The British Paraorchestra calls itself the world’s only large-scale ensemble for professional musicians with disabilities. By creating a visible platform for talented musicians with disabilities, the Paraorchestra aims to reinvent the orchestra for the 21^st century. Jonathan Harper, CEO and Executive Producer at the Paraorchestra, shared some insight into the organization’s goals, creative process, and future plans.

VSA & Accessibility: Tell us about the Paraorchestra.

Jonathan Harper: Our vision is that all music-making at the highest level should be representative of society—without the need for tokenism—and that there is absolutely no reason that professional disabled musicians and non-disabled musicians cannot work together. Each project and tour we do demonstrates this in action. To be clear, we prioritize inclusion in our thinking and in the make-up of each Paraorchestra project. This is all about positive action for performers with disabilities.

 
VSA & Accessibility: What were the highlights of 2019 for the Paraorchestra?

Jonathan Harper: 2019 has been a momentous year and it really feels to me that the Paraorchestra has broken through on many fronts. Our signature show, The Nature of Why, which immerses audiences into the heart of a performance of music and dance, has travelled to Australia for a presentation at Perth Festival, and has been on two UK tours. We showcased our work at two major UK music festivals, Glastonbury and Womad, in front of over 10,000 people in total. And we premiered a new show, Minimalism Changed My Life, in the autumn that enthralled audiences with a heavy-duty repertoire of minimalist music. It has been non-stop but each step we’ve taken this year has gone some way to disproving the negative bias that exists against disabled musicians in orchestral music.

VSA & Accessibility: What do you have planned for 2020?

Jonathan Harper: We’ve started making a new show, Beethoven-Rendering, that will premiere in Autumn 2020 and tour afterwards for the following two years. More ambitious than anything we’ve made previously, this large-scale orchestral work for 50 disabled and non-disabled musicians sits at the interface between orchestral and operatic performance, a theater show and an immersive experience. Beethoven-Rendering will be an intense and enthralling experience for audiences, with the orchestra performing from memory and choreographed in shifting formations around them reflecting the evolving musical score.

If that wasn’t enough, we’ve got some international trips to Hong Kong and Moscow in the spring as well. Our ethos demonstrating progress for disabled musicians means it is vital we travel to new countries and inspire change.

VSA & Accessibility: The Paraorchestra has worked with a variety of artistic partners on a wide range of works. How do you select repertoire and collaborators for the Paraorchestra?

Jonathan Harper: Well, that is absolutely down to the brilliance of Charles Hazlewood, our Artistic Director and conductor, and Lloyd Coleman, our Associate Music Director. They always kickstart the process with an idea, perhaps something relating to a theme or to a new way of interacting with an audience, and then seek out exceptional collaborators that could be part of the project. We work cross art form as well, and it’s always thrilling for me to see the way that a choreographer might respond to a composer in the development process. I guess our way of working is more akin to the theater model, with a lengthy research and development process to tease out the soul of the piece, and build great partnerships. Oh, and the brilliant producing team I work with ensure that people are well fed and looked after during the development phases or rehearsals. A happy company of performers makes for excellent morale!

VSA & Accessibility: Do you have any advice for emerging musicians with disabilities?

Jonathan Harper: I recognize that the industry is changing much slower than it should in terms of allowing musicians with disabilities to be part of the mix, or to set their own agenda. With a new decade starting this really isn’t good enough! My advice for emerging musicians with disabilities is to use your voice, and to not take ‘no’ for an answer. I know its not easy, and it can be demoralizing, but there are good people out there who want change to happen. And my advice for any venue or ensemble is to start listening to these voices or you will be out-of-date and unnecessary pretty soon.

Learn more about the British Paraorchestra at http://paraorchestra.com/, or follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @Paraorchestra.