Through the Palace Court Theatre, Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) has been able to host professional orchestra Bath Philharmonia, who collaborated with a group of young carers from across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP).
Bath Philharmonia worked with the young people from Tuesday 13 August to create an orchestra in a week, with the final performance for invited guests taking place on the Palace Court's main stage.
"It was a real pleasure to welcome the families of BCP young carers to the theatre," says Nicola Cartlidge, Theatre and Venues Manager at AUB. "It gave them an opportunity to celebrate the creativity and bravery of these young people. The performance was really poignant and the families were, rightfully, very proud.
"This is the first of many such events the Palace Court Theatre hopes to host, where the local community can benefit from using the venue, right in the heart of Bournemouth."
Bath Philharmonia transforms lives through the joy of live orchestral music, reaching communities and young carers across the South West. Through their week-long residencies, they give young carers a vital break from their caring responsibilities; through music making, they change life chances and open up new opportunities.
Caring roles can affect young carers’ education, friendships, health and wellbeing, so Bath Philharmonia’s ambition is to enable young people who are often excluded from music-making activities to perform new music that reflects their experiences.
Through music, the orchestra enables them to develop their self-confidence and resilience in a fun, friendly and safe environment, giving them an outlet for self-expression and their innate creativity that they would not otherwise have.
Bath Philharmonia is the only orchestra in the UK to offer a regular programme of activity for young carers, and is the only professional orchestra that regularly performs music co-created by and with young people on their main stage alongside their symphony orchestra.
Nicola comments, "Through the Palace Court Theatre and supporting work of this nature, AUB is helping to encourage and nurture young talent, allowing them to explore creativity in a safe environment.
"Creative opportunities such as this challenge young people to collaborate with different people, express themselves and experience a sense of real self-worth from taking on a new challenge. All this helps to raise the aspirations of young people and broaden their horizons."
Now accepting submissions and hire enquiries, Palace Court Theatre is also hosting termly Open Site tours for creatives. Visit the event page for more information.
