Friday 23 December 2011

Christmas Weekend - Music from a war zone


This weekend’s Christmas Edition of Classical Break features an extended interview with a local musician and composer turned aid-worker. Bath-based Roger Bolton gave up a lucrative career writing music for film and tv to start a community-based organisation in one of the world’s most dangerous places.

In the interview, we explore the background to the production of ‘Xmas Has Come’ an album of 18 songs, produced in the war-torn region of Gulu in Northern Uganda, where children as young as eight are routinely snatched from their villages and homes to be brainwashed and inducted into the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA.

The programme features tracks from this extraordinary musical achievement and also from Roger’s extensive portfolio of music written for film and tv productions in the UK and USA.

Don’t miss this unique insight into the music of  war. The programme airs this weekend on Somer Valley 97.5FM and online at http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/ at the following (GMT) times:

Saturday, December 24th – 0900
Sunday, December 25th – 0800 and 1500
Monday, December 26th - 0200
Thursday, December 29th  - 1200

LINKS:  If you would like to download and buy any or all of the tracks from ‘Xmas Has Come’, go to
To find out more about Roger’s project - the Dwongpaco Farm Development, go to http://www.dwongpacofarmdevelopment.350.com/

Classical Break wishes all our listeners in the Somer Valley area, the UK, USA, Uganda and around the world, a Happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.
Rupert, Mike, Jayne and Suvi  
[Producers, Classical Break]