Oh Lyra! Such magic, such happiness, what a wonderful achievement!
For those who haven't been following, Lyra is Konstelacio's latest project: a week dedicated to introducing children to the beauty of traditional music and showing them that we can achieve great things together when we listen to each other, with the help of talented musicians from diverse backgrounds.
Youssef Ben Dhifallah (ney) and Achref Chargui (oud) from Tunisia, Antoine Péran (flute) and Pierre Droual (violin) from Brittany, France, and Ilyas Khan (tablas) and Parveen Khan (classical singing) from Rajasthan, India, worked with around 350 children in less than five days and shared their passion with them.
The children were extremely receptive, the teachers and school principals delighted, and the musicians absolutely thrilled to perform for such an audience!
This week of rich and entertaining exchanges ended with a concert at the Abbaye de Beauport in Paimpol in front of a packed house and an enthusiastic audience who gave the musicians a standing ovation. Many people found it hard to believe that they had only known each other for six days, such was their obvious rapport and the breathtaking result of their work.
Illustrator Yal was present at the concert and drew sketches live for the enjoyment of the audience, especially the children.
We also filmed an acoustic session in the Abbey with the excellent Simon Guyomard from Spoon Productions, who not only volunteered to participate in Lyra, but also edited the video in record time! We are very proud to present it to you and can't wait to hear what you think!
Lyra is undoubtedly the most unifying project since Konstelacio was founded. Community life is growing, there are more and more volunteers, and it warms our hearts! A huge thank you to everyone who has lent a hand and contributed financially to bring this project to life: the musicians, volunteers, donors, funders, schools, children... The list is so long!
After this magical week, one thing is certain: we don't intend to stop there! We want to repeat the experience regularly in different places, with music from a variety of sources and with even more children!
The newsletter with photos and video: