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Description
The music ensemble HLASkontraBAS Octet (the Octet), consisting of top professional musicians in a unique line-up of 4 voices and 4 double-basses, will create an exceptional contemporary project. The established composers from the Czech Republic, Norway, Iceland and Izrael will compose works tailor-made for the Octet, a line-up that is unprecedented in the world.
Through the project, the Octet will present contemporary non-mainstream music to the international public as a form of both inspiring and entertaining art. It will not only help popularise contemporary music and educated listening but also kindle the need for active, personal musical growth in various target groups through workshops. The project will support the development of contemporary art and enhance the quality experienced by its audiences and will also help the individual Octet artists to further develop under the influence of new international music and interpretational stimuli. For the composers themselves, it is a great professional challenge and a very unusual task to perform.
The project will be realized in active cooperation with the Norwegian and Icelandic partners. First, the repertoire will be rehearsed in the Czech Republic and then in Iceland under the supervision of the Icelandic and Norwegian composers. When the repertoire is finalized a series of concerts and various workshops led by the Octet musicians will take place in Iceland. After that, a CD will be recorded in the Czech Republic and released at a special concert. Then a series of concerts around the Czech Republic will follow. The Icelandic composers will stay in the Czech Republic to lead the workshops at local music schools. Together with the CD, the Octet will also release a music video, created during the Icelandic Residency.
Summary of project results
The applicant''s experience so far shows that the activities and development of the HLASkontraBAS Octet cannot be carried out without subsidy support. The grant support from the EEA funds has enabled to develop the project significantly, to acquire a unique repertoire with compositions by Norwegian, Icelandic and Czech renowned composers, to present it in Iceland and the Czech Republic and to release it on CD.
In the project the following activities were implemented:
1. Composing 10 songs for HLASkontraBAS Octet
2. Rehearsal of the repertoire - in
3. HLASkontraBAS Octet residency in Iceland with the participation of Icelandic and Norwegian composers
4. a series of concerts and workshops in Iceland and the Czech Republic
5. Recording and release of a CD with new repertoire
All the activities implemented were key to achieving the main goal of the project, which was to create new repertoire for the HLASkontraBAS Octet on CD and to develop this unique musical project.
The project has provided the end-users with a completely new musical experience in the form of concerts and the opportunity to strengthen their professional competences (in workshops). For Oktet, the project brought an increased reputation in the cultural field and a higher demand for concerts from the organizers.
Summary of bilateral results
The project involved a total of five partners (2 composers from Norway, 2 composers from Iceland and the Marketing Office of the City of Akureyri in Iceland). All partners were key to the project and contributed to the successful implementation. The composers composed tailor-made musical compositions directly for the Octet, participated in the residency in Iceland and were actively involved in the final shaping of the pieces and their performance to the audience. The Icelandic partners subsequently hosted a concert launch of the CD and its repertoire in the Czech Republic, and also organised music workshops for Czech professionals and students. The Akureyri office was a key partner in the preparation and implementation of the residency and for the Octet''s series of concerts and workshops in Iceland.