The BEE degrees!
An unusual concert at Coventry Cathedral will be accompanied by...
A CHOIR of 50,000 bees will be among performers at an unusual concert to be held at Coventry Cathedral.
Organisers say they will be creating a buzz by live streaming the noise of the bees from a hive in the cathedral grounds.
Performing with the bees will be artist Wolfgang Buttress and music ensemble BE.
There will also be a community choir from the Coventry City Council run collective// pod, a group of artists who have or have had mental illnesses.
The programme will include tracks from BE’s album ONE.
Accelerometers, devices which are sensitive to tiny vibrations, will be used to livestream the sounds from the bee hive into the cathedral during the performance.
Footage from the hive will appear on a screen.
Scented candles will be burned to create a multi-sensory performance.
At the end of the concert the musicians will pack up and go home but the bees will stay in their hive to play a vital role in pollinating plants in the city centre.
The concert, to take place in October, will celebrate World Mental Health Day, as well as being part of Coventry’s bid for the title of UK City of Culture 2021. Wolfgang said: “Coventry Cathedral is an amazing space with an incredible history, so it is an honour to be performing there. “It will be a very moving and powerful performance, and using bees based in the grounds will give the audience a real sense that what is happening is live. “We weren’t scheduled to perform this year. However when we were approached to be part of a concert celebrating World Mental Health Day it really resonated with us and it’s wonderful that we are able to contribute.”
The Very Rev John Witcombe, dean of Coventry Cathedral, added: “We look forward to welcoming BE and the choir for what will be a truly unique performance to celebrate World Mental Health Day.
“A performance featuring bees has never been staged at the Cathedral before, and demonstrates the diversity of the events that we hold.
“It’s also nice to have another 50,000 parishioners in the grounds, which will remain here permanently following the concert.”
The concert takes place on Saturday, October 7, at 7.30pm.
World Mental Health Day is on Tuesday, October 10.
Tickets for the concert cost between £25 and £35 and are available at www.gigantic.com
Coventry Cathedral is an amazing space with an incredible history, so it is an honour to be performing there. Wolfgang Buttress