Sinfonia Viva Invites Local Groups To Join Anniversary Tour

Sinfonia Viva Invites Local Groups To Join Anniversary Tour

Derby-based Sinfonia Viva, the East Midlands’ only professional orchestra, will mark its 35th anniversary this year by touring the region with its inflatable mobile venue and is inviting local creative groups to join them.

The Orchestra will start its month-long tour by erecting its mobile venue in Derby Market Place on June 13 and 14 before moving onto Mansfield, Scunthorpe, Mablethorpe and North Norfolk.

At each location, the Orchestra will hold a daytime family concert which is a relaxed performance aimed at pre-school children and their families, including a chance for them to meet the players and try some of the orchestral instruments themselves.

This will be followed by an evening orchestral concert – giving people the chance to enjoy high quality classical music close to home.

On the second day, the mobile venue will be available for performances by local groups – whether that is schools, amateur dramatics, bands or visuals artists wanting to exhibit their work.

Viva has a busy year ahead and, as well as a packed concert programme, is aiming to work directly with 3,500 people through a series of education and community creative projects.

The tour will be an important part of this commitment with Viva helping local groups to stage their shows in the mobile venue.

They will link up with Voluntary Arts England to give people at each location the chance to work with the backstage, technical and front of house team and potentially unlock future job opportunities.

Young people aged 14 - 24 will also be invited to get involved in documenting the event over the two day period, to learn valuable journalistic skills, develop their understanding of how an event is covered and to increase their marketing employment skills.

Sinfonia Viva are also working with University of Derby students, to help shape the feel of the event, creating and designing wonderfully creative animations and design to accompany the event.  

The ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ tour has been made possible by a £159,525 grant from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring programme, which makes it easier for cultural organisations and artists to bring great art and culture to people across England.

Sinfonia Viva Chief Executive Peter Helps explained: “Since receiving the news that we had secured this grant from Arts Council England, we have been working with our partners in key locations across the East Midlands to develop the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ tour programme.

“This project will enable us to bring high quality cultural activity to areas we wouldn’t normally be able to  reach, whilst at the same time celebrating local talent and showcasing each areas valuable artistic output.

“As an organisation, we are committed to creating meaningful musical experiences through performance and participation. This tour ensures we can significantly increase opportunities for people to experience the vibrant spectacle and personal value of a tailored, high quality cultural offer and to create a skills legacy for the future.”

Mr Helps continued: “Our vision is to make the Orchestra more accessible to everyone and this tour is a key element in this objective -falling in our 35th  birthday year. 

“Another part our anniversary year will therefore be to encourage more people to support us and these donations will help us to work with even more people in the coming decades.”

Any local organisation who is interesting in being involved in the tour at Wells next to the Sea should contact Tim Jennings, Tel: 01332 207570 or email tim@vivaorch.co.uk

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