Stuart Bruce, Senior Creative Producer, shares highlights and reflections of our Create Yarmouth project.

Create Yarmouth is a rolling programme of residency relationships between British orchestras and the Norfolk coastal town of Great Yarmouth, produced by Orchestras Live. Since 2021 this has featured the BBC Concert Orchestra. Year 2 of the residency has been remarkable for the diversity of activity achieved, and the range of people who have engaged with the orchestra.

The most long-term venture was Share Sound 2, a creative project of skills development with four high schools. Over a period of five months, a series of in-person and online workshops culminated in a performance of music co-created and performed by more than 50 young musicians working closely with their music teachers, BBC CO players, instrumental tutors from Norfolk Music Service and music leader James Redwood. Local young creatives were also involved in the filming and photography as well as presentation of the event.

Another strand of work with young people saw two orchestral concerts for Key Stage 2 audiences held at The Drill House in June. The Incredible Orchestral Time Machine was presented by Alasdair Malloy and consisted of music relating to different time periods, woven together with aspects of local history to make the narrative even more relevant to the audience. 300 children from all eight primary schools in Great Yarmouth attended the concerts, with nearly 4,000 more children at 32 schools across Norfolk watching a live stream. This followed workshops at the Yarmouth schools led by a group of BBC CO players.

Exploring and celebrating the heritage of the town has seen the Concert Orchestra performing at different venues and spaces in the town. A performance for the general public at the beautiful St George’s Theatre was Strings in Springtime, a programme of virtuosic chamber music curated and presented by string players from the orchestra.

The culmination of Year 2 was a full orchestral concert at the Hippodrome Circus Theatre as part of the BBC Proms, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. The programme reflected the circus and coastal themes of the venue and included a new commission, Seascapes, from Norfolk-based composer Sarah Rodgers. An open rehearsal was attended by GCSE and A Level music students from East Norfolk, and two young creatives gained insight into the professional orchestral industry by shadowing BBC technical and event managers during the day. More young musicians were involved in a BBC Young Composer Day, working with a renowned singer-songwriter and a studio producer.

Such a range of activity represents a real commitment from the BBC Concert Orchestra towards making an impact in a community well away from their London base. Positive feedback from the many participants and audience members suggests their commitment, coupled with the constant thread of Orchestras Live’s co-production, have paid off, not least in raising levels of participation, aspiration and a sense of pride that the BBC Proms could come to this seaside town. The way the orchestral players have thrown themselves enthusiastically into what were, for some, new ways of creating and performing music bodes well for the evolving role of the Concert Orchestra.

For me, I’ve been reminded that it takes time to build a truly effective partnership with a community. It is only possible by taking the time to find, consult and collaborate with community ambassadors, networks and key organisations. After two years of Create Yarmouth the partnership feels like its working….and the good new is, we have another year to take it further!