INDIAN MAESTRO BALUJI SHRIVASTAV, OBE BRINGS MUSICIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE BLIND OR PARTIALLY SIGHTED IN THE INNER VISION ORCHESTRA
INNER VISION ORCHESTRA is the UK’s only Blind Orchestra. It’s aim is to promote blind & visually impaired musicians to address the imbalance of their absence in most of the music industry in the UK. It also aims to give confidence to blind & visually impaired musicians through the experience of workshops and performances.
We have had a successful National Tour of six concerts in England. This follows our National Tour 2013 of 13 concerts, and our London Tour 2012, as well as numerous tour dates in 2014. These tours are fully professional, with national & international media coverage, with support from the Arts Council of England, Greater London Fund for the Blind & Islington Community Chest. Some of the Orchestra performed at the Closing Ceremony Of the Paralympic Games in London 2012
The music of Inner Vision Orchestra moves between songs from Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, to soulful Gospel and Blues to sublime Indian Ragas and Western Classical compositions. Driven by the intensity of an inner vision we celebrate the power of music to transform lives.
Inner Vision Orchestra has 14 members and is growing! The musicians come from a wide range of musical backgrounds and cultures brought together under the direction of Baluji Shrivastav. They are London based but can travel and there is a branch in India. They perform set compositions and improvised pieces and are hoping to develop a body of New Work. They also include participants from our community workshops who integrate with the professional musicians. The opportunities to perform in our tours have resulted in increased employment in other ensembles for a number of our distinguished musicians. Please contact us if you would like to join or want us to perform. We want to show what blind and partially sighted musicians can do.
Sean Rafferty from BBC Radio 3 In Tune said Inner Vision Orchestra had a “magical mixture of sounds”
Charles Hazlewood said ” Inner Vision Orchestra play bloody great kick-ass music !”
Look or listen to our media pages for clips of concerts and the news & reviews sections for more press coverage.
INNER VISION ENSEMBLES
The versatile Inner Vision Orchestra musicians also perform as soloists, duos, trios etc. and are available for hire. The music ranges from Classical Western music , Jazz and Blues, Indian Classical, Middle Eastern and World Music.
INNER VISION MUSIC WORKSHOPS
Baluji believes that participating in music making can transform lives. This is even more true for people who have little or no sight as the role of sound and listening becomes a major way of interacting with the world.
Our workshops are for people who want to play music and also for those who like to be around music making. Our aim is for people to have a good time in a musical environment. Some participants go on to join the Inner Vision Orchestra. Workshops are given by Baluji and other blind or partially sighted musicians who have skills to share.
We have sessions in Islington, Greenwich, Roehampton, Walthamstow, Tower Hamlets and Central London. Contact us if you would like a session near you.
RESEARCH
We commissioned research into the needs of blind and partially sighted musicians in the UK and the results are in a report called Blind to the Facts. The foundation of Inner Vision Orchestra arose from some of the findings in the report which identifies the need for more performance opportunities for musicians, particularly as they find it more difficult than sighted musicians to do the essential networking that is required to find work.
Baluji Music Foundation is interested in researching into how the lives of blind and partially sighted people can be improved and will be participating in events and research with partners in the field. Source http://balujimusicfoundation.org/about_us/inner-vision-orchestra–workshops.php
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/may/28/inner-vision-orchestra-blind-musicians-tour