In 2018 the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra invited me to set Kobi Yamada's New York Times bestselling book to music.
What Do You Do With An Idea? is a thought-provoking picture book that focuses on the relationship between a child and their ‘idea’ (represented in the book as a quirky little egg). Although on the surface it can be viewed as a cute children’s book, Kobi's text is so powerful it resonates just as much with adult readers since it deals with many of life’s big challenges: doubt, worry, self-belief and courage.
In the book, Mae Besom's beautiful illustrations gently mark the passing of time and changing seasons. As you turn the pages, Mae's images propel the narrative forward, shifting slowly from a monochromatic palette to world full of life and colour.
I aspired to transfer that energy to my score, creating a work that was less static than a conventional concert piece. Central to my vision, was the desire for the character of the egg to have a physical presence in the concert hall.
While the music was still in sketch form, I started to collaborate with the contemporary dancer Carlie Angel.
As soon as I played my first draft of the egg's theme Carlie sprung to life and began to improvise. Without any preparation, her movements totally embodied its mischievous character and it became clear that, somehow, enough space had to be found on an already crowded stage to feature her brilliant choreography.
Many of the work’s episodes were composed in direct response to Carlie's physical movements. Even though she was never dressed as an egg on stage, she absolutely encapsulated ‘the idea’.
"One day I had an idea. Where did it come from? Why is it here? And I wondered, what do you do with an idea?
Just like Kobi's book, I aspired to create a work that would resonate with young and old alike.
My score was designed to enable singers, of all ages and abilities, to perform supported by a professional orchestra. The vocal parts can even be simplified to just a single line, which can be sung by a massed choir of primary school children. This dual existence meant my music had to be meaty enough to satisfy experienced singers while remaining accessible and engaging for young, untrained voices.
In this new musical setting, What Do You Do With An Idea? has been performed by thousands of people, aged 5 to 80, in both Australia and the UK.
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's premiere was produced in partnership with Young Adelaide Voices and their artistic director Christie Anderson. Every singer in the organisation participated in the performance, from YAV's Junior Choir all the way up to their senior Aurora ensemble.
The UK premiere featured the London Symphony Orchestra accompanying the LSO Discovery Junior and Community Choirs. A series of primary schools concerts also took place at the Barbican, with thousands of children forming a massed chorus to sing with the LSO.
World premiere in Adelaide Town Hall with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Young Adelaide Voices and Aurora choir, 2018
Dancer/Choreographer: Carlie Angel
Conductor: Graham Abbott
Choral Conductor: Christie Anderson
Project Manager: Emily Gann
Young Adelaide Voices
UK premiere in the Barbican Concert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra, LSO Discovery Junior and Community Choirs, 2019
Dancer/Choreographer: Carlie Angel
Conductor: Felix Mildenberger
LSO Community Choir Conductor: David Lawrence
LSO Discovery Junior Choir Conductor: Lucy Hollins
Director: Victor Craven
Project Manager: Natasha Krichefski
LSO Discovery Junior Choir
My score invites orchestral musicians to embrace a more theatrical approach to their performance.
The brass section begin hidden, positioned behind the audience; some players have to memorise solos and perform in close proximity to the audience. With ‘the idea’ physically moving through the ensemble, there are numerous opportunities for interaction between dancer and orchestra.
There's certainly no barrier between stage and stalls in this work, but most importantly, there's no fixed way to perform it either. As the title suggests - What Do You Do With An Idea? - is an open invitation for orchestras to dream about new and innovative ways to share their stage with a broader community and inspire new audiences with their performance.
What's your idea to change the world?
This is the question we asked audience members in Adelaide and London; the responses were incredible. At the Barbican, young people wrote their ideas onto colourful paper birds which were hung in a magical forest in the foyer.
In Adelaide Town Hall, hundreds of ideas were written onto shiny pieces of paper and placed inside large golden eggs. In concert, at the climax of the work, the eggs burst open high above the auditorium and showered the audience in their own brilliant ideas – every one an aspiration to make the world a better place.
Photo credits: Adelaide - Roy Vandervegt, London - Kevin Leighton.
The book What Do You Do With An Idea? written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom is published by Compendium.