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Singers and stories

Rick has been working with two fine musicians over the last few months, helping them capture  their personal stories in recording and performance.

To find out more about his work with Anne Wood, take a look at our Events pages.  “When Mountains Meet: Jub Milain Pahaar” is a fusion of Scottish and Pakistani influences and performance, telling Anne’s own tale of trying to trace her roots. The project has its own website, where you can read about its artistic development and see snippets of work in progress, including Rick in performance: https://www.whenmountainsmeet.com/

Back home in Llansilin, his current studio work involves engineering and playing on an album of songs by author / singer / songwriter  Jo Jukes. This particular collection of songs is an audio accompaniment to her recently acclaimed book ‘Finding Home’. You can find more about Jo on her website. The album is to be called “Weaving the World” and will be available on Bandcamp and on CD. One song on the album honours Old Man Lime, an ancient tree on Wenlock Edge.

Scottish International Storytelling Festival

When Mountains Meet – Jub Milain Pahaar

Rick is this week and next intensely absorbed in rehearsal and preparations for the first full work-in-progress performances of When Mountains Meet/ Jub Milain Pahaar. Featured as part of “Keeping it Lit”, the 2022 Scottish International Storytelling Festival, the performances will take place in Edinburgh at Assembly Roxy on 27 and 28 October. Booking details are on our Events pages.

Gig theatre, storytelling, Scottish/South Asian influenced music and striking visual images combine to recount the adventures of Anne Wood as she leaves Edinburgh for an unforgettable voyage through Pakistan.

“My mother is Scottish. My father was Pakistani. In my early twenties I found the father I had never met … but I was taboo in a culture to which I longed to belong.”

Inspired by Anne’s true story and 75 years after the creation of Pakistan, a live band plus storytellers and singers celebrate cultural diversity and difference in this tender, surprising and heart-opening show, summoning majestic mountains, mesmerising sounds and mouth-watering tastes.

The atmosphere will be relaxed and accessible, with performances either audio described or with BSL interpretation. The team will be hosting a short, facilitated feedback session after both performances to which all are welcome.

 

The production is funded by Creative Scotland. For more information about the project, click here.

When Mountains Meet

When Mountains Meet/Jub Milain Pahaar is a music theatre and visual art project that connects Scotland and Pakistan both culturally and geologically. It is inspired by the first hand true story of musician Anne Wood, whose mother is Scottish and her father Pakistani.  

Anne, an old friend of Helen and Rick’s, has drawn together a multi cultural team of performers and artists.  Throughout the pandemic they met over Zoom and, when they could, in person to share music, stories, food, visual arts and responses to landscape.

Rick is part of the musical side of the team which is weaving these threads into a story.  They held some development events last year and hope to create a touring production within the next two years. The planned production will include live acting / storytelling and digital imagery as well as live music.

Scourie landscape, Highlands – with thanks to https://www.scourie.co.uk/

Rick’s early contributions involved an intensive creative week with the whole team in the Highlands of Scotland. Click here to see him playing customised fishing buoys with fellow musician John McGeoch. 

Although ‘When Mountains Meet’ is not yet ready for performance, Rick is working on three or four pieces for an EP that will show some of the different musical directions at work in the piece.

For more information about the whole project, blogs about the stages so far, images and more extracts of music, follow the link to the project website:  www.whenmountainsmeet.com  

​​جب ملیں پہاڑ

Events

When Mountains Meet tour

Rick will be spending much of April and May touring venues in Scotland with the major Scottish/ Pakistani collaborative performance “When Mountains Meet”. Devised and composed by Anne Wood, this personal tale has been developed into an intimate, dramatic performance incorporating music, theatre and storytelling. Brought to you by an international cast, “When Mountains Meet” was premiered last year but is now brought to a wider audience.

Full tour details, including booking information for all venues, can be found on the project website: https://www.whenmountainsmeet.com/