If you happened to be passing by The National Waterfront Museum on Sunday 17 August, you may have been startled to hear some alarming noises coming from a large marquee in the grounds. Yet, artist and creator of the event Richard Higlett considered ‘A Song for Jack’ Dog Choir Auditions a storming success.
Over 30 dogs and their owners lined up to sing for a place in Swansea’s unique ‘Canine Choir’ and the day revealed some pitch-perfect pooches.
Some dogs were natural performers, others were hit by stage fright when their turn arose. Their ‘voices’ were triggered by a variety of sounds and encouragements, ranging from a mobile phone ringtone to the Coronation Street theme tune and a Pavarotti rendition of Puccini's Nessun Dorma.
A Bassett Hound named Edward, from Morriston, proved an accomplished bass baritone capable of howling continuously, and Zac the Border Collie’s sing-along style was noted by the judges.
Various terriers gave polished tenor performances while a Chinese Crested stood silently, shivering.
Richard Higlett now has a canine chorus in the making, and plans are going ahead for the recording of a special musical tribute to the city's celebrated four-legged life-saver, Swansea Jack.
Richard was commissioned by Swansea arts charity Locws International to come up with a special project to coincide with the Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts.
"I had the idea of creating a dog choir and recording A Song to Jack, a tribute to Swansea Jack," he said.
"Dogs instinctively howl as part of the pack, which goes back to their origins as wild dogs and wolves. Dogs are part of the fabric of the city, as much as anyone else. The idea was to celebrate the life of Swansea Jack and the chosen dogs will be part of that."
"It's been melodic and chaotic and spontaneous, a real bit of fun," said Richard.
"I now have the difficult task of selecting up to a dozen dogs to perform and decide where they will fit into the piece we will be recording.
We will be making the recording at the Metropolitan University studios on September 8, and the dogs will be prompted to howl or sing at particular moments during the music."
The piece will be performed by the dog choir at a special concert, to be held on the museum green on October 5. An exhibition piece will be displayed in the National Waterfront Museum from 4-18 October, which documents the whole project.
Further information can be found on www.artacrossthecity.com
Locws International is a visual arts charity that works with artists to create temporary arts projects for public and accessible spaces across the city of Swansea. Each project is designed as a response to the character, culture, stories, heritage and people of the city. With support from the Arts Council of Wales and The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
LOCWS - 20 August 2008
