A different kind of Orchestra

Each year we work with more than 8,250 children and young people in the East of England, giving them opportunities to hear a professional ensemble live for the first time, try out instruments, and play alongside our musicians.

Over the last decade we have worked with 79 schools in the East of England, many of them in areas with low arts provision.

In our last full season, our main-stage concerts reached a live audience of 65,000.

Over our 30 years, we have commissioned nearly 250 works from composers.

Our players perform for patients in Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge…

…And we give purpose to residents of HMP Whitemoor by creating music with them.

Musical Crafternoon, Music On Your Doorstep © Dibs Photography

Violinists perform on stage under purple lighting

Britten Sinfonia at Saffron Hall © Tom Lovatt

Musicians laugh during a workshop

Magnum Opus Workshop © Britten Sinfonia

A young patient interacts with a double bass player

Britten Sinfonia visits Addenbrookes © CUH Arts

CUH Sounds at Addenbrooke's

Music in Hospitals

“I was absolutely stunned – it made my day!”

We really value our monthly visits to Cambridge University Hospitals with CUH Arts – sharing the joy of music with everyone we encounter.

Read our Addenbrooke's blog

Tuning Up at HMP Whitemoor

Music in Prisons

“The atmosphere in the hall was one of living, breathing rehabilitative culture.”

We head back to HMP Whitemoor next month to continue our Tuning Up project which brings together residents, staff and musicians through music-making.

Come Together

Music & Health

“The project has taught me my life isn’t over living with my illness.”

The Lost Letters at Saffron Hall created a community of people from different generations, including those living with dementia.

Music On Your Doorstep

For Young People & Rural Communities

“I loved seeing all the children interacting with music”

“So glad you came to Bourne! We don’t get classical music live here!”

Music On Your Doorstep, brings live music experiences to communities across the East of England.

Watch the trailer

Commissioning New Music

Commissioning new music is part of our DNA. In our short 30 year history, we’ve commissioned almost 250 new pieces by both emerging composers and established names from James MacMillan and Dobrinka Tabakova to James B. Wilson and Dani Howard.

Hear a world premiere

Opus 1 & Magnum Opus

Working with Composers

A truly special residency. Working with top musicians who have open minds and hearts, and being supported by a forward-thinking organisation, has given us true artistic freedom.

– Magnum Opus composer, Nathan James Dearden

Surround Sound

Accessible Concerts

“Everyone in my family really enjoyed it, including my daughter, aged 8!”

It’s always special to play music for people who haven’t heard an orchestra live before. We plan to bring our Surround Sound playlist, a “magical evening”, to new spaces next year.

Watch our documentary

Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex & London

Our Resident Venues

We love performing at our homes across the East of England, as Resident Orchestra at Saffron Hall in Essex, Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican, in Norwich at The Halls and Theatre Royal, and at Snape Maltings with Aldeburgh Festival.

Collaborations

We relish collaborating with other genres and artforms, with artists from across the world. We’ve recently worked with singer-songwriter Father John Misty, superstar sitar player Anoushka Shankar, photographer Sebastião Salgado and actor Benedict Cumberbatch to name but a few.

Watch Anoushka Shankar's interview

in the UK and abroad

On Tour

We often perform at the BBC Proms and this Summer we toured to Cheltenham International Festival and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod with Anoushka Shankar. We were also part of the first ever musical broadcast from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel which reached 1 millions listeners worldwide.

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