A Valley and Vale Community Arts project devised in 2015 by

project manager Tracy Pallant with myself facilitating the main

body of the sessions.

https://vimeo.com/236214292

We initially held sessions at the Oasis centre on Monday afternoons for mixed

groups of people using the Oasis centre for refugees, asylum seekers and

displaced people. Soon we realized there was a need to also run women only

sessions and began running the Oasis women’s choir weekly, as well as

continuing with the mixed men and women session.

Choir waiting for the performance at St David’s Hall along with Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra and almost 100 other local singers

The Oasis World Choir and Band is an ever-changing group due to the fact

that people are regularly moved suddenly to different parts of the UK.

We have a very supportive network of singing and musical volunteers who

help to ensure that new people are quickly and easily brought into the songs

and the ethos of the groups. These volunteers come from both the local

Cardiff community as well as from the refugee and asylum seeking

community.

The resulting chemistry of the wonderful people from around the globe making

music together, as well as the many barriers that the project seems to break

down along the way are evidence that this project is extremely special and

unique. It has softly but positively and powerfully influenced perceptions of

society, music, the purpose of music making and the “art of performance”

where we constantly find new ways to present and collaborate with those

individuals and groups present at any one time. What it is to be human!

Photo of Oasis Choir and Band ‘set’ for the Monmouth ineed festival.

As the core tutor I feel privileged and excited to work with the Oasis World

Choir and Band. My own working practice has soared as I have learned hugely from the

participants and the integrated events we have devised together. I feel my regular community choirs have benefitted both from my enhanced skills but also from the opportunities we have created for shared events where an unquantifiable learning takes place.

We have weekly dance input with June Campbell Davies which has been a

real eye opener to find the joy and lack of inhibitions of both men and women

from different parts of the globe when it comes to dance. Also realizing how

dance totally fulfills a need and helps us escape our troubled minds for a time

– in a similar way to making music, so to have both within a session has been

very life enhancing. Myself, and the local volunteers, have definitely benefited

from the loosening up and health benefits this brings.

Photo of wonderful musicians Diaco and Peyman at an Oasis World Choir event.

Other occasional tutors are:- Bethan Williams (also key volunteer); Ahmed Panjii (also key volunteer); Ruth Bradshaw; Severin M’Pouto; Addissu (professional contemporary dancer from Ethiopia).

Photo of some of us breaking into dance along to the drumming at an Oasis World Choir and Band event.

Oasis World Choir and Band – events…2018 (in addition to the weekly workshops)

1/ Sunday 14th January  Paget rooms concert in aid of “Croeso Penarth” aiming to fund a refugee family with housing costs etc. Other performers Barry Male Voice choir etc –
2/  Monday 15th January Blue Monday at Cardiff Central Library –

3/ Saturday 27th January Wales National Museum Holocaust Memorial day –

4/ Thursday 1st February  Recording session at the Atrium…….

5/ Saturday February 17th  12.30 – 2.30 One Day Without Us – Invited by Angharad Evens and Rachel Taylor Beales, on the Steps of the Senedd. Celebrating the positive input of immigrants in the UK and Wales.
6/ Monday Feb 26th. Event at Oasis to welcome the Kenyan women Hellen Nkuraiya and Naiani – Massai women who run a huge project to empower girls and women in their community. (Linked for our benefit and learning in Wales and mutual support between the nations) to “Wales Africa” Hub Cymru Africa project  – “Make it Happen”