Tickets for the concert are now sold out. To join the waiting list email swright@fairpley.com .
28 August 2011 For immediate Release
The forthcoming concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders’ Work-In is to be marked by a new piece of music composed by prominent Scottish musician and composer, Eddie McGuire. Specially commissioned for the event ‘Work-in at UCS - a celebration suite’ will create a stirring musical gathering to open the concert due to take place on the 1 October in Glasgow’s Mitchell Theatre. Performances are also planned for other cities in the coming months.
McGuire, flute player with participating traditional band, The Whistlebinkies, has composed for orchestras, dance and theatre over the past 40 years - often influenced by folk as well as classical styles.
He says of the new piece:
"The spirit of resistance and dignity demonstrated by the workers in the yards inspired me at the time to compose a piece for saxophones which I handed to Jimmy Reid in December 1971. I am really honoured, 40 years on, to be asked by those veterans of the struggle to compose for them once more. I am inspired again - this time to rekindle that spirit so needed again today.
“The musical ingredients are no accident - of course a quartet of saxophones must be there again (Sax Ecosse revived my 1971 piece for the first time in over 35 years). And I met The Whistlebinkies in 1972 in the aftermath of UCS. Their founder Mick Broderick worked in the yards. Brass has long been associated with trades unionism so I chose the leading young players, Alba Brass, to join in the performance.
“To open the piece - as the musicians gradually gather, playing as they walk - we have solo cellist Maya Burman-Roy, who, by amazing co-incidence is the cello teacher of Jimmy Reid's grand-daughter."
Guest of Honour at the concert will be Tony Benn, the former Labour Minister who set up the UCS consortium, and became a prominent supporter of the Work-In. Other artistes playing include Pat Kane; Jimmie McGregor; Dave Anderson; Arthur Johnstone; Rab Noakes; Fraser Speirs; Kevin McDermott; Simone Welsh; There will also be a number of yet-to-be-announced special guests.
The Work-In took place in 1971 when the then Tory government removed funding from the UCS yards and planned to close and sell them off. This provoked the Stewards Co-ordinating Committee to declare a ‘work-in’ which attracted huge support from Scotland, the rest of the UK, and around the world.
ENDS
For more information on the musicians, see their websites on:
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