2025 is a momentous year for us as we celebrate six decades of bringing world-class orchestral music to communities across England.

Founded in 1965 as the Eastern Authorities Orchestral Association (EAOA), we emerged during a transformative period in British cultural life with a singular mission: to ensure orchestral music could reach everyone, regardless of geographical or socioeconomic barriers.

For sixty years, our pioneering and innovative organisation has remained the only one of its kind working in the UK orchestral sector, driven by our passionate belief that orchestras are for everyone.

Honouring the Past ~ Inspiring the Future ~ Championing Community Collaboration

Throughout our 60th year we'll celebrate how music and creativity transform lives through our impactful work and initiatives.

We'll be taking time throughout the next year to revisit our rich heritage and recognise the people, partners and landmark projects that have shaped our success.

We'll also be introducing new initiatives to keep growing our vital community and inspiring future generations. This includes our valued partners, sector and community organisations, as well as the orchestras, musicians and creatives who work alongside us. Their collective commitment and dedication to our mission enables us to keep reaching as many people as we can.

A Legacy of Innovation and Impact

We've built our reputation through meaningful collaborations with professional orchestras, music hubs, sector support organisations, educators, venues, promoters and local communities.

These partnerships have been instrumental in creating projects where music and creativity thrive, delivering transformative experiences to thousands or people who might otherwise never encounter live orchestral music in their daily lives.

Our work has four strands to it: community collaboration, creative health, children and young people, and developing the sector's workforce.

Through these pillars, we place local people at the heart of orchestral projects, provide first-time orchestral experiences for young people, train musicians, nurture new talent, and harness the power of music to support the population’s wellbeing.

Our Values-Driven Approach

At the core of our identity are our values: forward-looking, creative, inclusive, collaborative and environmentally responsible.

These principles have shaped our evolution from a smaller local organisation to a dynamic national producer that champions innovation, while honouring orchestral traditions.

We remain artistically ambitious, supporting risk and ensuring that learning is fed back into future delivery and shared more widely with the orchestral sector. Collaboration drives innovation and maximises impact - it's been fundamental to our successes.

Looking to the Future

As we celebrate our diamond anniversary, we are not only looking back at past achievements and successes but also setting an ambitious vision for the decade ahead.

We will demonstrate the integral importance of our sector to the wellbeing and prosperity of the UK’s population through:

• Continuing to make the case for the social value of inclusive, place-based orchestral experiences​.
• Promoting and advocating for the role of music in public health and prevention plans.

We will challenge the sector to become more accessible to those who wish to work and participate in it, knowing that the greatest progress can only come from a depth and variety of experiences. We will do this through:

• Building new research partnerships to deepen understanding of our work and to drive greater innovation and development in the sector.
• Supporting sector campaigns and collaborations to develop initiatives that promote inclusive recruitment of creative teams.

Here's to the next 60 years of orchestral music-making!