Ian McMillan Tells The Stories Of A Score Of Northerners

Guy Fawkes has a plan, “dark as a flat cap,” Emily Bronte wakes to write at the “Wuthering Hour,” JB Priestley has “a voice like parkin” and the ghost of Betty Boothroyd “calls this shaken land to order” as the James Bond composer John Barry, is “licensed to drill deep into music’s fathomless mine.”

Poet Ian McMillan, known as the Bard of Barnsley, has written 20 poems celebrating 20 influential northerners, which will be set to orchestral music.

Commissioned by Skipton Camerata, A Northern Score blends narration and an original composition to celebrate the remarkable Yorkshire-born individuals, spanning the Middle Ages to the present day, including Guy Fawkes, Emily Brontë and Fred Trueman.

A Northern Score premieres at Skipton Town Hall on Friday 22 November to mark the 20th anniversary of Skipton Camerata.

A renowned broadcaster, Ian McMillan is known for his distinctive voice and engaging storytelling, and will narrate the landmark event. The soundtrack is composed by the one of Yorkshire’s leading composers, Ben Crick, who also founded, and conducts Skipton Camerata.

It's a wonderful project. I think of the finished article as 20 steps across the Yorkshire landscape, each step singing with the power of possibility and the joy of creativity. I'm proud of the words I've written for the pieces.

Ian recalls as a boy listening to Are You Lonesome Tonight by Elvis Presley and in particular the spoken section in the middle: "Ever since I first heard those words, I’ve been in love with the idea of words spoken over music and the special power that that combination has."

Ian's previous collaborations with Ben include the Baht ’At Variations recorded with Skipton Camerata during lockdown and a Yorkshire-dialect translation of Rossini's The Barber of Seville at last year's Bradford Opera Festival.

Ben Crick is a former BBC Music Fellow and has conducted soloists such as Lesley Garrett, Sir Willard White, and Dame Emma Kirkby. He’s worked throughout the UK, and internationally, but is committed to developing classical music in Yorkshire.

Like Ian's poetry, Ben's music is steeped in the sights and sounds of his native Yorkshire.

The story of a place is ultimately the stories of its people, and this piece tells the story of Yorkshire through twenty amazingly varied men and women. The thing that has always excited me about being a musician is telling stories, which is why I love working with Ian. And it's also a great way to celebrate 20 years of Skipton Camerata. It feels a really special thing to be part of.

As founder and artistic director of Skipton Camerata, I look back on its 20-year history with immense pride. It was twenty years ago, sitting in The Narrow Boat pub in Skipton, when I came up with the idea of starting a professional orchestra that would make national-level music in the town. Who would have thought then that we would have reached this point? Its home to fantastic music making, has delivered hundreds of concerts, and collaborated with international soloists. We’ve done remarkable education work with thousands of young people, and some really interesting and original projects.

Founded in 2004, Skipton Camerata has worked with solo artists, school, universities, and festivals.

The event includes a pre-show discussion with Ben and Ian chaired by Linton Stephens.

Tickets for A Northern Score, Friday 22 November, are now available at skiptoncamerata.com or at the Skipton Town Hall box office.