Interview: Cath Earnshaw & Owen Gunnell talk CCC’s Wonderland coming to the Usher Hall!

Cath Earnshaw, Creative Producer and Owen Gunnell, Artistic Director and Presenter of Children’s Classic Concerts talk Wonderland, their newest orchestral delight aimed at inspiring a love of classic music in children, and their families. They were kind enough to answer a few questions about their work, and why Wonderland should be your first experience of their work…

Wonderland, how have you set about creating a show from a story rich with so many possibilities?

Cath: The idea for Wonderland came about after a conversation with Paul Campbell who arranges the brilliant medleys that usually end our concerts. Paul mentioned that he was interested in doing some more original compositions and I knew that his original music would be the ideal style for CCC as he always captures what we are trying to achieve so perfectly in his arrangements. My favourite poem is ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll – it’s so magical and evocative – and so we commissioned Paul to write ‘Jabberwocky’ for our Essential Orchestra and narrator and the rest of the Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass concept grew from there!

Owen: Cath comes up with these great ideas!! Not sure where they come from??!

What makes for a good child-centred concert in your experiences?

Cath: Fun! Our concerts are packed full of learning outcomes, but it all happens in a humorous and entertaining way. Owen has a brilliant way of engaging with all ages in the audience so everyone feels included and part of what is happening on stage.

Owen: Yep, it’s all about entertainment – with some subliminal musical education here and there! We always make sure there is a real mix of music, from fast and furious to slow and contemplative, with a little bit of dancing in the middle somewhere!

Do you have any go-to composers when it comes to your work?

Cath: Well we love commissioning new work and collaborating with other artists who share our vision to create the best family concert experience we can. So, as well as Paul Campbell, who we work with on almost every project, we regularly work with Claire McCue who writes fantastic songs for the RSNO Junior Chorus which means we can ask for a very specific subject such as the latest song she wrote for our concert last October, ‘There’s an alien in my spaceship’. In terms of other repertoire, we don’t shy away from programming some quite challenging and complex pieces by composers such as John Adams and Ligeti and we often find that the children in the audience love this style of music the most! We are really lucky to have Owen on the team as he performs lots of new music and will often come up with some gems for the concerts that I’ve never heard of!

Owen: Cath is giving me too much credit there! I think that the fact that Cath plays the oboe and I play percussion means between us we play and know all sorts of music and meet all sorts of composers. New commissions are a must as well, whether it be arrangements or brand-new pieces making our gigs even more unique!

How would you say your work connects with the nascent generation of musicians?

Cath: I think that we show what a brilliant job being a musician is. The musicians on stage are usually having just as much fun as the audience and this really comes across in the concerts. Hopefully this inspires children in the audience to take up an instrument (or keep practising if they already learn one!) and most importantly show that all types of different people have jobs in music and that it is a great career.

Owen: I like to think I’m just an ordinary bloke (I am!). The musicians on Wonderland span an age range of about 30 years, and are all from different social backgrounds, there’s no elitism or stuffiness whatsoever, just a load of folk having a great time playing music.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Cath: Everything! I love thinking of new ways to present the concerts, new themes, different repertoire and ways to surprise our audiences. We have such an enthusiastic and experienced team of musicians and it’s really rewarding developing projects that make the most of their talents (sometimes uncovering some hidden skills!). As well as showing off his highly impressive percussion playing, we’ve had Owen tap dancing, roller blading, juggling. The list is endless, and he never complains! It’s a total joy getting to work with people like Owen and the rest of the CCC team who make everything happen behind the scenes.

Owen: Performing and working with like-minded people! I love doing all the above!! Travelling round Scotland with CCC performing to all sorts of different people, coming up with fun ways to present/perform classical music…what’s not to like!

For families who might not have been to one your concerts yet, why should Wonderland be their first?

Cath: Wonderland is the perfect first concert! It’s full of incredible music, lots of joining in and silliness and all finishes with a chaotic musical tea party!

Wonderland will play the Usher Hall Edinburgh Sun 5th March 2023. For tickets, and more information, click here