In an age of searching for meaning, music is often a place where people find hope and inspiration. The Tavener Centre for Music and Spirituality, directed by Revd Dr June Boyce-Tillman, will be a place where the links between spirituality and music can be examined – those established by the great world faiths and those made by people in their everyday lives. The Centre will produce writing and creative projects in this area and will attract people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
The University of Winchester organised concerts in the Cathedral celebrating Sir John’s music, and an interview in 2005 in the Theatre Royal, Winchester in which he talked honestly and openly about the interplay between his own faith. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Winchester.
Sir John has given us a wonderful insight into interfaith dialogue. In 1997 he embraced the Orthodox faith where he was drawn to its traditions and mysticism. He stood clearly for religious tolerance throughout his work. He illustrated how to deal with intense suffering and he felt deeply for the suffering of the world. He saw the need to transubstantiate suffering through music in an artistic culture which saw fit to represent the most shocking and violent aspects of our culture in a raw untransformed state.
He stands as an icon for a view of artistic expression of a way of generating hope and transcendence. Our age owes him deep gratitude. The Centre celebrates this and wishes to bring together others who share this vision of music, spirituality and healing.
The Centre’s aims are:
- to mount a festival of Sir John Tavener’s music every three years in the Winchester area
- to explore the relationship between spirituality and music with particular reference to the great faiths
- to organise a conference on music and spirituality associated with the festival, leading to publications in this area
- to disseminate Sir John’s own understanding of the relationship between music and spirituality.
The Centre, led by June Boyce-Tillman in association with Lady Tavener, will work with the Tavener Foundation, Winchester Cathedral and Chester Music.
Revd Dr June Boyce-Tillman MBE FRSA FHEA is Professor of Applied Music at the University of Winchester, and is coordinator of LivingSpirituality’s Music and Spirituality Special Interest Area.
For the new Centre’s leaflet go to: www.livingspirit.org.uk/tavener_centre_leaflet.pdf.
For full information about the new Centre, email June.Boyce-Tillman@winchester.ac.uk.
Save the Date!
Tavener Centre event in Winchester: Nov 11th 2016 10.30-4.30. A day conference exploring the spiritual in music, its meaning and its place in contemporary life.