RIAM has set itself the task of defining its access agenda in a new and exciting way, considering whether, as a national institution, we can serve a wider demographic of society than our typical stakeholder. RIAM’s Co-Creative Music Composition Programme aims to overcome barriers to learn, perform and create music, that people living with disabilities very often encounter.
What are the arts? Who are they for? Who is a musician? What does an artist look like? These questions are at the core of this project which aims to develop working strategies and concepts for co-creation within any differently-abled musical context.
In this programme, five RIAM music students will come together with five members of the Open Youth Orchestra of Ireland (an inclusive national music ensemble for people living with physical and intellectual disability, founded by RIAM in 2019) under the guidance of composer Karen Power. Working collaboratively in a safe, welcoming, open environment of genuine co-creation, without pre-conceived notions of musical priority or hierarchy, this group will produce and perform a professional standard musical composition of high artistic merit.
The innovative aspect of the project is that the new composition will be created using 'found sounds' recorded in a site-specific location chosen in collaboration with Benefact Group.
