Calderdale school students are busy rehearsing for a major musical performance with a world-renowned orchestra, as part of a CultureDale(external link) legacy project.
Calderdale’s Year of Culture may be over, but it’s making a lasting impact, with young people continuing to take part in enriching cultural activities.
On Sunday 15 June 2025 at 7.30pm, students from North Halifax Grammar School will perform with the prestigious English Chamber Orchestra at Halifax Minster, with support from CultureDale and Calderdale Music.
This is a key cultural moment for Calderdale, as it’s the Orchestra’s first major public performance in the borough, building on work in 2024. Its usual home is Cadogan Hall in London. The Orchestra has played in more countries and been recorded more often than any other chamber orchestra in the world. It played at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and the King recently reconfirmed his position as Patron of the English Chamber Orchestra.
‘The Lark Ascending’ performance, featuring Vaughan Williams’ beautiful music, has been regularly voted the best and most enduring piece of all classical works. The stunning 15th century, Grade I listed Halifax Minster is the perfect setting, with its extensive wooden ceiling giving a uniquely warm and intimate acoustic sound.
The performance comes after the English Chamber Orchestra teamed up with Little People Big Noise and Three Stones Media during Calderdale’s Year of Culture 2024, to work with eight Calderdale primary schools on the ‘Lights Camera Score’ project.
Funded by CultureDale, the project saw 350 pupils spending 126 hours creating animated films(external link) on the theme of ‘the place I love’, and composing and performing their own musical soundtracks to bring the films to life. Lights Camera Score helped children from a diverse range of backgrounds to find their own love of music, the arts and creativity.
At the end of the project in June 2024, the pupils showcased their new skills in a performance at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax, alongside the English Chamber Orchestra, attended by nearly 1000 Calderdale schoolchildren.
The success of the schools project has led to it being funded for another year in 2025, with support from CultureDale, Arts Council England, the English Chamber Orchestra and D’Oily Carte Foundation. This year’s theme is taken from the UNESCO ASPnet Schools’ Network: Seeds of Hope schools engagement programme, which aims to connect young people across the globe to develop a wider understanding of environmental issues and a love of nature.
Cllr Danielle Durrans, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said:
“The success of last year’s Lights Camera Score project, and the brilliant news that it can run again this year, is testament to the power of Calderdale’s Year of Culture. For many of the children involved, it has given them their first experience of playing a musical instrument on stage, or their first visit to a theatre. This is what CultureDale and its legacy is all about – giving people from all walks of life the chance to enjoy and participate in culture.
“It’s fantastic to see how much the English Chamber Orchestra loves working in Calderdale, and we can really see this partnership growing in terms of our borough’s offer around live music and the work with schools.”
James Rutherford, General Manager of English Chamber Orchestra, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to be returning to Calderdale in 2025, performing both to local students and the public. This marks a significant milestone for the English Chamber Orchestra, and we are honoured to share the power of live classical music in the extraordinary setting of Halifax Minster.
“Equally important to us is the continued collaboration with Calderdale schools through the Lights Camera Score project. It’s been wonderful to see the pupils creativity flourish and it is projects like this that reflect our deep commitment to music education and to widening access to cultural experiences for young people, particularly in areas where such opportunities might be limited. Our partnership with Calderdale has set the stage for a lasting legacy, and we are proud to play our part in inspiring the next generation to engage with music in their day to day lives.”
The Revd Canon Hilary Barber, Vicar of Halifax Minster, said:
“I’m hugely excited to welcome people from across Calderdale to come into Halifax Minster – an extraordinary medieval space with a unique acoustic for live music, and such a special place where happy memories for so many people are made. Having the English Chamber Orchestra alongside North Halifax Grammar School performing together is certainly one of the great occasions in the year not to be missed.”
Visit www.culturedale.co.uk/events/english-chamber-orchestra-concert(external link) for more information about The Lark Ascending performance at Halifax Minster on Sunday 15 June, plus booking details.