far and wide

INTRODUCTION• Welcome

OUR IMPACT• What we achieved

in 2013/14

PARTNERSHIPS• At the heart of

music education • Lullaby Concerts• MusicMix

AUDIENCES• Serenade• Championing new music• Concert partnerships and

audience feedback

Orchestras Live is a national music charity that brings orchestral music to thousands of people in under-served areas across England. Our mission is to inspire, motivate and empower the widest range of people through excellent live orchestral music.

FAR AND WIDE• A snapshot of some of

our work that took place across England during 2013/14

BEST PRACTICE• Hear and Now• First Time Live Youth• Conference – Taking

Music Further

OUR FUTURE • Plans for 2014/15

and beyond• How you can support

our work

ABOUT US• Financials 2013/14• Our core Partners

and Supporters• Staff & Trustees

Orchestras Live Annual Review 2013/14 01

Welcome to Far and Wide, a review of our work in 2013/14.

There is much to celebrate about our work over the past year. From our First Time Live Youth programme which reached 12,000 young people, most of whom had never heard a live British orchestra, to our expanding national series of concerts across England, many of which feature contemporary orchestral work, Orchestras Live is leading the way in taking excellent orchestral experiences to the widest possible audience.

Despite the considerable pressure on public fi nances, we are delighted that many local authorities and music education hubs invested with us in 2013/14. This is recognised by Arts Council England who recently renewed their investment in us as a National Portfolio Organisation for the next three years, a great vote of confi dence in our mission to inspire, motivate and empower the widest range of people through excellent live orchestral music.

That public investment is complemented by our ongoing relationships with several major trusts and foundations as well as our many local authority and promoter partners. However it is vital that we attract an even broader base of partners and you can read about ways you can support and work with us on page 21.

We are committed to making our operation as effi cient and well governed as possible. Our small and highly experienced staff team of six people is a particular strength. Our track record of artistic leadership combined with practical expertise has, over many years, created a high level of trust from our orchestra, promoter, education and other public sector partners. Our partnerships deliver innovative programmes of the highest quality that are excellent value and reach those most in need.

There is much to look forward to as we complete the fi nal year of the current Business Plan. Working with our partners we will develop and deliver a new plan from 2015 to 2018 that will take the very best of British orchestral work to culturally under-served communities throughout England.

We hope you enjoy reading about our work.

Henry LittleChief Executive

Mark BromleyChairman

Orchestras Live continues to lead the way in taking excellent orchestral experiences to the widest possible audience. Our partnerships deliver innovative programmes of the highest quality that are excellent value and reach those most in need.

This year we reached more people than ever through concerts and projects with our partners across England.

Orchestras Live Annual Review 2013/14

53,808AUDIENCES / PARTICIPANTS

In 2013/14 we reached

OUR IMPACT in 2013/14

53%WERE AGED 18 OR UNDER

02

Prioritising areas of low orchestral provision, we work where cultural investment is most needed.


55PROJECTS

632ORCHESTRAL ACTIVITIES

including

In 2013/14 we delivered

WORKSHOPS and other activities

across a total of

500

132CONCERTS/

RESIDENCIES

Inspiring people and encouraging innovation amongst our many orchestra partners, our projects and concerts took place across the country.

In 2013/14 we worked with

7 ENGLISH REGIONS

Working with local authorities, music education hubs, promoters, venues, orchestras, composers and music leaders we deliver world-class orchestral programmes with lasting legacies.

In 2013/14 we had

IN

25 PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRAS

60 ONGOING

PARTNERSHIPS

LOCAL AUTHORITIES and music education hubs

45INCLUDING

04 Orchestras Live Annual Review 2013/14

MusicMix is a great example of a project that can only be achieved through partnership working – fi nd out more on page 07


During the year our strong partnerships with music education hubs (MEHs) enabled us to reach many thousands of children and young people providing access to large-scale, high quality orchestral experiences. Having a national overview of the country’s professional orchestras, we are uniquely placed to add value to the work of the hubs in the delivery of their key roles as defined in the National Plan for Music Education.

We delivered work that inspired children, young people, their teachers and parents, enhanced First Access programmes, developed classroom and peripatetic music teachers’ skills, contributed to the delivery of singing strategies and the music curriculum including GCSE and A level music, facilitated projects leading to massed performances and supported coaching and masterclasses.

In Suffolk: A programme of coaching was devised for advanced young brass players, coupled with recitals and workshops in primary schools, linked to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts at The Regent, Ipswich. Alongside the RPO’s concerts in Lowestoft, we were involved in a programme to coincide with the Britten 100 celebrations. The Suffolk MEH is also a partner in our Lullaby programme for the under 7s. In Leicestershire: The delivery of whole-class music tuition is a key task for MEHs and has to be delivered consistently and inclusively. In Leicestershire we have been working closely with the MEH and Sinfonia Viva on a nationally significant project to develop an inclusive model of First Access for children in special schools. It is being independently evaluated and the findings will feed into the development of good practice in music delivery in special schools across the country.

In Durham and Darlington: Long-term relationships with professional orchestras are at the heart of our work here, in this instance with the Hallé. Aimed particularly at supporting young musicians from First Access through to advanced players, the three-year programme began with a pilot this year of coaching and masterclasses during the Durham Youth Orchestra residential course in spring 2014.

OUR MUSIC EDUCATION HUB PARTNERS INCLUDE:

• Cambridgeshire

• Cumbria

• Derbyshire

• Durham and Darlington

• Essex

• Gloucestershire

• Leicestershire

• Lincolnshire

• Luton

• Norfolk

• Northamptonshire

• Nottinghamshire

• Peterborough

• Southend

• Suffolk

• Thurrock

AT THE HEART OF MUSIC EDUCATION

Orchestras Live Partnership Manager Jan Ford outlines our growing relationship with the network of music education hubs.

Keep up-to-date with our latest news at www.orchestraslive.org.uk/news

LULLABY CONCERTS

Orchestras Live Partnership Manager Stuart Bruce extols the virtues of long-term partnerships.


The key partners involved were Orchestras Live, City of London Sinfonia, Babergh District Council, Barnardo’s, Essex Cultural Development, Essex Early Years & Childcare, Essex Music Services, Forest Heath District Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, Suffolk County Music Service, Suffolk Music Education Hub, and Youth Music.

THE PROJECT DELIVERED:

• 44 workshops held at 15 nursery settings in 5 districts, involving 287 children, 48 practitioners and 41 parents

• 3 music training days for 44 Early Years practitioners

• 10 Lullaby Concerts performed over 5 days, attended by 970 children and adults

• A strong partnership including 5 local authorities and 2 music education hubs.

A hallmark of Orchestras Live’s work is the long-term approach towards developing activity that engages with and inspires many people. This is achieved through ongoing partnerships that have often been in place for many years.

A prime example of this longevity is our First Time Live Early Years programme, especially the collaboration with City of London Sinfonia, music leader Claire Bloor and a consortium of partners in Suffolk and Essex that has seen a succession of highly successful Lullaby projects since 2009.

Our producer role has propelled this innovative work, supporting and growing the partnerships to embrace new communities, venues and local promoters whilst facilitating an increasingly diverse artistic approach towards introducing young children and families to live orchestral music.

“ We love doing these concerts and we can see how much the kids love them too. For many of them it’s the first time they’ve seen musicians playing their instruments which is really exciting.” Musician feedback

Our local authority partners have been closely involved in the evolution of the project, and remain committed to sustaining it further because it fulfils an important role in developing their family audiences, particularly with dispersed rural communities. A key partner at Jaywick in north east Essex was Barnardo’s, who invested in the project to reinforce work with ‘hard to reach’ families at their Children’s Centres.

The autumn Lullaby tour with CLS culminated in a series of ten performances during the national Family Arts Festival, following numerous workshops at local nursery settings and some music training days for Early Years practitioners, all based on the theme of Professor Claire’s Music Lab.

“ Wonderful, so nice for the children to experience an orchestra so closely. Thank you!” Audience feedback

“ Brilliant! Should be more things like this. A great way to introduce children to music!” Audience feedback

The partnership will produce another Lullaby tour in autumn 2014, reaching even more under-served places in the region.

Discover more online www.orchestraslive.org.uk/featured-projects/first-time-live-early-years/

A shining example of partnership in action is the relationship forged between the BBC Concert Orchestra and the county of Norfolk.

Long-standing partnerships with local authorities have enabled Orchestras Live to produce several large-scale consortium projects, enabling young people from across the county to collectively gain inspirational experiences of live orchestral music. Achieved through the pooling of resources and networks, this approach has contributed to core and extension roles of the Norfolk Music Hub and will continue to be a feature of our orchestral strategy.

MusicMix 2014 was the fourth county-wide project with the BBC Concert Orchestra and involved concerts at Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn. Designed for students at Key Stages 2 and 3, the concerts showcased a wide range of repertoire, from classical masterpieces to music from a BBC TV series and a computer game. Film clips and live projections enhanced the event.

“ A fantastic event giving students the opportunity to understand how orchestras are behind the music they watch and see every day.” Teacher feedback

“ We really enjoyed the music and it made me want to be able to play an instrument.” Student feedback

Each concert had a high level of youth leadership, creativity and participation, reinforcing the relevance of the experience to the large audiences. Two young people from Sheringham presented the concerts alongside BBC’s Rebecca Keatley. New pieces were created especially for MusicMix: Sixty Yards Over No Man’s Land by BBC CO Associate Composer Guy Barker, based on texts written by young people supported by Norfolk-based poet Tom Warner and performed with three local youth choirs; and World Cup Fever written by BBC CO percussionist Stephen Whibley for performance with young musicians from Aylsham.

Two local student rock bands performed a specially arranged version of Avicii’s Hey Brother on stage with the orchestra, and the entire audience got up to sing the 1970s classic Blame it on the Boogie.


MusicMix was produced by the BBC Concert Orchestra and Orchestras Live in partnership with Breckland District Council, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, Norfolk Music Hub, Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council, South Norfolk District Council, SeaChange Arts and Writers’ Centre Norwich.


• 4 concerts over 2 days attended by 2,292 students and staff from 43 schools plus VIPs including more than 50 councillors and senior officers

• A new vocal piece that involved 40 young writers and 45 young singers

• A new world music piece that involved 17 young percussionists

• Opportunities for 2 young presenters to help introduce the concerts and interview participants

• A unique consortium of 7 local authorities and the music education hub.

Discover more online www.orchestraslive.org.uk/news-projects/musicmix-2014-feedback/

MUSICMIX

Stuart Bruce reports on the latest in a long-standing county-wide partnership in Norfolk.


Serenade saw the integration of devised new work with existing repertoire in a way that fully engaged young people and the local community – fi nd out more on page 09


SERENADE

Stuart Bruce illustrates how new music can help reach new audiences.

As part of the centenary celebrations for Benjamin Britten, a project in South Norfolk used one of his most famous works, Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, as the inspiration for a project engaging with many young people and a range of new and existing audiences.

Building on a successful residency in 2013, Britten Sinfonia, Orchestras Live and South Norfolk Council planned a more ambitious project that aimed to reach a larger number of people in the Tiffey Valley, one of five neighbourhood areas in the district.

Over several months a Britten Sinfonia team led by James Redwood and John Barber worked with young people and teachers at 9 schools, devising their own song cycle inspired by Britten’s Serenade and the theme of ‘night’. The songs were performed by the school groups as a massed choir in two celebratory orchestral concerts with Britten Sinfonia at Wymondham Abbey on 26 June. Smaller satellite performances were held in the Welborne Arts Festival, Barford Heritage Open Weekend, and as a pre-concert event at Norwich Theatre Royal.

In the concerts at Wymondham Abbey the songs were interspersed with movements from Britten’s Serenade in a continuous performance which also featured renowned soloists Robin Tritschler (tenor) and Stephen Bell (horn). The Abbey was full for both concerts and the audience response very enthusiastic.

The satellite performances at local cultural events gave some of the young participants further opportunities to perform their new music with Britten Sinfonia musicians whilst extending the reach of the project and engaging with new audiences in the district.

“ At first I was feeling really scared because I thought there were going to be loads of people. Once I did it I wanted to do it again and again. I liked the concert because I felt proud for my school.” Young participant feedback

“ Many of them have commented about the fact that they have never listened to music like Serenade and it has encouraged them to think beyond their usual experience.” Teacher feedback


• 8 creative music workshop days, involving 178 young people from 9 schools

• Satellite performance opportunities for 43 young people

• 2 concerts with Britten Sinfonia with 145 young people taking part for a total audience of 470 people

• Opportunities for 5 young volunteers to help to manage the concerts at Wymondham Abbey

• A final satellite event at Norwich Theatre Royal including 116 children performing for an audience of 476 people.

I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I loved to see all the children getting involved and enjoying themselves so much, and being introduced to really good music.”Audience feedback

Discover more online www.orchestraslive.org.uk/featured-projects/serenade/


Having a series of performances rather than a one-off premiere makes the commission a far more attractive investment for funders. We are also able to reach a far wider audience right across England, simultaneously allowing our musicians’ relationship with the piece to develop and explore myriad elements to it as they would with a well-known symphony.” Matthew Swann, Chief Executive, City of London Sinfonia

CHAMPIONING NEW MUSIC

Jan Ford explains the importance of repeat performances of new works.

Aiming to secure repeat performances of recently premiered work, Beyond the Premiere continues to grow in popularity with both our promoter and orchestra partners. For our promoter partners it’s an opportunity to develop audiences and introduce them to something new. Audiences don’t need to be told that it will “challenge” them, they need reassurance, so all Beyond the Premiere programmes are introduced, wherever possible, by the composer either at the performance or in programme notes or in an online interview that promoters can direct their audiences to before the concert. Our support reduces the risk both financially and artistically for promoters as the new work is usually programmed alongside more familiar and complementary repertoire.

This year we have been able to feature the work of Huw Watkins and Sally Beamish. With the generous support of the Royal Philharmonic Society and PRS for Music Foundation we secured five additional performances of Huw Watkins’ Little Symphony in Bradford on Avon, Cockermouth, Beverley, Chelmsford and Holt performed by Orchestra of the Swan. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields performed Sally’s new work, Variations on a Theme of Benjamin Britten, as part of the Britten 100 commemoration in Southampton, where it received its world premiere, Stamford, Bradford on Avon and Ludham, Norfolk.

Beyond the Premiere has been well received by composers too. The opportunity to develop and evaluate their work through a number of consecutive performances in a variety of different contexts and to a range of different audiences is invaluable. Likewise for orchestras the ability to properly ‘bed in’ a new piece is a very welcome luxury these days. The presence of Beyond the Premiere also helps orchestras to think more long term about commissioning, enabling them to embed new work into their artistic plans in the knowledge that there is a body of promoters eager to present new work to an audience that is open and well prepared to receive it.

This is something we’ve been able to do with City of London Sinfonia where Gwilym Simcock’s new work for orchestra and solo clarinet, On a Piece of Tapestry, winner of a PRS New Music Biennial Award, was commissioned with further performances in mind and as it turned out, we secured five Beyond the Premiere performances with promoters in Hull, Bradford on Avon, Southampton, Hereford and Oswestry.

Discover more online www.orchestraslive.org.uk/projects/beyond-the-premiere/


Our promoter partners remain the constant and vital link between professional orchestras and audiences. They provide the human and physical infrastructure that enables us to take orchestras to out of the way places. They are knowledgeable – they know their patch, the audience, the repertoire – and have excellent local connections. These local champions are the key to retaining and growing audiences. We trust them to promote and present world-class concerts in places you wouldn’t expect. Some are professionally run theatres and arts centres, others are volunteers using a range of local venues from churches to sports halls, all united in the common goal of offering audiences the highest quality orchestral experience.

This large group of promoters means we can work with orchestras to identify programmes that can be replicated in a number of places, achieving economies of scale and innovative programming like Beyond the Premiere (see page 10). We work closely with partners to monitor the quality of all performances, seeking feedback from promoter and audience alike. A programme of audience research takes place throughout the year and findings are shared with partners so that we can continually improve what we offer audiences.

Sustaining concert programmes in the more remote parts of the country is a constant challenge. Not only do audiences have to travel greater distances than the average concert-goer, orchestras do too. We are therefore very pleased that the legacy we received from Miss D R Kurzman has benefited so many British orchestras by enabling them to travel to places like Cumbria.

Reinvigorating concert series has also been made possible by this legacy, most notably in Chelmsford where we have been able to increase the series to four concerts a year at the Civic Theatre. It has also enabled us to curate a more ambitious offer including a Beyond the Premiere programme with Huw Watkins and Orchestra of the Swan that closed the season this year.

CONCERT PARTNERSHIPSJan Ford gives an overview of our concert activity during the past year.

The increased resource and advice from Orchestras Live over the last two seasons has enabled Chelmsford City Theatres to programme more boldly and introduce orchestras new to its 26-year history.” Tom Johnson, Chelmsford City Council

AUDIENCE FEEDBACKBetween September 2013 and March 2014, Orchestras Live carried out audience research across England with

449 AT 11 PEOPLE CONCERTS

99% of respondents felt that the concert they attended represented good value for money

42% of Classic FM listeners had heard adverts for concerts supported by Orchestras Live (up from 39% in 2012/13)

40% of respondents said they find new orchestral music exciting and stimulating

73% of respondents said they enjoy new music when it is part of a broader concert programme

“ So pleased that the orchestra and soloist come out to this part of Cumbria.” Audience member, Egremont

“ Concerts like these are VERY important for our community.” Audience member, Cockermouth

“ Once in a lifetime experience.” Audience member, Northampton

“ Nothing to beat a live performance by such an energised group!” Audience member, Chelmsford

“ An excellent concert in every way.” Audience member, Hereford


MANCHESTER CAMERATA IN BRIDLINGTONThe multi-award-winning French pianist Jean-Effl am Bavouzet thrilled audiences at the Spa, Bridlington on 13 October 2013 in a concerto double-bill of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no.17 and Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D with Manchester Camerata.

THE HALLÉ IN BOLSOVERThe Hallé returned to the village of Clowne for another music and fi lm project, this time focusing on recycling and the environment. ReCyClowne – a mission to save Planet Earth involved young people creating instruments from recycled materials, working with composer Bea Schirmer and performing a new piece alongside the Hallé in two concerts at Heritage School on 19 July 2013.

EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA IN BRADFORD ON AVONSupporting the development of young soloists and providing inspiration for young musicians, Laura van der Heijden – winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year 2012 – performed Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1 in C with the European Union Chamber Orchestra at Wiltshire Music Centre on 9 February 2014.

ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS IN SOUTHAMPTONAs part of the Britten centenary Sally Beamish’s new work Variations on a Theme of Benjamin Britten for string orchestra received its world premiere at Turner Sims with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on 9 May 2013. It was set alongside two other Britten works: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge and Lachrymae performed by acclaimed violist Lawrence Power.

FAR AND WIDEA snapshot of some of our work that took place across England during 2013/14

BIRMINGHAM CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GROUP IN SHREWSBURYOn 24 May 2013, Shropshire Music Trust staged one of fi ve concerts marking Benjamin Britten’s centenary. The programme, called ‘Illuminating Britten’, featured work by composers who inspired Britten including Berg and Copland as well as music by Britten himself.


AURORA ORCHESTRA IN ASHFORDAs part of their New Moves ‘Battle’ tour, Aurora musicians performed alongside local school students from Ashford, premiering a new piece specially composed by pupils for the concert at St Mary’s Arts Centre on 17 May 2013.

BRITTEN SINFONIA IN PETERBOROUGHA performance on 7 September 2013 during the Peterborough Festival by the Beat Orchestra set up by young people to “turn the youth orchestra on its head”, which it duly did with the help of Beat This CIC, Britten Sinfonia and Vivacity, ably supported by Fraser Trainer and Paul Griffi ths.

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA IN ROCHFORDIn January 2014, the latest Philharmonia project saw a three-day mentoring course led by Tim Steiner with young music leaders in Rayleigh, in preparation for a workshop day with pupils from 6 local primary schools, followed by a Creative Orchestra weekend involving a wider range of participants. This activity has sparked a long-term programme of work in schools by the young music leaders.

SINFONIA VIVA IN LINCOLNSHIRESpecifi cally developed to help support GCSE Music students, Raising the Grade concerts with Sinfonia Viva and James Redwood took place at Lincoln Drill Hall and South Holland Centre, Spalding on 26 February 2014. Students were taken on a tour of musical styles and approaches from Henry Purcell to Anna Meredith, helping them to relate to the different elements in the programme and make connections between them.

LONDON MOZART PLAYERS IN SOUTH HOLLANDFor the second year running, composer Duncan Chapman worked with people from around the district to create a further movement of the South Holland Symphony that was premiered at the South Holland Centre on 27 September 2013.


First Time Live Youth culminated with highly participative concert experiences for young people in six locations across England – fi nd out more on pages 16-17


Amongst the huge range of work co-produced by Orchestras Live, Hear and Now is a particularly innovative project which has brought together a wonderful collection of people from a diverse community.

Having grown from a focus on specific groups in the Queens Park area in Bedford, the fifth year of Hear and Now was the most ambitious project to date, with the aim of giving this intergenerational collaboration a wider reach and higher profile.

As in previous years, music leader Tim Steiner and a team of Philharmonia players worked closely with the core groups of Fusion Youth Singing and the Tibbs Dementia Foundation’s Music for Memory group to create and experiment with new material. This was incorporated into Tim’s new large-scale piece, Nonsense Songs, commissioned specially for the project and based on Edward Lear’s fantastical tales including ‘Mr & Mrs Spikky Sparrow’, ‘The Quangle Wangle’s Hat’ and the famously pea-green boat of ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’.

A large chorus and orchestra was recruited from a range of voluntary groups across Bedford such as Promethidion (Polish singing group), The First Generation Italian Club Choir, Queens Park Academy, Bedfordshire Choral Society, Da Capo String Ensemble and North Bedfordshire Youth Chamber Orchestra. Following a series of rehearsals they were joined by an ensemble of Philharmonia players to perform the Nonsense Songs in a celebration concert at the Corn Exchange.

“ I found the Hear and Now project very engaging and inspiring. Most people take part in some sort of cultural, sporting or other social activities, but very few of these genuinely bring together a real cross-section of the community, people of different ages, language and ethnic backgrounds, from lively children to elderly people in declining health, in the way that this project did.” Participant feedback

“ We were made so welcome and enjoyed working with people from such a large age range. It was great to be able to include some Polish poetry in the performance.” Participant feedback

Although complicated to pull together so many participants, and challenging for some in terms of learning a new piece in an unfamiliar genre and context, it proved an inspirational experience for everyone involved. The skill-sharing with Philharmonia players included coaching and desk-sharing, and one young member of Fusion Youth Singing gained a Bronze Arts Award through her mentoring by a number of professionals during the project. On a wider level, the project improved inter-generational awareness amongst all participants, including an understanding of the issues faced by people living with dementia and their carers.

“ It was a big ask this time, with so many new elements, not least the participation of so many different groups, but through the magic that is Hear and Now, it all came together fabulously.” Project partner feedback

There are plans for Hear and Now to continue with a more concise project with the core groups in 2014, followed by a larger cross-artform project in 2015.

HEAR AND NOW

Stuart Bruce looks back on an inspirational cross-generational project.

Produced through an ongoing partnership between the Philharmonia, Orchestras Live, Fusion Youth Singing and The Tibbs Dementia Foundation


• Participatory opportunities for 120 singers and almost 100 instrumentalists from 18 music organisations and groups

• 4 workshops and 7 separate and combined rehearsals held prior to the concert

• A performance attended by 450 people, including more than 40 VIP guests.

Discover more online www.orchestraslive.org.uk/news-projects/hear-and-now-2013-evaluation/


If you want concerts that young people will enjoy and be inspired by, why not let them produce them? That’s the premise of First Time Live Youth. Originated by Orchestras Live in 2012 and supported by the Arts Council’s Strategic Touring programme, First Time Live Youth has reached nearly 12,000 children and young people in some of the country’s most culturally under-served areas in the past two years.

Putting young people in charge of producing a concert takes a huge leap of faith not to mention a great deal of support from partners – teachers, music education hubs, venue staff, technicians and of course the orchestra. Our partners the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia rose to the challenge of being bossed about by teenagers; from the repertoire they played to what they wore, they supported the young producers throughout, making for lively and enjoyable concerts for the many thousands of young people that attended.

“ The children thoroughly enjoyed it, and several were perched on the edge of their seats for the whole of the time, fascinated by watching the musicians in action. I had lots of positive comments from the children afterwards who were filled with enthusiasm...”best afternoon ever”; “that bassoon is sick!” (Apparently in this context ‘sick’ is good!); “how do they make all those different sounds...amazing”; being some of the comments from the most reluctant musicians in the class.” Teacher feedback

FIRST TIME LIVE YOUTH

Jan Ford applauds the central role played by young people in this groundbreaking project.


It took some time for the young people to realise the enormity of what they were taking on. Young people tend to be told what to do in school. With First Time Live Youth, they were coming up with ideas, making decisions and telling others, including adults, what to do. They discovered lots about themselves; how to work in a team, how big organisations like orchestras work and the vast range of exciting music they can play. For some it opened up a new world of career possibilities – event management, lighting and sound design, vision mixing and public relations.

Remarkable too was the impact on our partners’ working practice. There has been a shift in attitude amongst the partner orchestras towards more youth-led work with some reporting that musicians are much more engaged with or wanting to be part of education and community teams. Music education hubs are using young presenters for their showcase concerts, venues are creating youth ambassador programmes and schools are considering how they can involve their students in designing and delivering the music curriculum.

I thought an orchestra would be as boring as anything, but now I learned it can be anything you want; as long as you can imagine it they can probably do it.” Doncaster Young Producer

“ Over two years and four locations, the RPO were able to refine and develop best practice, not only amongst the orchestral players, but through the professional development this afforded the orchestra management as well. The orchestra had more involvement with the participants than ever, and it’s probably the most integrated the entire orchestra has been to RPO resound led concerts.” Orchestra feedback

Putting participants at the heart of what we do remains a key principle of our work, not just with young people, and we have many more exciting projects in the pipeline that build on the principles here.

PARTNERS YEAR 2:

• Doncaster Music Education Hub

• Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

• CAST in Doncaster

• North East Lincolnshire Music Service

• The Auditorium, Grimsby

• Peterborough Music Partnership

• Kingsgate Conference Centre, Peterborough

• Vivacity – Peterborough Culture and Leisure

• Cambridgeshire Music Partnership

• The Palace Theatre, Mansfield

• Nottinghamshire Music Education Hub

• Thurrock Music Education Hub

• High House Production Park

• Royal Opera House Bridge

• Remedy Sound

• Makewaves

SCHOOL PARTNERS:

• Neale Wade Academy, March

• Thomas Deacon Academy, Peterborough

• Danum Academy, Doncaster

• Humberston Academy, Grimsby

• Havelock Academy, Grimbsy

• All Saints’ Catholic Academy, Mansfield

• William Edwards School, Thurrock

Discover more online www.firsttimelive.org.uk


The 2013 Orchestras Live conference took place on 7 November at Kings Place in London. Taking Music Further brought together orchestras, venues, promoters, local authorities, music education hubs, funders, partners, industry, media and our staff and trustees for an inspiring day of debate and exchange of ideas.

This year the focus was on the audience: ‘Should we seek to involve them in programming decisions and how?’; ‘What can we do to prepare and enhance their experience?’; ‘How can we reach those in rural and under-served areas?’. Broadcaster and journalist Tom Service, opening the conference, urged us to “truly open yourselves up to your audience” and “don’t be afraid” – radical advice that our distinguished panel members, including two of our First Time Live Youth producers from Scunthorpe, debated.

Observations and questions from delegates are always an important part of our conferences and this one was no exception. Commenting on the fine balance between current and new audiences, Elizabeth Rantzen from the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust, commented “There is always tension between not putting off the core audience while making concerts welcoming for new audiences.”

CONFERENCE: TAKING MUSIC FURTHER

Henry Little, Chief Executive, reflects on the Orchestras Live Conference held at Kings Place in November 2013.


Jake Orr, director of A Younger Theatre, whose work is targeted at the under 25s and a regular theatre and gallery goer observed that for him classical music has rules; he doesn’t know the language, doesn’t know where to begin, so is less inclined to engage.

Part of the day was set aside to demonstrate how digital technology can connect the creative process to audiences and included a live link-up with Aurora Orchestra and Samuel West as they prepared for their concert of Britten’s GPO film music at Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton that evening. Nicholas Collon, Artistic Director, Aurora Orchestra is a supporter of audience involvement at appropriate moments in a creative process: “Scheduled open rehearsals can be great and I love the idea of people being able to have ‘a way in’ to the creative process.”

Digital technology is a way of reaching more people but Sam West felt “it’s the icing not the cake”. For Sarah Ellis, Digital Producer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, in the Midsummer Dreaming project, in collaboration with Google, it was definitely the cake. Digitally conceived, it culminated as a live performance over three days in real time, with an audience online, simultaneously creating characters on Google+ which were created in real time on stage.

My question is: why isn’t every concert as special an experience as those First Time Live events?” Tom Service at the Orchestras Live Conference 2013

The challenge of reaching remote areas and under-served areas was also debated. Brenda Seymour of North Norfolk District Council described how she has developed an effective promoter network in rural Norfolk by involving the whole community. They have no purpose built theatres or arts centre: “In Trunch, a small village, the village shop sells the tickets, the audience uses the pub’s facilities as the church doesn’t have toilets and the vicar puts out signs directing the traffic to a parking area.”

The conference concluded that organisations need to be more porous and listen carefully to their audience. They have a vital part to play whether that’s in programme choice, inputting into the creative process, supporting the work of the organisation – financially or through volunteering – or just being a regular attender. What’s for sure, we ignore them at our peril.

Discover more online www.orchestraslive.org.uk/downloads/conference-2013/

ORCHESTRAS LIVE CONCERTSThe nation-wide series of concerts co-promoted by Orchestras Live will continue to deliver world-class British chamber orchestras to audiences across England on their doorstep. Working across seven English regions, 2014/15 will see an extensive programme of concerts, working with promoters and venues to showcase the very best British chamber orchestras, each with vibrant and eclectic concert programmes.

Over the next year we will deliver a wide-ranging programme of concerts, residencies and projects in partnership with local authorities, music education hubs, promoters and professional British symphony and chamber orchestras throughout England. We will maintain investing partnerships with dozens of local authorities and music education hubs. We have had longstanding collaborations with many of these and all of them continue to invest significant resources to work with us to bring Britain’s finest orchestras to their communities.

FIRST TIME LIVE YOUTHFollowing the huge success of our pioneering national series of concerts, all of which placed young people at the heart of the creative process, we will develop a series of legacy projects working with partners in Luton, Harlow, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire to continue taking inspiring orchestral experiences of the highest quality to young people who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to hear them.

Building upon our now well established partnership with the BBC Concert Orchestra, we are planning a major collaboration with the BBC, working with three of the six BBC performing groups to take the Ten Pieces project which is part of the new BBC Music plan to under-served areas across our partnership network.

FIRST TIME LIVE EARLY YEARSAs part of our First Time Live Early Years programme, our now established series of Lullaby Concerts by City of London Sinfonia for very young children and their families will be repeated in Suffolk and Essex and introduced to Bolsover in Derbyshire for the first time. Our longer term plans are to bring these concerts to more audiences across England.

BEYOND THE PREMIEREOur Beyond the Premiere programme will continue to build on our successful track record of taking orchestral work by living composers to new audiences. Our new partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Society and PRS for Music Foundation’s Composer in the House programme continues to bring new work by Huw Watkins and the Orchestra of the Swan to audiences in North Norfolk and Chelmsford. Alongside this, we are pleased to be

working with our long-term partners, City of London Sinfonia to bring On a Piece of Tapestry by composer Gwilym Simcock to a number of our concert promoter partners in Southampton, Hereford and Oswestry.

Helping new orchestral work to reach the widest possible audience is just part of our Beyond the Premiere programme. We estimate that 38% of all our concert programmes in 2014/15 will contain work by living composers.

To keep up to date with our future work, you can subscribe to our monthly e-bulletin at www.orchestraslive.org.ukOUR FUTURE

Orchestras Live remains passionate about bringing orchestral projects and concerts to thousands of people every year, regardless of their location, age or background.


Over the next four years, we need your help to realise our ambitious plans to bring more orchestral projects and concerts to more people in more places. We are seeking partnerships with charitable trusts and foundations, businesses and individuals who share our vision and want to help us ensure that Britain’s finest orchestras reach audiences living in the most culturally under-served parts of England.

We are the only organisation of our kind working in the orchestral sector and as a registered charity we rely upon the generosity and vision of a range of funders whose support enables us to bring world-class orchestral music to tens of thousands of people each year. An investment in Orchestras Live benefits the whole orchestral sector because of our unique partnerships with the full range of British symphony and chamber orchestras.

Supporting Orchestras Live is a sound investment. Whether we are giving disadvantaged young people an inspiring first-time experience of live orchestral music, or bringing newly commissioned orchestral work to more people in new places, as well as investing in local promoter skills and infrastructure so that orchestral music can continue to thrive, our work has a profound effect on our audiences, many of whom are experiencing the thrilling power of a live orchestra for the first time.

Your support has never been more important because although we are one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, we rely on significant extra investment in order to turn our ambitious plans into a reality.

To find out more about how your investment will make a difference and the benefits of working with us, or to see our work in action, please contact Caroline Porter, Funding Development Manager on 020 7520 1494 or email [email protected]


HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR WORK

Help us give people from all backgrounds and locations the opportunity to enjoy Britain’s finest orchestras.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING AND RELAXED PERFORMANCESHaving established successful partnerships with professional orchestras to enable both families and young people to engage with orchestral music for the first time, we now want to focus our expertise on creating inspirational live orchestral experiences for families with children with additional needs.

As part of our new Health and Wellbeing strand, our new series of Relaxed performances will be developed in partnership with a major British symphony orchestra and a number of venue partners, which will inspire British orchestras to embed programmes of work for families with children with additional needs into their work.

UNDER-SERVED AREAS22% of our funds will be invested in work that takes place in parts of England that fall within the bottom 20% for cultural engagement.

NEW AND TRANSFORMED PARTNERSHIPSWe are working for the first time in the North East, as well as making new partnerships in the South West and North West. This year will see the Hallé perform for the first time in County Durham. We are also planning an exciting new relationship with the Cumbria Music Education Hub on a number of orchestral programmes across the county. We have introduced a wider range of British orchestras to the orchestral series in Chelmsford, Essex as well as continuing to take world-class British orchestras to loyal and under- served audiences in North Cumbria.

The creation of a strong local infrastructure and the development of expertise in orchestral programming are two common threads that will continue to run through all of our work. This will create a healthy, vibrant and viable market for the British orchestral sector which will enable this country’s world-class ensembles to reach new audiences in new places across England.


FINANCIALS2013/14

INCOME We have been successful in securing long-term funding commitments from a number of major private charitable foundations. 2013/14 was the first year of a further three-year award from The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, totalling £150,000, to support the work and salaries of our two Partnership Managers, enabling their continued work with a range of local authority and other promoter partners in order to expand and sustain orchestral activities across England. The John Ellerman Foundation is supporting the work and salary of one of our Partnership Managers with an award of £75,000 running from 2012-15. 2013/14 was the first year of a two-year award totalling £50,000 from The J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust and a three-year award totalling £90,000 from The Monument Trust, both new funders of our work.

We continue to enjoy a positive and constructive relationship with Arts Council England at both regional and national level. This year was the second year of our relationship with ACE as a National Portfolio Organisation with a funding agreement in place to March 2015. However, in line with all their NPOs, ACE reduced its already agreed funding commitments to us in 2013/14 and 2014/15 by 2% and 3% respectively.

2013/14 was the second and final year of our Arts Council England Strategic Touring grant of £317,932 towards First Time Live Youth. The grant has enabled us to give nearly 12,000 young people from 100 schools an inspirational first-time experience of live orchestral music, with legacy activity planned in 2014/15 supported by grants from the Royal Opera House Bridge and Essex Music Education Hub.

We continue to be successful in securing small but important grants for our partnership projects. Towards the second year of our First Time Live Youth project we received support from the Kirby Laing Foundation, the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation and ABP Grimsby & Immingham. The second and final year of our First Time Live Early Years grant from Youth Music enabled us to take Lullaby concerts to more children in under-served areas. The concerts were also supported by Philips AVENT.

The PRS for Music Foundation and the Royal Philharmonic Society co-invested a total of £10,000 over two years from April 2013 towards a partnership between their Composer in the House and our Beyond the Premiere programmes.

Our partnerships with investing partners yielded more than £200,000 towards activity; a percentage of income from these partners has directly contributed towards the provision of our services, providing an income stream towards our core costs.

EXPENDITUREFunding from Arts Council England and other charitable income enabled us to sustain 60 ongoing partnerships, including investment by 45 local authorities and music education hubs. We delivered a total of 632 events through orchestral residencies, community and education projects, concerts, and work devised for specific audiences and places. We worked in seven English regions with 25 professional orchestras, reaching 53,808 people.

TRUSTEES’ STATEMENT ON THE SUMMARISED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSThe summarised financial statements are not the statutory accounts, but a summary of information relating to both the Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet. They may not contain sufficient information to gain a complete understanding of the charity’s financial results and its financial position at the year end.

The statutory accounts were audited and an unqualified audit opinion was issued on 29 July 2014. The statutory accounts, including the audit report, can be obtained from Nancy Buchanan, the Company Secretary, who can be contacted on 020 7520 1494. The statutory accounts were approved on 10 July 2014 and have been submitted to the Charity Commission and Companies House.

Mark Bromley, Chairman28 August 2014

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S STATEMENT TO THE TRUSTEES OF ORCHESTRAS LIVE We have examined the summarised financial statements set out on page 23.

RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES AND AUDITORSThe Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the Annual Review. Our responsibility is to report to you our opinion on the consistency of the summarised financial statements within the Annual Review with the full annual accounts and Trustees’ Report in accordance with the applicable United Kingdom law and the recommendations of the Charities SORP. We also read the other information contained in the Annual Review and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatement or material inconsistencies with the summarised financial statements.

BASIS OF OPINIONWe conducted our examination in accordance with ISA810 “Engagements to report on Summary Financial Statements” issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. In forming our opinion we have not considered the effects of any events between the date of our audit report (29 July 2014) and the date of this report.

OPINIONIn our opinion the summary financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements and Trustees’ Report of Orchestras Live for the year ended 31 March 2014.

DNG Dove Naish, Statutory Auditors Eagle House, 28 Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5AJ

28 August 2014


SUMMARY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2014 2014 (£) 2013 (£)

Incoming Resources Incoming resources from generated funds: Investment income 23,660 16,679 Voluntary income 967,421 866,018Incoming resources from charitable activities 233,511 312,886Total incoming resources 1,224,592 1,195,583

Resources Expended Cost of generating funds: Cost of generating voluntary income 36,923 36,011Charitable activities 1,181,274 1,159,683Governance costs 45,604 40,694Total resources expended 1,263,801 1,236,388

Net movement in funds (excluding actuarial gain on pension scheme) (39,209) (40,805)

Total funds brought forward as previously stated 798,719 839,524Prior year adjustment (76,000) (76,000)

Total funds brought forward as restated 722,719 763,524

Total funds carried forward (including actuarial gain on pension scheme) 745,510 722,719

BALANCE SHEET 2014 (£) 2013 (£)FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2014 As restated As restated

Fixed assets Tangible assets 2,379 7,790

Current assets Debtors: falling due within one year 99,108 90,371Debtors: falling due after more than one year 60,000 60,000Cash at bank and in hand 12,783 36,795Cash on deposit 1,307,550 1,298,829

Creditors: falling due within one year (651,310) (636,066)

Net current assets 828,131 849,929Creditors: falling due after more than one year (85,000) (135,000)

Net assets 745,510 722,719

Funds Total TotalUnrestricted funds – general 414,847 362,464Unrestricted funds – designated 330,663 360,255Restricted funds 36,171 33,494

Total 745,510 722,719


Sinfonia VivaAcademy of Ancient Music

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

OUR CORE PARTNERS...

Over the past year we have worked with a wide range of partners including orchestras, promoters, venues, local authorities, music education hubs, charities, trusts and foundations.

... AND SUPPORTERS

Thank you to our supportersABP Grimsby & Immingham

Arts Council England

Barnardo’s

D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Essex Music Education Hub

John Ellerman Foundation

J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust

A legacy payment by Miss D R Kurzman awarded by Arts Council England

Philips Avent

PRS for Music Foundation

Royal Opera House Bridge

Royal Philharmonic Society

The Kirby Laing Foundation

The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation

The Mighty Creatives Bridge

The Monument Trust

Youth Music

Classic FM (Media Partner)

The English Concert

Academy of Ancient Music

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Ashford Borough Council

Association of British Orchestras

Aurora Orchestra

Babergh District Council

BBC Concert Orchestra

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

Bolsover District Council

Brandenburg Sinfonia

Breckland District Council

Britten Sinfonia

Broadland District Council

Buxton Festival

Cambridge City Council

Cambridgeshire Music Partnership

Chelmsford City Council

Chesterfield Borough Council

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

City of London Sinfonia

Cockermouth Music Society

Corby Borough Council

Deal Festival

Derby City Council

Derbyshire County Council

East Lindsey District Council

East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Essex County Council

Essex Music Services

European Union Chamber Orchestra

Fiori Musicali

Forest Heath District Council

Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Hallé Concerts Society

Hull City Council

Ipswich Borough Council

Julie’s Bicycle

Keswick Music Society

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council

Leicestershire County Council

Lincoln Drill Hall

Lincolnshire County Council

London Mozart Players

Ludlow Assembly Rooms

Luton Music Education Hub

Manchester Camerata

Marina Theatre Trust

Mid Suffolk District Council

Mid Wales Chamber Orchestra

Norfolk County Council

Norfolk Music Hub

North Norfolk District Council

North West Leicestershire District Council

Northampton Theatres Trust

Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust

Northern Chamber Orchestra

Norwich City Council

Nottingham Royal Centre

Nottinghamshire County Council

Nottinghamshire Music Education Hub

Orchestra of Opera North

Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment

Orchestra of the Swan

Penrith Music Club

Peterborough Music Partnership

Philharmonia Orchestra

Rochford District Council

Rochford Extended Services

Royal Opera House Bridge

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

SASRA Music and Arts

SeaChange Arts

Shropshire Music Trust

Sinfonia Viva

South Holland District Council

South Kesteven District Council

South Norfolk Council

South Northamptonshire Council

Southend Theatres

St Edmundsbury Borough Council

St George’s Bristol

Stroud District Council

Suffolk County Council

Thaxted Festival Foundation

The Castle, Wellingborough

The Courtyard, Hereford

The English Concert

The Mighty Creatives Bridge

The Stonebridge Trust

Thurrock Music Hub

University of Southampton

Uttlesford District Council

Vivacity – Peterborough Culture and Leisure

Watford Borough Council

Wiltshire Music Centre

Writers’ Centre Norwich

STAFF &TRUSTEES

Staff Team

Henry LittleChief Executive

Stuart BrucePartnership Manager

Nancy BuchananGeneral Manager

Matt Carwardine-PalmerCommunications Consultant

Jan FordPartnership Manager

Caroline PorterFunding Development Manager

Lisa StonhamPartnerships Administrator

Trustees at 31 March 2014

Mark BromleyChairman

Nicky Adamson

Kevin Appleby

Selena Chapman

Ellen Gallagher

Martin Gent

Alan Kerr

Neil Mathur

Martin Prendergast

Peter Snelling

Clive Sugars

Jane Williams

Photography Credits

This paper contains material sourced from responsibly managed and sustainable commercial forests.

Design by Julie Page.

COVER: Hear and Now by Cacha Photography.

INSIDE FRONT COVER: Top row: First Time Live Youth by Paul Coghlin; MusicMix 2014 by Pete Huggins; Lullaby Concerts by Paul Coghlin; Serenade by Rhydian Peters. Bottom row: Philharmonia in Rochford by Gillian Sandford; First Time Live Youth by Paul Coghlin; First Time Live Youth by Paul Coghlin; Orchestras Live Conference 2013 by Simon Jay Price.

PAGE 01: Mark Bromley; Henry Little by Simon Weir.

PAGE 02: MusicMix 2014 by Pete Huggins.


PAGE 05: Our Forest Futures by Sinfonia Viva.

PAGE 06: Lullaby Concerts 2013 by Paul Coghlin.


PAGE 08–09: Serenade by Rhydian Peters.

PAGE 10: Huw Watkins by Arena Pal / Hanya Chlala; Gwilym Simcock by Eric Richmond.

PAGE 11: Aurora Orchestra by Simon Weir.

PAGE 12: In clockwise order from top left: ReCyClowne by Scott Chambers / Bolsover District Council; Jean-Efflam Bavouzet by Benjamin Ealovega; BCMG by Clive Barda; Lawrence Power by Jack Liebeck; Laura van der Heijden by Sam Trench.

PAGE 13: In clockwise order from top left: GCSE Concerts by Graham Standley / Lincolnshire Music Service; London Mozart Players by Jennifer Brady; Philharmonia in Rochford by Gillian Sandford; Aurora in Ashford by Lewis Brockway; Beat Orchestra by Jan Ford.

PAGE 14: First Time Live Youth by Paul Coghlin.

PAGE 15: Hear and Now by Cacha Photography.

PAGE 16–17: First Time Live Youth by Paul Coghlin.

PAGE 18–19: Orchestras Live Conference 2013 by Simon Jay Price.

PAGE 20: David Curtis conducting Orchestra of the Swan; First Time Live Workshop by Jan Ford.

PAGE 21: First Time Live Youth by Paul Coghlin.

PAGE 24: Top row: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra by Bill Hiskett; The English Concert by Richard Haughton. Bottom row: Academy of Ancient Music by Patrick Harrison; Sinfonia Viva by Peter Helps.

INSIDE BACK COVER: Alison Balsom by Hugh Carswell / Warner Classics.

The Music BaseKings Place90 York WayLondon N1 9AG

020 7520 [email protected]

@OrchestrasLive

Registered company number 5988211 (England & Wales)Registered charity number 1117211

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