Read on to find out what we've been up to recently.

Cumbria Calling, our annual project in partnership with Cumbria Music Hub, culminated in an exciting concert of epic video game music at The Coro in Ulverston.

Over the past 7 months, The Manchester Video Game Orchestra and composer Andy Smith worked with four secondary schools to explore the genre and create new soundtracks to visuals from their favourite titles. Participants premiered their new works with the orchestra to a captivated audience, alongside a programme of soundtracks from the world’s biggest games including Fortnite, Crysis, and Runescape.

This year’s Hear and Now intergenerational project culminated last week. The audience enjoyed a live performance that blended newly devised songs and instrumental material with orchestral repertoire in a celebration of the creative partnership between diverse young and older people in Bedford. The performance was supported by orchestral musicians from the Philharmonia and creatively facilitated by artistic director Tim Steiner.

In March, Britten Sinfonia brought their annual schools tour to Peterborough, with The Robot and the Bluebird (based on the children’s book by David Lucas). Following the concerts, we worked with the orchestra and Peterborough Music Hub to deliver workshops in two schools where 150 KS1 pupils had the chance to engage with the story, make their own new music, learn new instruments and develop composition and songwriting skills.

The culminating event saw the schools come together with Britten Sinfonia's musicians and presenter Sheena Masson. Performing a newly created musical version of the book with specially created animations by Victor Craven and a brilliant, jazz-influenced score by composer Raphael Clarkson.

Creative Journeys is a well-being music project for sheltered housing residents in South Holland developed in partnership with South Holland District Council, Sinfonia Viva and Lincolnshire Music Hub. The music-making, paired with versatile workshops and performances enabled older people to enjoy new and familiar repertoire and create their own songs.

Alongside these sessions, Raphel Clarkson also worked with young musicians from Spalding Music Centre and beatboxer Mr Shay to make new compositions. The project culminated in a final performance where all groups came together at South Holland Music Centre to celebrate the power of music across genres and ages.