Leeds' Speed-Dating Song Fest: Poets and Composers Unite for Unsung Heroes

In Leeds, a unique concert is set to take place at the Leeds City Museum as part of the Leeds Song Festival. This event, called the Leeds Songbook concert, is not just any regular music performance. Instead, it features songs created by pairs of composers and poets who were matched together in a style similar to speed dating. This means that instead of choosing their own partners, the composers and poets spent a day meeting each other, then picked their top three choices, and were finally paired up to collaborate on new songs.

The main goal of the concert is to honor the unsung heroes of Leeds. These are people who do important work in the city but often do not receive much recognition. The organizers hope that many of these local heroes will attend the concert and hear songs that celebrate their contributions. Martin Iddon, who leads the composition part of the project, explained that it is unusual for composers not to choose their own poet partners. He believes this makes the project more challenging and interesting, as it pushes everyone to work with new people and ideas. Iddon said that many of the songs are about people in Leeds who rarely get the credit they deserve, and he hopes the concert will make them feel appreciated.

One of the poets involved is Lydia Kennaway, who originally comes from New York but has lived in Leeds for nearly five decades. Her poem, The Language of Flowers, is about her neighbor Carole Taylor, who works as a florist. Lydia worked with composer Maxwell Nelson to turn her poem into a song. She shared that the city of Leeds and the wider Yorkshire area have inspired many of her poems, thanks to the landscape, history, and especially the people. Lydia described Yorkshire people as emotionally generous and full of humor, which she finds very inspiring as a poet. The Leeds Songbook concert is expected to be a heartfelt celebration of the city’s community and the everyday people who make it special.