Dear Richard and Judie
I hope this doesn’t come too late but I wanted to write as by way of giving support for your work.
I first came across CPR with the publication of the excellent and constant source of reference, the Anthropology of Performance Art. Subsequently I attended ISTA in Copenhagen and partook in some Giving Voice events. Although I haven’t been in contact for a while, I always consider finding out about your work, ISTA’s work, as a milestone in my career and work as an artist, a visual artist.
I do hope you will receive the support you need as I believe you are engaged in the valuable and necessary work of taking art across boundaries – and I hope it will be appreciated and valued as such.
All best wishes
Caroline Waterlow
Friday 9 May 2008
Thursday 8 May 2008
Christian Wolz, Vocal Artist, Germany
Giving Voice - an international Festival:
Artists, Scientists, Professionals, Students, Technical Engineers and Voice Enthusiasts from around the world and from different cultures meet each other in Aberystwyth to give each other new stimuli and to exchange new life experiences. New meetings take place and some meet once again. It is like a family meeting and the family is constantly growing. Never before have I experienced a Festival like Giving Voice. Everyone is a part of this vocal society, at least for the week. People are not nervous of each other and it is easy to mingle with others, whether this is after a performance, during a lunch break or in a workshop. Everyone takes the opportunity to be a part of this big event.
The Voice is the most direct tool that can be used to represent the mental and physical human state. Singing is the most natural art of expression of a human being. The work with and the development of the voice is the basic requirement for all forms of performing arts - singing, theatre, performance arts and even dance. Any new arts development is an interdisciplinary collaboration between these arts forms. The human voice has so many facets. Only through the exchange of the different methods of using the voice is it possible to develop it as a tool, to go much further and to develop new forms of its expression.
The influence of different cultures such as Inuit singing, classic singing, Belcanto singing, oriental singing, Gaelic singing and avant-garde singing flowed through the Festival and were offered to festival participants and local public in the form of presentations, talks and workshops. The artists and scientists also exchanged views and got together to make new plans for development and co-operation, which will in turn be distributed around the world. And in this way art is constantly expanding. The Festival offers a special opportunity to get together. It is important to save such an event because this Festival continues to grow and develop further from year to year. It grows, the voice community grows and through it a pool of so much information about the voice is collected. In addition, so many creative processes take place there which lead to an excellent understanding between cultures.
I was a part of this festival as an artist and as a teacher and enjoyed my time there immensely, although I wished I could have had more time for myself to be able to process all the new information that I was given during the day. I met people during the Giving Voice Festival who I would have otherwise never met in such intimate circumstances. Something has happened to me since then - I have had contact with new experiences and thoughts, which have caused very deep reflection. It was a special meeting and I wish to meet this vocal family in Wales again in the future.
I will live on the food of Giving Voice 2008 for a long time. In the future, I will be working together with other participants of the Festival and I hope to come once more to Wales, Aberystwyth to find some more impulses and friends of the arts.
Christian Wolz, vocal artist and composer, teacher, Berlin - Germany
Artists, Scientists, Professionals, Students, Technical Engineers and Voice Enthusiasts from around the world and from different cultures meet each other in Aberystwyth to give each other new stimuli and to exchange new life experiences. New meetings take place and some meet once again. It is like a family meeting and the family is constantly growing. Never before have I experienced a Festival like Giving Voice. Everyone is a part of this vocal society, at least for the week. People are not nervous of each other and it is easy to mingle with others, whether this is after a performance, during a lunch break or in a workshop. Everyone takes the opportunity to be a part of this big event.
The Voice is the most direct tool that can be used to represent the mental and physical human state. Singing is the most natural art of expression of a human being. The work with and the development of the voice is the basic requirement for all forms of performing arts - singing, theatre, performance arts and even dance. Any new arts development is an interdisciplinary collaboration between these arts forms. The human voice has so many facets. Only through the exchange of the different methods of using the voice is it possible to develop it as a tool, to go much further and to develop new forms of its expression.
The influence of different cultures such as Inuit singing, classic singing, Belcanto singing, oriental singing, Gaelic singing and avant-garde singing flowed through the Festival and were offered to festival participants and local public in the form of presentations, talks and workshops. The artists and scientists also exchanged views and got together to make new plans for development and co-operation, which will in turn be distributed around the world. And in this way art is constantly expanding. The Festival offers a special opportunity to get together. It is important to save such an event because this Festival continues to grow and develop further from year to year. It grows, the voice community grows and through it a pool of so much information about the voice is collected. In addition, so many creative processes take place there which lead to an excellent understanding between cultures.
I was a part of this festival as an artist and as a teacher and enjoyed my time there immensely, although I wished I could have had more time for myself to be able to process all the new information that I was given during the day. I met people during the Giving Voice Festival who I would have otherwise never met in such intimate circumstances. Something has happened to me since then - I have had contact with new experiences and thoughts, which have caused very deep reflection. It was a special meeting and I wish to meet this vocal family in Wales again in the future.
I will live on the food of Giving Voice 2008 for a long time. In the future, I will be working together with other participants of the Festival and I hope to come once more to Wales, Aberystwyth to find some more impulses and friends of the arts.
Christian Wolz, vocal artist and composer, teacher, Berlin - Germany
Martin Orbach, Founder and Director, Abergavenny Food Festival
Dear Richard
Alicia Rios has drawn my attention to the difficulties you are facing and I am writing to add my voice to the many others who are calling for the Arts Council of Wales to urgently rethink their decision to remove CPR's revenue funding.
As founder and Programme Director of the Abergavenny Food Festival, I am well aware of the precariousness of existence for independent not-for-profit organisations. I am also aware of the sustained commitment, dedication and clarity of purpose that is necessary to achieve the kind of reputation that you have achieved at CPR.
With small amounts of public funding you have been able to create something of truly international significance. Although the amounts are small they are nonetheless absolutely essential. They show that your work is appreciated and valued. But more than that, they offer the minimum amount of financial security that you need if you are to sustain work of this calibre over time.
Providing funding project by project is not the answer. It's a double whammy. While sapping your morale by removing the limited security you have, it also asks you to divert a greater amount of your limited resources to meeting funders' agendas. This is not the way to treat an organisation that has consistently delivered exceptional value for public money year-on-year for 20 years. Nor is it the way to nurture one of Wales’ all-too-few genuinely innovative and internationally-celebrated cultural institutions.
The ACW must find another way.
Yours sincerely
Martin Orbach
Director of Programming / Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglennu
Alicia Rios has drawn my attention to the difficulties you are facing and I am writing to add my voice to the many others who are calling for the Arts Council of Wales to urgently rethink their decision to remove CPR's revenue funding.
As founder and Programme Director of the Abergavenny Food Festival, I am well aware of the precariousness of existence for independent not-for-profit organisations. I am also aware of the sustained commitment, dedication and clarity of purpose that is necessary to achieve the kind of reputation that you have achieved at CPR.
With small amounts of public funding you have been able to create something of truly international significance. Although the amounts are small they are nonetheless absolutely essential. They show that your work is appreciated and valued. But more than that, they offer the minimum amount of financial security that you need if you are to sustain work of this calibre over time.
Providing funding project by project is not the answer. It's a double whammy. While sapping your morale by removing the limited security you have, it also asks you to divert a greater amount of your limited resources to meeting funders' agendas. This is not the way to treat an organisation that has consistently delivered exceptional value for public money year-on-year for 20 years. Nor is it the way to nurture one of Wales’ all-too-few genuinely innovative and internationally-celebrated cultural institutions.
The ACW must find another way.
Yours sincerely
Martin Orbach
Director of Programming / Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglennu
Ilan Abrahams, Artist, Australia
hello
my name is Ilan Abrahams. Sending you support and energy in what sounds like a difficult time with your funding cuts.Your centre sounds great, hope it can continue.
kind regards
Ilan Abrahams
Sense of Place Projects
my name is Ilan Abrahams. Sending you support and energy in what sounds like a difficult time with your funding cuts.Your centre sounds great, hope it can continue.
kind regards
Ilan Abrahams
Sense of Place Projects
Gerald Tyler, Artist, Wales
Dear Reader,
I understand and accept that things cannot stay the same forever. I also know that money doesn’t grow on trees and that the already limited resources that ACW manage on behalf of the Assembly, are dwindling as I write this letter. And of course I agree that there are a swathe of exciting, unique and new projects and companies, which warrant having these same shrinking funds invested in them. And to be fair, I don’t think there is a practising artist in this country’s creative community who doesn’t know all of these things.
So please accept that when a large number of us unite to ask you to think again before withdrawing core funding from what could easily be thought of as one of our competitors for scarce financial succour, we are doing it because we honestly think you are making a mistake.
I have no pretence of knowing how the Centre for Performance Research, rates as a financial success. I don’t know even if they manage the funding they have received up to this date efficiently. I can only imagine that their “value for money” must figure greatly in your decision to stem the fiscal flow to them, since even their most fierce critic can plainly see their continual and generous artistic value to ALL of those within the creative community of Wales.
There is no point in my extolling the virtues and achievements of CPR in this letter because they are obvious. What you might not be aware of though, is the huge number of people, organisations and companies throughout Europe and the world at large, who find the resources, networks and support systems established by CPR, invaluable. You might be surprised also to find out just how many of the active and respected artists working in Wales today, owe at least some part of their success or inspiration to being involved at some stage with CPR or one of their many projects.
I don’t claim to have a unique knowledge of how and why artists come together to make new works or find inspiration but I do have a reasonably broad one. In my experience, the “surgery or master-class” type gatherings, painstakingly engineered by CPR, yield a disproportionately high rate of successful new collaborations and exchanges of ideas. These events are ego-less and generous and regardless of scale; consistently attract artists, teachers and enthusiasts who DO NOT meet elsewhere.
But you know all of this. Anyone who has been paying attention over the last quarter century does.
So again I suggest that with their artistic value undeniable, it must be a financial “failure” which you feel demands this withdraw of support. If this is the case and you feel that CPR are just not doing enough with the money; help them out. Appoint them a consultant or a small team of experts to advise and help “tune” their practice. Present them with successful models to aspire to.
I know that there is more to ACW than “giving out money”. I know that within the organisation there are a wealth of experienced and capable individuals and whole teams, with skills and specialist knowledge which could help “rescue” CPR if that is what you feel they need.
Please, I urge you to at least try to help before you pull out.
Thank you for reading this.
Yours sincerely
Gerald M Tyler.
I understand and accept that things cannot stay the same forever. I also know that money doesn’t grow on trees and that the already limited resources that ACW manage on behalf of the Assembly, are dwindling as I write this letter. And of course I agree that there are a swathe of exciting, unique and new projects and companies, which warrant having these same shrinking funds invested in them. And to be fair, I don’t think there is a practising artist in this country’s creative community who doesn’t know all of these things.
So please accept that when a large number of us unite to ask you to think again before withdrawing core funding from what could easily be thought of as one of our competitors for scarce financial succour, we are doing it because we honestly think you are making a mistake.
I have no pretence of knowing how the Centre for Performance Research, rates as a financial success. I don’t know even if they manage the funding they have received up to this date efficiently. I can only imagine that their “value for money” must figure greatly in your decision to stem the fiscal flow to them, since even their most fierce critic can plainly see their continual and generous artistic value to ALL of those within the creative community of Wales.
There is no point in my extolling the virtues and achievements of CPR in this letter because they are obvious. What you might not be aware of though, is the huge number of people, organisations and companies throughout Europe and the world at large, who find the resources, networks and support systems established by CPR, invaluable. You might be surprised also to find out just how many of the active and respected artists working in Wales today, owe at least some part of their success or inspiration to being involved at some stage with CPR or one of their many projects.
I don’t claim to have a unique knowledge of how and why artists come together to make new works or find inspiration but I do have a reasonably broad one. In my experience, the “surgery or master-class” type gatherings, painstakingly engineered by CPR, yield a disproportionately high rate of successful new collaborations and exchanges of ideas. These events are ego-less and generous and regardless of scale; consistently attract artists, teachers and enthusiasts who DO NOT meet elsewhere.
But you know all of this. Anyone who has been paying attention over the last quarter century does.
So again I suggest that with their artistic value undeniable, it must be a financial “failure” which you feel demands this withdraw of support. If this is the case and you feel that CPR are just not doing enough with the money; help them out. Appoint them a consultant or a small team of experts to advise and help “tune” their practice. Present them with successful models to aspire to.
I know that there is more to ACW than “giving out money”. I know that within the organisation there are a wealth of experienced and capable individuals and whole teams, with skills and specialist knowledge which could help “rescue” CPR if that is what you feel they need.
Please, I urge you to at least try to help before you pull out.
Thank you for reading this.
Yours sincerely
Gerald M Tyler.
Zaka Aman,Choir Leader and Vocal Trainer
Hi Judy, to the Welsh Arts Council:
How often can you say about an event or a time in your life that it has truly changed the path that you were goin?Giving Voice organised by CPR has done that for me. Through attending courses at CPR I became a choir leader. I have been leading a choir in Leeds, and rehearsals, workshops and seminars for choirs around the world since being inspired at CPR. CPR has given me a second career through its courses. One that enabled me to affect lots of people's lives positively, creatively and lovingly. I find it incomprehensible that an extremely creative, profoundly educational, positively life-changing, and nationally and internationally highly acclaimed Welsh organisation could have its funding withdrawn by its own council. Courses at CPR are attended by people from all over Europe, in fact the whole world. For the international art world CPR is one of the institutions that puts Wales on the map! Why would Wales NOT support that? I think it should. It would be worth it. For Wales and its reputation as the home of ground-breaking artistic activity.
Zaka Aman,Choir Leader and Vocal Trainer
How often can you say about an event or a time in your life that it has truly changed the path that you were goin?Giving Voice organised by CPR has done that for me. Through attending courses at CPR I became a choir leader. I have been leading a choir in Leeds, and rehearsals, workshops and seminars for choirs around the world since being inspired at CPR. CPR has given me a second career through its courses. One that enabled me to affect lots of people's lives positively, creatively and lovingly. I find it incomprehensible that an extremely creative, profoundly educational, positively life-changing, and nationally and internationally highly acclaimed Welsh organisation could have its funding withdrawn by its own council. Courses at CPR are attended by people from all over Europe, in fact the whole world. For the international art world CPR is one of the institutions that puts Wales on the map! Why would Wales NOT support that? I think it should. It would be worth it. For Wales and its reputation as the home of ground-breaking artistic activity.
Zaka Aman,Choir Leader and Vocal Trainer
Thursday 17 April 2008
Mark Williams MP
House of Commons
Early Day Motion
WITHDRAWAL OF ARTS COUNCIL WALES FUNDING
03.04.2008
Williams, Mark
That this House notes with concern the decision of Arts Council Wales to withdraw funding to six clients across Wales; further notes that two of these clients, the Centre for Performance Research and Dawns Dyfed are based in Ceredigion; regrets that the decision to reprioritise Lottery funding to the London Olympics has left Arts Council Wales with significant budgetary pressures; pays tribute to the achievement of Dawns Dyfed with children, young people and the disadvantaged across three counties for over 18 years; pays tribute also to the excellent regard in which the Centre for Performance Research is held on a national and international level for being a trailblazer in intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange in theatre and performance; further notes that the achievement of both organisations have been fully recognised by Arts Council Wales; reminds the Welsh Assembly Government of its commitment made in November that there would be no cutbacks to funding to arts bodies outside Cardiff; and urges the Arts Council Wales to work with the Assembly Government Culture Minister and the UK Government to reconsider their decision to withdraw funding, which stands to jeopardise the future of these two very successful organisations.
Early Day Motion
WITHDRAWAL OF ARTS COUNCIL WALES FUNDING
03.04.2008
Williams, Mark
That this House notes with concern the decision of Arts Council Wales to withdraw funding to six clients across Wales; further notes that two of these clients, the Centre for Performance Research and Dawns Dyfed are based in Ceredigion; regrets that the decision to reprioritise Lottery funding to the London Olympics has left Arts Council Wales with significant budgetary pressures; pays tribute to the achievement of Dawns Dyfed with children, young people and the disadvantaged across three counties for over 18 years; pays tribute also to the excellent regard in which the Centre for Performance Research is held on a national and international level for being a trailblazer in intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange in theatre and performance; further notes that the achievement of both organisations have been fully recognised by Arts Council Wales; reminds the Welsh Assembly Government of its commitment made in November that there would be no cutbacks to funding to arts bodies outside Cardiff; and urges the Arts Council Wales to work with the Assembly Government Culture Minister and the UK Government to reconsider their decision to withdraw funding, which stands to jeopardise the future of these two very successful organisations.
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