Animate Artists
A selection of images from past Animate Artists projects
Animate Artists courses bring together experienced young musicians in exciting collaborations with other artists and art forms.
Taking place on a project-by-project basis at weekends and during school holidays, these courses normally last for a minimum of 4 days.
Apply nowAnimate Artists have collaborated with Trinity Laban’s Youth Dance Company, Emergency Exit Arts and Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre, amongst others, and performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre and Cadogan Hall.
Who can become an Animate Artist?
- Anyone who plays any instrument, including music technology
- Priority will be given to more experienced young musicians aged 13 – 18, who are Grade 3 standard upwards (or equivalent)
- Young people from Lewisham, Lambeth, Greenwich and Southwark who have taken part in past Animate projects are particularly encouraged to take part!
What will you do on a typical Animate Artists project?
- Work closely with a team of typically 20 – 25 other Animate Artist musicians and other young artists to create a brand new piece of performance art
- Be supported by an artistic team of professional musicians and other collaborators
- Take part in a series of creative sessions to shape your ideas and get more comfortable playing together with the other musicians and young artists
- Be part of a high-profile and public performance at the end of the process
Watch a short video of our most recent Animate Artists project:
Animate Artists: Ideal Palace
in collaboration with Emergency Exit Arts
Past Highlights
Animate Artists June 2020
As a result of the pandemic, Animate Artists moved online for the first time in June 2020. Under the guidance of an expert tutor team, led by Sarah Freestone, a group of young musicians worked remotely to collaborate and create a brand new piece of music. They performed and recorded each musical part at home, and submitted this alongside video footage that reflected their experience of making music in this unique way.
The music they created was inspired by the classical composer Joseph de Bologne, the nine sabre parry positions of fencing, Snarky Puppy and Stockhausen’s Helicopter String Quartet.
Read Sarah Freestone’s reflections on the project.
Watch For All The Neighsayers
Animate Artists Summer 2021
In summer 2021, a group of young musicians came together at Trinity Laban to create and then record their own music. In this latest Animate Artists project, Trinity Laban collaborated with the pioneering outdoor performance company Emergency Exit Arts to help create some of the soundtrack for ‘Ideal Palace’ – a new interactive audio-theatre experience which then toured to public spaces in Greenwich.
Guided by a team of inspiring tutors and Trinity Laban students led by Sarah Freestone, Animate Artists developed their own ideas over the course of five sessions, culminating in a recording session at Blackheath Halls.
Listen to an excerpt from the soundtrack recorded by Animate Artists for Ideal Palace on Soundcloud:
Other Highlights
In 2019, Animate Artists joined forces with dancers from Trinity Laban’s Youth Dance Company to create a spectacular joint performance of new music and dance. The performance was the featured headline act at the Live at Trinity Laban show on Tuesday 26 March and was rapturously well received by a sell-out audience.
In 2018, Animate Artists collaborated with young theatre-makers from Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre (GLYPT) on a 6 week project. They devised a new piece from scratch – called Story #1 – which was performed at Tate Exchange, inspired by a John Akomfrah video installation in the gallery, exploring issues of identity.
Animate Artists Present:
For All The Neighsayers