Orchestral Development
Mid Beds District Council has a partnership agreement with Orchestras Live! which enables us to work with them on: involving people from all sectors of the community in the pleasures of high quality live orchestral music.
The agreement works on a guarantee against loss basis, so we can’t loose! We get world class music and musicians yet can offer heavily subsidised prices to our community and still get some money back at the end of it.
Orchestras Live! previously known as Eastern Orchestral Board, is the UK's leading development agency for professional orchestral music. Since 1965 it has supported concerts and delivered groundbreaking education and audience development projects, focussed on the East and East Midlands. From April 2007 it is widening its scope and ambition, operating on the basis of strategic partnerships and joint investment to achieve shared goals and priorities.
For six years Mid Beds District Council worked with the world famous Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra to present Mid Beds Musical Safaris - a winning combination of world class musicians, family friendly programming (and prices!), free heritage talks and hour long performances on Sundays in rural churches across the District (some known and not so well known nooks and crannies) It was a winning formula.
Now, MBDC is working with the Philharmonia Orchestra on a number of initiatives including Cool Classics in Quiet Corners (CCQC). CCQC is based on the Safaris idea but brings in other styles of music too such as jazz. All the performers are either world class or have substantial UK based careers in specialist areas of music making; some of whom even live in Mid Beds!
Click here for details of CCQC concerts during 2008/09.
Other partnership projects include:
Stepping Stones
This is a programme specifically designed for children at Key Stage 1. The project supports children through the provision of a number of workshops in school which develops their basic musical skills and understanding as well as supporting other areas of the curriculum such as numeracy and literacy. The programme also supports primary teachers in their delivery of the music curriculum.
Since September 2006, innovative work has taken place with KS1 children in Arlesey, Stotfold, Lower Shelton, Lidlington, Houghton Conquest, Blunham and Stondon, to provide music education and other areas of the curriculum delivered through music and creative activity.
Delivered by Philharmonia animateur and musicians, a trainee animateur from Mid Beds, an associate musician from Beds Music and teaching staff.
Creative Orchestras
This project works with secondary school children, the informal youth sector and community groups. Working closely with Philharmonia Orchestra musicians the programme is build around a number of workshops which lead to the production and performances of new works for large-scale ensemble. The Creative Orchestra programme features cross-arts collaborations including particularly dance, film and music technology.
Symphony Days
Introducing live orchestral music to students at Upper Schools. During 2007/08 musicians from the Philharmonia Orchestra visited Redborne Upper School. A group of students then attended a concert at Bedford Corn Exchange, to listen to the composition that had been studied at the school.
