Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
For over 130 years, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, now based in Poole, has captivated audiences around the world. But it's more than just wind and brass. Laura K Williams explains...
Live music has always been a part of Bournemouth’s story, and the Orchestra and town have evolved together over the years. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) - which, until 1954, was known as the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra - was established in 1893 to attract new tourists to the young town and cater for a range of musical tastes, from the concert hall to bandstand entertainment.
Like its Victorian roots, the modern day BSO continues to bring diverse music into people’s lives - inviting the world’s best musicians and composers to make the region their temporary home and deliver performances that entertain and inspire visitors and residents alike.
Claire Rawles, BSO’s Communications Manager, says: “Revitalisation and recuperation are two words that seem to have run through this region for 150 years, in a variety of guises. We feel part of this tradition: there’s nothing like the experience of sitting alongside 1,500 other people - collectively listening for 90 minutes - to reset the mind and refresh the senses, and our creative health and participatory music-making is a huge part of this too.”
BSO is not only known and appreciated locally, but across the globe. This is in part thanks to the new(ish) Artist-in-Residence programme which has seen the likes of German-born virtuoso, Felix Klieser take to the stage in Dorset. And partnerships formed with international dance groups such Seeta Patel Dance, which unites Stravinsky’s orchestral music with Bharatanatyam dance, receiving critical acclaim and selling out concert halls in Poole, London and Basingstoke.
While live symphonic music remains firmly at the core of what the Poole-based BSO does - ranging from concerts with some of the world’s leading conductors and finest guest soloists to BSO Pops series that celebrates great music of all genres, from symphonic film hits to disco - it’s remit does not end there.
Nurturing community and talent
BSO’s impact extends way beyond its contemporary base at Poole Lighthouse - where, from October to May, Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth leads weekly shows on a Wednesday - reaching across the whole of Dorset and beyond with regular performances and community programmes.
Claire says: “Week in, week out, you’ll also find BSO musicians connecting with people in health and wellbeing settings and supporting music education opportunities in schools and community centres across the region - drawing on music’s ability to heal and unite.
“Anyone who grew up in this region will tell you about their memories of hearing a BSO Schools’ Concert. It’s a legacy that we’re passionate about - you can only imagine how much fun the Orchestra has playing to thousands of primary pupils at Lighthouse, Poole each year!
“We work closely with our brilliant Music Education Hub partners to ensure the events don’t stand alone, creating resource materials to support classroom teaching - and there are further music-making opportunities in a range of ensembles throughout the Southwest.”
Music for all
But it’s not just children and young people who BSO engages with. Their dementia-friendly events in care homes saw them named Alzheimer's Society’s Dementia Friendly Organisation of the Year. They’ve recently embarked on a new partnership with NHS Dorset to bring music into the life of patients in the county. And they now stream performances online too.
“Our mission is to bring music into people’s lives,” says Claire. “And we want to reach everyone! Ensuring diversity on our stages, and in our partnerships, really matters to us: we believe orchestral music has a transformative magic, and that no one should be excluded from experiencing it.”
In 2018, BSO Resound was launched - the world’s first disabled-led ensemble at the core of a major orchestra: the group made its debut at the BBC Proms, as the first disabled group to do so. This marked a huge moment for the Orchestra - and the sector.
Last year BSO launched a new inclusive side-by-side playing weekend, uniting BSO Resound, BSO professionals and local amateur musicians with young disabled and non-disabled musicians from the National Open Youth Orchestra.
They will soon welcome its next cohort of BSO Young Associate Musicians - a seven-month, bursary-supported career springboard for aspiring community music leaders from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the arts.
Magical musical moments
Explaining the power of music to connect, heal and inspire, Claire explains why classical music is so powerful: “There’s honestly nothing like a full symphony orchestra in flight! Orchestral music is like a cape, it has the power to elevate the mood you’re in - you can listen to a piece and experience something different each time.
We won’t try to dictate what a particular piece will make you feel - but we will tell you there is something magical that happens when you’re sitting for 90 minutes, alongside a thousand or so strangers, all experiencing it together.
“New audiences are often surprised how much ‘classical’ music they already know, it’s all around us each day, from film and TV to video games. There is a perception that you need expert knowledge to appreciate orchestral music - the truth is that it’d take several lifetimes to really understand the entirety of music. All you really need is an open mind.”
As always, off the back of its annual Proms in the Park (which we ran a ticket competition for in the last edition of Pier Journal!), BSO has big plans for autumn/winter 2024 with a range of shows for all audiences - including The Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, The Snowman and Last Night of the Christmas Proms in Poole and starting at Poole Lighthouse in December Last Night of the Christmas Proms returns to Poole and some shows in Exeter and Portsmouth. Other shows include Symphonic Bee Gees, an original performance by Seckou Keita - the ‘Hendrix of the kora’ and Valentine’s Classics.
Website → bsolive.com
