Addicts’ Symphony
In 2013, Paul took part in a unique collaboration with Channel 4 Television, Big Mountain Productions, Action on Addiction and the London Symphony Orchestra. Addicts' Symphony was the brainchild of composer James McConnel who invited Paul to be Creative Director of an ambitious project exploring how music-making can be beneficial to people in recovery from addiction.
Supported by LSO musicians Belinda McFarlane (violin) and Matthew Gibson (double bass), the so-called ‘Addict’s Orchestra’ embarked on an eight-week collaboration to produce a brand-new composition. Every member of the group had to contribute to its creation and they would all feature as soloists, accompanied by the world-famous London Symphony Orchestra.
Some members of the orchestra were jobbing musicians, others hadn’t played much since school. Some had been stifled by a restrictive classical training, others came from freer folk, rock and pop backgrounds. The ability to read music was not essential; everyone was welcome.
Leading up to their concert performance with the LSO, the group worked flat-out to combine disparate musical ideas into a cohesive structure. As their music started to take shape, after each workshop, Paul spent the evening orchestrating the music created that day, to allow more musicians from the LSO to join the ensemble. Vital to this process, was that the musicians of the Addicts’ Orchestra fully retain their status as soloists; the LSO’s job was to support them, not drown them out.
A documentary following this unique project was broadcast on Channel 4 Television in the UK and has since been shown around the world.
You can watch a complete performance of the work created by the ensemble here:
