Meet the Musicians in Residence for the Unexpected Garden in Forres: Dopey Monkey.
Dopey Monkey are musicians Danielle Price and Martin Lee Thomson. Originally hailing from Moray, they have been working together in Norway for the past couple of years and have performed together across the UK, in Portugal and America as well as creating virtual performances for festivals in Japan and Brazil.
Known for their varied creative output, they draw upon their experiences in jazz, folk, classical and experimental music to create new projects and musical works. They are passionate about showcasing their instruments (tuba and euphonium) in different contexts as well as using them as a medium to investigate across arts projects.
They really enjoy collaborative projects where they can explore and share stories alongside other artists and communities.
Danielle and Martin said, “We are delighted to be Dandelion Musicians in Residence for Findhorn Bay Arts’ Unexpected Garden!
“We are particularly curious to discover more about the mushrooms and fungi that will grow in the alleyways across Forres town centre.
“With us both coming from Moray, we are looking forward to coming home, catching up with local residents and are eager to see what musical creations will spring from being connected to the gardens.
“We also can’t wait to hear more about the other Unexpected Gardens across Scotland and are excited
to see what we will discover from being part of this larger network of Dandelion growers and artists”.
Meet Dopey Monkey
Danielle Price
Musician in Residence – Unexpected Garden
Tuba player Danielle Price (she/her) performs and creates music in a variety of genres, situations and with a range of ensembles, most recently with Dopey Monkey, New Antonine Brass, a cellar full of noise, Blue Boar Brass, Sensory Illusions, Laura Jurd, Glasgow Improvisors Orchestra and Chilly Gonzales’ Gonzervatory 2019.
She enjoys collaborating, composing and improvising as well as exploring voice, text and stories and is currently working on some solo songs encompassing much of the above. She is a recent recipient of awards from the Scottish International Educational Trust and the Anglo Norse Dame Gillian Brown Postgraduate Scholarship.
Martin Lee Thompson
Musician in Residence – Unexpected Garden
Martin Lee Thomson (he/him) is a Euphonium player, trombonist and composer from the northeast of Scotland.
He has worked as a freelance musician with a variety of ensembles across the UK and Europe, most recently appearing on Mercury Nominated Jazz musician Laura Jurd’s album “Stepping back, Jumping in” as well as on “Police, Police” the upcoming release from UK jazz star Elliot Galvin.
As a composer, Martin draws influence from his traditional heritage and the natural world. He has written for a variety of ensembles and recently released the personal project “Glisk” exploring the Doric language alongside photography.
Martin is a founding member of Dopey Monkey, award-winning trombone quartet Aeris Brass and is the Artistic Director of the Dandelion Jazz Orchestra. He is a recipient of the Fordham University Founder’s Scholars award, Scottish International Educational Trust award, Cross Trust Award, Anglo-Norse Scholarship and the Donald Dewar award which supports the brightest and best of Scotland’s young artistic talent.
Find out more about Dandelion and the Unexpected Garden on our Project Page.
