Displaced Voices Poets Win 2020 Oxfordshire Youth Arts Superstars Award
In January 2019, as part of the Displaced Voices project, four courageous young people from the Oxford Spires Academy, Halema Malak, Timi Amusan, Merzia Qahramany and Ftoun Abou Kerech, mesmerised audiences in Dorchester, Oxford and London with their original poetry backed by bespoke live orchestral soundtracks. Combined with evocative music, co-written with composer and researcher at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Dr Toby Young, their poems powerfully conveyed their experiences as forced migrant youths living in the UK. From stories of loss and suffering to narratives of hope and witty observations of British culture, their performances made a significant impact on audiences who came away with a much deeper understanding of the experiences of young refugees. You can watch/listen to their moving performances here.
In November 2020, these young poets were recognised for the quality and importance of their work by their peers, receiving the Oxfordshire Youth Arts Superstars Award and in 2019, Timi was made Oxford City Poet for 2019-2020 recording his poem Redemption, an ode to Oxford, for BBC Radio and Channel 4.
The Displaced Voices project was collaboratively led by University of Oxford postdoctoral researcher and Associate Conductor of the Orchestra of St John’s, Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey and Dr Toby Young. The project built on the exceptional poetry programme at the Oxford Spires Academy developed by author Kate Clanchy and explored the power of combining spoken poetry and orchestral music.
Both Timi and Merzia have gone on to university, while Ftoun and Halema have become student leaders of OSJ’s subsequent project at the Oxford Spires Academy, Journey: Bridging Cultures Through Music, inspired by the success of Displaced Voices and led by Cayenna and Toby. Journey brings together young asylum seekers who are part of the Spires Academy STEP programme (Steps Toward English Proficiency), their year-12 peers and young interpreters, University of Oxford Music undergraduate students and graduate researchers, professional orchestral musicians, composer and videographer, to create an electro-orchestral and video composition celebrating the diverse heritages, perspectives and experiences of the STEP students.
The workshops began in February 2020 but were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. In November and December, we were able to re-start the project using video conferencing software and a good deal of creative thinking! The current restrictions mean that the final workshops will need to take place in the late spring/early summer, but we’re optimistic that the new composition will be completed and premiered in late June or early July by OSJ at SJE Arts as part of a concert celebrating Music and the Moving Image.
Displaced Voices was produced in collaboration with the Oxford Spires Academy, Somerville College, Oxford Poetry Library, Open House Oxford and Play for Progress and funded by Arts Council England, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, the University of Oxford’s Community Grants Fund, the Derrill Allatt Foundation, Doris Field Charitable Trust, Sir Christopher and Landy Wendy Ball, and Robin and Jeanne Stainer. Journey: Bridging Cultures Through Music is produced in collaboration with the Oxford Spires Academy, University of Oxford Faculty of Music and The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities and is funded by Arts Council England and The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities.
Please visit the Oxford Schools Intercultural Music Exchange project page.
Primary Investigator: Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey
