Giving Voice returned for a second time to Wroclaw, Poland for a special edition of the Festival as part of the city’s celebratory events during its year as European Capital of Culture 2016.
Giving Voice formed a distinct part of the project VoicEncounters, organized by our friends at the Grotowski Institute, that ran in its entirety from 14 – 24 April and was, in the spirit of Giving Voice, a practical and intellectual enquiry celebrating and exploring the voice in performance. The programme offered training, an exchange of knowledge in intensive gatherings and the chance to experience a wealth of resonant performances by artists from around the globe.
The Giving Voice programme, curated by CPR, ran from Mon 18 – Thurs 21 April (with the exception of a workshop by Kristin Linkater that ran from Fri 15 – Sun 17 April).
The four days of Giving Voice offered workshops, performances, talks, demonstrations, master classes and discussions led by an international faculty of expert guest practitioners and scholars with a focus on:
– new influences on voice training for actors and singers, including the impact of neuroscientific and cognitive research on voice and acting
– innovative and emerging voice training and practice to encourage and develop the new generation
– traditional vocal forms and skills as sources of experiment, transformation and inspiration for the performer
– the empowerment of voicing: exploring social and political resonance, identity and ensemble.
Giving Voice performances ranged from Korean P’ansori, the ancient, epic narrative form with its extraordinary use of vocal dynamics and timbre to the extremes of experimental and extended voice used within exciting, contemporary performance.
Voice Encounters detailed programme
The other two parts of the VoicEncounters programme comprised:
Thurs 14 – Sun 17 April the Grotowski Institute presents a programme focussed on the presentation of men’s confraternities from the Mediterranean;
Fri 22 – Sun 24 April the Grotowski Institute presented My Voice is my Country, foregrounding women’s traditions from Iran, Palestine and Turkey.