DESCRIPTION:
The short-listed contestants from the New Music Award 2008 made short films about their proposals, demonstrating what they would do if they won the award. This is Netsayi Chigwendere's proposal for the New Music Award 2008.

"Adjustments"

Adjustments is an new operetta which seeks to set a fresh agenda for African music and for the contribution of African arts to British contemporary culture.

Addressing modern Britain's attitude to colonization within the framework of a tender love story, Adjustments is a response to a genuine curiosity about the interplay between music and words, and their capacity to address complicated political and philosophical questions. Musically, this work aims to marry traditional African sounds, instruments and lyrical themes with unlikely bedfellows to push forward creative and political boundaries. For example, the juxtaposition of the ancient tradition of Shona praise poetry with urban slam, western classical strings with rustic folk, will be used to subvert political resonances and meanings. With this work, Netsayi aims to create a project that challenges and respects Western and African musical traditions, setting a new standard in innovation amongst African and British artists.

Netsayi is a singer/songwriter who was born in London and grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her debut album was described as "refreshingly, startlingly excellent" in Mojo magazine and "one of the finest albums of the year" by The Guardian. Among other events and festivals, she has performed at the London Jazz Festival, London African Music Festival, The Amsterdam Roots Festival, Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, Harare International Festival of the Arts and Kippies in Johannesburg. She's opened for some of the most respected stars of Afro/jazz, Hip-hop and blues including Hugh Masekela, K'naan, Omar, Boubacar Traore and Johnny Clegg. Collaborators on the project will include acclaimed author Patrick Neate and leading Shona poet Chirikure Chirikure, musician and Whitbread nominated novelist Luke Sutherland and Alies Sluiter as Musical Director.

"Netsayi has had critical acclaim for her recent work and this concept shows real ambition to develop a new frontier in the use of African musics within British culture." New Music Award panel