What we wanted to achieve

Many people in the East Riding of Yorkshire were unable to access world-class orchestral music due to living in geographically dispersed communities with limited public transport and minimal cultural opportunities.

Originally conceived for Hull UK City of Culture 2017, Classically Yours was developed to reach new audiences by addressing the lack of opportunity to experience live orchestral music in a region with historically lower levels of cultural engagement.

What we do

We work with local communities to create meaningful opportunities for people to engage with orchestral music to challenge perceptions of classical music and make it feel more accessible and relevant. Manchester Camerata and Sinfonia Viva are the anchor orchestras for Classically Yours, focusing their creative project work with specific communities in East Riding.

The ongoing programme includes:

• Creative projects with communities and schools
• Orchestral programmes for young children to experience live music through age-appropriate performances
• Health and wellbeing projects including relaxed concerts for those in care settings or with health needs
• A series of culmination events and concerts in the community.

Projects and performances have engaged with a wide range of groups from across the community including care homes, schools, county youth ensembles, community choirs and theatre groups. Groups have participated in creative projects and performance opportunities with many engaging more than once. Some groups, such as those in Withernsea and Hornsea, have evolved over many years into community partners who contribute to shaping the projects we produce. Participation continues to be the most important factor in successfully engaging audiences in orchestral performances.

Classically Yours continues to grow, focusing on building and deepening partnerships with local community groups, ensuring their voice remains a key part of our programme planning.

Outcomes

Since Classically Yours began in 2016/17, the programme has:

• Worked with 7 professional orchestras
• Co-created 29 new pieces of music
• Delivered 11,057 participatory engagements in 367 workshops
• Reached a live audience of 9,115 through 68 performances
• Reached a broadcast audience of over 18,400 (this includes streaming events, film views and radio reach)
• Continued to re-engage community groups each year.

As part of our commitment to understanding and communicating the impact of Classically Yours, we worked with our partners at East Riding Council to pilot the Social Value Engine – a tool used to measure the social impact and return on investment of public programmes.

Using our 2023 Music & Movies project, we gathered detailed feedback from participants, partners, and audiences and used the Engine to show the difference the project made to people’s wellbeing, sense of community, and access to culture.

Following the successful pilot project, we calculated the social value of all Classically Yours projects delivered in 2023 and 2024. Based on the data collected, we calculated a return of £5.69 in social value for every £1 invested, generating a total of £1,357,128 in social impact.

Between January 2023 and March 2025, Classically Yours reached:

• 1,874 audience members across 14 concerts
• 838 participants in 118 workshops
• 30 participant groups (including 18 new to Classically Yours)
• 9767 engagements with young people through the Music Service Big Sing and orchestral digital resources.

Headline figures found that:

• 99% of participants agreed that the project provides an important addition to the cultural life of the area.
• 87% of participants said the project gave them opportunities to access activities they would otherwise not have access to.
• 88% of participants said the project has a positive impact on their mental wellbeing.
• 94% of community groups and artistic partners said it strengthened their connection to the local community.

In 2018, the project won the RPS (Royal Philharmonic Society) Music Award for Audiences and Engagement. We believe this RPS win was a watershed moment for community engagement. The RPS Music Awards are the highest recognition for live classical music in this country – the Oscars of the music sector – and our win placed projects truly driven by their local participants alongside the most prestigious orchestral venues and programmes in the UK.

Partners

Classically Yours is co-produced by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Orchestras Live. We are grateful to all our partners, from professional orchestras to community groups, for their passion and commitment to the project.