The I Speak Music Community Orchestra
The I Speak Music Community Orchestra is designed to celebrate the diversity of Surrey’s communities and is led by some of the UKs most experienced music facilitators. Through a series of fun and creative music workshops participants will be able to make new music, try instruments from around the world, perform and make new friendships.
The project welcomes people of any age (over 12years) and background, but is particularly interested in hearing from refugees, unaccompanied minors, BAME communities and those who sing or play non-western musical instruments. Professional musicians are welcome to join the group as are those with no previous musical experience. To book your place please email mona4youthmusic@gmail.com
We are delighted to announce that we now have funding from Arts Council England to continue and develop the Orchestra.
Meet the Orchestra music leaders
Raghad Haddad, Co-Musical Director
Raghad is a viola player from Yabroud, a small town in the mountains north of Damascus. After graduating from the conservatoire in Damascus, she began teaching, performing with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra and the National Orchestra for Arabic Music. Since being granted asylum in the UK in 2017 she has performed at numerous charity events in London and Brighton and recently performed with Damon Albarn, The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians. She also joined a group of Syrian professional musicians called The London Syrian Ensemble and they perform traditional and classical oriental music around the UK connects her to her homeland. Raghad now working hard to secure a living performing, teaching whenever opportunities arise.
James Redwood, Co-Musical Director
James is a composer and music leader with 20 years’ experience of making music with groups of non-professional and professional musicians. The wider the range of musical personalities in the room, the happier he is.
Sara Khoroosi, Music Facilitator
Sara is a Violinist Dancer and Alexander Technique Teacher specialising in working with Performers of any ability, facilitating the ease freedom and joy that can be experienced through the Performing Arts at any level. She has experience of working with unaccompanied asylum seekers and playing & touring with Manouchska & Dunia Flamenco; Danced/Choreographed with Mambo Central; and taught Alexander Technique at the Actors Centre and London Music & Dance Conservatoires.
Instruments: Violin, vocals, keys, percussion
Additional skills: Farsi and Spanish speaker
KMT Freedom Teacher, Music Facilitator
KMT is an exemplar for social change. DJ/M.C and Trainer (Workshops, Project Manager and Lecturer), since 1999 he has used the arts, in particular Hip-Hop, for social awareness and cohesion http://www.3kmt.co.uk.
KMT entertains and educates, guides people with infectious energy, knowledge and skills to change and empower their lives. He is also the co-founder of May Project Gardens; a community based food-growing project set within the grounds of his home. The grassroots project illustrates his passion for pro-active social change and love for the environment http://www.mayproject.org
Instruments: Voice, DJ, Body, Mind
Additional skills: I pride myself on being to identify people’s skills and talents and developing to their full potential.
Craig Warnock, Music Facilitator
Craig has been leading group workshops and individual sessions with a variety of young people for several years, teaching multi-instrumental skills, composition and songwriting, recording and production techniques.
He has worked extensively with young people who are living in challenging circumstances and with a range of learning and physical disabilities needs. Craig has been a professional multi-instrumental musician for twenty years involved in recording /touring with many great acts.
Instruments: Keys, Bass, Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Flute, Inclusive Music Tech esp iPad music apps.
Jim Pinchen, Project Manager/ Music Facilitator
Jim is a composer, facilitator, speaker and project manager with a proven track record of delivering local, national and international programmes for children and young people. He is the Inclusion Manager at Surrey Arts/Surrey Music Education Hub and a trainer for Musicians Without Borders
Instruments: Guitar, bass, piano, music production and inclusive music technologies (also very basic cello and trumpet!)
The Orchestra’s history
This Orchestra performed for the first time in June at the Refugee Week event in Woking, was then invited to perform at a Police organised memorial event and most recently in September 2019, invited to take part in a TEDx Conference in Farnham on the themes of building empathy and resilience. Surrey Music Hub’s vision is for this model to grow and be replicated up and down the country.
- Click here to read Jim Pinchen on ‘Building empathy between refugees and host communities’ – Youth Music Network
- Click here to read about and listen to the ISMCO festive single.
Get involved
To find out more about the project and how to get involved email Project outreach officer, Mona Saad at mona4youthmusic@gmail.com