IT’S A WRAP!

Need a little joy in your day? Here you go!

We’re so proud to share this wonderful highlight film from our day rehearsing and performing ‘Symphony of the World’ at St George’s Bristol.

This project was two years in the making, supported by Arts Council England, Quartet Community Foundation and the Bristol Masons Charity, and even featured on prime-time news by BBC Points West and BBC Radio Bristol! 

These opportunities transform life chances. Thank you.

Parent

This was one of our biggest projects yet. ‘Symphony of the World’ was the vision of our Preludes Music Founder and Creative Director, Penny Rawlings and Preludes Music Project Manager, Charlotte Dunling to celebrate the diversity of rich musical cultures in our city and the creative talents of our local children. Huge thanks to Molly Zoeller our Development Coordinator, for her fundraising magic, to Charlotte Dunling for running the project and to our lead tutor Charlie Groves.

The project brought together three Bristol schools – St Nicholas of Tolentine RC Primary, Redfield ET Primary, and Easton CE Primary – who worked alongside Bristol based musicians from the Bristol Ensemble, Bristol Reggae Orchestra, Mamadou Cissokho, and Troyka to compose their own unique pieces. These workshops culminated in two live performances: one at Trinity Arts Centre and another at St George’s Bristol, both filled with family, friends, and wonderfully supportive audiences.

Each school was brilliant and very enjoyable to watch and listen to. Amazing all the skills of the children playing different musical instruments. Congratulations to all teachers and all children on the prep and hard work. Keep going! And thanks.

Audience Member

Part of the Symphony of the World project was about also engaging with the community and providing opportunities for adults to explore their creativity. We delivered a series of workshops with a group of Persian women based in Bristol, led by the project’s Community Coordinator, Hadi Rahmani. The workshops focused on reading and discussing selected stories from Persian literary heritage and at the end of the project they even requested more workshops to be held.

A huge thank you to everyone who shared such lovely comments about the concert and the process, and a special shout-out to Nathaniel Mason for capturing such a magical day. 

The full concert is now available on the Bristol Ensemble YouTube channel, where you can also watch William Goodchild and Mamadou Cissokho’s breathtaking ‘Concerto for Kora and Orchestra’.

We’ve already got our planning hats on for our next project! Got any ideas? Let us know!