A TWENTY piece orchestra will tour libraries in UK and Ireland this summer as part of a campaign to make it possible to borrow musical instruments from libraries.
The critically acclaimed Tinderbox Orchestra will play Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh this summer in performances which will see rappers and singers performing alongside heavy brass, strings, woodwind and a thundering backline.
The Scottish based collective, which grew from a local music project started in the Muirhouse area Edinburgh, has helped bring musical instrument libraries to ten local authorities and is campaigning to spread the idea further.
The idea works by encouraging people to donate second hand instruments to their local library – where they can then be borrowed, free of charge, by aspiring musicians.
Internationally acclaimed musician and Director of the Music Education Partnership Group, John Wallace said: “With such an incredible demand out there for musical instruments from people of all ages and abilities who want to learn, recycling musical instruments for future generations to enjoy is a zero-carbon idea whose time has come!”
The Tinderbox Orchestra will be in Glasgow on June 21, Manchester on July 4, Leeds on July 6 and at the Edinburgh Central Library at various dates during the Edinburgh Fringe.
A new crowdfunding campaign will accompany the tour with a call-out for second-hand instruments to help kickstart instrument libraries wherever they go. They plan to release a Live in Libraries album as part of the campaign, featuring performances and collaborations from different shows on the tour.
Tinderbox Orchestra will be touring to the south of England and Ireland later in the year and would love to hear from libraries and cultural organisations interested in joining the campaign.
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