We believe orchestras are for everyone

Our work brings the thrill and connection of live orchestral music to people who might not otherwise encounter it, and to use those shared experiences to spark confidence, wellbeing and a sense of belonging in both the individuals and communities.

We work with a diverse range of partners and communities across England.

We work nationally in England with particular focus in the East, North and the Midlands. Many of our projects take place in coastal and rural communities where access to high-quality music experiences are often limited.

Each project is shaped by one or more of our core strands of work:

• Cultural communities – strengthening local identity and connection by enabling people to shape musical experiences that reflect who they are and where they live.
• Inspiring children and young people – widening access to live orchestral music so children and young people can build confidence, creativity and a lasting sense of cultural belonging.
• Workforce development – growing a resilient, skilled sector by equipping musicians and music leaders with the tools, confidence and experience to thrive in community‑focused work.
• Creative Health – using music to support emotional and physical wellbeing by creating projects that use orchestral music to support individuals to live well.

This Impact Review brings together the stories, partnerships and outcomes that show how we make our mission a reality. We hope you enjoy reading them.

Our recent work included

Find out more about our flagship projects which involved first-time live orchestral experiences for children and young people, trauma-informed work with displaced children and young people in the UK care system, and a creative dementia care programme for family carers and their relatives.

You'll also see the social return on investment some of these projects have generated. We've started to use social value measurement as a way to better assess the positive social, economic and wellbeing outcomes generated by our partnership work.

Our Community Impact Coordinators sit at the heart of our work with communities in the North, East and Midlands. They play a huge role in our ability to build long-standing relationships with a range of partners, as well as act as a bridge between musicians and programme participants.

Each of them brings their own unique set of skills and experiences to their region and through them we learn about the impact our work is having on the ground day to day in local communities.

Find out how Chiara, Claire and Sam are exploring new ways to reach and engage different types of communities; from ex-mining villages in Derbyshire, to coastal areas in East Yorkshire, to rural communities in Suffolk.

*Levelling Up places have now been superseded by DCMS Priority Places, which we were not tracking in the year in question.

Across the year, our team travel the country to collaborate with partners, meet communities, speak at events and support projects. Their energy, curiosity and care shape our work behind the scenes.

Here's some of our favourite moments and snaps of 2026:

👾 Goole Creates - uniting young people across boundaries and abilities: Young people from our inclusive partnership project in Goole premiered original music inspired by Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, created with East Riding Schools Music Service and The Hallé.

🤝 Our Team Away Day: A day to reconnect and imagine Orchestras Live ten years from now, exploring how our strategies can shape the future of our work and how to deepen its impact. It was a thoughtful, creative and collaborative day as always.

💡Exploring culture and devolution: We spent a fascinating day in Penrith at the Cumbria Arts & Culture Network's Big Meet at Sunbeams. We joined thought-provoking discussions about what devolution means for culture in rural regions and enjoyed connecting with colleagues from across the sector.

🫶 Culture Sounds - trauma-attuned workshops: We joined musicians from One World Orchestra and Sinfonia Viva for two days of creative workshops at a young people’s home in Leicester, focusing on relationship-building and trauma-attuned approaches to music-making.

💻 Sharing our social value expertise: Our Chief Executive, Sarah Derbyshire MBE FRSA, and Nicola Dixon from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, led a packed session at the Arts Marketing Association Conference, on our shared journey understanding social value measurement, and how it's transforming the way we communicate impact.

🎶 Hear and Now - intergenerational music-making: A range of intergenerational taster sessions in Bedford with Philharmonia, for our long-running, award-winning project, bringing together residents of Presentation House, the Bedford Caribbean Senior Citizens Association and the Tibbs Dementia Foundation.

We are extremely grateful for the support we have received from our funders and partners which allow our vital work to flourish.

In particular, for the core financial support we receive from:

Arts Council England, the D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, and the Garfield Weston Foundation.