Shards, the London-based experimental vocal ensemble, have enlisted fellow musicians to collaborate remotely as the Isolation Choir on a new composition by leader Kieran Brunt called ‘Inside I’ll Sing’. The song, a simple expression of the worries and hopes faced by musicians in the current crisis, was written in the first few days of the UK lockdown as all of the group’s national and international concerts were cancelled or postponed.
Speaking of the collaboration, Brunt says: “I reached out to musician friends in the UK and abroad to see if they would lend their voices to an ‘Isolation Choir’, and was overwhelmed by the positivity and enthusiasm that everyone responded with. Like me, many needed a distraction from current events and valued just being given a simple task to do. I recorded a demo of the song and sent out instructions on how to record at home with whatever means were available.”
The result is a sonic mosaic, pieced together by Brunt in his makeshift studio at home in London. The all-star lineup of musicians on the track includes Joe Newman (Alt-J), Jonathan Donahue (Mercury Rev), Douglas Dare, Anna Meredith and New York-based composer Nico Muhly.
In a stroke of luck and generosity, director and singer Fiona Jane Burgess offered the group some unused video footage to create an intimate and perfect visual accompaniment to accompany the track. Viewing her footage in a new light, with artists all over the globe forced to stay indoors, she rebuilt the narrative to poignantly complement the mood and emotion of the song.
‘Inside I’ll Sing’ is being released by Erased Tapes and all the proceeds from the recording will be donated to Help Musicians.
Donate online:
www.helpmusicians.org.uk/Shardsisolationchoir
Shards & Isolation Choir are
Ana Silvera
Anna Meredith
Douglas Dare
Fiona Jane Burgess
Gabriella Swallow
Hatis Noit
Héloïse Werner
JFDR
Jack Lawrence-Jones
Joe Newman
Jonathan Donahue
Josephine Stephenson
Kate Huggett
Kieran Brunt
Luke Howard
Matt Huxley
Rose Martin
Red Moon
Sin Fang
William Doyle