Orchestras Live is extremely concerned about the financial cut to cultural organisations being proposed by Suffolk County Council.

As a national producer and music charity, Orchestras Live has been developing and supporting professional orchestral work in Suffolk for nearly 60 years.

Over the last three years, Orchestras Live has invested £95,837 into a diverse portfolio of activity across Suffolk, unlocking a further £88,283 from external funding raised and brought into projects by our partners. This level of inward investment is at risk if the cultural infrastructure and expertise within the county is weakened or, at worst, disappears because of the withdrawal of support to them by Suffolk County Council.

Through partnerships across the county, our work has made orchestral experiences accessible to a much broader audience than traditionally attends arts venues, often placing the work in rural and coastal communities. This has seen world class orchestras such as Britten Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, London Mozart Players, Sinfonia Viva and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing at venues such as the Marina Theatre, Lowestoft, and holding collaborative projects with young people and adults across the county.

In recent years this work has included a unique project with deaf young people and artists in partnership with the Bury St Edmunds branch of Suffolk Archives, creative projects with young musicians in partnership with Suffolk County Music Service, and work with vulnerable people in partnership with Suffolk Artlink.

Not only is this work important for the cultural provision and identity of Suffolk but it makes a valuable contribution to the County Council’s priorities for supporting health, care and wellbeing, developing skills, tackling inequalities, raising aspiration and enabling communities.

In terms of people’s lives, we know from considerable experience that cultural activity has huge impact in terms of drawing communities together, building connections and tackling isolation and loneliness. Also it gives people a voice and unlocks their creative potential, which is vital for healthy communities and for raising aspiration.

— Audience comments from a performance by deaf young people at Bury St Edmunds in December 2023, working in partnership with Britten Sinfonia, Suffolk Archives and Suffolk Music Service, produced by Orchestras Live.

We strongly urge the County Council to consider very carefully the serious implications of removing what is a very small proportion of its overall budget from the cultural organisations currently under threat.