Creative Projects
Paul makes music with people of all ages and all abilities, from children in primary school all the way through to professional musicians. He believes passionately that everyone can create and perform their own music.
“I’ve worked in schools, conservatoires, community centres, hospitals and some very fine concert halls. I’ve made music with adults recovering from addiction, I’ve helped some of the most socially disadvantaged children create their own compositions and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some extraordinary orchestras and ensembles.
I list all of those things because their variety reals the driving force behind my creative projects. It’s a single thought that has been present throughout my career and it’s this - I don’t see any difference within that spectrum of activity; absolutely none. It’s all the same to me. I don’t care if you are picking up a tambourine for the first time in your life or you play a Stradivarius. All of that work and all of that music is equally important, and it all has the potential to change someone’s life.”
— Paul Rissmann, Callway Lecture at the University of Western Australia, 2019
Paul has led creative music projects for orchestras, ensembles, opera companies and education authorities throughout the UK and also in Abu Dhabi, Australia, Austria, China, Denmark, India, Ireland, Germany, Luxembourg and the USA.
In his native Scotland, Paul directed Rumble in the Jungle - a project which inspired children and staff from every nursery school in East Renfrewshire to make and perform music alongside musicians from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. This ground-breaking partnership was recognised with a Royal Philharmonic Society Award.
“As an educational project it was breathtaking.”
— The Herald on Rumble in the Jungle
Look - no music!
Paul’s work with young instrumentalists immerses music students in an intensive collaboration, exploring a classical masterpiece and creating brand-new music in response to it. Sometimes their new composition is premiered alongside the source material, occasionally it’s fused with the original score - but no matter how it’s showcased, one key element remains the same - all of the young musicians must perform entirely from memory.
Here are two examples of Paul’s work as Creative Partner of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra:
Channel 4 Documentary
Addicts’ Symphony
In partnership with The Arts Unit in Sydney, Paul has worked with secondary school students, teachers and choreographers from across New South Wales in two intensive music and dance projects that reimagine ballets by Prokofiev and Stravinsky.
Romeo & Juliet
Trailer for ABC documentary
Firebird Forensics
Complete performance