The Music
Holmfirth Arts Festival commissioned composer, Barry Russell and James Morgan, conductor of Holme Valley Orchestra, to take the bird's eye view of the swallow, witnessing the changes in the Valley over the centuries. This was their starting point for new songs about Holmfirth co-created with Holme Valley communities including Holmfirth Writers’ Group, Wooldale Junior School, Holmfirth Choral Society and Holmfirth Parish Church, culminating in a massed choir for the present day accompanied by the Holme Valley Orchestra.
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Gathering local phrases and insights, initially from Facebook posts, Barry wrote, and set to music, eight new songs that combine personal reminiscence and creative response to local events and experiences - from catastrophic floods and brass bands to Bamforth's saucy postcard production and the Tour de Yorkshire.
