The summer course dates for Animate Orchestra courses in Greenwich and Lewisham have now been confirmed. Please see below for further details…

These will be ‘open access’ local courses for children living or going to school in the London boroughs of Royal Greenwich and Lewisham. Players of all instruments and experience levels are welcome to apply, you do not have to have attended a previous Animate Orchestra course.

Animate Lewisham: Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st July

Animate Greenwich: Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd August

Both courses will take place at the Laban Building, Trinity Laban’s Dance Faculty (Creekside, London, SE8 3DZ).

Booking will be available soon – the easiest way to apply will be via the online shop, but you may request a paper application form if you prefer to pay by cheque. Contact Lucy Duffy on lucy@animateorchestra.org.uk for further details.

New ticket offers for LPO & Trinity Laban concerts, and other opportunities for the summer term 2013 are now available Backstage exclusively for members. There are some really fantastic concert programmes in this series so don’t miss out – book now!

Existing AO members without Backstage login details should email info@animateorchestra.org.uk

HUGE congratulations to all those young musicians who took part in last week’s Animate Orchestra Easter course and performance at Blackheath Halls. What a fantastic gig – you were amazing! All the tutors and staff were impressed with your commitment, progress and creative ideas and the Animate Orchestra backstage team are tremendously proud of everyone who took part.

We were lucky enough to have the concert professionally recorded and photographed and even had a promotional video made, so as soon as these are ready, they will be uploaded to the ‘Backstage’ area of this website.  Watch this space…

We also hope you enjoyed the chance to see students from Trinity Laban perform, as well as LPO’s The Band. The Band is open to all members of Animate once they reach school years 9/10, so we hope that older members may be inspired to join the group in the future. You can get more information on the project here www.lpo.org.uk/theband or contact Caz Vale directly on caz@animateorchestra.org.uk

What’s next for Animate Orchestra?

New LPO and Trinity Laban ticket offers for Summer 2013 will be available for members ‘Backstage’ shortly…

Animate EAST will have the opportunity for another project at the beginning of the Summer holidays, as well as a “day out” which we will send you details of in due course.

Animate WEST will be invited for a “day out” to an exciting arts venue in July/ August.

Booking for the Animate Lewisham Summer Holiday course is now open! Further information and application forms can be downloaded here. We hope to see Animate Lewisham members in the summer!

London Philharmonic Orchestra

 Royal Festival Hall, 18 April 2012, 7:30pm

Schumann                   Overture, Genoveva
Kalevi Aho                   Sieidi. Concerto for Solo Percussion and Orchestra (world première)
Brahms                        Symphony No. 1

 Have you ever thought that percussionists stand at the back and only play a few notes at a time?! Think again. Kalevi Aho has writted a brand new piece for solo percussionist and full orchestra to be performed for the first time ever at Royal Festival Hall! The concerto is presented between a very dramatic introductory piece written by a composer called Schumann, telling the tale of a brave knight and his true love; and Brahms’ first symphony, full of music that quickly switches between dark and light, happy and sad.

 Royal Festival Hall, 2 May 2012, 7:30pm

 Janáček                        Suite, The Cunning Little Vixen
Dvořák                         Piano Concerto
Suk                              Symphonic Poem, Ripening

 Cunning Little Vixen is an opera based on a comic book called Adventures of Vixen Sharp-Ears. It was written around 100 years ago and follows the story of a female fox and her escape from the forester who captures her. This work is followed by a concerto for piano and orchestra, with the solo part played by Martin Helmchen. In the final piece of the concert, Ripening, the composer says you will find “all the degrees of human emotion” and he uses the orchestra in different ways to create lots of different moods.

 To book FREE tickets to either (or both) of these concerts please phone Sam our LPO Box Office Manager on 020 7840 4205 and quote “Deutsche Bank Offer – Animate Orchestra”. Tickets are limited so call quickly to avoid disappointment.

 (Tickets must be booked before the day through London Philharmonic Orchestra on the number above. The offer is not available through Southbank Centre Box Office)