Name: Stories and Songs: Wills as Windows onto Past Lives
Start: 2025-10-11T13:30:00+01:00
End: 2025-10-11T15:00:00+01:00
Location: Exeter Phoenix

Stories and Songs: Wills as Windows onto Past Lives

FUTURES: A FESTIVAL OF DISCOVERY WHERE YOU CAN EXPLORE THE PAST, CREATE THE PRESENT AND IMAGINE THE FUTURE.Back for another year, FUTURES promises to bigger and better than ever before! Across Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth, this festival of discovery will be taking place in September and October 2025.For FUTURES we are working right across the South West, with researchers from the University of Bath, Bath Spa University, University of Bristol, University of Exeter and University of Plymouth joining us.Some events are ticketed, some are drop in and all are completely FREE.You can find out more about FUTURES here:https://futuresnight.co.ukFUTURES: a festival of discovery is funded by UK Research and Innovation.

FUTURES

A unique performance of history and original music inspired by Tudor, Stuart and Georgian wills.

Exeter Phoenix

FUTURES - A Festival of Discovery 2025

BACK FOR 2025! FUTURES is a FREE festival of discovery, funded by UKRI and taking place in the South West across venues in Bath, Bristol, Devon, Exeter, Plymouth and online this Autumn.

Musician Chris Hoban and historian Laura Sangha invite you to join them for a unique performance of history and original music inspired by Tudor, Stuart and Georgian wills.Wills are remarkable documents that often reveal hidden histories – for many people their will is the only record they have left behind. But while they are deeply evocative, wills can also be frustratingly mysterious, a mere glimpse into a person’s life.Chris and Laura have therefore come together to ‘fill in the gaps’ of these documents adopting a creative approach that captures the relationships, light, love and even humour within them. Come along to their performance to hear the fruits of their collaboration. MORE ABOUT CHRIS AND LAURAChris Hoban is a Devon based composer, arranger, lyricist and performer. A singer who plays piano, piano accordion, ‘cello, mandocello and guitar, he has performed and worked alongside many artists in the UK and abroad. He is also a highly regarded choral composer and arranger for amateur, community and professional choirs.Laura Sangha is Associate Professor of History at the University of Exeter. She is part of the Leverhulme Trust research project ‘The Material Culture of Wills, England 1540-1790’ which uses AI and crowdsourcing to transcribe and analyse 25,000 wills.Chris and Laura’s collaboration has been made possible by a <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk%2Fcreative-fellowship&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285002260%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=1BxPzh%2BOx5tLxxJPT%2FZoQAHLMU%2Bl7NytRFDo9txPpcg%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk%2Fcreative-fellowship&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285002260%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=1BxPzh%2BOx5tLxxJPT%2FZoQAHLMU%2Bl7NytRFDo9txPpcg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">University of Exeter Arts and Culture Creative Fellowship</a>, a short-term grant that brings creative practitioners into research settings to encourage new conversations across disciplines.<ul><li>Learn more about Chris and Laura’s <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk%2Fcreative-fellowship%2Fwill-as-windows-to-past-lives&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285027724%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uKuXZ3QlNk564OYtOZ9Cu2cc0Dk9PUUTRpcqr1zPcHo%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk%2Fcreative-fellowship%2Fwill-as-windows-to-past-lives&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285027724%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uKuXZ3QlNk564OYtOZ9Cu2cc0Dk9PUUTRpcqr1zPcHo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Arts and Culture Creative Fellowship</a>.</li><li>Learn more about Chris on <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchrishoban.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285057901%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=5gwbjD44Ut37RYlPlqEGoWYfRfI0CqURxeQVf7RBJbY%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchrishoban.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285057901%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=5gwbjD44Ut37RYlPlqEGoWYfRfI0CqURxeQVf7RBJbY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">his website</a> or on his <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fchrishobanmusic&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285072862%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=EvxcAvkSHdpCOKXJKt0CZHI4%2FSXMB62XDh6M7iep4Q8%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fchrishobanmusic&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285072862%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=EvxcAvkSHdpCOKXJKt0CZHI4%2FSXMB62XDh6M7iep4Q8%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Facebook page</a>.</li><li>Learn more about Laura’s work on <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmanyheadedmonster.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285085209%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fnD%2BC3WtTk3UQzmVRMCGOWDnFxr%2BVqaTQWaFp8OmnZs%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmanyheadedmonster.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285085209%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fnD%2BC3WtTk3UQzmVRMCGOWDnFxr%2BVqaTQWaFp8OmnZs%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">the many-headed monster blog</a>.</li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.exeter.ac.uk%2Fmaterialcultureofwills%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285097912%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2UuYBIq70ciIF5CrXulSXl%2FmTTkI0iMmHbiTkAx9%2BwE%3D&amp;reserved=0" title="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.exeter.ac.uk%2Fmaterialcultureofwills%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmatthew.grant%40plymouth.ac.uk%7C82e8385ec387447d881b08ddfb53bbe0%7C5437e7eb83fb4d1abfd3bb247e061bf1%7C1%7C0%7C638943059285097912%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2UuYBIq70ciIF5CrXulSXl%2FmTTkI0iMmHbiTkAx9%2BwE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">‘The Material Culture of Wills’ project</a>.</li></ul> Photo credit - Chris and Laura Image by Steven Haywood

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