learning materials for Eleanor Alberga’s Nightscape will be made available to schools, local music hubs and families from today and are also available via the Academy’s website. The educational resources for Sally Beamish’s Partita and Errollyn Wallen’s Concerto Grosso will be released this December and in January 2022.

The performance films will be available on the Academy’s Facebook page and YouTube channel monthly, starting with Eleanor Alberga’s Nightscape at 7.30pm on 4 November. Sally Beamish’s Partita at 7.30pm on 3 December and Errollyn Wallen’s Concerto Grosso at 7.30pm on 2 January. Interviews with the composers and ASMF musicians will also be available on the ASMF podcast.

For further information on The Beacon Project, visit the project’s page on the ASMF website.