The East Neuk Festival is searching for volunteers to participate in the world premiere of John Luther Adams’s latest large-scale work.
For its finale this year, the annual Scottish Summer event is performing Adams’s Across a Distance, which features 32 horns in F or B flat. In preparation for the performance, the festival is calling for amateur musicians across the country to get involved. These musicians will have the opportunity to perform alongside eight professional horn players, including Alec Frank-Gemill, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s principal horn player.
Specially commissioned for the ENF, Across a Distance will be debuted on 5 July, the final day of the festival, at Cambo Gardens and Estate in Fife. Far from a typical performance, it will involve the musicians spreading throughout the gardens as the piece progresses, moving further away from their audience and playing to them, as the title suggests, across a distance.
Known for drawing his inspiration from the environment, Grammy Award-winning composer John Luther Adams was also featured at the festival in 2013. The UK premiere of Inuksuit, a piece for nine to 99 percussionists, was, like Across a Distance, performed in a natural, outside venue.
ENF director Svend Brown compares the two pieces, saying 'If Inuksuit was anything to go by, this will be a memorable experience for performers and audiences alike.'
The East Neuk Festival 2015 takes place from 27 June to 5 July. Click here for more details on how to apply to perform.