'Write' Let's Get Creative

See how the show comes together from page to stage.

I am the creative lead on the Ten Pieces Proms. I have the great role of overseeing it and bring all the different elements together to shape it as a complete show.

What is your role as a Creative Director?

I work with lots of different people from the Ten Pieces project on the Proms but there is one very important person involved in the creative process and that is the scriptwriter of the Ten Pieces film, Andrew McCaldon.

In my role I work very closely with the scriptwriter and what we want to do is take the film and build on it to make a big live event which has the music and creative responses right at the heart of it.

What’s your vision for this year’s Ten Pieces Proms?

We want to take some of the ideas that are in the film and make them work in a live context so some of the filmic elements will be there on a screen and some of the presenters – I am not going to tell you who those are at the moment! There will be some dramatised elements that will link to the themes in the film and there is one of the Ten Pieces that will reoccur throughout the Proms – which has something to do with the ‘Ride of the Valkryies’. That’s about far as I am going to go.

What do you love most about your job?

The great joy of this project is that there are multiple layers to it. Working with the designer, lighting director, writer and movement director who all help to stage the different elements and create the narrative and visual style. It’s about combining all these things to make something visually very exciting.

There’s also something very special about seeing young people coming to a concert like the Ten Pieces Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and giving them the opportunity to play alongside an orchestra like the BBC Philharmonic, that’s a really joyful part of this particular job.

What can we look forward to in this year’s Ten Pieces Proms?

The great thing is that there will be more than Ten Pieces being performed because of course we will have unique and new pieces that have been written by school children which will be showcased at the concert.

We are looking to create something really special that tells a story and has a great climax with a bit of a party at the end.

As the writer, it’s my job to think up the ideas and the words that accompany the amazing music in the ‘Ten Pieces’ films and Proms concerts. I work with really talented people – musicians, animators, choreographers, costume designers, presenters, directors and producers – who take all the words I’ve tapped into my laptop and bring them all to life. I’m lucky – it’s easy for me to type a sentence like 'a beautiful firebird flies through the concert hall'. Everyone else then has the hard job of making it happen!

Why did you get involved in ‘Ten Pieces’?

I didn’t grow up listening to classical or orchestral music. I thought it was for other people, who knew a secret language that I didn’t understand. Then a couple of friends of mine took me to an orchestral concert when I was about 18. Hearing a massive symphony orchestra live for the first time, I felt as if a huge door that had always been closed had suddenly opened. I pushed at that door, just a little bit at first. But gradually, with my friends’ help, I started listening to more and more music and I became hooked. I always wanted to find a way to try and open that door for other people. ‘Ten Pieces’ was the perfect chance.

What will this year’s Ten Pieces Proms be like?

Fun. Magical. Exciting. A bit scary sometimes, I hope. It’s all about that door I was talking about. We’re going to throw open the doors of the Royal Albert Hall and welcome everyone inside to hear all the incredible music that is made there. We’ve got the brilliant BBC Philharmonic on stage with some great soloists like DJ Mr Switch and Esther Yoo. We’ll have plenty of dancing – and the chance for the audience to make some music too. Most important of all, the real stars of the show (just like last year) will be the young performers who have been inspired by the project to make their own creative work.

Which of the Ten Pieces are you most excited about staging?

That’s a hard one! Perhaps Wagner’s 'Ride of the Valkyries' as I’m hoping that some winged warriors might pay us a visit. If I write it in the script maybe it will happen! But I’m also really excited to hear the fantastic Ten Pieces choir lift the roof off the Royal Albert Hall when they sing Verdi’s ‘Dies Irae’.

What do you love most about your job?

Well, most days I get to go on a brilliant adventure without ever leaving my desk. When I’m writing ‘Ten Pieces’ I’m discovering new music all the time. I hope the audience, whether they’re watching the films or the concerts, feels that sense of discovery and adventure too. For me, seeing the incredible creative responses we’ve had from young people all over the country has been amazing – and the best reward of all.