Music & Arts were again very pleased to be involved in the opening day of the festival on 6 May - outdoors and in!
Outdoors, as part of the Children’s Parade, the BHMA Youth Brass Ensemble delighted the crowds with their New Orleans style marching jazz, and the Brighton & Hove Youth Big Band kicked off the afternoon’s performances on the New Road Fringe City stage with their usual crowd pleasing style.
Later that afternoon our indoor events included performances from acoustic solo acts on the Dome Foyer stage and a range of small chamber ensembles (string, woodwind and brass) performing on the South Balcony of the Museum and Art Gallery.
“Music From Around the world”
Sunday 14 May saw the culmination of the Secondary Schools Singing project with a performance as part of the BYO Brighton Festival Concert. Over 100 young singers from 5 secondary schools (Cardinal Newman, Longhill, PACA, Hove Park and Varndean) and the Brighton & Hove Youth Choir formed a massed choir to sing a diverse repertoire to reflect the theme. BYO played their Chinese repertoire with much style and the massed choir was a joy to see, especially including so many boys singing! The Singing project, a collaboration between SoundCity and Glyndebourne, has been running since November 2016, regularly visiting the secondary schools to support and spread a love and enthusiasm for singing.