2022 – We Are One! Birmingham Commonwealth Festival Celebrations
Following on from our Queen’s Award win, The People’s Orchestra and The People’s Show Choir came together to celebrate the record a special piece commissioned by award-winning film composer, John Koutselinis, to celebrate the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July 2022. Arts Council England had funded The People’s Orchestra Charity for a special creative project: the Commonwealth Commonwealth Community Music Initiative (CCMI). CCMI consisted of four main projects: Spirit, our composing competition; Opportunity, our virtual collaborative performance; Vision, our creative music and arts showcase; and Curiosity, our massed Commonwealth concert!
‘We Are One’ was composed around the theme of unity, friendship and how, together, we can face the toughest of challenges. It featured every section within The People’s Orchestra playing with full vigour, the massed People’s Show Choirs, National Teachers Choir and singers and instrumentalists from Kenya, South Africa, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago with additional narration from BBC’s Katie Derham. It was truly an epic piece!
It wasn’t the only thing we did to celebrate, however, as the celebration of music
