Sinfonia Viva Shortlisted For National Award

A partnership project involving Derby-based Sinfonia Viva,the Orchestra of the East Midlands, has been shortlisted for a prestigious RPS (Royal Philharmonic Society) Music Award – the highest recognition for live classical music in the UK.

Sinfonia Viva has worked in partnership with Orchestras Live, East Riding Council and Manchester Camerata orchestra on a two-year ‘Classically Yours’ project.

It involved a number of community engagement projects and performances reaching more than 2,000 people in Yorkshire as part of the Hull UK City of Culture 2017 programme.

The project has been shortlisted for the Audiences and Engagement category of the RPS Music Awards which will be announced in London on May 9.

Viva’s involvement in the project included workshops in nurseries and then a performance of its ‘Flutter & Fly’ family concert.

The Viva creative team also worked with three community groups to compose new songs inspired by their experiences which they performed in the town alongside the Orchestra and then again in Bridlington alongside Manchester Camerata and other community groups.

Viva Chief Executive Peter Helps said:  “We are delighted that the partnership project with East Riding, Manchester Camerata, Orchestras Live and Sinfonia Viva has been shortlisted for this award.

“It reflects the Orchestra’s ethos that partnership working achieves more, uses individual skills better and delivers stronger outcomes for those with whom we work.

“The organisations benefit from the shared learning and mutual support. For us being able to work with communities over a protracted period of time and involve local people in creative activity as well as audience members has been one of the real bonuses of the project.”

For more information about Viva and its wide repertoire of work, please visit www.vivaorch.co.uk.