Birmingham’s BSL Community Chorus project, ‘Your Love Lifts Me Up’, will be presented as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, a six-month celebration of creativity which surrounds the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The BSL Community Chorus is a Creative City project generously funded by Birmingham City Council. (BSL = British Sign Language).
There are over 5,000 Deaf children in the West Midlands and 32 million worldwide. For the Birmingham 2022 Festival, local artist collective Friends Of Cedar Church have ambitiously orchestrated and provided an uplifting community song to celebrate British Sign Language (BSL) as a major language in Birmingham, a City of Languages, and across the world. The aim is to empower Deaf children by teaching signing through singing across whole communities.
Over 150 different performers and personnel from different countries have been involved in this truly major creative collaborative effort, including a brand new verse written and signed originally in BSL. This is then interpreted into English subtitles and freely expressed vocally over the combination of a classically orchestral soundscape and percussive ethnic rhythms to musically reflect the range of traditions and vibrant flavours of this richly diverse region.
Along with three versions of the finished recording, there is a joyous official song video featuring all of the artists and groups involved in the project to accompany the audio release. This will coincide with the start of the Cultural Festival in the lead up to the games and beyond with some live performances of “Your Love Lifts Me Up” in various locations around the city.
Final selection of BSL artists, musicians, dancers & additional performers, Progress with New Recorded Version & select performance venues for Christmas 2021 & March – Aug 2022.
Start learning sign language parts, chorus parts, music, media.
Consolidate parts and progress professional demo recording.
Finalise demo of chorus for Longwill and others to learn from.
Final Sectional Rehearsals for BSL Artists, Interpreters, Singers, Musicians & Tutorial.
Live Professional Recordings, Start process of Online Release of Official Audio, Teaser Release and Tutorial Release.
The www.yourloveliftsmeup.com website goes live and as does the Your Love Lifts Me Up BSL Instagram account.
The Official YouTube Video for Your Love Lifts Me Up – A BSL Community Chorus With A Purpose For Birmingham 2022 is launched.
Finale video for Citywide Neighbourhood Networking Scheme Annual Meeting at Aston Villa Football Ground (with Neil De Costa, Perry Barr NNS Director).
The Official YouTube Video remastered for Social Media.
Presentation to Birmingham Arts School Reception at The Rep.
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire who joined with many other community partners, publish an article on the project.
Birmingham Living Magazine features the project in their May 2022 edition, check it out on page 56.
Edgbaston High School for Girls features an article about the violin soloist for the project.
The project gets recongnition on BBC Radio WM during The Daz Hale Show.
Representatives of the Chorus celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a Tribute and a visit to the Palace Party.
The BSL Community Chorus takes over Grand Central Station in Birmingham with a BSL Chorus Flashmob.
Cedar Church celebrated with their event ‘Singstanding‘, a play on words because of their location in Kingstanding. The event brings together the local community in celebration of the Birmingham 2022 Cultural Festival. Together with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and BSL Artists, Unify, Your Love Lifts Me Up is performed as the event finale.
Your Love Lifts Me Up – Voice of our City performance with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, SoundLab, CORE US and Shireland Collegiate Academy joining the BSL (British Sign Language) Community Chorus collaboration with Cedar Church showcased to a sold out Bradshaw Hall full of proud parents and families on Wednesday 29 June 2022.
Featuring Violin Introduction written and arranged by Caitlin & Eryna (aged 18 & 20) and soloist Tochi (aged 14).
At the Unicef Rights Respecting Celebrations Longwill School presents the BSL Chorus Your Love Lifts Me Up to big cheers from the audience and lots of kids singing and signing along from the audience.
A new Launch Version of the song is released which includes introductions from the chorus composer, Andrew Kisumba and Deaf Artist, Rebecca A. Withey, who wrote a brand new verse in BSL which has been translated into English.
Chorus played before the start of the SFE Youth Proms.
Your Love Lifts Me Up – BSL Community Chorus for Birmingham 2022 Cultural Festival was featured by Pam Rhodes (from BBC’s Songs of Praise) on Sunday Night Live.
Andrew Kisumba was interviewed on BBC Radio WM show – We Are West Midlands about the chorus and how it is spreading the word about the importance of BSL.
BSL Chorus participants are invited to attend the Dress Rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony. Furthermore, two Cedar Church representatives also take part in the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Headteacher for Edgbaston High School for Girls publishes an article on HMC.org about the ‘Games for Everyone‘. HMC (the Headmasters’ & Headmistresses’ Conference) is a professional association of heads of the world’s leading independent schools.
Your Love Lifts Me Up features online for the promotional period before and during the three day Edgbaston Village Commonwealth Games Special Artisan Market
Cedar Church publish a Commonwealth Games Family Special video, which summarises many of the events the BSL Community Chorus have been involved in.
Ex-police officer reports hearing Your Love Lifts Me Up on the BBC Live News from Victoria Square at around 15:30.
Journey to pay BSL respects to The Late Queen Elizabeth II. Queued for 13+ hours in order to give our thanks and tribute.
Special thanks conveyed to Cathedral House, Huddersfield.
A review of the Your Love Lifts Me Up journey is released and the long awaited DocuFilm is released.
Creative City Celebration Event held on Thursday 6 October, 6-9pm in the Banqueting Suite, Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BB to celebrate over 100 incredible Creative City Projects that were a vital part of Birmingham 2022 Festival.
Co-Hosted by Birmingham City Council and Birmingham 2022 Festival, entertainment ran throughout the course of the evening including Break Mission, Cedar Church, Culture Spectrum and Friction Arts to mark the culmination of the Creative City programme.
A massive ‘Thank You’ to all involved in this project, ‘Your love lifts me up!’
A Celebrating Communities Award was received at a reception held in the Banqueting Suite at the Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham on Thursday 10th November 2022.
Outstanding News from Longwill School for Deaf Children, who are at the heart of the project, receive their most recent OFSTED (government school inspection) report written since their involvement with the BSL Community Chorus Your Love Lifts Me Up, and they have been found to be OUTSTANDING! The project continues to feature on their website.
An official CWG 2022 book entitled ‘Birmingham 2022 Our Story’. It is a lovely collection of images from last Summer and mentions amongst other things page our project on page 81.
In support of the BSL Community Chorus, Cedar Church, Birmingham are providing free access to the official content on the Community Page of their free app. Download and enjoy a touch of BSL in the palm of your hand!
