Copland 125 - Music Festival

Update: Regrettably, with a massive heavy heart I have decided that Copland 125 can't go ahead as a festival. I am really disappointed but feel that the current climate makes it almost impossible to bang the drum so publically for my favourite composer. It's terrible as Aaron Copland was one of the most honourable and outward looking of composers and his life and legacy deserves to be celebrated. I will continue to do that in other ways for the time being. I will be launching a Mailchimp soon so please sign up for details.

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Hi, my name is Kevin Lindegaard and I am organising a festival in Bristol to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the composer Aaron Copland.

Copland’s music is the perfect entry point into classical music. I fell in love with his music over 35 years ago and write a blog aaron-copland.com which aims to share his continuing legacy promoting contemporary classical music.

Copland was an amazing person who deserves to be celebrated. His music paints incredibly vivid pictures and acts as a bridge to other composers and styles. He was a man of the world and a cultural ambassador. Throughout his life he mentored and taught young composers, wrote pieces for school children and encouraged people of all ages to open their ears to new music.

The festival will take place in Bristol between 13-16 November 2025 and will involve local orchestras such as the Bristol Ensemble and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, local performers and some star soloists such as Emma Johnson and Tamsin Waley-Cohen.

I have tried unsuccessfully to acquire Arts Council England funding and am forging on in a self-financing way. I will be underwriting the cost of the concerts and am looking for support to help make the festival as successful as possible.

I would like Copland 125 to be a rallying cry going forward and hope to set up a regular concert programme celebrating young, aspiring composers of today and neglected works of the past that reflect modern society and speaks about issues of our time. It will therefore help reframe classical music making it more relevant to young people.

Please help me celebrate this colossus of classical music by supporting with a donation for this Fanfare for a Very Uncommon Man!

If you want to get a feel for Copland's music and how it can appeal to kids see this video:

BBC Teach Jameela Jamil on Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland

This piece is another great one for getting kids interested in music - it's one of the pieces that appealed to me when I was a kid

An introduction to Rodeo - Hoe-Down by Aaron Copland | Ten Pieces | BBC Teach

Here's another short video showing how Copland painted pictures with his music for the ballet Billy the Kid:

Philharmonia Orchestra Listening Guide Copland's Billy the Kid