Gloucestershire Academy of Music have launched a new music group called Barbican Artists, aiming to bring exceptional music to unexpected places around Gloucestershire. They started on Friday 6th March by creating pop-up music performances in Gloucester Transport Hub and Eastgate Shopping Centre with a quintet consisting of a flute, violin, viola, cello and bassoon.

A Spring-Inspired Musical Programme

The quintet set the spring-time mood by opening with their new arrangement of Tulips from Amsterdam, followed by the vibrant Scherzo and Trio by English suffragette composer Ethel Smyth, and finished up with the swashbuckling Slavonic Dance No.8 by Antonín Dvořák.

Public Reactions to the Surprise Performances

“How wonderful! An unexpected treat”, said a lady in the bus station who was waiting in a big queue of passengers waiting to get on the delayed 22 to Coleford.

Another frequent passenger said, “It’s rare that my foot gets a-jigging in the bus station”.

Afterwards a man in the kiosk also said, “It was great, lovely to have music in the bus station with all the different people walking past, it really added something special”.

Musicians Reflect on Performing in Public Spaces

The flute-player, Becky Chevis, is the community music lead at Gloucestershire Academy of Music. She said “It feels like we’re offering something unusual and beautiful to passers-by that they might not usually get to experience. Only a few people stop to listen but that’s fine – we see all sorts of people smiling as they walk past.”

The cellist, Hermione Smith, is a recent graduate from the Royal Northern College of Music and a cello tutor at Gloucestershire Academy of Music. She said “It was quite exciting to play in some unusual places with some lovely people. It felt like less stress than you might normally feel for a performance, just having a short rehearsal and then going to play in public because we can. It was fun.”

Barbican Artists Join Gloucester Dementia Choir

Before their short rehearsal for the pop-up performances, the musicians also joined in with the weekly Gloucester Dementia Choir rehearsal. They had a wonderful time playing along with the choir’s sea shanties, ending with a rousing version of “What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?”.

The choir manager, Jenny Harrison, said “It was a real privilege to hear such excellent and talented performers up close and to sing alongside them. Their playing brought an uplifting and memorable musical experience to our choir community.”

Choir Members Share Their Experience

Choir members also shared their enthusiasm afterwards:
Anne — “That was the best session yet.”
Paul — “I love the sound of the bassoon — what a fun day.”
Marge — “That was just wonderful. We are so lucky to experience such talent.”

Learn more about our Barbican Artists and their upcoming pop-up music performances in Gloucester on their dedicated new webpage here.