The Scottish African Orchestra, An African Experience in Scotland

HA ORCHESTRA

Photograph by Karen Gorden

Ha Orchestra at The Merchant's Square Commonwealth Games Festival 2014 Photograph by Karen Gorden

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The Queens Baton Relay Finishing Line' Stage: Live Performance of 'Azorli Blewuu' Composed by G. Tordzro

The Queens Baton Relay Finishing Line' Stage: Live Performance of 'Whispers' Composed by G. Tordzro

Ha Orchestra on the 'BBC At The Quay' Stage: Akaya by G. Tordzro

Ha Orchestra Music Video: Whispers written by Gameli Tordzro

Ha Orchestra - Whispers from Showman Media on Vimeo.

GLASGOW 2014

The Orchestra has already made a number of appearances in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival at:

1. Glasgow Mela The Kelvingrove Band Stand 8th June 2014

2. The Queen's Baton Relay

21st July 2014 Victoria Park Glasgow

3. BBC at The Quay 23rd July 2014.

4. Glasgow Green Emancipation Day

1st August 2014

5. Kelvingrove Band Stand

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PAAS AND GRAMNET PARTNERSHIP

Ha Orchestra is PAAS’ main music project which integrates music from the different regions of Africa to create a distinct symphonic system that sounds different from the western classical music played in Africa and the African Diaspora. The Orchestra is a part of Pan African Arts Scotland's vision of a Centre of Excellence of African Arts in Scotland.

This is the first African Symphonic Orchestra in Scotland and the UK, and is a melting pot of music from all the different regions of Africa andits Diaspora that taps into the vast unexplored treasure of musical cultural experiences and values.
We are offering endless creative opportunities for children, the youth and adults to make Ha Orchestra where to go for African music; to learn and perform, be part of an active audience, to research, to order & acquire high quality African musical instruments.

This is a partnership between Pan African Arts Scotland, University of Glasgow GRAMNet and the Community Central Halls.

Ha Orchestra is also situated within the
Creative Arts and Translating Cultures (CATC)
Hub of University of Glasgow'sResearching
Multilingually at The Borders of Language, The
Body, Law and The State (RM Borders)

Denmark 2015

To develop the musician pool of Ha Orchestra, Gameli Tordzro was invited by Danish members of the Orchestra Alfred Tamakloe and Sam Kwamina Takyi to Copenhagen to deliver a performance practice workshop to a group of African musician in Denmark in May 2015. This ended with an appearance at Cafe Couleur festival where the audience was thrilled by a range of pieces performed by the group of six performers. As a result of this, from 13th - 30th November, 2015 Scottish members of the Orchestra travelled to Denmark to meet with the musicians from France, Belgium, Guinea, Gambia, Spain, Italy and Ghana in Copenhagen for a creative experience of performance practice and showcase presentations. For more details follow us on Twitter @HAORCHESTRA and like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/haorchestra

Ha Featured in Leading online magazine in Ghana - ARTS Ghana

When the 2014 edition of the Commonwealth Games opened in the Scottish city of Glasgow on July 23, the first and only African orchestra in the United Kingdom took center stage and spiced it with some irresistible Afro-classical renditions. Read More Here

Gameli Tordzro Wins CATS Award!

The Founder and Creative Director of Ha Orchestra was nominated and won the prestigious Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland Music Category CATS Award 2015, for his work in Kai Fischer's Last Dream (On Earth). Read Gameli's blog post on Last Dream (On Earth) here

Ha Denmark International Exchange
Ha Orchestra International Exchange in Copenhagen Denmark from 13th - 3rd December is supported by the (Danish Arts Foundation) Statens Kunstfond

Photograph by Gameli Tordzro

Azorli Blewu from Gameli Tordzro on Vimeo.

HA Ochestra In RM Borders Production Broken World Borken Word in Dodowa Ghana. September 2016

Ha Orchestra members were a part of the international theatre production Broken World Broken Word The production brought together a team of international Theatre makers under the leadership of Professor Alison Phipps. It is co-directed by Scottish based creative artists Ghanaian Ha Orchestrra composer Theatre and film director Gameli Tordzro and Zimbabwean poet and writer Tawona Sithole and Alison Phipps, working closely with costume designer Naa Densua Tordzro, Glasgow based technical designer Theatre maker Kai Fischer and Ghanaian choreographer Nii-Tete Yartey. The production is realised through Alison Phipp's dramaturgy, devising workshops by Sithole, and produced by Tordzro through intensive work with youth of Noyam and musicians selected from Ha Orchestra including Ghana’s Atenteben Maestro Dela Botri, Moumouni Diarra based in Alicante, Alfred Tamakloe and Samuel Takyi from Copenhagen, Clare Robertson from Glasgow and Simon Vinse based in Paris.