NEWS | Music House

A Ribbon for Christella

Apr 30, 2024

-Music House Creative Director to feature in artist, Pippa Hale’s public sculpture ‘Ribbons’

We’re overjoyed to learn that our Creative Director, Christella Litras has been announced as one of 400 inspirational women of Leeds who are to be celebrated in a new sculpture ‘Ribbons’.

Comprising of five corten (naturally aged and rusted) steel ribbons, the sculpture will feature Christella’s name alongside 399 other inspirational women of Leeds who’ve made a lasting difference to the cultural, economical and social landscape of our great City.

The accolade presented to Christella is in recognition of her 20+ years and experience as a musical director, Award winning composer, lyricist, vocalist, keyboard player, percussionist, workshop facilitator and musical mentor. Christella has a keen focus and investment in young / up-and-upcoming artists – working with them to develop and elevate their talent and confidence.

Our Creative Director is also leading on Music House’s community based projects for young people and adults. These initiatives centre around enriching the lives of the diverse people who live in our locality; and who are not able to access music and singing because of personal circumstances.

Christella said

“I am very grateful for this amazing award, and to the person(s) who nominated me – because I am not sure who did, so it came as a total surprise.

“I love what I do and I’m so happy to be recognised for my work. If I can help to make a positive difference to the lives of future music makers who I am lucky to work with and nurture, this is the greatest reward I could ask for.

“Seeing the names of the other remarkable women, I’m honestly so proud – it’s means so much to me – my mum is even more delighted than me’’.

Ribbons will be located close to Leeds Playhouse and Quarry Hill. This is another sculpture which aims to address the lack of diversity in public sculptures which are visible in Leeds.

Developed by local MP and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, and led by Leeds Arts University in partnership with Leeds City Council and Leeds City College), the project aims to celebrate women, past and present, who have contributed to the city. Read the full article on Leeds Arts University website

Safer Spaces Exchange – FREE EVENT

Mar 27, 2024

Conversation || Live Music
Let’s disrupt the status quo of gig going culture together

Join Young Women Music Project (YWMP) for an evening of honest, diverse and inclusive conversation.

Hosted by YWMP Director Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, the event will include panel conversation with creative musicians: Karlene Wray; Christella Litras (Music House Creative Director); Mica Sefia and Phenicia Williams (who also teaches singing at Music House).

The night will showcase new, live music making Safer Spaces Exchange an event not-to-be-missed!

Details
Date: Thursday 18 April 2024
Time: 7pm onwards
Who is the event for: All ages welcome
Secure your space here Please note there are 40 spaces available so be quick or you’ll miss out!

More about the Safer Spaces project
YWMP is running a 2-year project funded by Youth Music that will create a policy with procedures on how to make live music venues safer and more accessible for all demographics, particularly marginalised groups.

Following the events, a steering committee will create a Safer Spaces Policy that addresses the safety issues that frequently occur at live music events.

YWMP aim to build a sisterhood of creatives by providing an inclusive, non-judgemental, safe space for musical expression.

Free for all Choirs

Feb 21, 2024

FREE choirs are enticing diverse communities to Music House, as part of a meaningful, inner North-West Leeds project ‘Who’s In The House’ (WITH) which are already attracting a lot of attention as spaces are being snapped up.

WITH has a number of strands which will be shared as they evolve. Primarily aimed at positively addressing inequalities of the people living in surrounding suburbs; where community arts and creatives outlets are scarce. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Leeds City Council, this important project is taking shape and will see many exciting aspects come to life over in the months up to summer.

The FREE choirs underway are: a Community Gospel Choir; a Reggae Choir and a Chinese Choir. Providing cost-free musical experiences which not only support mental health, development and wellbeing but give people the choice to be involved or not. The choirs encapsulate cultural diversity, age and gender whilst fulfilling the pleas of locals. Spaces are filling fast and feedback confirms the singing opportunities are a welcome distraction.

Christella Litras, Creative Director and WITH lead said:
“I am immensely honoured to be leading ‘Who’s In The House’. It’s wonderful to see such a wide mix of people in our space. This week 50 people turned up for the Gospel choir, double the number that came last week. The feedback has been so heart-warming – one woman said it’s a lifeline to her, following a car accident and chronic pain, sining helps her greatly.

“With a cost of living crisis, free activities are even more important; as a music hub, we have a genuine passion to make a small difference.”

WITH is just one of the ambitious meaningful community projects that Music House is going to be delivering over the coming years. The music hub is committed to enriching lives through musical interaction, projects and programmes.

Find out more about Who’s In the House

Who’s In the House: New Vision Chinese Choir

Feb 7, 2024

Ni hao friends,

We’re very excited to create New Vision Chinese Choir as part of our funded project ‘Who’s In the House’.

This choir is FREE* to join – so snap up your space NOW to avoid disappointment.

DETAILS:

Choir Lead: Fiona Chen
When: Every Saturday, term-time only
Where: Music House, St Mark’s House, 1 St Mark’s Avenue, LEEDS LS2 9B
Time: 12:10pm – 1:10pm
Who’s it for? Women and children (minimum age 8 years)
SECURE YOUR SPACE! Email newvisioneducationuk@gmail.com

Those joining this choir can look forward to learning a range of beautiful Mandarin songs which will also help the children with pronunciation, vocabulary and bi-lingual skills.

*This choir is FREE but if you would like to make a voluntary donation you can do so.

Fiona Chen, Soprano and choir lead

Fiona Chen was born in Sabah, Malaysia and graduated from Trinity College of Music in London. She teaches Mandarin and Music at at a primary school in Halifax. She also enjoys her role as a one-to-one singing and piano teacher at the school.

Fiona has performed in Raymond Gubbay’s ‘Opera in the Round’ productions at the Royal Albert Hall and major arenas in various UK cities. She has also sung oratorio solos for a number of church choirs.

In recent years, Fiona sings with Alyssium (a female vocal ensemble which takes a keen interest in promoting contemporary music) as well as singing with Orion Chamber Choir (an SATB choir).

Who’s in the House incudes two other FREE choirs:

This project is supported by:

Who’s In The House: Free Reggae Choir

Feb 1, 2024

Hello Friends,

We’re pleased to create a brand new Reggae Choir as part of our funded project ‘Who’s In the House’.

Places are limited so sign-up as soon as possible for a guaranteed ‘awesome’ music experience.

DETAILS:

Choir Lead: Annette Judah Morris
When: Every Wednesday
Where: Music House, St Mark’s House, 1 St Mark’s Avenue, LEEDS LS2 9BN
Time: 6pm – 7.30pm
How long will the choir run? There will be approximately 22 sessions
Who’s it for? Children and young people up to 19 years
SECURE YOUR SPACE! Click this link to register

Annette Judah Morris
Annette’s amazing career spans over 40 years as one half of the fabulous British duet, Royal Blood.

Annette also has extensive experience in activism, mental health and social care to – important empower the people who take part in this choir. The choir sessions are going to be a fun and educational experience; an opportunity to learn about the evolution of Reggae music and how it has influenced many aspects of life around the world. It truly is woven through the fabric of our lives and we may not know it.

“Reggae brings people together through rhythm, like a heartbeat that never stops.” Sheila Howarth, Music House Trustee

Who’s in the House incudes two other FREE choirs:

This project is supported by:

Who’s In The House: Community Gospel Choir

Jan 25, 2024

Hello Gospel music lovers!

Thanks for clicking on this page to find out more about our FREE Community Gospel Choir

The choir was formed thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Leeds City Council. Although the project ‘Who’s In The House’ has now ended, we are delighted that the Gospel Choir has continued and goes from stength to strength.

To find out more and to join the choir please click here

All ages and experiences welcome from complete beginners to those with singing experience.

Who’s in the House created two other FREE choirs:

This project was supported by:

Address

St Marks House,
1 St Marks Avenue,
Leeds, LS2 9BN

Phone

0113 243 1605

Email

admin@music-house.org.uk

Emma and Dawn Collaborations

Oct 18, 2023

Emma and Dawn Collaboration wass set up by Dawn Fuller and Emma Tregidden earlier this year to offer creative, compassionate collaborative working with arts organisations across the region. Emma and Dawn were previously founders and co-leaders of Space2 for 20 years. Space2 is an award-winning arts and social change organisation, with a pioneering, distinctive participatory practice, based in inner East Leeds.

Emma and Dawn Collaborations are currently working with us (Music House), Space2, Balbir Singh Dance Company, Gary Clarke Company, Heritage Corner, Allerton Primary School and Peter Spafford Projects. Their work focuses on creative health, participatory practice and unheard stories. They work extensively with Universities and were recently appointed to the Advisory Board of University of Leeds’ INCLUDE+ Network; work with University of Durham and Leeds Beckett University through Balbir’ Singh’s Unmasking Pain project and LBU’s Design School. Emma and Dawn were recently awarded Honorary Professorships of Practice at University of Cumbria.

Follow them on insta (@dawnemmacollabs) or get in touch via email: dawn@emmadawncollabs.co.uk or emma@emmadawncollabs.co.uk.

Help Us Unlock the Sound … and build dreams in the basement

Oct 16, 2023

We’re beyond excited to share with you a remarkable initiative that embodies the power of unity and music: our crowdfunding campaign to establish an inclusive music hub where every person, regardless of their circumstances, can experience the transformative magic of music.

Our vision is to create a fully equipped recording studio, mixing room, rehearsal space, and podcast facility at Music House. This hub will not only foster creativity and artistry but will also serve as a sanctuary for healing, empowerment and joy.

We believe that music has the extraordinary ability to bridge gaps and connect hearts. With your support, we can transform this belief into a reality that touches lives and leaves a lasting impact on our community.

Watch our short video to find out more.

To donate and find out Click here to go to our crowdfunding page

OR BETTER STILL, scan the QR code:

Every pledge will be appreciated so much and we’ll be extremely grateful.

Stay tuned for more updates on our inspiring journey!

Reggae Roots perform at prestigious Gala Dinner

Oct 11, 2023

On the eve of Friday 29 September, Music House was honoured to attend The Hibiscus Rising Gala Dinner/ fundraiser in memory of David Oluwale. This black tie event, attended by over 200 people was hosted by Cllrs Abigail Marshall Katung and Jonathan Pryor.

The night was a colourful, exhilarating and moving event full of education, special talks and performances including our very own Reggae Roots.

Word is getting out about our Choir – even more so since Reggae Roots were invited to sing for our King at his Coronation in May.

This short video clip includes a a snippet of our Chair, David Hughes, discussing the importance of music, what it means to our communities and how Music House is helping make music accessible. There’s also a sample of the mesmerising performance Reggae Roots gave.

David Oluwale’s story is absolutely shocking and tragic beyond belief! He was systemically assaulted by two policemen who caused his death on 18 April 1969. To find out more about David and The David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) please click here

Supporting Fredlin’s first steps

Oct 9, 2023

We met Fredlin Morency about a year ago through Christella Litras who has been working with this up-and-coming singer/songwriter as his creative mentor and singing teacher.

If you know Fredlin, you will know he’s got an amazing voice and he’s heading for stardom in the future. If you haven’t heard of him… you definitely will. At just 18 years old, he’s a singer, musician, composer musical director and choir leader … he’s creating hype.

On 15 September 2023, Fredlin took a leap of faith with his very first concert ‘Fredlin’s First Steps’ at Leeds Playhouse. Packing out the Quarry Theatre, Fredlin creatively told his story with the help of a few friends including Graft, Caution Collective, Crib Ent ltd. band and some fantastic dancers.

In the weeks up to his concert, juggling study with rehearsals and having very little disposable income… Music House came to the rescue!

We opened our doors to Fredlin – giving him much needed FREE rehearsal space for him/his supporting musicians. Our PA system was at his disposal, we helped with his promotional flyers and saved his printing costs. By taking the stress out of the things he would otherwise have had to sort out, we helped Fredlin to focus on what he does best.

Fredlin Morency is the name. You will remember it.