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PETERLOO AMBASSADORS 18
❝I enjoyed manning the desk in the library... it gave me an opportunity to chat with a wide range of the public, both local and visitors from the UK and abroad... helping them with a greater understanding about Peterloo and its circumstances.
Peterloo Ambassador
Peterloo event delivery took place at:
Manchester Central Library Manchester Central Convention Complex Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Craft and Design Centre Oldham Parliament Square Manchester Cathedral
Partners involved in the delivery of project:
Manchester Metropolitan University (Training Venue) University of Manchester (Equalities training) Streetwise Opera Stockport Library Working Class Movement Library Professor Robert Poole, University of Central Lancashire
Main outcomes:
A total of 37 ambassadors inducted and 30 ambassadors completed the programme
Ambassadors took part in 24 training and check-in sessions
1,976 hours in total of volunteer ambassador training and catch-up sessions
Provided an enjoyable, meaningful, values-led experience for all of the Peterloo Ambassadors rooted in the Spirit of Peterloo ❝ Seeing my own collaboration shown in so many locations to so many people is certainly inspiring and proves what can be achieved when "ordinary people" get / work together.
Peterloo Ambassador
Key learning:
Activities shaped and planned by volunteers themselves were the best attended, reinforcing that co-designed training is more meaningful and relevant to the people taking part.
Ambassadors enjoyed sharing their knowledge and experiences with others. One of the most popular roles was talking to a variety of visitors coming to learn about Peterloo 2019 at the information desk in Manchester Central Library. This interaction grew the confidence of many of the Ambassadors who don’t ordinarily have a public facing role.
Some activities may have benefited from greater clarification of purpose; such as the uploading of the Eyewitness Accounts to the Peterloo website.
Legacy of project:
The majority of the Peterloo Ambassadors are very keen to continue working with Manchester
Histories on future projects. The Ambassadors are meeting with the Manchester Histories team to shape a new programme of activity to continue their professional development in history and strengthen their enjoyment of culture and heritage
Individual ambassadors have continued to work on projects developed as a result of their involvement. These include walking tours, connecting to other festivals such as Manchester
Folk Festival, performances and volunteering in
Archives+ at Manchester Central Library
Over time the group became very supportive of one another, new friendships flourished, and people met outside of the planned activity, enabling people to continue to connect with each other through their interest in histories & heritage
PROTEST MUSIC
Working in partnership with the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), The project brought together a community of Manchesterbased creative artists including; MC Fox, Che3kz, performers from arts and homelessness charity Streetwise Opera, producer Mandy Wigby, RNCM students and the Ignition Orchestra, led by Katie Chatburn, to create brand new, original protest music.
Protest Music enabled talented local artists, singers and music students from different backgrounds, to learn more about the Peterloo Massacre and explore contemporary social issues within the context of the Peterloo 2019 themes of Protest, Democracy and Freedom of Speech. The community of artists worked together over several days to create the performance. Their experience of the project was overwhelmingly positive, bringing together such a diverse collection of artists, students and performers was a challenge, but all involved pulled together to deliver two performances of Protest Music in the main theatre at RNCM on Saturday 6 July 2019. The atmosphere at both performances was electric due to the talent of the performers and the teams supporting them. Audiences responded in a positive way with the vast majority rating the event as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very good’. The subject matter was very moving and powerful and many people after the performance commented that they had been moved to tears.
where the project took place:
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Art Gallery (Streetwise Opera rehearsals)
Partners involved in the delivery of project:
Royal Northern College of Music Streetwise Opera
Artists:
Manchester MCs: MC Fox and Che3kz
RNCM Singer / Songwriters Musicians: Paige Kennedy, Zigi Porter, Katie Ritson, Isobel Pinder, Charlotte Marlow, Jacob Maguire, Corben Lamb, Ben Truman, George Farrar, Nate Chivers Ignition Orchestra: Conductor/arranger Katie Chatburn Streetwise Opera: Marigold Hughes, Sarah Atter, Jonathan Ainscough, Jenny Carson, Gareth Smith Creative Facilitator and Sound Artist: Mandy Wigby (aka Architects of Rosslyn) ❝ Thanks for this project, it was really inspiring and encouraging. I have thought a lot since the concert. As a student I wish there are more projects like this to help us be not only a better musician but a better person! It is very easy to feel lost and uninspired sometimes studying for a competitive and niche industry. This kind of project made me felt valuable to the society and other people. Without meaning music is just sound, and the meaning to audiences is just as important as it is to the performers. Sincerely hope I can participate in more projects like this in the future. Thanks again for having me.
Participant, Musician
RNCM
Names of Groups/organisations involved:
Streetwise Opera RNCM
Ignition Orchestra Reclaim (Peterloo animation) Manchester Art Gallery (Streetwise rehearsal space)
PROTEST MUSIC (continued)
Main outcomes:
The bringing together of over 79 musicians, singers and songwriters who said they could never have imagined collaborating and creating new work with artists from such different creative backgrounds
Linking the historical themes of protest, democracy and freedom with contemporary issues affecting the lives of people today
The creation of 12 new, unique and completely original songs
Performing to an audience who arrived having no idea what to expect from the performance and who left having given a standing ovation
Changing audience and performer perceptions; an 80-year old audience member who said she had never understood rap music before and was now completely engaged; the classical musician who wanted to become actively involved in supporting homeless groups after working with
Streetwise Opera
Key Learning:
All the artists involved had never worked on such an ambitious project before in terms of collaborating with musicians from a very wide range of disciplines. They learned an enormous amount about each other’s practice and really challenged themselves creatively. Most members of the group had little or no knowledge of the Peterloo Massacre, or fully appreciated the significant role ballads and music played historically, particularly during times of social unrest. All involved, including the delivery team, had an increased knowledge of Peterloo and could draw parallels with contemporary issues.
Some audience members were attracted to the event by the particular artists they were interested in e.g. Streetwise Opera, the MCs. Audiences learned more about different music styles, understood the positive impact of creative collaboration and the power of protest music.
Legacy of project:
The collaboration between partners was so successful that the possibility of future partnership working was increased
Twelve new and unique protest songs have been written and performed
A short film created by RNCM staff tracing the rehearsal and progress of the project is hosted on Peterloo1819.co.uk and RNCMs websites and Manchester Histories Youtube channels
Some of the musicians involved in the project have continued their collaboration, working together to create new music and perform together.
❝Participating in Protest Music was a total joy. The Streetwise Opera performers in Manchester are very proud citizens of their city, and the project felt like an excellent opportunity for them to dive into a key moment in Manchester’s history, in a way that felt both deeply creative and highly informative. From an organisational perspective, it was the first time that we had worked with Manchester Histories; they brought a real level of historical depth to the project (augmented by an excellent talk from Historian Robert Poole) and deftly brought multiple partners together to commemorate the Peterloo bicentennial anniversary with heart, power and skill. We are very thankful to have been invited to take part in the project, and we would love to work with them again.
