Making work in dialogue with the world…
Gwyneth has an immersive, collaborative practice with a desire for connection and transformation at its heart. The process of community engagement is fully integrated in the way that she meets stories and creates work – you can find more about this at “commissions and collaborations”.
She has led creative devising projects with young people, groups and communities across the UK and the world, with organisations including Rochester Int. Jazz Festival (Rochester, NY, USA); Little Theatre of Kenya (Mombasa); Community of Sanctuary (Hastings); Oi Polloi (Bristol), Colchester Academy & Roman River Festival (Essex); Mahogany Opera (Tower Hamlets); Create the Future with Hampshire Music Services; Discover Children’s Story Centre (Stratford); The Shed and Pied Piper Projects (Yorkshire); The Hub, Taunton (Somerset); The Millennium Choir (Morecombe).
Her passion for working with young people has given breath to songs, operas, concerts and musicals across the country and beyond.
Another Snape commission was inspired by working with young people in the suburbs of Mombasa, Kenya. Her arrangement of Baiskeli, a song taught to her there, was performed to celebrate Benjamin Britten’s centenary by 100,000 children around world.
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“Gwyneth has a fantastic talent and energy for education which completely enthused the kids… A complete pleasure to work with.”
Dan Somogyi – Director, SoundStorm Music Education Agency/Wave Arts Education Agency, Lighthouse, Poole
“Gwyneth’s creative drive and sheer love of working with young people shone through everything she did in her residency at The Space in Taunton. She has consummate teaching skills and enables everyone to find their expressive voice because she is such a liberating intelligent presence. If you are lucky enough to work with her you will experience first hand the care and imagination she puts into her work, the dynamism she generates and the wealth of what is produced. She puts everything into it and took our students on a wonderfully creative journey. She is a force for good in this world. Book her – you won’t regret it!“
Graeme Ryan – Head of Drama, Heathfield Community School, Taunton
“Gwyneth has worked at our school on a number of projects with 11-13 year olds to create songs inspired by a variety of stimuli. She is truly an inspiration and a genuine creative personality. Her enthusiasm is infectious and she really ‘gets’ young people. Children cannot help but be drawn into the creative process and actively engage in this themselves. It really opens up their eyes, and it really opened mine, into a different ways of working. It encouraged me to view the educational process differently, filling me with a new enthusiasm. It is invaluable for children to work with someone who is not only a great educator, but also a gigging musician and professional composer.”
Emily Thomas – Subject Leader for Music, Wildern School, Southampton
“Gwyneth’s unique style, brimming with energy and enthusiasm fully engaged the children. She has a brilliant way of encouraging the children to really feel and see the music, resulting in the children creating a rich collage of words and images in response. Her incredible talents as a song-writer then came to the fore in composing, with the children, the music to go with the words. To see a song grow from nothing in only a couple of hours was awesome. The incredible amount of work and dedication that Gwyneth put into this project made it one of the best primary performances we have seen.”
Julie Cuthbert – Trustee, Learning and Participation, Roman River Festival, Essex
“Gwyneth Herbert has an incredible ability to connect with people – as a person and through her music. We commissioned Gwyn to write a finale piece for our annual schools’ festival – ‘A Celebration of Schools’ Music 2017′. We needed something that reflected the celebratory feel of the event, that could capture the interest of 1,500 children and young people over a week, that could be performed by 5 year olds and 18 year olds, by musicians and non-musicians … and that could be rehearsed and put together in an hour. Gwyn achieved this, and night after night found an energy that inspired everyone at Snape Maltings Concert Hall. You couldn’t wish for someone wth more commitment and passion.”
Phillipa Reive – Head of Learning and Inclusion, Snape Maltings, Suffolk