The second Thursday of every month Ignite holds a free in person get together, 7pm at Patch in Chelmsford city centre. These Socials as we call them provide a friendly welcoming environment for people interested in creativity to meet, chat and make links. We also hear from two inspirational speakers each time on different creative topics – usually one Ignite member and someone from outside of Chelmsford.

This month we explored music composition, commissioning and performance.  

The evening was introduced by Claire Gevaux, Chief Executive of Culture Chelmsford, who among other roles has worked for Help Musicians and is a Trustee at Donne Women in Music. Claire reflected on some of the challenges musicians face, as well as some of the support out there such as Music Minds Matter, the Musicians Union and Ivors Academy.

Claire also looked back at Chelmsford’s music history, while celebrating the current talent such as the recent Hot Box Sounds Good Festival, and the amazing speakers of the evening Satin and Chester – both from Chelmsford!

Chester Tribley was the first speaker, giving us an overview of his work in composition, arrangement, orchestrating and conducting. He reflected on balancing his ‘day job’ as a composer assistant with freelance work – and how this can be very challenging, but also rewarding. Chester reflected on many points including the role of music in film, and achieving the balance of moving, memorable music without stealing the show. 

Satin Beige our second speaker delighted everyone by opening with a song on the cello. Satin spoke about her journey, prioritising gigging while at university, which set her in good stead to pursue her music career. She also spoke about the different forms of creativity in her jobs commissioning works for film and advertising, and her writing, singing and music performance including recent work with theatre productions.

You can find Satin’s Chelmsford gigs on her  page, including upcoming Evening with Elodie and Friends. 

Thank you very much to all of our speakers and volunteers! Book your ticket for the November Ignite Social here.