What we've been up to: February 2025
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Find out what we've been up to recently.
Wisbech Creates
Earlier this month, we launched Wisbech Creates with two inspiring concerts at Thomas Clarkson Academy in Wisbech.
This youth-led project puts students at the heart by giving them the opportunity to shape their musical journey. Pupils from Orchards C of E Academy and Thomas Clarkson Academy will collaborate with composer Michael Betteridge and Britten Sinfonia musicians to create two original pieces of music. Influenced by repertoire chosen by the students themselves, these compositions will be performed alongside a 13-piece Britten Sinfonia orchestra in a final showcase, celebrating their creativity and musical growth.
Developed in partnership with Britten Sinfonia, Cambridgeshire Music, and 20Twenty Productions, the project will also produce a professional recording and online teaching video, extending its reach to even more young people.
Darlington Hippodrome Partnership
Darlo Creates has been underway this year, with Carmel College working with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to create a curtain raiser to open their Baroquebusters concert at Darlington Hippodrome earlier this month.
These projects bring new young people and their families into the theatre to experience an orchestral concert, often for the first time.
Exploring Baroque repertoire and musical techniques, the young people composed a wealth of musical material for their new pieces. The workshops mixed creativity with an opportunity to delve into Baroque instruments and discuss the musical differences in Baroque times.
“I loved it, thanks for the opportunity to work with new people and developing my creativity” - Darlo Creates participant.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed OAE’s performance and the informal way the musicians introduced the music between pieces and chatted during the interval. The evening “lifted the spirits and enlivened the soul”.
The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes
Earlier this month, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and young people from across County Durham performed The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes to two sold out audiences at Consett Empire Theatre.
Reimagining Purcell’s 1692 opera, the show centred around the Fairy Queen’s midsummer party and the consequences of the magical wishes she grants to two unsuspecting humans. Puck guides us through the story with the aid of the forest sprites (primary school choir) and the orchestra (including a secondary school ensemble alongside OAE) and youth choir.
The young people produced two super performances which were enthusiastically received by the audience. Our Regional Producer North had the opportunity to visit two of our schools afterwards and talk with the young people about their experience taking part.
Our child actors gave an “Amazing Show!” headline with a 5* rating and talked enthusiastically about their positive experience working with OAE, what they had learnt and the pride their families had in their performance.
“Shakespeare remake is a blast” was the headline from Consett Academy where they felt "everyone was included and everyone had a part to play”. There was lots of discussion about the skills and confidence they had developed through being part of a large-scale performance and performing as an ensemble with OAE.
We’re looking forward to The Fairy Queen Three Wishes continuing its national tour with our partners in Norfolk and Lincolnshire over the next two years.
Safety Last
Orchestra of the Swan returned to our partner venue, The Courtyard in Hereford, to perform a specially composed score by Artistic Director David Le Page alongside the 1923 silent comedy with Harold Lloyd, Safety Last!
The orchestra performed a new composition inspired by the film before the screening.