Keeping young people engaged in ensemble music making during the Covid19 crisis has presented a major challenge for many Music Hubs. That’s why Orchestras Live has been developing Share Sound, a major digital project that is intended to enable professional orchestras to work with Music Hubs and explore the digital creative space for ensemble music making.  We’re now working closely with several of our partner Music Hubs around the country to shape bespoke delivery plans that will meet their specific needs.

Share Sound provides a unique opportunity to create new inclusive ensembles which let young people compose, curate, rehearse, perform and record new music digitally. Youth voice and co-creation will be at the heart of the project, which aims to attract a wide range of young musicians including those playing in different genres and from diverse backgrounds who might not have been involved in traditional youth ensembles before.

Five of our partner Music Hubs are involved - Cumbria, Durham, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk - along with professional orchestras Chineke! and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. A team of music leaders, orchestral players, Music Hub tutors and freelance musicians from other genres will support a series of online creative workshops with the participants in each area, culminating next summer in a virtual finale when the digital productions from all five areas will be premiered with everyone involved and their audiences. We are inviting experienced music leader James Redwood to be Artistic Director of Share Sound. He will lead and mentor the artistic teams whilst exploring connections between each Hub area and their creative work. Each Music Hub project will have its own identity, structure and timescale and we look forward to the breadth of creative work young people will produce.

Watch this space for further news of Share Sound!