A concert of World and Folk music, fused with Classical, African, Celtic and Indian influences, by Eliza Marshall, Catrin Finch, Jackie Shave and Dónal Rogers.
The Freedom to Roam project includes a genre-defying album The Rhythms of Migration, and a documentary by multi-award-winning director of ‘A Greenlander’ and ‘You Are Here’, Nicholas Jones.
The resulting beautifully-crafted music and film explores climate change, environmental destruction, rewilding and human migration, while inspiring hope and a positive way to cherish our beautiful planet Earth.
Folk Radio described The Rhythms of Migration as an outstanding album: “If academics, or others, wished to exemplify the power and ability of music to touch and affect the range of human emotions, then they need look no further than this release.”
Flautist Eliza Marshall is an acclaimed and in-demand musician who has worked with Peter Gabriel, Sir Paul McCartney, The Divine Comedy. No stranger to The Apex, harpist Catrin Finch has topped the UK Classical charts and was also nominated for a Classical Brit Award. She is known for her imaginative cross-cultural collaborations. Guitarist Dónal Rogers’ love of folk music and traditional Irish folk songs can often be found woven into his compositions. Violinist Jackie Shave has been a guest leader with many of the UKs leading orchestras and was appointed leader of Britten Sinfonia in 2005.
Eliza Marshall first conceived of this humanitarian and environmental project during a visit to the Inner Hebrides in 2018. She explained “This album approaches the interconnected challenges of climate change, environmental destruction and human displacement within the context of our needs for freedom, empathy and hopefulness.”
Catrin Finch said, “When Eliza approached me, I immediately jumped at the chance. We could turn to nature, think about how to care more fully for the planet. I was inspired by the themes of openness and freedom at the heart of this project and to work with these wonderful musicians.”
Jackie Shave added, “I was driven to write these tracks because of the ever-increasing plight of displaced people, refugees, and asylum seekers. After being forced to leave their homelands in extreme and horrendous situations, … we must ask ‘what would we wish for ourselves, our friends, and our children in their situation?’.
The accompanying documentary focuses on how nature and humanity are deeply interconnected and weaves them together with music from The Rhythms of Migration album.
Championed by Virginia Mckenna, the project was inspired by a desire for universal compassion and respect for nature.
