Weโre all ready for Prom Queen JADE
โIโm the only member of the orchestra making no sound at all!โ
Every orchestra needs a conductor, and keeping the thirty something strong Royal Northern Sinfonia in check is Robert Ames, in what he is calling “a dream project”.
Robert, 39, is a contemporary conductor and composer who has previously arranged and conducted music for the likes of Taylor Swift, Little Simz and Self-Esteem.
โThe hope is that even the biggest JADE fan in the world, who knows every detail of the music will be surprised, and delighted!โ said Robert.
Those surprises will come as a result of Robert and other music arrangers painstakingly transcribing upwards of 30 different elements from a single JADE track (think drums, guitar, vocals, synth) and then rearranging them for the orchestra.
“The thing I always dreamt of being able to do”
With a smile on his face, Robert said โthatโs where the fun, creative bit happens, youโre painting a picture with music reallyโ. Though he did also say the best results come from hard work โit really is a case of going line by line, turning that into notation, and then turning all of that into an orchestral piece, itโs really time consumingโ.
When working on a concert like this, blending classical with contemporary, Robert said there is a lot of fun in taking the traditional Italian and German language that sheet-reading musicians use, and translating that for artists who might not be used to it. But he was quick to point out that at the same time โsomeone like JADE will talk about pop music, in really expert ways and refer to stuff that isnโt typically in the classical discourse, so the translation goes both ways.”
Once everyone is happy speaking the different musical languages, Robertโs focus can turn to the big performance. He told us that before he steps out on to the stage heโll take a moment to give thanks โfor being able to do the thing I always dreamt of being able to do as a kidโ.
As for what to expect from the concert Robert said โexpect some surprises, and to hear JADEโs music like never before, and to see JADE do her thing which is absolutely amazingโ.
And sneak preview – Robert hinted we might hear something unreleased from JADEโs album โbut who knows, youโll just need to tune inโ. You didnโt hear that from him though – or us!
