COMMUNITY ROUND-UP

It has been an incredible year for the Learning & Participation team at Britten Sinfonia. At the beginning of the year, we were still rather bemused by Arts Council England's decision to remove 100% of our regular funding. However, I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to reflect on and develop our programmes like never before across the East of England.

In recent months, we have launched our Music on Your Doorstep community residency in Thetford, building on the success of our pilot events in 2021 and working to embed more deeply over a sustained period of time, in order to make a greater and longer-lasting impact. 

We have been busy with our friends at Orchestras Live, delivering Deaf Perspectives, past and present in partnership with Suffolk Archives. During this project, we had the pleasure of working with the incomparable composer and workshop leader, James Redwood, and D/deaf children and young people from Bury St Edmunds to create new pieces of music inspired by the life of deaf photographer Walton Burrell. 

Following the workshops, the children and young people came together with a 19-piece orchestra of musicians from Britten Sinfonia to perform for friends and family. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as they performed Keep the Home Fires Burning in British Sign Language. 

We have also been working with Orchestras Live to deliver our Musical Memories programme for older people and people living with long-term health conditions in Mid-Suffolk with the District Council. Straight off the back of Deaf Perspectives, Miranda Dale (violin) and Milo Harper (harp) joined facilitator, Raphael Clarkson, to deliver performances at six community settings across Mid-Suffolk. 

As well as sing-alongs and some festive cheer, we started creating a song about community spirit which we will return to in January and perform with musicians from Britten Sinfonia at a celebration event in March. Here's a sneak peak...