Breathe is the first artistic production from our new Create Space strand. Devised by now retired Senior Creative Producer Jan Ford, Create Space aims to blend the mediums of orchestral music, film and community creation to create new orchestral work specifically for the screen.

Building on the success of our recent Share Sound virtual ensemble project, we have joined forces with Manchester Camerata and local community partners in Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland, Gorton in Manchester, Sheringham and Bradford on Avon, to create this ground-breaking film that will bring people in different areas together, through the medium of music and the arts.

What's happening?

The first pilot Create Space project has worked with our partners at Darlington Hippodrome, Redcar and Cleveland Council, Sheringham Little Theatre and Wiltshire Music Centre as well as Manchester Camerata’s Music Café in Gorton. Partners asked groups in their community to respond to the theme of togetherness and share their creative work and thoughts with the artistic team. We received poetry, lyrics, a range of artwork, and audio and video responses from their discussions.

Over three creative workshops, the artistic team explored the content created by our communities and their own responses to this. Through these creative discussions, they devised the concept and programme for the new film.

• Composer Daniel Kidane was commissioned to write a new piece, Breathe, which gave the film its title.

• Music creator Ben Nobuto and poet Roma Havers collaborated to create a series of interludes that bring the communities’ words and voices into the film.
• Directors Mathew Beckett and Lee O'Connell from River Rea Films created the visual concepts/narrative for the film.

The film itself was recorded on location at Victoria Baths in Manchester with audio recorded by Apple & Biscuit Recordings. Manchester Camerata were joined by movement artists from LIPA to bring the film to life.

A beautiful and interesting gem of a building, the Victoria Baths was a vibrant space with swimming pools and Turkish Baths. Locals led a campaign against its closure in 1993 and continued to work to restore the building, which now hosts a range of events as an arts venue as restoration continues. It was the perfect location for our film, bringing the artists together in a community space with a long history of deep connection to its community to create a film exploring the concept of togetherness.

Breathe will be touring across the country from summer 2022 and we’re delighted to be partnering with Cinema For All to distribute to a range of new venues.

3 December Brewery Arts Kendall

Breatheis produced by Orchestras Live in partnership with Manchester Camerata.

Breathe is supported by a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England and by the Weston Culture Fund (Garfield Weston Foundation).