Gothic House, High Road, Great Finborough, Suffolk, IP14 3AQ
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email: chris@chrisgrady.org
StoryMusic 2020
The world illuminated by Music and Words
What happens when you pair one composer from one country with a writer from another and invite
them to create a 20 minute piece of StoryMusic, inspired by the one thing they both have in common
with every other citizen on the planet: the sun?
Then, what happens, if we connect writers and composers across every nation on earth, generating
400 collaborative, creative conversations across the planet. Each inspired by the sun, using the music
and language they find in common through their partnership, each creating a short piece of
StoryMusic.
And then what happens when we invite wider networks of musicians, schools, educationalists,
actors, and environmentalists to take the pieces of StoryMusic and bring them to performance life;
To explore the connectivity and power of music to transcend cultural differences or open cultural
dialogue. And beyond this, to create associated participatory programmes and educational work
inspired by the connection of two nations via this artistic collaboration.
And finally, what happens if you create a single performance of each of the pieces over a 24 hour
period, as the sun rises and sets across the globe, while filmmakers and communications specialists
record this 24 hour global expression of creative celebration.
That is the vision we have for StoryMusic 2020. Starting now, and culminating in a massive 24 hour
celebration during the Olympics 2020. Thereafter, offering an online resource, a legacy of work from
each of the 400 commissions in every country in the world to ensure that the conversations will
continue to circle the globe as we circle the sun.
What is StoryMusic?
StoryMusic encompasses any piece of work which intrinsically links words and music, to explore a
story, and which can be performed live. Every culture has a different popular form of StoryMusic –
opera, zarzuela, blues, musical theatre, traditional folk tales, and styles and forms we have not yet
known or heard. It will be for the two creative partners to shape our invitation into their favoured
medium. The pieces need to be performable live, and emphasise group participation, rather than be
created for a solo performer or one extra-ordinary voice.
CGO Associates: Tom Atkins, Kath Burlinson, Kate Reid (New York), Keum Rolling, Rajni Shah.
London: 4 Shamrock Street, Clapham North, London SW4 6HE
www.chrisgrady.org
Why 400 pieces?
How many pieces are eventually commissioned depends on how many countries there are in the
world – and that changes whether you are listing countries for the World Cup football draw, or the
Olympics, or the United Nations. We have created a combined list which recognises around 274
countries. We wish to find one writer and one composer in each of these countries. Plus we need to
reflect multi-cultural nations, tribal musical traditions, and language which traverses borders – so we
are estimating 800 artists, matching them one with another across countries (never two working
together in the same country) to generate 400 invitations.
How will we find the writers ?
We have begun to find connections into each country in the world, through the acquired knowledge
of individuals, and networks with global artistic and community roles. We intend to establish a group
of emerging/young internationally aware producers – some in the UK, some in their home nations,
who together will research the musicians, writers, artistic and creative networks in each nation.
There will then be 3 ways in which each writer may be found. A) We find one respected
individual/organisation in each country and they choose a writer and composer. B) We link with a
global broadcaster (BBC World Service, CNN) and use their connections in every nation to search out
the writers and composers, inviting them to undertake whatever selection procedure works for them
that is as fair as possible. C) We create a website and invite any writer from any nation to put 3
minutes of musical material, or a piece of lyric/poetry on the site. After a deadline we gather a team
of “judges”, or open it to the public, to vote the most interesting work. Then we pair the writers up.
The composers and writers will be given one image as a starting point – The Sun – and thereafter
they are welcome and encouraged to explore any themes and inspirations they wish so long as the
work remains original (rather than an adaptation of copyright material). The teams will write and
compose through collaboration, perhaps reflecting their countries of origin in content or style, but not
under pressure to “represent their country” as in the Olympics or World Cup .
Who is behind this project, and why ?
The idea for the project came from Chris Grady, who has worked in UK festivals and global musical
theatre projects for 30 years. Initially conceived as a much smaller project for the 2012 London
Olympics, the project is now going to happen between 2013 and 2020. The first associate has joined
us - Fabio Santos of Phakama, a UK based global arts project which seeks to create shared spaces
for young artists to express, grow and perform. Chris, Fabio and Inis are in discussion with a range
of other potential associate companies, who bring experience of world music, global event staging,
literature, endangered language, education and multi-cultural artistic participation.
“If we have one thing in common it is our planet and The Sun that gives us life. If we have another
common human characteristic it is the power, and the desire, to make music and tell stories. My
passion is in empowering creative conversations and helping to make things happen – why shouldn’t
we see what happens when sun, stories, music, and nations come together – when better than in an
Olympic year? I can’t wait to begin this massive 7 year journey. I hope many will share my passion
and help to make it richer, broader, more life changing, and even more effective than we have
currently planned” Chris Grady
www.chrisgrady.org
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How will it be funded?
We intend the project costs to be covered by a mix of donation, government and international
association support, and sponsorship. The costs and administration will be kept to a minimum. We
also intend that this not-for-profit project can, over years, generate monies which can be used for
social purposes linked to the arts, environment, and community conversations. We are at the earliest
stages of budgeting and shaping the project plan.
What Happens Now ?
Until June we are exploring this document, the timelines, the budgets and the logistics in more detail.
We welcome feedback at any point.
This is not a secret project, but for the next few months we would appreciate keeping the contents
and vision between friends – so when a launch is ready it will be the right launch. We would rather
not receive hundreds of approaches from writers yet. Thank you for your help in this.
For now CGO and Phakama are beginning to gather interest, and have conversations, with potential
major Associates for the project so we can test our assumptions of what is possible.
In July we will prepare a final first plan (one of many final plans no doubt) and prepare for an early
trial – bringing 8 writers together from 8 nations and exploring the subject of the Sun and the 20
minute format.
Using the period between August (Edinburgh Festival) and November (World Travel Market / London)
we will begin to explore international networks, build contacts and expert Associates, and work with
colleagues to raise the money necessary for this major project to happen.
In September we will know the Olympic City 2020, and we look forward to introducing
StoryMusic2020 to our international Associates in that Nation.
We welcome all support. We need champions, experts, connectors, and creators. If this idea inspires
you, please be in touch.
Chris
Chris Grady
chris@chrisgrady.org
www.chrisgrady.org
StoryMusic2020 – Draft April 7th 2013
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A few ideas we look forward to sharing with Associates
What about languages ?
We will run the project in English from a London base, but we will work with internationally fluent
producers to reach across the globe in many languages, and they in turn will work with a network of
translators and communicators who can, we hope, engage across the planet.
Depending on where the Olympics 2020 is held (Istanbul, Madrid, Tokyo decided in Sept 2013) we
will seek to ensure that the online StoryMusic resources are in a broad range of languages reflecting
Turkish, Spanish or Japanese.
Then we begin to think of lost languages, and nations where there are 3, 4, and more than 30 official
languages. As we grow the network we will seek to involve writers across the broadest spread of
language, and whilst eventually one writer will be chosen to be part of the final 800 creatives, we will
seek to develop the project plan to encompass multi-lingual nations.
What about Creative Participation ?
This is not a programme designed to select the globally recognised composers and match them with
the poet laureates and Booker prize winners. This is about finding diverse and emerging creative
voices. It is about broadening the engagement across the creative community of a nation, and
supporting the gestation of programmes to encourage composition, storytelling and creative
collaboration. The project will have a ripple effect across schools, creative communities, traditional
musicians and storytellers, and all those working in a nation to use the arts for life affirming and
healing practice. We cannot change the world, or stop wars, or solve famine, but our writers and
producers working across the globe can explore with communities the challenges they face, and enter
into global conversation with other writers.
What about World Music ?
We will be seeking major Associates for the projects who can help us reach the broadest range of
composers, many of whom may not have collaborated in performance projects before. As we search
for artists from each of the 400 nations, we will be looking for those inspired by their own traditions
yet willing to write for a global audience. We will seek to involve educationalists and experts in
understanding more about the power of music and its universal power to connect with humanity.
Who will Produce this work ?
From the earliest stage we will seek to work with a network of independent producers with
experience in working in live theatrical and collaborative cultural projects. We will also seek to work
with local producers who have extensive knowledge of a community, but may lack the experience of
trans-national projects. We will be seeking to work with an expert Associate to develop this aspect so
together we understand how to make this project effective, efficiently created, and with the greatest
local and global impact.
www.chrisgrady.org
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We will seek to work with broadcasters, global networks, foundations and global business leaders to
maximise the potential for this project to engage with every nation, reach into every community, and
eventually serve as a platform for global conversation.
What’s Online, and Beyond 2020 ?
We want this project to reach the widest community with the minimum ecological impact on the
planet. We cannot even conceive the technological possibilities there may be in 2020, so for the
present we start with what we know. Most collaborations across nations will involve communication
by email, skype, and creative software packages. We hope the writers will meet, but that is not an
essential element of the programme.
Every piece will be made available online for future generations to perform. This will allow further
study of the Sun themes and the conversations and creativity inspiring each piece. The works will be
notated musically and recorded to allow future performers to understand the artists’ intentions. The
words, plus support material, will be translated into a mix of languages.
After 2020, as well as leaving a StoryMusic resource for future performance, we hope to continue a
vast array of creative conversations, inspiring connections across nations, and groups within nations
who have been part of the participation programme. As each new sun rises we hope there will follow
new creativity between writers and composers that we cannot, at this point, imagine.
We will seek to work with the very best expert Associates to understand how best to use the
technology and the communications strategies which exist, reaching across generations and
communities, and understanding how best to reach into communities where online access is
challenging.
Thank you for reading
chris@chrisgrady.org
7th April 2013
www.chrisgrady.org
StoryMusic2020 – Draft April 7th 2013
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